Tuesdays with Dory: Yarn Acquisition

Dear Dory,

I'd like to hear about some of the indie dyers out there. Seen anything interesting in Kristen's yarn stash?


Sincerely,

Stashing in Saratoga


Dear Stashing,

Whenever Kristen goes to fiber festivals, she likes to bring home yarns from small dyers that are hard to find at a local yarn store, or sometimes even online. Here's her haul from last weekend's Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival:



She got some great stuff from Wandering Wool, Lizard Toes, and Shalimar Yarns. Wandering Wool is based in DC, Lizard Toes in West Virginia and Shalimar Yarns in Maryland, so all are local to the area.

A few other indie dyers' goodies almost made it into Kristen's shopping bag, but she decided to cut and run before she spent any more money--those included Beezigns Dyeworks, Wild Hare Fiber Studios, and Fairy Tale Knits.

And recently Kristen's first club yarn arrived from Forbidden Woolery--and it's gorgeous!



With all this new yarn coming in, it's getting pretty cramped in Kristen's studio--there's hardly room for me to lay on the floor and sunbathe. So please, go check out her for sale yarns on Ravelry and get them out of MY space.

Have a purrrrrfect day!

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory: Design Edition

Dear Dory,

I'm curious about the design and pattern publication process. In your understanding, how does it work?


Sincerely,

Wondering in Wichita


Dear Wondering,

Based on months of observation of Kristen, I believe the design process goes something like this:

1. Get an idea! Check Ravelry and see if there's anything similar.

2. Find 17 similar things, get discouraged.

3. Have a new idea!

4. Celebrate because this idea is original.

5. Survive a week where the baby wakes up every 2 hours at night; completely forget not only brilliant idea, but how to knit, and even how to dress yourself.

6. Suddenly remember idea at 3am; sketch Thing out. Wonder why you spent so much money on art classes in high school, because sketch looks like it was created by 3 year old drawing with crayon held in his mouth.

7. Start swatching. Find 18 squillion stitch patterns, shaping ideas, yarn combinations, etc. that won't work.

8. Finally settle on vague concept of how Thing will be knit.

9. Submit Thing to knitting magazines' or yarn companies' calls for submissions, or request yarn support to publish independently.

10. Finally, Thing is accepted by someone! Start knitting sample.

11. Rip back. 

12. Frog.

13. Rip back again.

14. Realize you weren't taking any notes. You now have no idea how to recreate what you've knit.

15. Knit some more, taking sketchy notes this time.

16. Done! It looks like Thing! Awesome!

17. Gather your almost-useless notes and start writing pattern out and doing maths to figure out various sizes. Question entire endeavor.

18. Take a break from writing for a week, hoping the math will do itself.

19. Drat. That didn't work. Start writing again.

20. Done! Woohoo! Find test knitters to test your pattern, ideally in a few sizes.

21. Test knitters finish knitting, and actually have things that look like Thing. Success!

22. Pass your pattern on to a tech editor, who will point out embarrassing math errors, spelling mistakes and other obvious blunders you can't believe you didn't notice. 

23. Voila! Your pattern is complete. Pass it on to interested parties, possibly along with your sample, and take a vacation. Or drink a lot of wine.

Tuesdays with Dory: Beat the Heat Edition

Moooooom. She's looking at me!

Dear Dory,

It's hot. So so so hot. Any tips for staying cool?

Sweltering in Sweetwater


Dear Sweltering,

It doesn't seem so hot here, but maybe that's because these openings in the floor blow out cool air. I like to make it a point to sit near them, or sometimes on them, which Kristen doesn't find amusing.

If you don't have any floor openings, you should get some. But in case that's not an option, here are some other ideas:

Stick your head in that cold box that holds all the food.

Chew on those cube-y things that turn into water.

Turn that spin-y ceiling thing on.

Be naked. 


You might think your kittehs are hot too, but whatever you do, don't embarrass them like this:

Hope that helped. Have a purrrrrfect day.

