Off to Amagansett!

Did you think I fell off the face of the earth? My ding-dang knitting arm has been riddled with tendinitis the last couple of weeks and that puts quite a damper on my spare time. I actually cleaned the house! Baked bread from scratch! Reorganized the basement! I finally went to the doctor's and he prescribed gigantic anti-inflammatory drugs for me and my arm is getting back to normal. But no knitting yet.

In the meantime, we're off on our annual trip out to the beautiful end of Long Island to house-sit for my beloved Aunt Jane. Even though I can't knit, I'll just have to soothe myself by walking here two or three times a day:


And eating here as often as I can:


I can also catch up on my field goal kicking practice:


I'll be back in a week, hopefully healed up and ready to get back into knitting overdrive!

Are You Aware Of Ravelry?

In talking with customers and other knitters, I am often surprised at how many knitters are unaware of the existence of Ravelry. If you are one of those lucky folks (lucky because you have Christmas morning ahead of you!) who didn't know about Ravelry, get thyself over to the website pronto, sign up, and await the wonders that are ahead of you. It's free!

I remember almost three years ago when I read on someone's blog about a new website that was starting up that would be a sort of gigantic database for knitters. I signed up, was unimpressed, and forgot about it until a few months later when I started to hear whispers and shouts all over the internet: "ravelry! Ravelry! RAVELRY!" Now I can't imagine my knitting life without it.

Those of you who are already on Ravelry know what a mighty resource it is. For those of you who don't know, it is a way to keep track of projects, find new projects, search thousands and thousands of patterns, find kindred souls, find yarn stores, you name it. In addition to joining the logical discussion groups for designers, I've also joined groups for American Idol, "Mad Men", The Tangled Web (my local yarn store), and Patrick O'Brian (one of my favorite authors). It's everything you need to know about knitting and so much more.

'Nuff said. I just want to make sure you all are aware of this insanely valuable resource. My user name is "momogus" - make me your friend on Ravelry! I love meeting new knitters and seeing what they're making.

New Year's Treat!

Happy happy New Year, everyone! I loved 2009, but I am super-excited about 2010! I love starting a new year, the possibilities seem endless.

I have a bunch of great things coming down the pike, Momogus Knits Patterns-wise, this year. Here is the first one! I've added Pattern Sets to the website! Yippee! Why, you may ask? I've had so many customers make matching sets (which is what I wanted you to do!) that I decided to make it easier (and cheaper!) to buy matching patterns.

Want to make a matching Cable Hat and Scarf Set? Why, just go here and buy them both for $7.50 instead of $10! Want to make a matching Baby Cardigan and Cap as a present? Why, just go here and buy them both for $7.50 instead of $10! Want to make matching Cable Ear Flap Hats for the whole family, but don't want to spend $15 on 3 separate patterns? Why, just go here and buy all 3 for $10 - you get one pattern FREE! You get the idea.

As a special New Year's Treat and to introduce this new feature, I'm offering The Basic Hat Set (babies, child's and adult versions) for $5 this weekend only - that's 2 patterns for FREE. Go here for this special offer.

These patterns are easy and classic. They also make great first projects. Here is my neighbor, Jesse, with the hat that he knit (his first ever project!) for his baby son:

Awwww!

Here is the Adult version, with the ribbing turned down, in a chunky tweed. This is one of my favorite hats:

Here (in the cutest picture in history) is my sister's nephew, Trevor, in his matching Easy Baby Hat and Easy Baby Pullover set.

Here is the Easy Baby Hat, knit in stripes, for a co-worker's first granddaughter:

The possibilities are endless!

Post-Christmas Wrap-Up (get it? wrap up? HA HA)

Ah, another Christmas come and gone. Gus and I have been spending a lot of quality (and quantity) time in our pajamas, vegging out. He has been busy with Legos and Wii and I have been indulging in a sort of frenzied orgy of non-present knitting. It's all for me! It doesn't have a deadline! I can knit anything I want! I am giving myself this week to indulge because once the new year starts, it's all business for me, knitting-wise!!

But first, what I knit for gifts. I knit 2 berets for my sister Laura, one pink and one cream, as requested, but never got to take a picture, so that was stupid. One was the 3-Gauge Beret by Nancy Lindberg and one was the Star-Crossed Beret by Natalie Larson.

For my other sister, Sarah, I knit a Snowman Family representing her, her husband Jon, son Charlie, daughter Grace, and cat Clyde.

By the time I got to Clyde my hands were killing me, but I had to finish and he is so funny that I laughed out loud every time I looked at him.


I also went cuckoo-nutso for this pattern and knit 4 of these little red cabled sweaters, 3 as Christmas ornaments for some dear friends and one for our tree.


