Sheep....beware!

Post Holiday FO's

2012-01-14T11:52:00.007-07:00

Woah. I just sort of slunk away in the night there. Sorry about that. Between holidays and various colds blogging hasn't been high on my list.

First catch up:
The beekeeper- Unfinished. After some construction changes I got plugging along and have 4.5 strips complete. I did buy my second lot of yarn, not because I ran but because I wanted it already. I was aiming for it to become a birthday present but that isn't going to happen either. At this point it'll either be a Mother's Day gift or a random whenever it gets done gift. :)
Surprise sweater- undone and actually frogged. After a gauge check went wrong I started frogging intending to make the next size up. Then I realized I had measured wrong and that my gauge was actaully spot on. Frogging 3 strands (sometimes single and sometimes doubled) was actually a huge pain in the backside. I have a clump of yarn tangled beyond recognition sitting in a drawer now. I have found a different pattern and will start that soon enough.

Now on to the FO's! I have 2. One is a pair of basic kids socks (in fact I think the pattern is called exactly that) and the other is quite possibly my most faovrite small person sweater in the universe.

Socks: The yarn is Madeline Tosh but I cannot for the life of me remember the color. I did do these 2 at a time with magic loop and while I'm still not a lover of the technique, it did result in instant gratification.

Yoked Cardigan

I love this little thing more than words can say. I had some Lion Brand Amazing that was intended to be for another project but was perfect colors for this. The color here is Pink Sands. I used 5's since the yarn is thinner than the pattern calls for. Since I have had bad luck with gauge as of late I double checked it after a couple inches and ended up restarting in the 2nd size (this is intended for a tiny newborn). It came out perfectly if I do say so myself. THe pattern is quick and easy and clearly written. It also goes up to adult sizes! There are more in the works. :)

I wanted to share the bind off I did. All knitters, at one point or another, are going to fight with a tight bind off. I attempted to do the bottom (this is a top down pattern) 3 times. The first 2 were with my standard stretchy bind off and the 3rd was with a sewn bind off. None of them were working. I didn't need the bottom to be elastic but I knew the arms and button band would do me in if I couldn't even get the bottom working. I googled "stretchy bind off" and the first 5 or so results were for only one. I had never heard of it so I clicked the first video link. It was for a project worked in the round and not applicable for what I needed (ribbing). The next video was though so I sat and watched Cat Bordhi for 6 minutes show me how to do this.

The results are amazing. The amount of stretch is ridiculous. It leaves a nice clean (and almost picot like) edge. It's easy. It's fast. Most importantly it really is stretchy.

Try it today!

Watch the whole video. She gives a handy tip for the last stitch and how to tack it down AND she shows just how much stretch you can get.

Mostly notes...

2011-11-14T21:08:00.003-07:00

because I know I will forget and likely loose tags. I'm up to 10 skeins for the beekeeper.

Lorna's Laces: Patina
Lorna's Laces: Monkeyshines
Malabrigo: Butter
Lorna's Laces: Magnificent Mile
Madeline Tosh Vintage: Ginger
Malabrigo: Rich Chocolate
Malabrigo: Applewood
Madeline Tosh Vintage: Dusk
Lorna's Laces: The Bean
Araucania Coliumo Solid: Color 24

I need to make a decision soon. Either just keep adding random colors (in my scheme obviously) or consider those a good amount of variety and go buy more skeins in each one. I'm not sure yet. I'm leaning towards that being plenty.

Spinning Coi

2011-11-11T15:31:00.004-07:00

Awhile back, close to 3ish years ago, I bought a bunch of fiber off Etsy. Some of it got spun super fast but one sat. Unloved. Untouched. It was Coi.

As you can see it was gorgeous. In person, it was even better but the colors are hard. The changes are on the width and I know when I bought them, I thought they were on the length. It was gorgeous but I didn't know what to do with it.

Fast forward to 2 nights ago. The youngest has a birthday coming up and I'm in the process of making her a doll. Dolls need hair. Hair is usually lovely yarn. I had nothing in my stash that was worthy. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Coi and knew it was meant to be. I dusted off the wheel (it's been a year since I last spun!) and got to working.

