Book Review: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a big fan of historical fiction, especially the Antebellum era, there were times when I felt this might not have reached it's potential of genuine sentiment. However, over the course of the book, and certainly by the end, I came to better understand the characters and their place in the story. There were a lot of opportunities for the characters to grow even more,

Rav Games 2014

There certainly wasn't as much mainstream public hoopla about these Olympic style fiber games as there was before the London games but there was drama on Ravelry behind the scenes. I won't go into it, because frankly, I stopped reading all the comments and opinions when the dislike button numbers far exceeded the other buttons combined on what seemed like every post.

Just, why? Why do you do it?

I recently saw a blog article titled "Why Bother Knitting a Scarf?".  It was a short article that summed up a few of the reasons a lot of knitters would nod their heads in agreement to.  It had a couple points that were socially conscious, supporting local small businesses (like indie dyers and local yarn stores) and touched on the emotional and health benefits.  And I thought, that's a nice piece.  But is that really why?

I get asked a variation of that question frequently.  Sometimes it's my dear husband tentatively posing it when I've ripped something out after starting it three times and thrown the mess of yarn across the room.  Sometimes, I'm asked that question while knitting in a waiting room or while my daughter is in her ballet class.  Most non-knitters don't know that a really good sock yarn is not inexpensive so they aren't even aware that a comment such as "You know you can buy a whole bag of socks at Walmart for that cheap?" is way off base.  Ha!  If only I could get a skein of Happy Feet or Socks That Rock for the price of a bag of Walmart socks!

So why?  For me it's much simpler and more complicated than a couple bullet points.  But in the end, the reason I bother with the hassles that go into finding the perfect pattern for the perfect yarn, or getting gauge, or learning a new cast-on, or finally finishing a WIP is just this:  "Because I can!"

This is one of the new techniques I recently learned.  Arm knitting!  It was loosely based on Simply Maggie's Arm Knitted Infinity Cowl.  My daughter says it looks like a hammock and it is a little bulky for down south, but it was fun.

Ha-Lo Kitty

I love Hello Kitty.  Not in a creepy, you-are-over-40-and-shouldn't-be-wearing-a-Hello-Kitty-headband kind of way but more that I'm glad I have a little girl so I can indulge in one of my favorite nostalgic icons from my youth kind of way.  When Bit was small(er) she used pronounce it Ha (with a slight pause) Lo Kitty (slight emphasis on Lo).  

Loopy Weekend

Directions first.  Editorial second.  How to make a Fruit Loopy Scarf

What I did here:

New Directions

As I read through my blog entries (sparse as they are) I realized that if I am going to get back into blogging, the name and description needed to change as much as my life has changed since I first started it. 


For one, and most importantly, it's really not about just me anymore.  Also, it was started as a craft type blog but truth be told, I don't do many crafts anymore.  I am however, hopelessly addicted to fine yarn and knitting.  Finally, I've been through many life changes and challenges and as things finally start to look up, I'd like to blog about them too.  So, I came up with P3Tog because it really should be more about how, as an older first time mom, my activities are more closely related to knitting my little family together.


Please have patience with me since this is more a WIP rather than a UFO.  

Off the needles...

Miami Beach Shawl

Short-Tail Long-Tail Cast On Instructions

The long tail cast on is one of my favorites.  It's quick, easy and works for most projects.  However, I always have a too much yarn left or worse, not enough.  Usually that's not a problem unless I'm casting on over 200 stitches and run out of tail at around 180.  Sort of like what happened when I first cast on the Miami Beach Shawl.  So I set out to find and alternative and here it is.  


Awhile ago, I downloaded instructions linked to pattern on Ravelry by Betty Balcomb on how to do a Short-Tail Long-Tail Cast On.  The directions have since disappeared from Rav so here's a quick recap of how to do it.

• From the same skein (or one each from two identical skeins), take the two ends of yarn and tie them in a slip knot with about a five inch tail on both.
• Insert your needle in the loop created by the slip knot.
• Proceed with a Long Tail Cast On (see below).
• When you get the desired number of stitches, break the yarn from the end you won't be knitting from.
• Smile because you had just the right amount of yarn.

As for the loop from the slip knot, I just treat it as the first cast on stitch but you could cast on one more and pull that out at the end.  That's all there is to a Short-Tail Long-Tail Cast On.


