Knifty Knitter

By aspenmoonarts via Flickr

My sister is a fabulous knitter. I'm a knotter and I'm knot (! ah ha ha) kidding. I've fooled around with crochet a bit (bless my Grandma's heart for patiently showing me the basics way back when) and that goes a bit better for me since there's only one implement. Knitting has two implements, which means more things with which to stab myself. Don't get me wrong- I love the yummy colors and textures but my projects just come out, oh, lacking.



By sparklerawk via Flickr



A couple of years ago my sister's family came out for Christmas and her youngest son, a creative tween, was using this thing called a Knifty Knitter, made by ProvoCraft. You can link over to ProvoCraft's Knifty Knitter page by clicking here. My daughter was intrigued by what he was doing and we eventually picked one up at our local very well-known big box store. She made a couple of hats and a scarf-like item before letting the knitter drift slowly deeper under the chair in the parlor. (We have an old house, therefore it's a parlor not a living room.)



By jamelah via Flickr

Of course I had to try it out. The basic principle is to weave your yarn around a static frame and loop the second row over the previous row using a modified hook, thus creating the loops that hold the knitting in place. You continue knitting around in a circle, adding rows, until you have reached your desired size of hat, scarf, wrap, whatever. Then you knot it off and remove it from the frame.

Let's go through an easy hat together. Don't freak on me when you see these pics- it's way easy.

For this hat, I used the green (second to largest of four) hoop and a "6" yarn- pretty bulky but hats made with this weight yarn and very warm and snuggly. Secure the yarn to the anchor peg with a slip knot and ...

...take the yarn up between the first and last pegs. The first peg is the one to the immediate right of the anchor peg.

Wrap the yarn around the first peg from the back, around to the front, and to the back again. Move to the next peg and bring the yarn around to the front on the right side of the peg.

Repeat as you did with the first peg by wrapping around the front to the back and move on to the next peg, bringing the yarn to the front on the right side of the peg.

Don't wrap the yarn too tightly.

This is how it will look from inside the hoop. Go all the way around to the last peg, the one to the immediate left of the anchor peg.

After the first lap, continue around the hoop again, wrapping above the first loops.

Go around the hoop, back to the last peg.

You'll have two rows of lopped yarn.

Helper hint--- when you are making your second lap around the loop, as you come to each peg ...

... slide the first yarn loop down on the peg with your thumb. This gives you room for the second loop and also created space between the two, which will be helpful in the next step.

Make a loop, slip it over the anchor peg, and ...

... pull it tight in order to keep your yarn from un-winding as you  work on the next step.

Slip the modified crochet hook that comes with the hoops under the first loop on the first peg.

  

Pull the yarn up over the top of the peg and let her drop to the inside of the hoop. The first loop that you try to lift over the peg will be tight but don't panic- just wiggle it over.

This is what is looks like on the inside. The three pegs on the right have been hooked. The two that you can see on the left have not been hooked yet.

Once the first, or bottom, row has been hooked and you are back at the anchor peg, undo the yarn that you secured to the peg and start the whole process over again.

Always start at the first peg to the immediate right of the anchor peg.

Another helper hint--- this is how I hold the hoop. I keep the plam just below the thumb against the pegs that have just been wrapped to keep them from coming undone. It's kind of like holding a tamborine. If the yarn starts to unwind, you can end up with many pegs that need to be done again.

After you have done 6 or 7 rows, you can take the starter end of your yarn off the anchor hook.

Continue looping and hooking until you have the hat to the length that you would like. I can't really tell you how many rows because that's a personal preference (toboggan hat versus skull cap) and it depends upon the weight of yarn and size of hoop that you are using. You'll know.

OK- a big chunky yarn needle comes with the set of hoops- like the kind used for plastic canvas. Secure the yarn to the anchor peg on the side. Cut a piece of yarn to about 12 inches. Thread the end of this yarn piece onto the big needle and bring it up through the remaining loop on the first peg. Come at it from the bottom.

Clarification- you will have only one row of yarn looped around the pegs when you start with the big needle.

Pull the yarn off the peg ...

... like so.

Keep moving from one peg to the next. It will look like stringing beads. Just like beading, don't let the tail end of the yarn pull through the loops.