In the end I got 2 large skeins (unsure of yardage) and 2 mini skeins. One mini isn't a real one since it was more an issue of running out of bobbin room. I ended up plying a lavender thread into it as well (which you can see here...I swear the spinning isn't as sloppy as it looks!).

In the end, having a mini skein of just one color (one single was longer) worked out in my favor. I have enough there to do the scalp portion of hair without the added fussiness of COLOR! to distract the eye. All the multi colored parts will be able to stand on their own against a solid back.

I don't know that I love the yarn. I expected it to be brighter. The green and peach tones in the center were kind of murky once spun which was a bummer. I do like (just not love) it though and it'll rock as doll hair I think. It's a tad thicker than I normally spin but I was hoping to get as much texture as possible. Between that and the thread I think it worked out in my favor.

Why did I let myself go long without spinning? It was so nice to feel the pull of the fiber through my fingers as I peddled. My wheel needed a bit of love to get it ready (moving wasn't easy on it) but once it was in top top shape it was a dream. I'm glad I pulled it out.

Consumed

2011-11-06T16:26:00.004-07:00

Do you ever get a project going that consumes you? One of those ones that you think about all the time, that you refer to by pattern name as if it were its own person, maybe even dream about?

I have one.

It's not cooperating.

It started with some yarn (as all projects do). This yarn to be exact.

Prairie Silks It's from the Brown Sheep Company and, sadly, a discontinued line. It is a blend of silk (10%), mohair (18%), and wool (72%) and while it's lovely the mohair in it is bothering my hands. I have a lot of this. A LOT. I bought a small lot of 14 skeins, with 9 being in the color you see above (Ruble Red). Other colors in the box are: Bolivar Blue, Franc Framboise, Burnished Copper, Green Back, and Baht Blue. A color card can be found here.

The skeins are tiny. 1.75 ounces and a whoppin' 88 yards. What on earth could I make with that!?

Enter Abalone.

I've had this lovely cardigan in my queue for awhile. Browsing Ravelry the night after I got my yarn, looking for motivation to work on ANYTHING, I came across it again. I did a check on yardage and double checked my new stash and sure enough I had plenty!

It started out very well.

The color is awesome and the drape of the fabric is nice. I suppose I could easily go up one needle size and have a much drappier fabric but it's working on the ones the pattern calls for. I've worked on this for a week now. The entire body is done. The sleeves are seamed. The arm cuffs are complete.

Yet this sweater sits, disgruntled, in the chair behind me. Unfinished. Festering. Uncooperating.

The pattern is more of a guideline by the time you get to the edge. While I am ok with this, the actual cardigan doesn't seem to be. I'm on my THIRD go round of it. The first time was only a half attempt. I had made a mistake and frogged it for the sake of doing it right.

The second time? Well here, take a look.

Lots of puckering and it pulled in so much that the bottom, the part that SHOULD come around my hips, was sitting on my back near my ribs. It was like a tight bolero. Frogged.

I asked for help online and got suggestions. I picked up less stitches last night and placed markers for my corners. FAIL. I could tell 3 rounds in that it wasn't working. Did I frog it?

No.

I was hoping that if I got a couple more rounds in things would lay right and I'd be in the home stretch. It doesn't seem to be that way.

At this point, I have a feeling the all consuming focus is more about just finishing it, than it is about being in love with it. I WILL finish it. I WILL do it soon. I still haven't frogged it. I tried to convince myself earlier that if I just finished it, I could try and block out the puckering that's happening. I know it won't work. Which is why it sits in the chair behind me.

What's consuming you lately?

**This post is a perfect example of why red tones are difficult to photograph. The most accurate color is the second picture.