By the way, here are some links to great sites to learn how to do the traditional Long Tail Cast On.

• KnittingHelp.com (video)
• Knitty.com (text/pics)
• KnitPicks.com (video)

Little Bit giving me her typical pose

right before her ballet recital.

Miami Beach or Bust!

With the failure of the Damson still fresh in the frog pond, I have fearlessly casted on another lace shawl.  This one is the Miami Beach Shawl and I'm working it with Dashing Dachs Dach Sox yarn, in a colorway appropriately named Jellyfish.  The top picture is the one most true to color.

I'm only 1/2 way through the first lace repeat but I can already tell I'll love it!

I used Betty Balcomb's Short-Tail Long-Tail Cast On from a "pattern" she distributed last year.  I'd post the link to it but it's been pulled off of Ravely and every other site I can find.  It's pretty easy to do and I don't know if you can copy-write a cast-on so tomorrow when I have more time.  I'll post how I do a long tail cast on without having to guess how much yarn to pull.  

Does This Look Thin or is it Just Me?

I am seriously going to have to step back and take a long look at my failed attempts at knitting with lace weight yarn before trying this again. I do a lot of knitting on fingering weight but never any real lace patterns. Therefore, is my latest awful attempt at a lace shawl (done mostly in garter stitch) my inability to get my fingers around the skinny yarn, get my head around a lace pattern or could it possibly be, my lack of any knitting privacy where I can concentrate in more than 3 minute periods? I'd like to blame it on the latter because that would imply it's an outside influence that I have no power over verses my own sadly lacking talent. Damn you Damson! I'll be back!

My Beautiful, Sweet, Wonderful Little Devil!

I'm just going to start this off with a picture...

I'm sure you recognize that as a mess of yarn attached to a work in progress, A Simple Baby Hat by Alison Williams.  In fact, I have to change that into this by next week when my friend is having her twin baby boys.

Luckily, I managed to finish one, but I believe it will take me longer to unravel this mess than it would to knit these boys and entire layette.  The point of this whole post is that I just can't understand why my 3 1/2 year old, who has been exposed to my knitting since before she was born and has always handled my yarn and projects with care (if she needed to move something), suddenly decides she wants to play kitty kitty with my WIP!

Oh, and she knew what she was doing.  She came in saying "Mommy, don't be mad at me".  She led me into the living room and it was strung out all over the place.  Actually, I almost laughed out loud, after all it is just a baby hat that I can redo in an afternoon, but I wanted to have the right balance of disappointment and despair in my eyes so she'd understand never to do that again.  I think it worked.  I went back in the kitchen to try to fix it and a few minutes later when she came in to ask for something, I looked up from the fuzzy, slippery pile of yarn and said I was just a little too busy to play Candyland at the moment.  She thought about it and said "Will Daddy be home soon?".

Must...Not...Do...Another...SQUARE!

Ok, this sock scrap blanket is taking over my life! What started as a fun little project to use up some extra yarn, has turned into a full blown addiction. I know I'm not alone. There is a whole forum on Ravelry dedicated to this deceptively simple yet obsessive project. It's right here if you want to see how many people just on Ravelry have been sucked in to Shelly Kang's delightful blankie. I am posting a link to her free pattern here with a strong warning to proceed at your own risk.

I even have my 1 1/2 year old daughter helping me with squares! This is bad. Very, very bad. I have a lace shaw to finish for my BFF's wedding in October and oodles of Christmas presents to get done. If only I could put down the squares! I can quit anytime, really.

Cables Really Aren't That Hard

For such a pretty end product, I was surprised at how easy doing cables can really be. I didn't have a cable needle so I used the tip of one of my interchangeable needles. It was ok for shorter cables but to do more than two criss crosses, I'll need to invest in the type with the little dip to hold the stitches.

I was looking for a pattern to make a thank you scarf for a nice man that owns the store next to ours. I found the Double Cable Scarf out of my One Skein book and was very pleased with the outcome.

Never Underestimate the Importance of Gauge!

After spending hours working on a pair of shorties (a wool diaper cover) for Bit and using a nice yarn for the first time, I discovered the importance of gauge. Up until this point, I either did something that didn't require a fit or just plain lucked out. While Bit can wear these with a ribbon cinch, the end product was basically an unfitted square. Hubby calls them my "Pink Bit Square Pants". If Sponge Bob were a girl, he'd probably love them (see pic at bottom of page).