The other big undertaking was a vest for my husband Matthew. I've knit hats and scarves and slippers for him, but never a sweater. He puts holes in the elbows of his sweaters, so a vest seemed like a good idea. I found some beautiful forest green heather Berroco Vintage Wool in Boston, pulled out my handy Knitter's Book of Patterns, turned to the Basic Vest pattern, and then the fun began. I did a gauge swatch like a good girl, picked out the appropriate size and stitch count and knit away. When I got up to the armholes, I realized that I had been on crazy crack and my stitch count was off by like 18 sts! Say what?! I readjusted everything and soldiered on, but I wasn't sure that it would be okay until Christmas morning, when this vision appeared:
My good husband in his PERFECTLY PERFECT-FITTING vest!!! I actually got weepy!! But that was the crazy crack again. I see dozens and dozens of lovingly (and more mindfully) handknit vests in this poor man's future!!

So that's that. One last note about holiday knitting: I knit tons and tons of impulse projects this past year because I wanted to kill some time or try a new technique or get rid of some yarn or wanted to knit what everyone else was knitting. The result was a huge amount of hats, mittens, scarves and miscellany, more than I could ever use in a lifetime, that made great last-minute gifts for co-workers and friends and relatives. I highly recommend this.

Hope you all had lovely holidays and are enjoying some relaxing time off. Soon Gus and I will get out of our pajamas....

Cinnamon Pinwheely Goodness

I've gone into cookie overdrive here chez Momogus Knits. I tried a new recipe this year and liked it so much I thought I'd share it with you.

Look how adorable! (Don't be fooled by weird photo perspective - they're about 1 1/2" across)

Like little cinnamon buns, but not sticky. They look a little complicated but they're not. Here's the recipe:

Cinnamon Pinwheels of Goodness

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated (the dough will be stiff). Shape into a disk and refrigerate, wrapped, for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each piece into an 8"x12" rectangle (this was hard for me - my rectangles ended up 7 1/2" x 9" or 10 1/2 x 11" - a general rectangle shape is fine). Sprinkle with a mixture of 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I used half of this on each of the 2 rectangles). Starting from a long side, roll each rectangle into a log. Refrigerate until firm (this doesn't take long). Slice 1/4" thick.

Bake on a parchment-covered baking sheet until just brown, about 13-15 minutes. Transferring the slices onto the sheet is messy - the pinwheels do not stay structurally sound and the cinnamon-sugar stuff starts flying. But persist and don't fret. It all comes together in the oven.

Enjoy!

How's Your Holiday Knitting Going?

Mine is kind of going. I have a big project on the needles that is a gift for someone special. It has run into some difficulties, all of them me-induced. Gauge, stitch count, measurements - I have goofed up on all of them. What gives?? You'd think I never knit before! I think I've resolved most of the issues, but it's been humbling. I think I can finish before Christmas, but then again, I seem to have lost track of time a little - how did it get to be the 14th already??

Here's something I can show you. Look how teeny tiny!!!

I cannot stop making these ding-dang little sweaters! So fussy! So silly! So quick! Here is the genius pattern. Thank you, Liz!! These little sweater ornaments will be gifts for some mom-friends of mine. They're quick enough that you could whip them up for a last-minute hostess or whatever gift! Plus they're fun to make and take just a smidgeon of sock weight yarn.

Hope you're enjoying the beautiful holiday season!

A List of Charitable Organizations

I love giving and receiving presents as much (okay, maybe more) as the next person, but this time of year, it's good to take a break from your gift list and think about how you can make your world better. Here's a link to Interweave Press's list of charitable organizations and their guidelines for giving. Boy, just reading the list gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling!

Though every one of these programs is doing fabulous wonderful necessary work, one of my personal favorites is Heifer International. They donate animals, trees and other stock to needy families around the world in order to increase sustainable self-sufficiency. They have a "Knitting Basket" donation that provides two llamas and two sheep to a family for income-producing wool.

Each year Gus and I go through the catalog and pick out an animal to give. Two years ago we had Merry Chicksmas and last year was Merry Cowmas. He donates all of his December allowance and then asks relatives to each donate a few dollars too. And that adds up to a lot of chicks! Or one cow!

Most of these organizations will accept donations on behalf of someone else, so think of it as a nice alternative to a gift card to the local mall. A donation to a charitable organization is especially nice for a teacher's gift.

And, as I tell myself 10 times a day this time of year, stay calm! Take some time to stop and smell the pine and cinnamon scents around us, hear the beautiful holiday music, watch the twinkly lights, sip some hot chocolate, and appreciate all the little good things we have in our lives.