It's been knit (in the past): A pretty hat

2011-11-05T14:22:00.002-06:00

This hat has been waiting for it's day in the spotlight for about a year now. I knit this last year, intending to gift it, and due to random life occurances I never had the chance. I don't remember who it was knit for now! I do know that I ended up making it a bit longer than the pattern (Ear Warmer Cap) says too. I also opted for no texture on it. The body of the hat is Knit Picks Wool of The Andes. I don't remember the color name but it reminds of sweet cream butter. It's a gorgeous yellow without being neon or Crayola hued.
The flower and ruffled part are my favorite thing about this hat. For longtime readers of this blog you might remember seeing the yarns before. Both handspuns were used to make baby items for my last kiddo. Each skein had just enough leftover that I wanted to keep it (in the case of Tumble it was quite a bit). I think both of them complimented the yellow of the hat perfectly.
It was geared to fit a young child (my oldest here is 6) but has enough length and stretch that I can easily wear this. The flowers are on their nice and snug (and were a pain to knit! that's a lot of ruffle!) and help make the hat feel more sturdy. Wool of the Andes isn't the thickest of yarns so I actually really appreciate that fact. I love the hat. I know someone else will too (the oldest has declared it not for her). Eventually this hat will get some lovin'. In the meantime, it'll sit on my finished items shelf and make me happy everytime I see it. What more could I ask for?

It's been knit: Halloween 2011 v.2

2011-10-27T10:16:00.003-06:00

The youngest is a fiesty thing. She has spunk. The amount of delightful mischief twirling around insider her is enough to make anyone giggle. As such, we call her something. We call her it a lot actually. It fits, across the board, for any mood she might be in.

Turkey.

She's a turkey, plain and simple. A sweet turkey but a turkey none the less.

This year, I'm in charge of trick or treating by myself. The Spouse will be gone to a convention and the idea of trick or treating with 3 small people by myself seems a but overwhelming. As I sat here pondering my plan of attack one evening I decided I'd wrap the youngest on my back. She'll be out of the way of other trick or treaters and I will have 2 hands free.

The left her costume though. If she were going to be walking she'd have been a bee. A bee just won't fit on my back though so she was stuck with a hat again.

A turkey hat.

Because she's a turkey.

What? Not what you were expecting when I said turkey? :)

I have to say this is one of the worst patterns I've used in a long time. My hat base is slightly different than the pattern calls for in that I did a seed stitch brim (wouldn't it be awesome done in some bobbles and red yarn...you know...like cranberry sauce) and I made it a tad longer. The pattern is written for a 12m size and the youngest is 2 so I added half an inch or so before starting the decreases. The pattern, as written, does not do a flat top. It has shaping and a finish that looks like a turkey would (the bone piece of the cavity basically). I wanted a flat top so skipped that part.

The drumsticks are easy but a pain. The pattern numbers are wrong. As are line numbers. It was easy enough to figure it out since the only changes are on 2ish rounds. As written, you pick up stitches so that there is no stitching them on. I did one that way and the other was done off. I think I prefer them done off and stitched on to be honest. They seem to lay better and I can manipulate positioning easier.

It doesn't have any ties right now but I'll likely add some before Halloween. A simple icord most likely. While the hat itself doesn't need it (it comes down plenty far to cover ears) and the kid knows to keep hats on I'd rather secure it's presence just in case.

Halloween knitting is done! I haven't looked around the Blogworld to see what others are making but I'm thinking I might. It's such a fun time of year for this!

It's been knit: Halloween Edition 2011

2011-10-24T19:24:00.002-06:00

Last year we had Vikings and an Alien. They were awesome and well received.

This year, I had a more vocal crowd. The middle child wanted to be a MERMAID!!! and she knew I was up to it. MERMAID!!! she is.

I'd like to claim the blurriness in these pics is due to her being a really fast MERMAID!!! but the fact of the matter is she doesn't hold still and we don't have a replacement camera yet. :)

That yarn. Oh boy. That yarn is really very ugly. It works fantastically for anything with scales though. The bottom fin, surprisingly enough, blocks out well with a quick blast from my iron. I considered buying some wire to weave into it and give it a bit of strength but this will work just fine.

I love the stitch pattern. I've seen it elsewhere (mostly in shawls or sweaters) but not in such numbers. Really pulls off the scale look and helps keep things tight. The only change in fit that I made was length. I could have (and probably should have given the stretch of the body) gone with less stitches. The waistband, as written, is large. The pattern says for 5-6 years old and this is baggy on my 6yr old and even more so on the intended 4yr old. I did a quickie belt for it though which actually helps in the end. It allows the ribbing to sort of flare and be "more fancy like the WHOLE THING!!!".

I think I only cut out a total of maybe 6 pattern repeats. It's just long enough to flip up when she walks but not long to trip on. The front is shorter than I would like but only because I had a set idea in mind.

She loves it and that's good enough for me. :) Stay tuned for this years hat.