Here are a couple helpful links on determining gauge and and a pic of my finished project (for a "what not to do" reference).

Yarn Forward has this to say about gauge.
Knitty.com has a long article about the importance of gauge, here
Suite101.com says this
Ehow.com says this
theknittersbag.com says gives a chart for calculating gauge, here

And of course there are scores of blogs and other websites full of advice but the bottom line, if size and shape is important, knit at least a 4x4 swatch and measure it to make sure you have the size. Everything from weight of the yarn, size of needle, fiber of the yarn and your individual knitting style can affect the end result. It's a small investment of time to take to make your project worth your time and effort!

An example of what not to do:

Distraction Knitting Solution: Using Stitch Markers to Mark Rows

Once again, I'm indebted to the people of Ravelry, who's ideas inspire me and save me tons of money. Well maybe not the latter (more on that later).

I'm an ok knitter in my book. My stuff comes out looking sort of like it's supposed to and the few clothing items I've made even fit. But, when I get distracted, kids, TV, pets, visitors, et. al. I'm usually not good enough to figure out where I am in a pattern.

Case in point: I'm knitting a pair of baby shorts in the round. After frogging because of numerous interruptions, I'm finally to the body of the pants. At this point, it says make a short row then knit 5 rows. Do that a couple times until you get your desired length. Oh, Kudos to Pear at Yarny_Bits for the great free pattern. One of my problems is that I seldom have time to sit and knit 5 rows and lose my place (sometimes even while I'm knitting) and can't recall which row I'm on.

Enter Ravelry knitters! I'm reading on the Etsy forum about these great things to help me with this very problem. Use stitch markers linked together and each time you complete a round, slip to the next one on the loop to mark what row you're on! Genius!

Turtlegirl76 makes some really pretty ones, here, at her shop on Etsy. Not being creative, but great at following directions, I google "how to use row markers" just to see that I understand this concept before spending money. Lo and behold, Karen at KarenJoSeattle has not only an easy to understand tutorial of this process, but shows me how to make them myself out of some markers I have on hand! So, I learned something new and saved money.

Oh, yeah, about that. I think I'm still going to go buy Turtlegirl's markers because they are so darned pretty and I try to be a supporter of the people that support me and may not even know it.

Thank you's to Pear, TurtleGirl and Karen.

Finished the Peep; Or is it a duck?

I finished one before Easter. I guess it kind of looks like a peep. I think I'll do the wings up and down instead of side to side next time.

Fuzzy Pink Pear aka: Peep

I found the cutest knit project on Ravelry the other day and being the over ambitious non-achiever that I sometimes am, immediately cast on with hopes of finishing it by Easter (4 days away). Kat Lewinski posted it on her blog, here, and I am once again in awe of people who can make this stuff up and indebted to her for graciously sharing it for those of us who are "creativity challenged". Thank you, Kat.

I just sewed on the beak and am working on the eyes. I tried to do a couple wings last night but I guess it was a little late for me. Who ever heard of casting on 2?

Slip the Marker???

Sure, I've been knitting for a good few years and am pretty familiar with basic terminology. But I recently did my first project in the round, a pair of knit pants, and struggled through both legs with the stitch markers. The terminology was simple enough "slip the marker and stitch to the next marker". However, the only markers I have are the plastic lobster claw like gadgets which I later learned are for crochet. I thought I was supposed to clip one on to the last stitch and then remove it and attach it to next stitch above when I came back around. I was confusing myself trying to line up the lower stitches and needless to say, had to correct a lot of errors.

Then I found a post on the Ravelry forums that changed my life! Someone actually asked what "slip the marker" means! Can you believe it? I didn't even think of asking but she did and I thanked her for asking because the simple response made all of the difference in the pinwheel blanket I'm making that currently has 11 stitch markers. I'm flying through this project thanks to her.

For all of you that don't know what it means and didn't think to ask, slipping the marker is an easy way to mark a certain spot. First you "place" the circular stitch marker directly on the right needle when the pattern says so. When you come back around, knit/purl the stitch before the marker and then "slip" the marker from the left needle to the right and continue knitting/purling the row. So simple yet it's made a world of difference in my technique.

One of the infinite purls of wisdom I've learned from everyone on Ravelry.com (pun intended).