THE YARN DOCTOR

Another Year...

2011-12-28T17:13:00.001-05:00

Wow...cannot believe another year is coming to a close! I did not post as much as I wanted to this year, but at least I did at all. Hopefully in the new year I will be around online a bit more.

Wanted to share a few things I have been working on ...

These are a couple of baby blankets I designed for a friend.

I love how well they turned out...

One of my Christmas presents for my Niece:

This was from a pattern I found on ravelry... Celtic Cable Neckwarmer
It knit up really quickly and I loved making it!

Here is a pair of socks I knit a while back and finally got around to taking a picture of them:

They are knit with zauberball. Love this yarn!!

I used 0's and they have a nice cable pattern.

Since I sew for a living now I thought I would include my latest creation which was a gift for my sister..I had never quilted before so I bought a walking foot and tried it out:

It took a lot longer to do this than I expected, but I was really pleased with the results....

Not sure how much more quilting I will be doing...but the bag turned out pretty well I must say!

Ok....I suppose this will be it for the blog in 2011. See you next year!

KNIT ON....

BACK TO GEORGIA

2011-10-02T09:26:00.002-04:00

Been home for a month actually and am finally taking the time to post. I can't believe how fast time goes by! I have a few more pictures from my vacation that I wanted to share......

China Town

Got to go to see "Julius Caesar". Grabbed a picture of one of the dresses on display.

Fabulous LYS in Alexandria...Fibre Space

Ok....moving right along to latest project. Finished up the baby blanket I started in DC. It turned out smaller than I expected probably because I never checked my gauge and also assumed I was knitting on size 7 needles. I was actually using 6's!!!! It is still a nice blanket and will be a nice gift.

That's it for this week. KNIT ON!

STILL IN DC

2011-09-04T10:31:00.002-04:00

I am still on vacation and having a wonderful time.

This is Tia. I am house sitting while in DC and taking care of the cat. She has taken a little time to warm up to me but we are becoming great friends! Maybe it is that I am the one who controls the food...hmmm

Got to go knitting this week at Stitch DC. What a great group of people. I had a nice time with all of them and had wonderful conversation. I always say the less knitting I actually get done, the better the group ha ha.

I get to go see more of the dc knitters later today. Can't wait!

So I thought I would show a couple pictures from sight seeing...

Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian.

Got to see the First Ladies exhibit as well and unfortunately could not really get any decent pictures as the lighting was dim and all the dresses were behind glass. I did get this one of Martha Washington's dress with a little glare from the flash.

This is the Martin Luther King Memorial which just opened. What an awesome sight!

I think that is enough for the tour this week! My vacation continues and I will have more to show soon!

KNIT ON...

HELLO FROM DC

2011-08-24T21:45:00.002-04:00

I made it to Washington DC on Monday after a little glitch with the airline...had to take a later flight, BUT got a couple of round trips out of it so thanks Air Tran.

Yesterday, which was Tuesday, I felt the earth move....literally. We had an earthquake here. I am sure everyone has heard about it by now but I have to say it was pretty freaky. I have never been in an earthquake before so now I guess I can say that I have been. Hopefully it will be my last earthquake experience. Luckily for DC it really did not do much damage and I don't think anyone was hurt. Whew.

Now we have a hurricane coming over the weekend...hmmm...hopefully won't be too intense....

Besides that I am having a fabulous visit so far. I got to go to Looped Yarn Works yesterday. This is a fabulous LYS on Connecticut Ave.

I met the dcmenknit group there. I was very happy to get to knit with the gentlemen of DC!
Hopefully I will be able to knit with them a couple more times before I leave.

I also picked up some wonderful yarn to knit the Baby Chalice Blanket.

This is Berroco "Vintage". 40% wool, 50% acrylic, 10% nylon. Perfect for baby!

OK...That's all for now.

KNIT ON...

VACATION

2011-08-20T11:44:00.001-04:00

The Yarn Doctor is officially on VACATION! Woo Hoo....Heading to DC on Monday for 2 and a half weeks! Can't wait. Hope to get some serious knitting time in and meet some of the DC knitters. They even have a men's group there so I am very excited.

I wanted to post some new pictures. First up is the Friday night knitting group in Atlanta...