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory: Laundry Tip

Recently I've decided I'm going to sleep in the laundry. Sometimes it's the dirty laundry, which is obviously Kristen's preference, but sometimes it's the clean laundry. Whatever. If I fits in it, I sits in it.

Anyway, I thought I would share a laundry tip while I'm in here.

If you find your towels are still smelling a little . . . off . . . after washing, try this: sprinkle a cup of baking soda into the wash with the dirty towels. Then, add a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. And voila! No more mildewy smell. And it doesn't smell like vinegar either. Just nice fresh towels. For your kitteh to sleep in. 

Tuesdays with Dory: Horrifying Bug Edition

This is clearly threatening me.

 Dear Dory:

I've heard that the cicadas are coming again this year. Weren't they just here in 2004? I thought they came every 17 years! Anyway, how can I protect myself?!?

Sincerely,

Terrified in Takoma Park,

Dear Terrified:

It's true, the mid-Atlantic may again be terrorized by cicadas this year. Apparently there are different "broods" of the 17-year cicadas occupying different territories.

Here's a map:

(I was going to add a photo, but Kristen said no; cicadas are too gross to appear on the blog.)

In 2004, Brood X scared the living daylights out of us; this year, it's Brood II, which should be popping up mostly in Virginia, southern Maryland and a random blob in Pennsylvania.

Most of Maryland should be safe, but if you're worried, here are some tips:

• Carry a fly swatter everywhere, and whack the bejesus out of any cicada that dares to get near you.
• Go to the beach; cicadas live in trees and the nymphs burrow into the ground beneath them, then climb up and latch on to shed their shells. No trees = no cicadas.
• Send your goggie out to eat them. I hear goggies love eating cicadas. 
• Hide inside. They're so horrifying, it seems like they're hanging around all summer, but really, it's just a few weeks, and they should be gone by the end of June.

 And keep your windows shut. They are REALLY loud. 

Good luck, and have a purrrrrrrrfect day!

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory: Deranged Wildlife Edition

Dear Dory,

A mentally disturbed robin has been flinging himself at my windows all day long. It's loud and annoying, and can't be good for the robin either. What should I do?


Sincerely,

Disturbed in Detroit


Dear Disturbed,

Ideally, you would let your kitteh out to eat the robin. But since you seem to be worried about the robin's health, I doubt you'll go that route.

I asked Kristen to do some research on this issue, and it turns out that the robin is probably seeing his reflection in the window and thinking it's another robin. During mating season, robins are very territorial, so he's likely trying to chase the intruder off, with poor results. 

You could try covering your window with paper or cardboard, which would eliminate the reflection, but be very ugly. It might also bother your home owner's association. And of course, you're out of luck if the windows in question are out of your reach, say, in your entryway with the lovely high ceilings and decorative windows 20 feet above your head. And your robin may just find his enemy lurking in another window--I'm certain you don't want to cover all your windows.

So basically, you're going to have to wait until mating season is over, mid-summer. Good luck. :-/

Maybe you want to reconsider letting your kitteh handle the matter?

Have a purrrrrrrfect day!

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory: Building your Reference Library

Can I go outside, where there's no baby?

Dear Dory,

I use the Internet a lot to look up knitting stuff, but what if the zombie apocalypse comes and I lose Internet access?!? What knitting reference books should I have on hand to see me through those dark times?

Sincerely,
Offline in Omaha


Dear Offline,

I'm not sure what a zombie apocalypse is, but you never know when the Internet will crap out on you, so building a reference library is a good idea. Here are some books I found on Kristen's bookshelf:

Everything you ever wanted to know about knitting. Everything.

Harmony Guides, like this one, are great for finding new stitch patterns.

An in depth look at finishing techniques and tricks.

A book solely dedicated to cast on and bind off techniques (who knew there were so many?)

A must-have for colorwork.

And a sock knitting bible.

Have fun stocking your library!

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory: Mess Edition

What is that thing?!?

Kristen thinks it's important to give you guys visual proof of my recent bad behavior:

That's 3 different balls of yarn I dragged across her studio. I just thought the rug was too plain.

As punishment, I have to use my space this week to ask you guys a question about Kristen's latest design.