I like to pinch the tail between the fingers of my left hand to keep it from sliding off through the loops I have already taken off the pegs.

Once all of the loops are off the pegs, carefull pull the top of the hat closed with the drawstrings.

You will have three strands of yarn: one from the original yarn that you were looping around the hoop and two from the drawstring you used to take the yarn off of the pegs and draw the hat closed. Weave these back into the hat using a crochet hook or the big yarn needle that came with your set. Also weave the tail way back at the beginning of the project.

And here's my hat! I have long hair that I usually wear up on my head so I made my hat  longer with some extra rows to accommodate all that mess.

And Big 'Un got one too! He's been wearing his hat all over the place this winter and looks like there's some more snowy weather starting up just now.

Shout out to Zippy for doing a great job at the photo shoot with my new camera.

And I made a hat for Zippy. She didn't want any flowers.



Both photos via ProvoCraft's Knifty Knitter page.



 

There are two basic kits. One kit has five round looms and the other has four long looms. Of course there are accessories: looms for granny squares, bows, flowers, pom-poms, tassels, and something called a straw loom, which looks very mysterous to me. There are replacement needles and parts and project books. The website also has a nice listing of different types of weaving patterns as well  as project instructions.

What can you make with a knifty knitter besides hats and scarves? Name it: baby blankets, stuffed toys, bags, ponchos, cuffs and collars, ipod jackets, baby booties, and vests.

By Solange C via Flickr

To my sister, and most of all you talented folks,  this is probably not too impressive. But some of us are "knitting impaired" and it was a blast to whip out a nice hat or snuggly scarf and say,  "Oh this old thing ...."  And the really fun part has been introducing this gadget to some of my patients who have been unable to knit for various reasons. It's easy, it's quick, and it opens up some new brain pathways, a habit that keeps us young!

So yea, check it out and have a blast. Let me suggest that you find a place to store the looms besides on the floor next to your work table because those pegs can wreck havoc on bare feet.

This is kind of a long post today so we'll look at making the cool flowers next time.

See ya then!

Signs of Spring

Well, so far 2011 has been crazy! Beginning in January, I was sick with a respiratory infection, then a sinus infection, then a gastro-intestinal malady that was so horrific we aren't even going to go into details. I didn't realize how physically bad I felt until last week when I finally seemed to have regained most of my vigor. It feels so good to feel good that not even the last bit of that chest crushing cough can get me down.

But the past two weeks have been so busy that I hardly know what day it is. Not only are there all of those chores that went undone in January to catch up on, work has been mad-hectic. Patients coming and going like Grand Central Station, projects with my name on them waiting quietly on the corner of my desk, and late nights trying to catch up. Also, our church has a big Missions Conference every February so I've been working on costumes and flags for our Parade of Nations extravaganza on the 27th. I hope to share more about the costumes with you at some point in the future but don't make me promise.

So here it is- the second half of February already and we finally have a break from all of that insane snow and bitter cold. I start looking for my crocus this time of year and I think  must have started searching for them earlier than usual because it feels as though I've been hunting for them forever but they were nowhere to be found.

Until this morning.

Just one, hiding down in the sedum of my rain garden. One tiny little crocus. So far. But have you ever seen such a fabulous shade of yellow?

We all have our own signs of spring that tell us the gray and cold of winter will soon be over. I travel the Interstate every day and when I see tractor-trailers hauling big giant shrink-wrapped boats, I know it's coming. And when the neighbors drive past and see me laying in the yard on my stomach with my camera aimed at a tiny speck of lime green, lemon yellow, or a bulging bulb, they too know it's coming. Spring, my friends, is coming.

As we begin to wind up with winter, let me ask you, "What's your sign?" Of spring, that is.

My Token Valentine Post- sort of

Look at that magnificent under bite.

This is Remy, my daughter's two and a half year old Rat Terrier. Ratties are an American breed, popular in the first half of the 1900's. Bred from a mix of strong, fast hunting dogs with good sniffers, Rat Terriers were used to control the rodent population on farms. They mostly lived in the barn and for a while, your farm wasn't a farm if you didn't have at least one Rattie living in your barn. Our Remy will dig up half the yard trying to catch a chipmunk or mole. I've seen him climb straight up one of our apple trees after a squirrel (I mean straight up and into the branches), and he will stake out the stove for an entire day if a mouse runs underneath it.