These are the greatest people! I met most of them about 5 years ago and we have continued to knit together, share birthdays, and build some pretty amazing friendships! Love y'all...

I finished up the baby sweater and hat this morning...

I am pretty happy with them. I had to block the hat on an upside down vase since it was so small.

I think that is it for this week. Have a bunch to do before I leave on Monday. Next post will be from our Nation's Capitol....

KNIT ON...

I'M BACK!

2011-08-10T22:32:00.002-04:00

So here I am! Almost 2 years and finally I have rejoined cyberland. I got a new laptop last weekend and decided it was time to get back to the blog! So much has happened...I got a degree in Fashion Design and have been working in theatre doing costumes for the past year. I love it. The three main gigs I have had are The Atlanta Opera, The Alliance Theatre, and Georgia Shakespeare Theatre...I have gained so much from these jobs! It is nice to have a degree but real world experience is priceless! Currently I am working on "Into The Woods" at the Alliance. I love this musical! It is very exciting to be a part of this production.

HMMM...so what have I been knitting? Just finished MUIR which I worked on for 3 years...yes that's right...3 years. Life really got in the way of this one, but I never gave up and it is finished. I will be giving it to my friend Nancy this week! WOO HOO...pictures later.
What else....currently working on a baby sweater and hat for my sister's co-worker. The pattern for the sweater is one of my favorites. It is a seamless knit from the top down cardigan.
For the most part since I got out of school I keep a small project going like socks or a scarf. I started an entrelac scarf out of self striping sock yarn, and I love it but it has proved time consuming and I yearn for more, more, more....hopefully I will finish it one day.

I really should be designing more...I am heading to Washington DC for a break later this month and hope to get inspired to start designing more.

As you can tell I have no pictures of recent projects. I need to get the camera out and snap some shots of what is on the needles. I am easing back into the blog, so next post will hopefully have some pics!

It's good to be back.

Knit on....

A YEAR ALREADY!

2009-10-19T18:01:00.011-04:00

Time Flies
I can hardly believe that I started back to school a whole year ago. It has gone by so fast, and I begin my next to last term tomorrow. I haven't blogged since July, so figured I would try to get a post up before I get too busy again.

I wanted to show my first dress design. I'm kinda proud of it...

This dress was such a learning experience for me. To actually start with a sketch and then turn it into something that someone can actually wear. First's are always the best!
And...yes...I was very pleased to see it on a real person....

The lovely models are my niece Michele, and her daughter Brittany. I'm so lucky to have such beautiful family members to show off my creations...

As for knitting...of course I am! Working on no less than four or five projects right now. I will catch up with getting current online with the knitting. I just wanted to show off what I've learned in school and I hope I will be able to blog more, but the next 6 months might be pretty intense for me so if you don't see much on the blog never fear...I"LL BE BACK...

Happy Halloween....knit on...

A QUICKIE

2009-07-13T21:05:00.002-04:00

Nascar

Hey all. Just a quick post today. School work is keeping me busy busy busy, but I wanted to put a picture my cousin Bunny sent me of her dog Nascar. I knitted a little hoodie sweater for him and he wears it well...

AWW...isn't he a cutie pie!

Like I said, this was a quickie today. See ya later!

Knit on....

THE GRADUATE

2009-06-26T11:42:00.006-04:00

Austin...

I just made a visit to Madison Wisconsin for my nephew Austin's Graduation. Wanted to put him on the blog 'cause I am so proud of him!

Here he is sporting his new diploma. I have to say, as far as graduations go I really enjoyed his! It was a very inspiring day and I am really glad I got to be there.

Here he is with Ted and Kim, the proud parents, and with Mom and me.

I got to visit one of the local yarn stores in Madison while taking a bike ride with my brother Ted...

Lakeside Fibers is a really wonderful store located right on the lake with a nice deck to sit and knit and enjoy the view.

Also, while attending the local farmer's market at the Capitol in Madison, I happened across some local knitters selling their goods!

As always, wherever I go, the knitters I come across are always welcoming and friendly, and these two were no exception. They gladly let me take their picture and I told them I would put them on the blog when I got back! Great hats...