She's working on a V-neck vest. The plan was to knit it from the bottom up in the round, switching to flat knitting at the base of the v-neck, and then into 3 pieces at the armholes (right front, left front and back).

Unfortunately, Kristen has now realized that changing from knitting in the round to flat knitting means that 1 additional row is worked on the right side (as you knit from the center of the round to the base of the V, and then turn back to start knitting flat). On plain stockinette, this wouldn't be a big deal, but this design features  lace panels. Visually, a 1 row difference probably wouldn't be noticeable, but practically, it means that the lace panel on the right side would be 1 row ahead of the panel on the left--and this might confuse the knitter.

So, what do you think?
(if you're using Google Reader or similar, please click through to the website to respond to the poll!)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Tuesdays with Dory: Unloved Yarn

 
 I have learned all I need to know about snow.

Dear Dory,

I've spent most of January organizing, and my crafting space looks great! But, I have a huge pile of yarn I want to get rid of. I certainly don't want to throw it out--what should I do with it?

Sincerely,

Overwhelmed in Oneonta

Dear Overwhelmed,

It would be a terrible waste to throw out perfectly good yarn, though with a nice, clean crafting space, I definitely understand your desire to get rid of it before it starts breeding.

If, for some odd reason, you don't want to wind it all into balls for your kittehs to play with, here are a few other ideas:

• Sell it! 

First, make sure you have all your unwanted yarn listed on your Ravelry Trade/Sell page. Be sure to give it a price, and specify whether that price includes any shipping fees. Then try posting a destash message in the ISO and Destash of Yarn Group.

You can also try selling it directly through your blog, on eBay, or through your existing Etsy shop.

Or, check out yarn-specific Ravelry groups like Knit Picks and Madelinetosh, and try selling relevant yarns there.

• Trade it!

In these uncertain economic times, people often don't have cash on-hand to buy new yarn, but might be interested in trading their own unloved yarns. Set up a fair trade, and you're both happy.

• Giveaway!

Put together a yarn grab bag or two, and host a giveaway on your blog. It can help attract new readers, and is a nice reward for current readers as well. Who wouldn't like to get a box full of mystery yarn in the mail?

• Charity!

If you browse Ravelry, you'll often find people hosting fundraisers, and looking for prizes. Donate your unloved yarn to their charity drives. 

Also, be on the lookout for a place that might accept yarn donations, like your local hospital. This yarn is often provided to volunteers who knit items for those in need.

I hope your yarn finds a good home!

Have a purrrrrrfect day!

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory: Nursery Edition

I'm excited to let Dory take you on a tour of our newly completed HARRY POTTER NURSERY today!

When we last visited the nursery, I was being helpful, like so:

And here we are today!

Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron!

  

I haven't tried sleeping in the crib yet, believe it or not.

 

That chair looks comfy, but I haven't used it either. I'm losing my touch. 
And I'm scared of the dragon.

I'm suspicious of what that table is used for.

 

Dumbledore is so wise. 
Also, I would like to sleep on that blankie, but Kristen says it's handmade and not for kitties.

 

Oooh, a birdie!

Kristen says one last themed-item she plans to get is a toy chest, like this one, that looks a bit like Harry's traveling trunk. I think I could probably take a nap in it. 


 So, I guess we're ready for the baby's arrival.

I hope he's quiet.

Have a purrrrrrrrfect day!

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory: Confession

Those who have been reading this blog for a while may know that I actually have two cats: Dory and Nelly.

Since Dory is the one with her own post, you might suspect that she's my favorite.

But this actually isn't the case.

I don't have a favorite.

The reality is, I picked Dory for 2 reasons:

1) Dory rhymes with Morrie.

2) Nelly has an embarrassing secret.


Well, maybe it's not so embarrassing to her, but it's embarrassing to me.

Nelly has horrific mats on her back that she WILL NOT let me cut out.

Eek!

They look awful. Like she's a feral cat rather than a spoiled pet who spends most of her time lying on one of THREE blankets we now have established for her use.

