Bella Knitting

Hickory Dickory Dot

Laura

Few things at Stitches were cuter than this picture! Can you see the bit of drool on his chin? I just want to gobble him up.

Logan (a.k.a. Lolo) belongs to Anny Purls and is about to have his first birthday. We are super happy to be working with her. This Hickory Dickory Dot sweater is knit with our favorite Karabella Aurora 8 yarn. This color combo is called Prairie Mouse. The Teddy Bear below is sporting Wine Country Mouse. The other mouse colors are pretty cute too. I am really hoping someone knits City Mouse and sends us a picture.

It was a blast to listen to all the comments from passers by. They would ahhh at the picture then come take a peek at the sweater we had  hanging in the crib (Anny was nice enough to send it to us for Stitches). Everyone loved the lap shoulder design and it gets even better ... the mouse squeaks! Yup, there is a bit of batting and a little squeaker in there. So many kids were delighted by the squeak that I myself was delighted it was still there on Sunday evening!  We are including a squeaker in all our projects because it is so very fun.

Looks like the mouse for this guy was out looking for cheese (to go with his wine) during this photo. Lots of thanks to Rachel (Naptime Knits) in Connecticut for knitting this sample for us - it finished it's journey out west in the knick of time!

We have updated our home page with this project. It is so very pretty. Knitters can buy just the pattern or the project with yarn and that squeaker.

A bit more on the Bella Baby wall at Stitches West below ...

Shopping at Stitches!

Laura

Hi all, we're back! We had an absolutely fantastic Stitches West and will want to share lots of fun stuff with you - as soon as our brains kick back into gear. In the mean time I thought I would share a fun find and cute story.

I was tossed out of our booth on Sunday morning by both Sarah and Robin with instructions not to come back until I had shopped. It was my first time out, so I grabbed my purse, threw them a thanks and headed out to see what I could find. Tucked way in the back, almost the very last booth was a store called The Fiber Sphere, they've got an interesting circular contraption that I didn't really get to see but others were certainly interested. What caught my eye was this bamboo bag.

Even more interesting was the story the man in the booth was telling about the bags. It seems they have them made in Cambodia - no big surprise there. But, here's the thing, they actually pay the workers a fair wage. Not only does this end up virtually supporting an entire small village it means that the quality is quit nice also. There are pockets inside and all the workmanship is lovely.  Just feel how smooth the bamboo is (OK, I'll feel it for you). This medium size is about 11" high and was $35.

Take a peek at the back - it is curved so that it sits comfortably on your hip when you sling it over your shoulder (even those of us with generous hips). It comes with the nice canvas strap you see in this photo, but I thought one of our leather straps with the watch face would really make it perfect for me and the big side D-rings made it easy to switch.

So there we are, a few of us hunting through the bags for the one that's calling our name, when I point out that I like the fact the bag will stand up when you put it down. "Oh, no!" cried the knitter next to me. "You can't put this on the floor. You have to go over to this cute booth in Aisle 800. There's a lady there selling these great silver purse hooks."  I broke out into a huge smile, and told her she made my day because, of course, it was our booth. :)

I told her about our blog post and pretend PSA titled "Friends don't let Friends put their Purse on the Restaurant Floor"! She explained that she and her friends bought the hooks just because the floor in the place they hold their knitting group is so very gross!  She sent people our way all day looking for those purse hooks. I just love meeting people at Stitches. More stories next time.

Snapshots from Stitches

Sarah

Yikes! Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Measure has been keeping me busy, school has been keeping me busy, you know how it is. Since it's Stitches weekend though, I thought I'd share some snapshots from the Bella booth. (Warning: photo-heavy post!)

Here are Laura and Robin, considering what should go where.

Measure likes yarn, so we plunked him down in a box full of it. (Just long enough to take a picture.)

Yarny goodness! No one can resist fondling the Cascade Pima Tencel. It's soooo soft.

I think the mannequin in the back looks like he's pouting because he doesn't have a hat yet. The awesome looking hats in the front were designed by Miss Clever herself, Arlette. It's a really fun knit -- two-color brioche in the round, but with some absolutely genius details. (The pattern will be on the web site shortly after the madness of Stitches is over.)

And finally, here's what the booth looked like this morning, before we were mobbed (in a good way) by the teeming crowds of knitters. Hooray for mobs of knitters! It's really nice to be able to walk through a whole crowd of people and know that not a single one of them thinks you are crazy for being excited about yarn.

MacGyver

Laura

I loved watching MacGyver. He always managed to save the day with a paper clip, a wire and a bit of gum. I had a dilemma of my own this weekend - how to wrap 4 yards of thread on to each of 150 bobbins without going crazy.

While there was no gum involved in my jury-rigged solution, there was electrical tape, plumbers putty, a beater, and a rubber band winder from an old airplane toy.