I love visiting Wisconsin. Madison is just a really cool place. There is such a sense of community and I always feel at home there. I had a great visit. It was too short, but I am so grateful to have had such a nice time and get the chance to see what a brilliant young man my nephew Austin has become!

Knit on...

Functional Knits

2009-06-05T19:08:00.002-04:00

Wheels and Feet

Recently, when visiting Mom, she needed a steering wheel cover because down here in the south it gets really hot and it sometimes feels like you put your hand on a hot stove burner when you get in the car to drive. Check out my version of the steering wheel cover from Debbie Stoller's book Stitch and Bitch:

I think that should do the trick!
As for other functional knits...a new pair of socks for guess who...ME!
I actually am keeping these for myself...

Designed by none other than my fabulous roommate Claudia, and this pattern is featured in another Debbie Stoller book: Son of Stitch and Bitch....patterns for men! I love these socks...knitted with Regia Cotton sock yarn.....very cool dude.

That's it for this week...school is back in, so I gotta go do homework now. Buh Bye.

Knit On...

HOMETOWN KNITTING

2009-06-01T10:27:00.010-04:00

Visiting home...

Went home to Carrollton, Ga last week for a couple of days to see Mom and family and it was my lucky day that that the local knitting shop was having a knit night!

Ewe Knit is owned by Lin Barnett and her husband Mike. Lin unfortunately had to step out when I was taking pictures, but I did get one of Mike...

Mike is also a knitter and does most of the shop samples.
This is a wonderful store and the turn out for knit night was impressive.
Here are pictures of all the knitters and I am listing their names here as well, not in any specific order and forgive me if I misspell any!

Names: Donna Arp, Shirley Tidmore, Sandra Harlin, Connie Smiley, Beverly Dittmer, Ronda Cole, Kim Novosel, Amy Muse, Marge Brown, Denise Robinson, Joy Park, Celia Edwards, Denise Pate, Sam Sito, Nancy Stevens.

It was so nice to see all these knitters in my hometown and to see that Lynn's store is obviously thriving! No matter where I go it seems that whenever I find a knitting community they are always welcoming and wonderful! Thanks for having me ya'll.

Knit on...

COLOR WHEEL

2009-05-11T12:04:00.002-04:00

Creative Knitting...

Hey there. Doing a quick entry today. Busy with homework, but had a picture from a school project I did 1st quarter. We had to make a color wheel, so I decided to knit and felt one. Check it out....

I'm always trying to figure out how I can knit for any given task...this was fun and effective!

Knit On...

NEW FREE PATTERN

2009-04-15T21:25:00.008-04:00

DUO
from The Yarn Doctor

Hi everyone. I finally wrote DUO, a reversible hat pattern. I even had it test knitted in each size. Here is a picture of Claudia in the medium which she knitted using the pattern:

I like the choices of yarn she picked. Doug was kind enough to test knit a large, and it turned out very well as you can see pictures posted on his blog. I originally knitted the small for myself:

I hope everyone will download DUO and let me know what you think!

Knit on....

SCHOOL IS IN...

2009-04-07T18:17:00.003-04:00

I'm still knitting...

Just checking in with the blog world. I have been really swamped with school...Did I mention I am in school full time for fashion design? Well in case you wanted to know that is where all my time is going these days...but I do still knit whenever I can...and sometimes just because I can...and sometimes just to stop and relax for a minute..

Here is a current project I am working on for illustration class. We are learning to render printed fabrics...I thought this was pretty cool ...

Isn't she fun?

Ok..gotta get back to homework. Just wanted to say hi!

Knit on..

SNOW DAY

2009-03-02T09:21:00.003-05:00

Any Excuse

It snowed here in Atlanta yesterday. Nothing serious, but I felt it necessary to honor the white ground covering by staying home from school today. I'll be good and work on things from home...I promise.

Have a couple of pictures to show of hats I made for a few of my friends...

Modeling their latest hat fashions...are Jim and Kevin in a black twisted rib watchman's cap. LOVE the way these hats knit up....and Bosco is sporting a blue knitted cap with a multi-color garter stitch band...another fun project to knit.
SO....who do you think is most photogenic?

This is Kevin in the watchman's cap adding his own style....I think it is fun!

That's all for today...time to do some school work....or not....

knit on...

CHECK THIS OUT...