Nelly's a big girl. Forcing her to do anything is a challenge, and even with 2 adults in the house, holding her down and cutting out the mats is nearly impossible.

(Especially if one of the 2 adults might be crying and apologizing to the cat while attempting to saw through the layers of dandruff and matted fur.)

Occasionally I try to sneak up on her and snip off a loose one while she's sleeping.

Sometimes this works, but more often than not, she's wise to the situation.

So the mats remain.

And I don't share photos of her because she makes me look like a bad cat mom.

But the truth is, Nelly is my little sweetheart.

Unlike Dory, who actually is just about as grumpy as I portray her to be (though not without her charms!), Nelly is chatty, friendly girl. She's not a big snuggler, though she does occasionally try to share the bed with us. But she often comes running over to be pet, and she'll hold entire conversations with you. If you catch her while she's sleeping, you can snuggle her tummy and she'll purr. She has a the sweetest little mew. She steals my ponytail holders to play with, and even when I can't find any to use myself, I leave them for her, because she's just so adorable.

So there: today's Tuesdays with Dory has been preempted by this shout-out to my sweet little Nelly Jelly Belly.

Tuesdays with Dory: Handling January Blahs

I am a Trivial Pursuit Champion

Dear Dory,

Christmas is over, and my kittehs and I seem to have the January blahs. We're grumpy and out of sorts. How can we cheer up?

Signed,

Sad in Salinas

Dear Sad,

I completely understand. My Christmas tree sleeping spot is gone, and no one is drinking egg nog anymore, so I can't steal any. It's a real bummer.  

Here are some ideas sure to cheer your kittehs up--and you too:

A new toy. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, or even an actual toy. Yesterday I found one of my own whiskers on the floor and spent 10 minutes batting it around. Kristen found this really amusing, and I think we were both cheered up. So find something funny for your kittehs to play with, and watch them go! Don't forget to have the video camera ready!

Fresh air. This is especially a good idea if there is something called "snow" on the ground. Snow is a weird thing that is cold and wet, and all kittehs react differently to it. Most reactions are pretty funny. So you get a new (or perhaps just forgotten) experience for your kittehs, and a laugh for yourself.

Naps. Give yourself and your kittehs permission to take extra naps this month--that's what winter is for. There's plenty of time to get stuff done in the spring. It's perfectly acceptable to spend a day in bed watching movies in January; not so much in July.

Distraction. Sure, it's cold and yucky now, but better weather and brighter days will be here before you know it. Distract yourself with some plans for the future--book your summer vacation (including a babysitter for the kittehs!) or plan out your vegetable and herb garden (don't forget the catnip!).  Cats aren't great at planning, but we'll enjoy laying down on whatever notebook you're using and trying to play with the pen.

Hope you're feeling cheerier soon!

Have a purrrrrrfect day!

Dory.

Tuesdays with Dory, Christmas Edition

This is the last Tuesday with Me before Christmas, so I want to take this opportunity to wish all those who celebrate a very Merry Christmas. Also, look how cute I am under the tree!

(Kristen: Also note how spoiled she is, with a blanket under the tree, just for sleeping on.)

And, in keeping with my usual helpful attitude, let me suggest a few places that you can still order gifts from in time for Christmas!

Knit Picks is offering FREE 2 day shipping on orders of $75+, through 12/20, 9am PST. They also offer e-gift cards, which can be emailed directly to the recipient.

If you're on the East Coast, you can still order from WEBS until 12/19, 3pm EST.

Jimmy Bean's Wool also offers e-gift certificates!

Wandering Wool is still shipping for Christmas through 12/20, 3pm EST

And everyone's favorite, The Loopy Ewe, offers email-able and print-able gift certificates as well.


Don't forget, Kristen's new Hard Candy Christmas ornaments would make a great gift for someone whose Christmas tree needs a handknit touch! The pattern is FREE, and you just need scrap fingering weight yarn and some stuffing to make them!


Have a purrrrrrrrfect Christmas!
Dory

Tuesdays with Dory

I don't know how I got here . . .

Dear Dory,

I spent a lot of time putting up my holiday decorations, but my cat seems determined to take them down. What can I do??