I do mean an entire day.



Both photos from Terrierman's Daily Dose



Teddy Roosevelt had a Rattie named Skip and is thought to have "started" the breed, but it's sort of a long-ish story and not pertinent to our post today.



Via PopArtUK.com



This is also Remy, from the Disney movie Ratatouille. He's a rat too.

Get it? Remy the Rat? Remy the Rattie?

Anyhoo...

A couple of years ago, Zippy's class had a Valentine Box contest: make your own box to hold all of the class Valentine cards, bring it in for the party, and there will be a box judging contest. Pretty straight forward stuff. Oh we love a good creative challenge like that at our house and at our house "Make a Valentine Box" means "Build a Valentine Box."

This is Robo Remy: a small shoe box with cardboard legs and docked tail, covered with papier mache and painted with Remy's piebald markings. Then Zippy cut the lid back off of the shoe box so she could get to the cards inside and, more importantly to my sweet mini-Chocoholic, the candy. Then she cut the slit on top for the cards, added the photo-face and heart collar and she's ready.

Oh wait, no you're not because this is a Robo Remy.

Hot glue Robo-Boy to another shoe box and glue down some doggie treats. Ready? Nope!

Strapped to the inside of the green shoe box is the motor and chassis of one of the countless remote control cars that my daughter (yes, daughter) owns.

So that year, Zippy's Valentine cards came when called and if you didn't get the goods delivered quickly enough, Robo Remy could chase you down!

First prize- Best Use of Technology.

Way to go Zippy!

To all of you fabulous folks building relationships with your family one remote control car, one recycle craft, one tree fort, one finger paint heart greeting card, one whatever giggling fun you get cooked up at a time ....

Granola Brittle

OK, I have to say that the first time I saw Granola Brittle in the grocery store I was a little confused. Not only did it come in one of those plain plastic containers, vaguely like the suet containers, it seemed to have a good bit of what I swear was millet.

So even though I bought some to try, I thought it might actually be intended for feeding birds. Especially after I ate some. It was OK but the syrup that all the good wholesome grainy things were in had a funny metal tang to it. But I liked the idea since I'm sort of, as a co-worker describes me, "granola" and thought I would play around a bit. I found a few recipes on the Internet so I mish-mashed them all together and came up with what I think is a pretty good version. This is basically granola in a sweet matrix so it sticks together and you can take it with you out the door in the morning if you're running late. That never happens to me, of course. wink wink

Let's try it.

You will need:

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds

1- 8.7 oz jar sesame seeds (it's just over 1/3 cup)

1/3 cup flaxseed, whole

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Oven temp for this will be 350 F and your rack should be in the middle of the oven.

Line a large cookie sheet (the kind with the edges, not the flat kind) with aluminum foil and spray lightly with vegetable oil spray.

In a saucepan, heat the honey, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla over a gentle low heat. I let it just start to threaten to come to a boil

In a big bowl mix together the oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseed, and almonds.

Add the warm honey mixture and stir it well so everything is evenly mixed together.

Spread the mixture out on the cookie sheet so it's nice and even and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.



No, I haven't cleaned my oven this winter. Hope it doesn't offend.



Let the granola cool fairly well but a touch warm is OK too.

Turn the brittle out onto a cutting board or even the counter so it falls out of the pan. At this point you should have one big honkin' piece of brittle.

Carefully peel the foil off of the brittle. Break the brittle into chunks. If the brittle is still a bit warm you can sort of fold or tear it apart. If it's completely cool you'll need to wail on it with a big ladle or something similar.



This is the back side.



Let the brittle cool completely and then store in an airtight container. I don't know how long this will keep since it usually disappears pretty quickly at our house. It is excellent when served with Greek yogurt. When you get to the bottom of the container and there's nothing left but a pile of crumbs--- oh baby, stir that into some yogurt. Mmmm.

OK- something exciting--- click here for a print-friendly version of the recipe!

My first "printable"!!

(OK, it's not perfect but we'll get a bit closer)

Thanks for visiting in the kitchen today.

Be sure to eat a good breakfast and have a great day.