Over the moon and then some!

2011-10-22T15:52:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it!? That right there, is my 3rd place blanket from Rhinebeck!!! After a couple days of fretting, it made it's way back home safe and sound. I have horrible luck with the postal system so when my delivery confirmation code wasn't working right away on Monday I panicked a bit. It finally went in the mail a day or so later. I assumed I hadn't won/placed at all. They had my email and my phone number. I assumed that if I had, they'd contact me. I'm glad they didn't. The excitement and pride I have coursing through me right now is enough to jumpstart a space shuttle.

I won 3rd place!!! In my first ever time entering anything I PLACED THIRD. They left me a note on one of my tags as well. It says:

Nicely knit. The gauge is a bit tight for the yarn. A looser knit would have made a larger and softer blanket.

I knew this. I knit tight. It's a drawback of mine but one that I am very aware of. This blanket is thick. It's scrunchy and thick. I could have easily gone up 2 needles and been fine. I am also, however, a purist when it comes to patterns. I have a hard time making alterations unless I've done the pattern at least once. I don't know why but my mind balks at the thought. I'm happy with this though. It was made in a colder climate and I didn't want to make it too loose.

I GOT THIRD PLACE! and I'm so incredibly proud of myself right now.

Under the weather

2011-10-20T14:37:00.003-06:00

My body (specifically my lungs) has decided to revolt against me. Also? Our camera was recently stolen so this post will be as drab as the weather is gray today.

* Almost done with the mermaid tail. After noticing the total length was supposed to be 34" and knowing that the intended kidlet was only 20.5" from waist to ground I decided to shorten it. I STILL needed another skein of the horrible yarn though. I have maybe 4 inches total left to do and the majority of that will be the waistband ribbing.
* I have 2 new skeins of yarn for the beekeeper quilt. Madeline Tosh and something else that escapes my brain fog right now. Color names and maybe a picture to come later.
* Started a second side slip cloche last night (on new needles!) in a delicious plum purple.
* While getting new beekeeper yarn I also snagged some Rowan Chunky (more like worsted). Same evening I bought Koolhass. I think they'll be a lovely match and I can't wait to get started. I've adored that pattern for far too long.

I think that's it for now. Being picture-less makes it hard for me to see what I'm wanting to share. :)

Progressing my WIPs

2011-10-11T16:03:00.004-06:00

First off...the giveaway is over! Congrats to Lorraine. I hope she loves the hat as much as I do. :)

Moving on to WIPs.

This year, kidlet 2 wants to be a mermaid. I have been dying to make a mermaid tail since the first kidlet was tiny. Our last trip to the library I checked out New Knits on the Block which happens to have a tail (and matching top) in it. So I took her to the store to let her pick her yarn. Do you know what happens when you let a 4 year old pick BEAUTIFUL yarn?

They pick something that makes your retinas bleed. Let's get a closer look.

It's called Bonbon print and reminds me cotton candy throw up. From the state fair. After a whirly ride. Lucky for her I happen to be quite fond of her and wil lcontinue to plow through. It's an interesting pattern. You start with the tail fin and work your way up. I'm liking the part that makes the scales (a butterfly stitch). Quick and easy and aside from garish colors an enjoyable knit.

BEEKEEPER:

I'm up to 26.5 hexapuffs (not counting the one on the needles). Woot. I have officially finished off 2 skeins and am on to the 3rd (out of 7).

I am rethinking making the half ones. I'm not sure I like it. While the clean symmetrical shape of the final blanket appeals to me MASSIVELY, I feel the bind off warps the shape a bit. They seem a bit too long. The other night at knitting night I was contemplating the options with someone and neither of us could agree. There are perks to both ways. IF I nix them I'll mix and match yarns once I get to the end of skeins. It'll add a bit more variety and interest I think.

Still not sure on the blue one. I like that it provides such a stark contrast and it reminds of the dead cells in an actual hive BUT I only have enough for 2 puffs.

I did a quick look around at available yarns the other night in preparation of my future needs. I'm liking the theme I have going with it but don't want to rebuy the same skeins. I want to add a bit more variety in tones and what not but there is a limited honeycomb range it seems. If I end up just getting the same stuff that'll be fine. The intended person isn't going to care. It's just a personal quirk of mine. :) I am contemplating getting another skein of blue. I'm not sure, if I keep it in, that I can handle having only two.