Aggravated in Akron


Dear Aggravated,

It seems like you might be new to this whole kitteh thing. Kittehs are firm believers in the old adage "What goes up, must come down." And we like to help.

But if you're determined to have nice holiday decorations, I might have a few tips for you.

First, you can try giving your kitteh a few bits and baubles to play with. If she already has a bow to bat around, she's much less likely to go stealing them off the gifts. Until she loses it, at least. 

Be sure to put sturdier ornaments on the lowest part of the Christmas tree, so when kitteh inevitably pulls them off, they won't break. And just skip the tinsel. We'll always turn it into a snack.

Try to make your kitteh associate scary noises with the decorations. If she goes near the tree to make mischief, start up the vacuum. 

Household decorations, like nutcrackers or Santa statues, may not need tape to stay in place on their own, but you could add a few pieces to discourage kittehs from playing with them. If they don't move right away when we take a swing at them, we'll probably get bored. We also hate getting tape stuck to our paws.
 
Or, distract your kitteh with egg nog. It's the best!


Happy holidays! 
Dory

Tuesdays with Dory

First, I think it's important to tell you guys that I've discovered a delicious treat. Kristen claims it's not really for kittehs, but I think I'm entitled to whatever might be left in any glasses I find around the house.

Apparently it's called egg nog. It's like milk, but yummier. Unfortunately, my wee little head doesn't quite fit in the glasses, so I'm forced to use my paws (and then track egg nog footprints all over the house).

 

This will be my favorite thing, until the Christmas tree goes up, at which point I'll resume my usual holiday tradition: drinking water out of the tree stand. 

And speaking of Christmas, this week I'm here to give you some gift ideas for the kittehs in your life!

 We have this toy, and Nelly likes it a lot. It's a bit noisy, but keeps us busy for at least a few minutes.

This looks pretty fun, but it's always hard to predict whether your cat will use a toy, or prefer the box it came in. 

(Which is why we take Amazon cat toy reviews with a grain of salt--just because someone's cat didn't like something doesn't mean it's a bad product. Cats are just . . . cats.)

This is another hit-or-miss toy, but it looks fun! And it's only $12. 

 

We enjoy this catnip squirrel, when we don't lose it under furniture.

 

This scratcher is pricey, but if kittehs actually use it, it's probably worth the money--it costs less than your couch, right?

I think this looks like a torture device, but Kristen thinks it's a brilliant idea!

Those are things you could buy your kitteh, but maybe you want to knit something? I'd steer clear of sweaters, but here are two other ideas:

Bunnies! We love these.

These whales are also quick and simple to knit up with scraps.

Stuff with fiber fill and catnip, and your kitteh will have the best Christmas ever!

Tuesdays with Dory

This is my thoughtful face



Dear Dory,

Sometimes I swatch for a project, and then by the time I'm ready to start, I've forgotten what size needle  I used. Guessing hasn't worked out well for me in the past. Any ideas?

Forgetful in Fargo

Dear Forgetful,

I bet your kitteh remembers which size you used, but s/he probably won't tell you, so that's not much help. Kittehs are secretive that way.

Here are a few other ideas:

--Write on your swatch--a heavy duty marker like a Sharpie works, but the down side is, you won't be able to cannibalize your swatch if you run out of yarn.

--Safety pin a tag with the needle size to your swatch--less permanent, but could also fall off, especially if you keep your swatches for a lifetime.

--Work your needle size INTO your swatch--does no damage to the yarn, and can't fall off, but you have to remember to do it, which can be tricky. Make it a habit, though, and you're golden.

Here's what you do: while you're working up your swatch, add a row with a series of YOs; the number of YOs= the needle size!

Here's a swatch Kristen made using this method--easy to see she used size 5 needles.

Just be sure to add a matching k2tog for each YO, otherwise you're adding stitches.

This method won't work in a lacy pattern where the YOs would get lost in the pattern, but you still have options--try putting a garter stitch border around the lace and work the YOs there!