2009-02-23T21:29:00.002-05:00

Something worth seeing...

I came across this video and had to put it on the blog. Nothing to do with knitting, but I was really moved by this:

Now...wasn't that worth watching?

Knit on...

SICK DAY

2009-02-14T19:48:00.007-05:00

Home Alone
Stayed home sick today. Have a nasty sinus infection. Mostly did a whole bunch of nothing which made me feel worse really, so I blocked a scarf I just finished...

This is a smaller version of the Clapotis pattern on Knitty Fall 2004. This pattern is sooooo cool and it is knit on the bias with rows of dropped stitches as you can see in the pics. What an awesome feeling when I got to run the first stitch ON PURPOSE!!! Woo Hoo.....I am giving this to a friend who had a scarf stolen while she was at school....amazing how people can be so ridiculous....I hope she likes her knew one.

It's no fun being sick. I hope I can get back to work tomorrow. Did get some homework done so I don't feel like a total slug.

Drumroll Please.......41 days smoke free today! Surprised?? I am...

knit on.....

OH YEAH!

2009-01-19T11:13:00.007-05:00

Unfinished Objects...

Dug out these projects today. Seems I have forgotten about them, or just gotten distracted....so in hopes of making progress on these ufo's I thought I would make them public and perhaps make myself somewhat accountable. Maybe I'll even finish one of them eventually!

This is MUIR from Knitty. I took on this project well over a year ago for my friend Nancy and I must say it is quite an undertaking. I get a repeat done in about a day and it is 13 repeats!! It is not a knit in public piece, so I have to do this at home and I actually enjoy it, but time is limited so this one may take another year!!! I'm not giving up hope though.
P.S. You know what they say about unblocked lace...looks like boiled ass....so don't judge the pics ok??

This scarf is for my friend Diana. A belated Christmas present.....say 2007!!!! Let's just say I have some very patient friends. This is a pattern from our local yarn shop Knitch. It's really very simple and not sure why I keep dragging my feet on it...perhaps because there will be a million ends to weave in when it is finished.

A scarf for me. From Debbie Stoller's latest "Son of Stitch and Bitch." It is a double knit argyle and it is SLOW to knit. I love the results, but at the rate I have been going it will be 2020 when I actually have it finished. Another that is not easy to knit in public...requires attention, and as we all know that is a challenge for the doctor. I will have to lock myself in my room for a while and get it done...or not.

DAY 15-Smokeless in Atlanta.....it's getting much easier, for the most part. Thanks for all the support so far.

Three posts in three weeks...that's a record for me. More to come...

knit on...

ON THE NEEDLES

2009-01-12T11:16:00.010-05:00

A few things I am knitting...

Took some pictures this morning of a few things I have been working on recently:

Been putting off getting started on these mittens. Finally got the cuff done on one of them last night and it looks good, BUT it is way too small. These are a lot of work and not sure if I want to continue and have them not fit...looks like these may be frogged..urrgh..

This Yarn was my Christmas present from Nancy and my new roommie Claudia. It is really fun don't you think? I love the colorways...and I tried several swatches before I decided on this chevron pattern...I think it really shows off the colors nicely. Thanks for the awesome gift!

This yarn is so awesome...from Blue Moon...Icelandic. I finally made something I plan on keeping for myself..I did a variation on the reversible cable scarf from "Cables Untangled" by Melissa Leapman. Made it a little smaller and did a 4 stitch cable on size 11 needles. It is really nice and warm and just in time....It's going to be cold here in Georgia this week...YEAH...it is winter right!!!

So did you catch it....yup...I am Claudia's new roommate! Just got moved in last week. The Yarn Doctor and the German...some say the odd couple, I say Laverne and Shirley...hehe...

DAY 8-not smoking still. It's really pretty easy living out here with bavgirl. She is really supportive and it's quiet without the city all around me stressing me out, making me wanna smoke....so this feels like it's really gonna take this time. WOO HOO!

Back to school tomorrow. More to come...

KNIT ON....

WELCOME TO 2009

2009-01-05T10:57:00.002-05:00

New Beginnings...

Starting off the new year with a picturless post. Wanted to get myself started with blogging again.