If you remember from yesterday, the trick was how to wind 150 bobbins with about 4 yards of color-coordinated thread (because who really wants to go out to buy matching thread when you only need 4 yards?) and not lose our minds.

The solution was perfect and very lucky. How many  of you can put your hands on a  toy airplane rubber-band propeller winder on a moments notice. If I had not recently gotten around to unpacking a box siting in the hall since we moved last November I promise you I could not have either. But there it was, my savior, sitting at the bottom of my son's junk drawer. Here is the process in case you ever find yourself in a similar dilemma:

  1) Place the end of the thread on a mixer blade stuck upside down in a bowl so it can spin freely.

  2)  Break off the handle of a manual bobbin winder (used by cross stitchers) and attach to winder using electrical tape and plumber's putty to hold in firmly in place.

  3) Figure out how many spins it takes to wind 4 yards (it's 75 by the way).

4 ) Have foresight 20-years in advance to marry a man who is very handy and thus have children who will do anything that involves any kind of gadget.

5) Pretend to be sad to give up this very fun job to them.

Ta da! 150 bobbins done in no time! :)

Brownies

Laura

When I was a little girl (oh, so long ago) and a Girl Scout the leaders would tell stories of Brownies, Fairy-like creatures who performed good deeds. In their version of this old Scottish tale, Brownies would come at night to perform the household chores.  I found myself wishing for a few Brownies of my own this week as we started the oh-so-hectic Stitches preparation. It's a time filled with activity, chaos and fun.

We are thrilled to be the exclusive distributor of Anny Purl's adorable Buddy Bags. They are super cute lined backpacks for toddlers that include little finger puppets. Since our make-it-easy philosophy is to include everything needed to finish the project we also carry the fabric and matching thread so you can Build Your Own Bella project ... pick the yarn color, the pocket type and the fabric and you have your very own design.  With Stitches coming, it also means preparing lots and lots of pockets. That's where I thought those Brownies would come in handy!

Here's the before picture.

And, ta da!  the after (maybe it was Martha Stewart who came to help. Look how nice and neat they are!

Just one more step ...

I'll have to explain more about this one tomorrow. I promise you will think I lost my mind!

Perfection

Laura

The mailman moved way up on my list of favorite people this week. That's because he brought me two skeins of this Handmaiden Camelspin.

It's a bit pathetic, I am carrying the skein around the house with me from room to room; placing it lovingly in a spot where I can see it, reflect on it's stunning colorway and casually strolling over for a bit of a fondle now and then. It's simply to die for. I have written effusive, flowery notes full of praise to Handmaiden Yarns asking (OK, begging) to carry their yarn, any of it, to no avail. They are sold out.

So in the meantime this will just go on my list of personal knitting pleasures while I wait for the knitting gods to smile down on me and add us to the vendor list.

Although some say that there are enough scarves in the world already I really truly think this yarn has to be wrapped around my neck to be enjoyed to it' maximum potential. It is a knitter's dilemma. I guess I'll have to think of something special and am open to recommendations. I have 600 lovely meters.

The K.I.S.S. Principle

Sarah

No, not KISS -- K.I.S.S. As in, "Keep It Simple, Stupid." It's a principle I try to live by, especially when buying electronics. The more bits it has, the more likely it is that something's gonna break. The same holds true for life. It's more enjoyable, and it'll probably last longer, if you try not to overcomplicate things. Toe-up, plain-Jane stockinette socks in a lovely shade of Koigu, may be the most elegant expression of the K.I.S.S. principle I've ever had a hand in creating.

And hey, look, they go with my pants!

Also, in one of life's funny little coincidences, I happened to notice this post of Ashley's just as I was working on my second sock and wishing I still had my ball bands so I could look up more of this color. Luckily, Ashley is a far more clever knitter than myself and had actually retained that information. So, for the curious, this is most likely color number 323 in Koigu KPPM.

Winners!

Sarah

We've got winners in our photo story contest!

First prize, and winner of a $50 Bella gift certificate: Kate (sadly blogless, it seems) whose entry you can see here. In three shots, Kate encapsulated the drama and excitement of a successful first scarf -- and how can you not love her pose in the last photo? Cracks me up every time!

Second prize, and winner of a purse hook: Carol, for her hilarious entry depicting a vicious kitty attack on a knitted mouse. Carol, your cat just looks so thrilled -- "look ma, I gots it!" I love it.

Third Prize, and winner of a knitting care kit: MissScarlett, for her adorable entry titled "Carpooling." My initial reaction, which has been repeated every time I look at that post, is "Awwwwww!"

I have to give some honorable mentions, too. These entrants may not have won a prize, but you should definitely pop over and leave a comment in praise of their storytelling skills!