Bonus tip: If you have a yarn you use frequently, it's a great idea to work up swatches like this using a few different needle sizes and keep them on hand. Then the next time you decide to use that yarn, you can check your swatches and see how it the yarn will knit up and (if you're a consistent knitter!) what your gauge will be.

(Kristen hasn't actually done this yet, but she still thinks it's a great idea.)

Have a purrrrrrfect day, and happy swatching!

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory: fall baking edition

Inspecting the storage bench box. Helpful Dory is helpful!

Dear Dory,

There are so many delicious fall recipes out there--can you recommend one?

Hungry in Hartford


Dear Hungry,

I personally think fish is appropriate for all meals, but Kristen tells me that in the fall, hoomins like to eat pumpkin things. As far as baked goods go, I thought these pumpkin donuts from the Taste and Tell blog that Kristen made this weekend looked pretty good.

These donuts are baked, not fried, so they're healthier, but you do need a donut pan, which runs about $10 on Amazon.

Ingredients

Doughnuts

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Maple-Cinnamon Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a doughnut pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.
In another bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter and pumpkin. Add in the eggs, mix well, then mix in the milk and vanilla. Stir in the reserved dry ingredients.
Place the mix in a large zip-top bag. Cut off the corner and pipe into the doughnut pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven, let rest for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, maple extract, cinnamon and milk.
When the doughnuts are cool, dip them in the glaze. Return to the wire rack to allow the glaze to set.


The hardest part of this project is getting the batter into the plastic bag--messy.

As far as modifications, Kristen didn't have maple extract, so she stirred a little maple syrup into the glaze. It tasted good, but its addition meant the glaze didn't set up correctly. Still, who has maple extract??

The recipe claims to make 12 donuts, Kristen only got 10, which was really more than enough.
She made half as much glaze, and drizzled it over the donuts, rather than dunking them:

Messy, but a bit healthier.

She also suggests baking the donuts for a few extra minutes, as they were done at 10 minutes, but slightly too soft.

Still, quite tasty:

Tuesdays with Dory

Ack! I've been caught in my beddie! Abort! Abort!

Dory told me she was too embarrassed at having been caught actually using her bed to give any advice this week. But I pushed her, and here's what she had to say.


Dear Dory,

I often see ads and promos for yarn clubs--are they worth it? And there are so many, how do I pick one?

Yarn-obsessed in the Yukon


Dear Yarn-obsessed,

These kinds of clubs can be a good deal, but you have to do some research.  Then you have to decide if you should buy more cat treats or yarn. And the answer is always cat treats. But just in case you don't have kittehs (eek!):

First, work out the math--usually these clubs require a lump sum up front, and then you get a certain number of shipments per year. Sometimes the shipment is just yarn, sometimes you'll get a pattern and/or other goodies with your yarn as well. So do the math and see what you're actually paying.
Most importantly, can you afford the lump sum? Even if it's a reasonable price, we don't always have a few hundred bucks sitting around (especially here because--true story--that bad Nelly cat steals money). 
Is it worth it to you to pay extra for an exclusive colorway?
Also consider that the patterns are usually exclusive as well, but they're also a surprise--if you don't like them, you're paying extra for something you won't actually use.

Next, read those details. Many clubs will tell you which yarn bases will be included, or which designers are providing the patterns. So if the yarns are all mohair, or the designers aren't among your favorites, you know you'll probably be disappointed.

Then, check out Ravelry. Often these clubs have groups, or threads within the dyer's group. You can browse through past threads and see whether people were happy with the club selections or not, see if there were any problems, such as late shipments, etc. Some people might post photos of their kittehs playing with the yarn, and then you know it's a safe bet. You can also often see past club yarn and pattern selections, which might give you an idea of what to expect.

Right now, Kristen is receiving shipments from the Tanis Fiber Arts Year in Color Club, and she's been very happy with the yarns and the patterns. She would love to do the Knitspot Fall in Full Color Club one of these years, but it's a bit pricey.

Good luck picking your club, and have a purrrrrrfect day!

Dory

Tuesdays with Dory Nelly

Dory was too busy to sit still for a photo this week, so I'm filling in.