Today is the 1st day of not smoking AGAIN! Yes I am doing it. I really feel like I am ready to kick the habit...so onward to a smokeless life! The ability to breath clearly and smell and taste and live longer awaits.

I have a week before I start back to school. It has been a nice break. I had a great holiday with the family and celebrated Mom's 83rd birthday on New Year's Eve. What a good time we had. Awesome memories created.

I am feeling a bit inspired this new year and hope to do more with creating patterns for my knitting as well as venturing in to fashion design at school. I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to learn and create and take a new direction in life!

Watch for more...

Knit On...

I HAVE A BLOG????

2008-11-09T09:27:00.003-05:00

Well, well, well it seems that I forgot about my blog for a few months. Truth is, life just got in the way and so much has happened. I had some time this morning and took some pics of socks I am knitting with my new cell phone camera and thought, HEY, I should post a blog entry. I was very pleased to find that I still exist on the web so here I am, back in action.

So here are the socks, or sock. A pattern I found on ravelry..very cool design...i of course changed it and knit from the toe up, as this is my favorite way to knit socks. Check out the cool dpn holder Doug picked up for me at SAFF. I love how you can put a work in progress right in this thing and not lose a needle or a stitch!!

So there it is! I have rejoined the internet community! Should have more time now for posting.

See you soon!!

knit on......

OH HAPPY DOG!

2008-05-22T10:10:00.003-04:00

This dog is happy!
I finished knitting this dog bed for my friend's dog Bosco. I was worried that perhaps the little guy might not know what to do with the fluffy contraption, perhaps try to eat it since it does look somewhat like a giant cheese burger. To my pleasant surprise Bosco went immediately to the bed and curled right up inside and has claimed his new space! Nothing makes a knitter happier than a recipient who likes their knitted gift!

Now that's a happy pup! Mission accomplished.

More Luxuria
Perry knitted a hat. In my last post I showed the vintage yarn he had given me and how it knitted up with a scarf. Well...using the yarn in the round gave a very different result! I love how colorways can give a totally different effect with different projects! Check this out...

Isn't that fun? I love this yarn!

That's all. Just a quickie this week. More to come.

KNIT ON....

LUXURIA

2008-05-01T21:28:00.009-04:00

Vintage Knitting
My newest knitting friend Perry happened across some vintage yarn and gave me a couple skeins. LUXURIA from Bernat. Fun colors. Virgin wool....check it out:

Isn't she lovely?

Claudia has left us for Germany. I finished up a hat for her before she flew away. Here are some photos of her modeling the goods:

How's that for some Fair Isle??? I actually enjoyed making this for her. Once I got into it I turned the entire hat out in an afternoon. The pattern is the "Inga Hat" from Ravelry. Worth the effort, and rather impressive if I do say so myself! Hope she gets to wear it in Germany.
Lou also liked the hat and tried it on inside out...I think it's his best side....

And finally, Steve had his birthday last week. We all went to dinner and I gave him the socks I had promised him from last Christmas. Ok....the Doctor is knda slow....but I do deliver eventually!

Steve has very big feet. It took me a while to get these socks done! You know what they say:
Big feet.....Big socks....right?

Mr. Sock says hello there kids! Gosh I'm comfortable...hehe

That's all for this week. As you can see I am learning to use the camera and loving it.

Until next time
Knit on...

MY NEW TOY

2008-04-11T22:04:00.005-04:00

I've got a new camera!
Ok...Yarn Doctor is excited! I bought a new digital camera tonight. I took a couple of pictures playing around with it, as I have yet to read the manual! So once I do I will start getting really good shots of all my knitting and more!

Here are Lou, Claudia, and Diana at Knitch.

And this is Doug and Linda..

And this is Doug modeling his latest hat. I think he has a problem with sizing..
Paybacks are hell Doug! If you are wondering what I mean, check out the pics on Doug's blog from the weekend at the Mountain back in February...

So...that's it for the new camera so far. I have lots to do with it and now I will be motivated to blog more!

NO Smoking Update...
Today marks 30 days since I put down the cigarettes. I wish I could say I have been able to not smoke a single cigarette, but I have had a few and today was not a good day. I went down a patch size yesterday and I guess I did it too soon...once again not following the directions...so tomorrow it's back up to 14mgs patch for at least a couple more weeks until I feel more stable with all of this. I am committed to doing this, and everyone's support is very much appreciated!