- Applaud for Shannon, aka RayGunGirl, for telling one of my all-time favorite stories -- winding yarn into a ball! How cool is it that she got the swift and winder for Christmas? Good job, Shannon's parents!

- Marvel at Suzanne, aka Yarnhog, who suffered severe trials and tribulations (not enough yarn! event dates moved willy-nilly!) throughout the knitting process, all in order to give a friend a lovely wedding gift. Actually, lovely doesn't even cover it -- this Icarus shawl is freaking gorgeous. Check it out, and maybe drool a little at the beauty you behold!

Field Trip

Laura

There are field trips and then there are field trips.  Once the kids get to 8th grade there aren’t too many parent involvement activities (they just don’t want you around any more). The trick (at any grade level) is to know when and where to volunteer.  I picked a good one today. A mega field trip lasting from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm seemed daunting to many (nine and a half hours of student activity including three hours on the bus) but we were headed to the very popular Monterey Bay Aquarium and the National John Steinbeck Museum (bet you hadn’t heard of that one). Both get two thumbs up and are highly recommended if you are in the area.

My group kind of fell in love with the jelly fish.  They are actually not fish at all but just unsophisticated organisms that don’t even have brains (see, I paid attention).  But what they lack in metal capacity they make up for in style. We stood fascinated and mesmerized by the graceful flow of translucent colors in the cool colors of the water.

One benefit of the trip was the three hours of quiet, uninterrupted, dedicated knitting time amidst an enthusiastic chorus of 99 bottles of beer on the wall, the conflicting sounds of multiple iPods and the constant growling and grinding of the bus engine. I had hoped a 90-minute ride would warrant a coach bus but alas, your standard, everyday, big yellow, skinny seated, echo-filled, bouncy school bus was the mode of transportation for the day. Did I mention bouncy?  It meant I needed to conjure up and refine my defensive knitting technique. 

Defensive knitting skills are nothing new to me.  While my knitting time may have diminished (significantly) during the years when my close-born children were one and two years old (and three and four for that matter), I never completely gave up on a bit of mommy time. It meant, however, that I learned to knit with my elbows up and out, ready to deflect a flying child at a moments notice and, as I improved my technique, without a break in my rhythm either.

Today’s technique required a little finessing, the elbows now holding me better in my seatbeltless seat with fingers poised to grab and hold down stitches that might feel the need to jump off the needle when my butt bounced off the pleather seat. It worked; I knit and got to experience the beauty of the jelly fish and mystery of adolescence.

Eighteen inches of scarf knitting - fantastic. A full day spent with your daughter while she is still speaking to you - priceless! :)

The Provisional Crochet Increase

Laura
Winter Hat (Part 5) yikes!

It's been awhile since we checked in on my winter hat idea so let's review the progress to date... It all started with a vacuum cleaner. Strange but true. Its innovative features started me on a kick to rethink designs from the ground up - taking nothing for granted.  Developing a hat wish list seemed like the next logical step and then it was time to play.  Brilliant or bizarre? You decide which category the  Winter Super Hero ear flap falls into (the kids are still rolling their eyes over that one but they want it!); followed by  my personal favorite the 3-needle i-cord join to put it all together. But after all this I realized I forget to tell you how it all started. So back to the beginning we go.

One of the core elements of my new hat was a curved edge. Something that would follow the contour of the head, flow gracefully over the eyes then swoop down to cover the ears. It lead to my first design dilemma -->  how to knit the hat from the bottom up, shape the bottom edge and still come back for the i-cord bind off and join (for the ear flaps). The answer, of course, is the provisional cast on. I used Sarah’s nicely illustrated crochet cast on with a twist – I also used the provisional cast on method for my increases.

The first step is to create a crochet chain the long enough to accommodate your total number of stitches. Pick up in the middle of the chain instead of the end, making sure to leave enough “bumps” on each end for your increases.  I learned, after a few attempts, to add about ten extra for each end since I never seemed to have enough stitches on one of the two ends. 

The result was just what I was looking for, it’s super easy, flexible (you can add any number of stitches) and results in a nice smooth edge (no cast on jogs in to ruin the line of the curve). There are two, three, then four increases in the photo above.

Here are the stitches that will be above the ear flap. I picked up the stitches at the end of every row so they are ready to be worked on the next row.

Here is a view of a purl side pickup. If you want to try this on your own just be a bit careful pulling out the yarn at the increase points.

This time I'm pulling out the red provisional cast on to replace it with a matching navy edge but it would be nice as a contrasting color edge with a non-rolling stitch. I think it is easier to start with a quick crochet chain than to crochet an edge on later and you don't really even need to know how to crochet to make a chain. mmmm... how about at the edge of a nicely curved sleeve cuff? What do you think?