I managed a little bit of quiet time here at the micro-farm and have added a few new video tutorials to my Youtube channel.

The long tail cast on is probably the most common cast on method in knitting. It is the cast on method I use for all of my Butt Knits patterns except for the Traditional Wool Soaker.  Here is how I knit the long tail cast on.

The knitted cast on is a nice one to know if you are casting on with the long tail method but have underestimated your yarn tail length. This cast on also stands on its own and is an Elizabeth Zimmermann favorite.

Additional picture tutorials can be found here on the blog, and also on ButtKnits.com. Patterns are available in my Etsy shop & there are free patterns available here.

A great new pattern is available from Butt Knits! Butt Knits Braided Longies/Shorties features a beautiful braid down the legs as well as an optional braided cuff. The pattern includes 5 cuff options and two wait options (drawstring or elastic).  Though the cabled braid may look complex, it is really not difficult to knit! In fact, it is even suitable for cableling without a cable needle.

Buy this pattern now at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy, at DiaperKit.com, or get it on Ravelry and save it to your library.    

This is likely my final longies pattern. I feel that it is time for me to move on to other patterns. Socks, hats, lace…who knows! Definitely more sewing patterns and I’m sure there will be more crochet as well. I can not tell you how much fun it has been to be part of the cloth diaper revolution that has taken place since we began cloth diapering our first child nearly 11 years ago. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for supporting my WAHM businesses and my wooly baby, Butt Knits.

*Shorties shown at right were knitted & photographed by Deirdre of My Lovebug Shop on Etsy.

On sale now through February 14, 2011…

$1.99 Happy Huggers – get this easy to follow ePattern with full size pieces and sew up some super cute and very huggable Happy Huggers for your sweet Valentine. Available on Etsy and DiaperKit.com.

$6.50 Butt Knits Traditional Wool Soaker & Skirty ePattern bundle – this pattern bundle includes both the traditional wool soaker pattern and a skirty pattern with tutorial. Make the soaker with or without skirt. This is a perfect time to get started on knitting cute summer wear! Available on Etsy and DiaperKit.com.

When I saw these on Ravelry I just had to share! Jessica (naturallyknitty on Ravelry) did a fantastic job combining the Butt Knits Basic Longies pattern with the chart from the free HP House Fair Isle Pouch Bags pattern. The bag pattern includes charts for all four Hogwarts houses. Great job Jessica and thank you for sharing!

Make your own pair by knitting up a pair of Butt Knits longies or shorties and then using duplicate stitch to add the house design of your choosing. You can see more pics of Jessica’s longies here.

Buy any Butt Knits pattern and receive a free copy of Foots! These handy cuffs are designed to cover up those precious baby toes. These convertible foot covering cuffs are fantastic! With just one simple cuff you can have longies with three different styles of cuff – including completely covered toes. This cuff pattern also allows you to make longies last longer – when completely uncuffed they make longies longer. And the best part – baby can’t kick them off! Shop now at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy or shop now in my Ravelry store.

Don’t forget to become a fan of Amber Perry Patterns & Butt Knits on Facebook and never miss out on another special offer or surprise sale. Become a fan now.

Shorties by bluesaddle on Ravelry

Now through July 31, 2010 Butt Knits Hugs & Kisses Longies/Shorties pattern is on sale for just $5.00! This pattern is easy to follow. Knit up some hugs & kisses love for the little ones in your life. The pattern includes four sizes (newborn – toddler). Knit shorts, capris, or pants.

Buy this pattern now on Etsy

Buy this pattern now on Ravelry

Buy this pattern now at DiaperKit.com

Longies with optional cabled cuff by k3p1 (me) on Ravelry

Yes, I’ve finally gotten it together and created pages for my websites on Facebook! I’m still getting used to it, but so far I really like it. I hope you will stop on over and “like” the pages. This way you will see my updates in your Facebook news feed. I’ll be putting up a special offers or discount codes  just Facebook folks! Facebook is a really easy way to share these sites with your friends & family. To suggest the pages to Facebook friends look for the link in the upper left (under the page profile picture) that says “Suggest to Friends”. Click that and select all of those you’d like to share the page with.

Visit the DiaperKit Facebook Page

Visit the Amber Perry Patterns & Butt Knits Facebook Page

Every now and then the desire to dye wool yarn hits me. So far I have not invested in professional dyes. I use food coloring and/or unsweetened drink mix (ie: Kool-Aid).

This time I used 5 packets of Kool-Aid pink lemonade and 2 packets of cherry flavor. I dyed a hank of Knit Picks Bare Wool of The Andeas.

I don’t really have a recipe for dying wool. I just do what works for me. I start by making sure that the hank is tied in enough places to keep it from becoming tangled during the dying. If you want to have the wool dye solid or semi-solid then tie it loosely. If you want to have some relief (undyed areas), then tie it very tightly with acrylic yarn. The acrylic yarn will not take the dye so it keeps the wool undyed in those areas.  This was my first time doing this. I wanted just a little bit of patterning.

I soak the undyed wool in a bath of lukewarm water and a good “glug” of distilled vinegar. Maybe about 1/2 cup of vinegar. While the wool is soaking I get the dye ready. In a large stainless steel pot I mix my Kool-Aid and more vinegar. Maybe about 3/4 cup.  I dip test pieces of wool yarn in to see if I’m liking the color. The water is lukewarm.

After about 30 minutes or so I transfer the yarn to the dye pot and turn the stove to low or medium low. You want the water hot enough to set the dye but not so hot that you begin to felt the yarn. Never boil yarn when dying it. When the water is clear (all of the dye has gone into the yarn), I remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. Then rinse the yarn in cool water and allow to dry.  Easy peasy!

Tip: For brighter colors add a some neon food coloring. You can find it in the baking section of most grocery stores.

I’ve started a group on Ravelry that is focused on Amber Perry Patterns – all of them! Butt Knits longies & soakers, knit & crochet amigurumi, and everything else. A place to discuss, ask questions, and get information on any sales, surprises, upcoming events, and pattern testers I may need.
I don’t know how busy the group will be (I hope there will be some chatter!), but I hope you’ll check it every now and then to see if you there is a test knit or crochet that you may want to be a part of. I am always working on multiple projects and even I don’t know when one will be suddenly be ready for pattern testing. It’s a challenge being a designer with 5 kids & homeschool. I thank you for your patience! Which really makes me think we should also discuss being a mom, homeschool, cloth diapers, being a WAHM (work at home mom) and/or a SAHM (stay at home mom), etc.

Visit the Amber Perry Patterns group now!

Here’s a tattoo every mom can approve of! Save $2 on the Butt Knits Biker Babe knitting pattern for longies. I’ve already marked the pattern down on Ravelry as well as at Amber Perry Patterns on Etsy and in the Butt Knits section of DiaperKit.

Can’t see the links? Click the title of the post to see the full article and the links will be active for you to click on.