Printer-Friendly Mary Janes

flower garden slippers [4]

One of my most popular pages is the one with a tutorial for crocheted Mary Jane slippers. For the most part, folks love the tutorial and are able to crochet multiple pairs very easily. There are still a few emails/comments a week that come to me with questions about starting them or asking for general tips. I try my best to answer them as quickly as possible. I haven’t updated the pattern in a while, but after getting 2 or 3 emails in the same week asking for a printer-friendly version, I finally bit the bullet and whipped one up. It’s a one-page, no photos, black & white version of the pattern. I added a few tips to the bottom for adjusting size and different starting & ending (the slipper closure) methods. If you are a slipper maker, go on and check it out!

Knitting: the fifth Ganomy (& happy 400!)

knitting: the fifth ganomy

This is my 400th post. WHAT! Not a question, just an exclamation. I’ve been blabbering on about my knitting for 400 posts? Well, dang. I hope I haven’t bored too many of the folks who stop by. Thank you to those who return! Many thanks. It’s only appropriate that my 400th post be actual knitting content. I have another hat pattern that will debut later this month, so for now, here’s one of my old favorites–Ganomy!

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I really need to get you a photo of my copy of Knitter’s Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann. It is positively beat. I haven’t made every pattern in it, but I have read it all the way though at least twice. It’s just one of those knitting books. Where the content is more about HOW the pattern came to be than the actual pattern itself. I like that.

ganomy side

Ganomy is my favorite. I think it’s safe to say it’s my favorite hat pattern to knit. It’s so easy and the design is so simple, but it looks so cool. This is my fifth. To be honest, it could be my sixth, but I only found four others, so I’m going with fifth.

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You can find directions online to alter the pattern to be less gnomish, but I went ahead and knit the pattern straight through–ping pong ball, and all!

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Pattern: ‘Ganomy’
Source: Knitter’s Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Yarn: Manos Wool Classica in Citric
Needle: 5mm (US8) 16″ circular and DPNs

Crochet pattern & giveaway!

tessa1

First: The pattern I’ve been promising for weeks has finally gone live! You can find it on the patterns page or by clicking here. Let me know if you make it! It’s a simple concept (half circle with a scallop edge), but I fear my directions may not be concise enough? I wanted a more formal pattern than my Mary Jane tutorial.

ANYWAY. To celebrate me finally getting on the ball and publishing it, I thought I should have a little celebratory giveaway. To enter, leave a comment letting me know what you think about the pattern (just take a look at it) or what you think about the new blog design (header-less! wider! etc!). Tweet about the pattern/giveaway, making sure to mention @goodknits, for an extra entry (leave a separate comment).

giveaway

The prize: any of the crocheted aprons I made while whipping up this pattern! I made 4 different ones, though you can see I kind of stuck to the same color group. Womp womp womp.

I will choose a [random] winner on Friday, July 8 at 9pm CST!

I appreciate all the feedback. Good luck!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!

Knitting: Terzetto Tuesday

Good day, folks! I come to you today with a knitting pattern! It’s a beanie pattern and you can find all sorts of cool information about it by clicking on the photo below. :)

Let me know what you think on that page!

real life + summer crafts

summer love

For those of you who have inquired about an apron pattern, I’ve finished drafting one and will put up later this week! I’m going to go through it again and make sure I didn’t miss anything and that the directions are clear and concise.

My boys party was pretty darn fun. His teacher made it a point that if he wanted to invite friends, he had to invite the whole class. So. We did. I was a little bit afraid no one would show up and absolutely terrified they ALL would. How many did? ONE. She brought along her 2 sisters (one a year older, one a year younger), and baby brother who is Andrew’s age. A friend of mine from high school brought her daughter and with the 7 kids total, I was exhausted at the end. I cannot even imagine the chaos that would have been a bigger party! Boy! I bow down to you super mamas.

Like, I said, though, ’twas fun! So fun, I didn’t snap any photos until my kids were opening gifts. ooopsies! You’ll just have to trust me when I say the kids had a terrific time in the moonwalk. Nathan partied ’til he puked. That’s right. He lost his lunch after a bunch of jumping in 90-degree heat. Luckily, his friends were gone already, so only me and grandma witnessed it. We forced him into a chill-out period in his bedroom. He was drenched in sweat and looked awful. After about 2 hours of cool down, he couldn’t help himself and came back down and jumped some more until we turned the moonwalk off.

Sorry for the puke story. I gotta keep it real!

ANYWAY. I am SO GLAD IT’S OVER. And I’m also glad that it was a party for both kids and I don’t have to repeat it all in a few months. I can rest until next May. I don’t care about any events except my boys’ birthdays! That’s the mom life for you.

Now, I have time to do more goodknits related stuff. I have the apron pattern and also the Terzetto beanie pattern to share!

I’m taking a break from typing, today, though, and spending my evening cutting and/or tearing this fabric into strips so that I can make some gnarly fabric tape.

151.365: fabric tape to be

Lovely summer florals!

Any super sweet summer projects going on? For us in Coastal Texas, June 1 = summer. 90+ degrees every.single.day. I only wish it would rain. My lawn is dying!