Ok folks...until next post I will be knitting and taking pictures with my new toy! Until then..

KNIT ON!

HEY YA'LL

2008-03-28T21:52:00.003-04:00

I'm still here...

Hey everybody, just wanted to post real quick. Life is pretty busy right now. Working a lot and I quit smoking 16 days ago! WOO HOO...

Will get back into the groove soon and get some real blogging done.

until then,
KNIT ON....

YES, I KNIT SWEATERS TOO...

2008-02-17T10:49:00.012-05:00

Up At The Mountain

Posting this weekend from The Mountain in Highlands, NC! The AKG yearly knitting retreat. And that's all I can say because....What happens at the mountain, stays at the mountain!

Got Claudia to take some pictures for me. Here is a sweater that I knitted last year for LYS Why Knot Knit.

This is the WARMEST sweater. Can't wear it much down south. Made it from Debbie Bliss Alpaca/Silk blend. It has a really nice drape to it and is a nice eye catcher too!

Here is another hat I made up here yesterday. The guys went shopping and brought me back some cool German worsted weight yarn "Big Mexico". Just enough for a hat, so all projects were immediately put on hold of course and I knitted this up:

It knit up really fast and was a super fun yarn to work with. Also superwash...woo hoo.

That's all for now...must get back to the friends at the mountain...one more day of good times left!

KNIT ON...

NEW YEAR, NEW DESIGNS

2008-01-11T21:26:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year

Starting off the new year with a knitted hat.

I designed this one myself. Hopefully I will get a pattern written and post it. This is my 1st New Years goal accomplished!

Knit on...

HOT HEAD

2007-12-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

HATS
Cooler weather outside. Here are a couple of hats I designed. I love knitting hats. They go quickly and helps me to remember I can finish a project!

Some day I will get around to writing up the patterns and publish them.

HO HO HO..
Knit On!

ORNAMENTAL

2007-12-15T11:22:00.000-05:00

Two post in one week. I am on a roll!
Bringing some Christmas cheer to you. Check out the ornament:

Knitted from Leisure Arts "Beaded Ornaments to Knit". Designed by our very own Arlene at Needle Nook. There is also a website for the book!
Knit on...

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR

2007-12-13T18:51:00.000-05:00

Wanted to make a post to let the world know I am still here! Knitting like crazy! Christmas season has come up on the yarn doctor and I am working on last minute knits for friends and family. I have been too busy lately to show anything on the blog, and ravelry is starting to take hold as well. Wow what a monster it is!
So wishing everyone a happy holiday season and promises of posts and pictures from me soon!

HO HO HO..

One more thing. Holidays are a time for family, and I am proud to announce that I have a new great niece. Savannah Elizabeth was born a week after Thanksgiving. Here she is with her brother Waylan. I've got something for her, but it's a surprise...stay tuned!

Knit On...

CATCHING UP

2007-11-08T23:05:00.000-05:00

Wow, so much time has passed and I have not gotten a chance to update the blog.
Let's see. Well SAFF was a BLAST! I had so much fun. Drove up with the guys..a couple of them have blogs as well. Steve drove. Lou and Doug were along for the trip too. We left about 6a.m. and got there around 9:30a.m. It was a long but exciting adventure for us. I was on fiber overload, but I managed to stay within budget which was nothing short of a miracle. There was so much I would have loved to have bought, but was a good boy and got only what I could afford. We had a knit in for all the Georgia bloggers' and it was a huge success. There were so many people that some had to sit on the floor to knit along. Everyone really enjoyed it though. Afterwards, Claudia had us over and cooked for the boys before we headed home. She went all out and it was so nice after the day at the festival.
So here are some pics of the sheep and llamas I saw. They were so friendly!

Too bad my apartment is too small. I want one!

Lily Chin
Lily Chin came to Atlanta and taught some classes...I got to participate in a couple. One of the classes was on pinstriping, the other was knitting edges for completed pieces. Both classes were so full of information. I was brain dead by the time I went home. Got a lot of really cool ideas for future knitting.
Check out Claudia's blog for all the pictures she got of Lily and classes. Lily is an awesome teacher...she is full of energy and the girl didn't miss a beat! I am so grateful to have gotten to meet her and learn from her as well.