Dear Nelly,

Fall is just around the corner, and there are so many great knitting patterns being made available--how can I decide what to make??

Overwhelmed in Omaha

Dear Overwhelmed,

When planning your fall knitting, it's important to think of your kittehs. First, anything you make should be done in pro-kitteh colors. I like to show off my orange fur by shedding it all over everything ever, so I'm in favor of using white yarn. Kristen, oddly, doesn't seem amused to find my fur on things, and usually picks colors where my fur won't be as visible.

Secondly, your knitting should be an excellent kitteh bed--we're starting to get chilly in the fall! So that means lots of sweaters! Kristen says she's having a baby, whatever that is, so her dreams of knitting a snuggly white cabled pullover have been dashed [Editor's note--for now]. Instead, she's planning for a few cardigans. Like Hannah Fettig's gorgeous Rocky Coast Cardigan.

Third, don't forget your accessories! It might be a bit warm, still, for mittens, but shawls done up in warm fall colors also make great scarves. Kristen's going to knit the Adhara shawl in 2 fall-ish shades of Madelinetosh sock--Sequoia and Glazed Pecan. She even wound the yarn last night. And I helped! [Editor's note--no, she didn't.]

And last, don't forget that--gulp!--Christmas is coming! Start those gifts now, while you still have your sanity.

Aren't I so much more helpful than Dory? I thought so.

xoxo,

Nelly

p.s. I'm supposed to remind you that Kristen has some patterns available that would be great for fall. You can see them all here. And next month, she'll be releasing a new cowl pattern, just in time for cooler weather!

Tuesdays with Dory

Check out the new bed Kristen bought me! She calls it a "doormat," I think she's just confused.

Dear Dory,

I have so many WIPs, I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. Any advice for cutting down my active projects to a realistic number? When I look at them, I just can't bear to frog!

Indecisive in Idaho

Dear Indecisive,

I like to help Kristen decide which WIPs to give up on by occasionally chewing on some of them. She never wants to knit with slobbery yarn. Here's how I decide which projects to eat:

• The yarn is wrong: it's too thin, too heavy, too fuzzy, too something. Whatever's wrong with it, finishing the project isn't going to help. You're still going to hate the yarn/project combo, so don't waste your time. Just rip it.
• The pattern is missing: of course, if you bought a digital download, you're still in business. But if it's a paper pattern, chances are you'll never see it again. And unless you REALLY love the project, you're probably not going to buy another copy. So don't kid yourself. Riiiiiiiiiiiip.
• You've forgotten where you are: Of course, you should make a good faith effort to figure it out, especially if you like the project, but if you just can't, there's no reason to leave it in your WIP basket for years and years, thinking that eventually things will click and you'll find your way. Hug it and say goodbye.
• You've made a grave error that has no easy fix: You'll find lots of tips online for fixing mistakes without ripping back rows and rows of knitting, but unfortunately, some errors just aren't fixable. The only solution is to rip back and reknit, which, depending on the project, can seem unfathomable. If the thought of reknitting a large portion of your project makes you cry and bury it in the bottom of the basket, just take the plunge and frog the whole thing.
• It doesn't fit: It's true, sometimes gauge swatches lie. The result is a garment that doesn't fit. And the thing is, it's never going to fit. You're not going to gain or lose 20 pounds. Your arms aren't going to grow or shrink a few inches. Your feet probably aren't going to swell to twice their normal size. Minor size errors can sometimes be overcome (ex: add cuffs to the sleeves), but if your sweater simply does not fit your body, frog it and move on.
• It's been in your WIP basket for X number of years: Only you can decide what a reasonable cut off point is, but pick one and stick with it. If you haven't gotten around to finishing the project during the last year/decade/century, you probably never will.

Hope you find these guidelines helpful!

Have a purrrrrrrfect day!

Dory

p.s. Kristen tells me she told you guys she's going to have a baby. I don't know what a baby is, really, but Kristen seems to be eating a lot of extra chocolate. Anyway, she promises not to turn this into a blog about pregnancy--whatever that is--but she did want to share this cute photo from the party I spent the weekend hiding from: