Monica Knits

Well, gradually ease it into retirement. It still fits wonderfully and has survived years of wear along with many fashion trends and hair styles. I've extracted burrs from it and shaven it a few times to remove pills. I just throw it in the washer, hang it to dry and it's ready for the next adventure. I just love its versatile configurability. It can be worn at a raked angle as a flirty French beret, swung back in classic style to flatter the face and tame the locks, or as a jaunty cap for a woodland stroll. It has just the right balance of drape and structure. I love wearing it while working in the yard, and I'll tell you a secret. Read more ....

The Whirligig glove pattern is now available with two colorway charts: regal gold and purple; or winter white and nature colors. The four-color, Fair Isle style Whirligig gloves feature a contrasting 2 x 2 ribbed cuff and windmills in 3 colors, staggered across a gold or sky blue background. A provisional (waste yarn) thumb was employed to reduce knitting complexity, speed the knitting and provide a streamlined thumb. A fingertip guide was used for the stranding technique. A video illustrates the use of the fingertip guide to knit with 2 colors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-0ApmvvhTA . Read on ... for additional links, tips, instructions, pattern and yarn information.

I like my camera, but it has a poorly designed lens cap. I wasn't the only one who noticed this; it was a common complaint I found on the internet. All my previous cameras had either screw on type lens covers or iris type which covered the lens when it retracted upon shutdown. It only took a year for the strip of adhesive backed sealer (pressure sensitive tape) to wear off and then the lens cap wouldn't stay on at all when the camera was moved. Because it is an autofocussing camera, perhaps the designers thought they would rather pop the lens cover than damage the focussing mechanism. But since I had another camera prior to this with an iris style lens cover, which operated reliably during 5 years of use, that is a weak argument. Protecting the camera lens should be a primary function of the lens cover throughout the life of the camera.
Since I like to take the camera with me, this is extremely incovenient, so I knitted a camera case to hold the lens cap in place and protect the camera in transit. Read more...

This small needlepoint purse was embroidered by my mother-in-law and has different rose patterns on each side. This photograph was taken in front of the hydrangea they planted over 10 years ago. Some of the blooms are over a foot wide, and the plant is now tree sized. The purse is the perfect size for holding my sock knitting dpns.