Cat Bordhi
Cat Bordhi was in town this past week for a book signing and to teach as well. She did a special night for the AKG where she spoke to us and had a question and answer session and signed books as well. I got her latest book "New Pathways For Sock Knitters" signed. She was so inspiring! I hope to see more of her in the future. She is truly amazing. The book is incredible. I knitted the first two practice socks and her architecture and techniques just blows my mind. A MUST HAVE for any knitter who is serious about their knitting!

Ravelry
I'm finally in. Whew, there is so much to see! I have not done much, but I can see how easily you can get sucked into it! I stayed up until 1a.m. last night looking around and put in some books...it's so cool, and addictive.

So that's all for now. Didn't have many pictures to put on this week, but nevertheless needed to catch up with my fellow bloggers and let everyone know the doctor is still in!

Knit on...

BOO!

2007-10-26T21:36:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin Carving

Happy Halloween...

Had a pumpkin carving contest at work and here is the one I carved.

Turned out pretty well...MUAHAHAH!

Off to SAFF in Asheville, NC tomorrow. I am so excited.

See you when I return

Knit on...

What a Gift!

2007-10-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

A Sweater from a Friend

All I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW. Here is a sweater made just for me from Claudia. It is soooo awesome. This sweater fits perfectly and I love it so much. I am so honored to have such a great friend and talented knitter, and Iwill cherish this gift and wear it and wear it and wear it!

Thanks Claudia. You are the best!

Lace it up!

Speaking of Claudia, I finished the lace shawl for her last week. Here are the pictures. I think it turned out pretty well. It definitely was one of the biggest projects I've done yet. She is worth every stitch too...

Here it is on the blocking board...er bed in this case.

That's all for now.

KNIT ON!

Breast Cancer Awareness

2007-10-11T16:37:00.000-04:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

I enjoy knitting coffee sleeves for the major amounts of coffee I drink when I am out knitting in public or just enjoying my day.

Here is my latest creation:

These coffee sleeves are easy to make. I used duplicate stitch to put the ribbon on. I found that easier than trying to carry the yarn and fair isle it since it was done in the round.

This can also be worn as an arm band. It is great for coffee cups and saves paper too. I make them all the time and get creative with them. I have posted this free pattern if anyone wants to make one for themselves.

Here are a few other ones I have made in the past as well:

There are a couple of water bottle cozies that I felted up shown as well.

That's all for today kiddo's

KNIT ON!

PET CARE

2007-10-05T22:24:00.000-04:00

Haven't posted for a while. I have been a little behind, but the doctor is still in and knitting new and exciting things everyday. Check out this one:

Took these pictures of my friend's dog who I knitted a little hooded sweater for. I think this dog should get an agent! He's a natural in front of a camera. I think the sweater is pretty hip on him too!

Well that is all for now. I will be posting much more soon, just have to get it all together and get it online!
Until then
KNIT ON......

NEW PATIENTS

2007-09-08T12:30:00.000-04:00

I've got some new things to show you.
The Doctor is in and I've got plenty of knitting going on. Here are a few of my small projects that I am working on this week. I like small projects, they are easy to carry with me because I like to knit everywhere I can and they help me know that, yes, I can FINISH something once in a while....this meaning: the big lace shawl for Claudia is still in progress.

Easy, Easy, Easy and fun for the fingers. This is a scarf knitted in Blue Sky Organic Cotton. I really love it. The yarn is super soft and the pattern came from "One Skein" by Leigh Radford. Great book! She even signed the book for me...because I am the yarn doctor you know...er, or maybe because I bought it?

The next patient on the needles is the scarf I started a couple of posts back. Knitted from the hand spun yarn by Melissa. I have decided this would be a really good item to donate to The Red Scarf Project which is being supported by our LYS Needle Nook.

This is the beginning of an aran knit purse. I picked up the pattern at Micheals Craft Store where I teach knitting. The pattern is by Patons and they actually have another free pattern posted online that is not exactly the same as this purse, but just really nice as well. You will have to sign up on the web site to get the pattern. Patons has really come up with some great new patterns this year. The Yarn Doctor recommends you check them out.

