I Love My Knit Buddy (and My iTouch)!!

I've really become a more productive knitter in the past few months, thanks to my iTouch -- which has wonderful software for knitters. The iTouch is an iPod that uses the same operating system as the iPhone -- which means there are thousands of applications available in the iTunes app store. Many are free -- such as the StitchMinder (a great program for keeping track of rows completed, pattern rows, pattern repeats and increase rows). I became interested in the iTouch when I read of the KnitGauge program (ninety-nine cents!!) in one of the spring knitting magazines (I subscribe to a ton of them -- everything but Vogue Knitting because I dislike both the editor and the patterns). After my brilliant eleven year old godson demonstrated all the things he could do with his iTouch, I lusted for one of my own.

Within a few hours of purchasing it, I spent hours exploring the app store. I got a lot of free apps to access favorite sites such as the NY Times and the Huff Post plus I discovered a few others -- like the BBC Reader for world news. But my best find (and app investment) is the KnitBuddy. This clever program allows me to catalogue stash, needles, and crochet hooks. More importanly, I can document projects (WIP, finished, queue). For each project, I can include a photo, notes, and have multiple counters (rows, patterns, increases, decreases). Just looking at the list of WIPs (works in progress) provides me with an incentive to work on them so I can move them to the finished project category and replace the photo with one of the completed item.

Right now I have seven WIPS recorded in my KnitBuddy -- all started in 2009. (I'm not too anxious to uncover and catalogue all those started in previous years -- it might be too depressing!) But best of all, I have five projects in the finished category -- all of which I started after I bought my iTouch in April. This includes a pair of summer socks knit in purple Sunapee (a silk and cotton DK weight from Patternworks); the Knitted Triangles Shawl (shown on the Trinity Knitting blog), a fantastic doggie sweater and two kit projects from KnitPicks.



The doggie sweater is modeled below by the newest family member - Miss Tobie. She is a maltipoo puppy belonging to my godchildren. A true princess, the ruffled sequined sweater in Berocco Quest and Berocco Lazer looks like it was designed just for her....and it only took two days to knit. Of course, I've bought more yarn and patterns to make her more sweaters (and a stocking for her first Christmas). She will be one well dressed doggie -- and may possible need her own cedar chest for her sweaters!

Enough blogging for now -- I'll include shots of the other completed projects in upcoming posts.

It's Been A Long, Long Time!!

It's been months since my last post -- I did draft something in February after I returned from my trip to the West Coast, but it never made it to public blog land.

The post centered on my "travel knitting" -- a red scarf for the Orphans' Project . I love this project for many reasons: it's reasonably small and thus portable; it's a terrific shade of red; AND it's on plastic circular needles, so no unfortunate encounters with airport security. (I've never stopped mourning the lost of my size '0' Addi double points at the Cancun Airport a few years ago!)

It's months later and I haven't begin on an airplane, so my scarf continues to languish in my WIP pile. Thanks to my new iTouch iPod and its Knit Buddy software (more on a later post), I know that the scarf can only be submitted between September 1st and December 15th , so I have turned my attention to a bunch of other projects.

Since my return from vacation, I'm happy to say I've completed:

• a pair of purple silk and cotton summer socks (Patternworks Sunapee Yarn),
  
• four fun fur hats (using the "No Hair Day" Chemo Hat pattern),
  
• a "green tote" ( the Montavilla Market Tote Kit from KnitPicks)
  
• a red and black loofah (CotLin from KnitPicks --the pattern is from the Soothing Spa Kit),
• a Knitted Triangles Shawl (Lion Brand Homepun -- free pattern from their website) for the Trinity Knitting Group AND
• a Princess sweater for the newest member of the family, Miss Tobie Tomko. Tobie is a Maltipoo and her sweater has both ruffles and sequins!
  

So, I don't feel too badly about my lack of blogging -- at least I've been getting some projects completed. Photos will appear as I get around to it, as well as more in the next few days about my Knit Buddy and the my WIPs.

Happy New Year! I must confess I did not knit a single stitch on January 1 -- I hope this doesn't presage what will be happening to my knitting in 2009!

On the other hand, I finished Jesse Kellerman's The Genius -- liked it very much -- and started the latest Anne Perry (Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series), so I am very pleased that I've fallen back into reading. When I was working, I seemed to get through three or four books a week and naively thought I'd read even more when I retired. Now I'm lucky if I get through three or four books a month. I didn't realize how much of my commuting time was spent reading and/or knitting. Of course, being retired means I spend a lot more time with the New York Times. I'm able to read more articles in depth instead of skimming and it's much easier to handle when I'm not on a bus or train.

Tonight I was planning to wind the yarn for my next charity project, a red scarf for the Orphan Foundation (www.orphan.org). However, when I went to the website I learned the submission period is Seoptember 1st through December 15th. (I thought time slot was in February.) So either I get a very early start for next year or go back to my Socks for Soldiers. Of course, I could also work on the umpteen other UFOs lurking throughout the house.

Tagged and Photoed!

My hat is ready to go to Save the Children. Now that I'm blogging, I'm trying to keep a photo of all finished products before they are sent or given to their eventual recipients.

The yarn is Dream Baby - rather nice for an acrylic.

I finished my Knit One, Save One cap today and must send it off to Save the Children tomorrow. It needs to be sent by December 31 to get to our next President in time for the inauguration.

I must admit it looks cute but strange...the pattern directions are sized for the heads of children in developing countries -- about a third smaller than I'm used to.

This is the second charity item I've managed to finish this month. I did a hat and seaman's scarf for the Christmas at Sea Program. The hat pattern was from the Seamen's Church Institute's website.

The scarf pattern was from another website and was designed by Myrna Stahman. I used the "Matt" pattern, since I tend to grow bored with plain stockinette or garter stitch... which is what was on the Seamen's Institute website. At the same time, the "Matthew" pattern was a little too ornate. The Matt was more of a Gansey type pattern -- texture created by the use of knit and purl. The closeup below gives a better idea -- the tail ends are a mix of blocks of 1x1 ribbing alternating with blocks of double seed stitch. Perhaps next year I'll try to design my own and create Christmas trees of seed stitch on a stockinette background!