This is going to be an ankle sock. The first of a pair of identical twins I will be delivering. The due date is in another week or so. I will be sending the newborns to my niece Lianna at college to keep her feet warm this semester. I thought they had a fall kind of feel to them. Lianna if you read this, pretend you didn't. It is supposed to be a surprise ok?

KNIT ON....

SURGERY: THE AFGHAN

2007-09-04T12:20:00.000-04:00

This is the completed afghan that took around 3 months for the doctor to complete.

It was quite an undertaking and required surgery several times until I was finally able to release the patient to it's current owner.

Here is a close up of the work. The afghan was knitted in 7 panels. The argyle panels were intarsia and then completed with duplicate stitch chevrolet blue. Mistakes were made, and removing duplicate stitch was no fun, and actually resembled ER surgery. Once the panels were all completed they were stitched together with a steady hand and then blocked and fringed.

That's all for today. The Doctor has many new patients on the needles and will update the blog later in the week. Knit on.....

EMERGENCY!

2007-08-23T23:11:00.001-04:00

Houston, we have a problem...
This is Diana at Knitch last week. It seems she was minding her own business, working on a pair of socks when out of nowhere the tip of her needle was mysteriously severred from the cable (Horrifying).
I immediately took a picture to use later as a training tool for future yarn doctors.
What do you do when tragedy strikes?
Well, Diana put the cable back into the tip and managed to continue knitting on her sock.
I suggested she contact the company and get a replacement, rather than just band aid the problem.
She will be o.k.
I'm just glad I was there. Who knows what might have happened if she had been alone when this happened.
There is no telling if there will be any post traumatic stress from this incident, but I will be sure to follow up with her at the next knit in.

FOOTO FINISH

The Socks are finished. They are being blocked and will be held overnight for observation.

THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE DOCTORS STASH

First of all I would like to thank Melissa, a very talented spinner and knitter, for spinning this absolutely wonderful yarn. She was kind enough to give this to me and I am so excited. It has many interesting color changes and is really just a treat to get to knit with.

My diagnosis: 100% knittable.

I have started a multi-directional scarf with the gift and think it will really show all the colors well. Thanks again Melissa!

Diagnosis: Lace

2007-08-16T13:12:00.000-04:00

This is my monster project right now. It is a birthday present for a very special knitting friend. Check out her blog.

I got the pattern from "A Gathering of Lace" by Meg Swanson. It was pretty difficult at first and of course being the "incredible" knitter that I am, I chose to "glance" at the pattern instructions instead of actually reading them. Needless to say I ripped back several times because I was on the wrong chart.

NOTE FROM YARN DR: Always read the pattern. Never assume.....you know what that makes me, right?

So once I got on track it has been smooth sailing, slowing down a bit now I have passed the 1000 stitch mark. It's really been fun. I just hope she likes it. I got the yarn at a sewing expo. It is silk and I got it for a great deal. about 2500 yards I believe.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

This is my Mother sporting her Mother's Day present, a lace top spring sweater made with "Sublime" yarn. It is a mix of extra fine merino wool, silk, and cashmere. So soft and short sleeves for the warm weather here in Georgia. My Mother taught me how to knit. She always said if we were broke, we could knit our own clothes. Well I might be broke from the yarn purchase for this (hehe), but she is worth every penny and time spent knitting for her. Here's to you Mom. Thanks for teaching me how to knit!

THE DOCTOR'S FOOT CARE PRESCRIPTIONS:

These socks are on the needles right now using size 1. Magic loop is so cool. I love knitting socks from the toe up using short rows for the toe and the heel. I really like the look of short row heels. I got the pattern from Charlene Schurch's first sock book "Sensational Knitted Socks." A MUST HAVE for any sock knitters. 1 out of 1 yarn doctors (that would be me) prefers this book, and her second book too! The yarn is from Germany, "Fortissima Socka." Gosh I hope I spelled that right.

Yes, these are my feet. Wearing some fabulous ankle socks I knitted. The great thing about ankle socks is they go so fast. A couple of nights and they are ready to wear. These were done on size 2 dpns with a sock yarn that has slipped my mind. The Yarn Doctor is getting old and can't remember where he put the label for this yarn. Oh well, next time I will write it down.