It's GIVEAWAY time!-Closed

2011-10-07T11:04:00.004-06:00

Go check out Naturally Simple. The giveaway is up and BONUS! a mini interview. I know you are all dying to read that. :)

Late FO's and competition

2011-10-06T11:35:00.003-06:00

I know today is Thursday and normally this would be a Thursday's Bag post but not today. Today I want to talk to you about that one project you have hidden somewhere. Something about this item is a no-go for you. You know the one. The one you thought you'd rock and be proud of and in the end something happened that punched your knitting ego in the gut so hard it threw up.

I have one.

I also want to talk to you about gift giving. Every crafter the world over knows who is and isn't worthy of their items. Whether it's because the intended person would misuse/abuse it or because they have told the crafter "I DON'T WANT IT!", every crafter knows who they are. Knitters, it seems, are cursed with this. Ever hear of the boyfriend/husband sweater? Rumor has it you will no longer be part of a couple if you make one. Something about knitting makes people act stupid. Do you have a person like that?

I do.

In fact my gut punching item was given to the person. I miscalculated that one to say the least. I blogged this project almost a year ago and then never came back with an update. That post showed my pride and excitement for the entire thing. I ROCKED IT. I spun 1 lb of fiber and knit it into a lap blanket in 5 days. 5 DAYS! I was embarassed at the lack of intuition with this one.

(Leaf was not done on purpose.....stinking wind!)

It was ill received. I know some of you are saying to yourselves, "What!? Not possible!" but I assure it is. It wasn't unfolded. It wasn't ooh'd and ahh'd over. It wasn't petted. Nothing. The sucker punch my knitting ego took that day was a big one. I went home and I placed that carefully folded blanket on the top shelf in my closet and never made mention of it. Others, no the intended person, have since seen it and are dumbfounded it didn't go over well. As am I. Sometimes you just don't match a gift to a person as well as you'd like to think.

This blanket has moved around with us and stayed packed for almost a year now. I couldn't bear to part with it but I couldn't bear to use it either. I recently found the PERFECT person to send it to. One that I know will love and appreciate the effort and thought and love put into it. I also had an Aha! moment last night.

Rhinebeck.

I'm submitting it to Rhinebeck. It's labeled and sitting here waiting for me to finish this post. As soon as I'm done I'm headed to the post office, where I will nervously stuff it into a package and pray that the Postal Service doesn't hate me this go 'round. Wish me luck. I'm hopeful and giddy and nervous. I'm thinking this will restore some good mojo to it. Even if I lose, I tried. And that's what counts.

The colors are pretty accurate here. It's rather difficult to get a decent shot of reddish earthy toned lace. :) The pattern is the Pine Forest Baby Blanket. If you knit it, be sure to let me know! I'll hold out hope that yours will be lovingly embraced for the awesome that it is.

Beekeeper update and GAUGE

2011-10-04T20:33:00.002-06:00

First up. Beekeeper Quilt. I have 21.5 hexagons to date (yes, yes I am behind) and am plugging away on them tonight.

I got a new color (see above). Applewood. I think it works great with the other colors I have going. That container? My favorite thing currently.

Once that hexagon in the first pic was finished up I stuck the yarn through the mouth. I'm not sure why but it makes me ridiculously happy. :) Moving on.....I've been pondering the layout of colors for a bit now. Here are two options (one with a blue hex of which there are only 2 maybe 2.5) and one without.

In the second one I was thinking of alternating dark and light and in person it came across as that. That top, multicolored, one throws it all off though. I, personally, see the darker bits in it. The spouse sees the lighter bits. I see them as well in picture form. I think I'm going to need to dedicate an entire day to the layout once I get to that point. I'm thinking about connections as well. As written you just do a long stitch through the corners of 3 at a time. I like the ease of it (if one needs replaced it's easy) but at the same time I'd like to avoid the gap between them in the spots that won't be seamed. Things to think through.

I made a hat the other day. It was intended for an ADULT MAN. The stretch of this hat widthwise is awesome. Seriously awesome. It's a cabled hat and I cannot believe how much stretch it has honestly. The downfall? I knit it as written and didn't measure length. I also didn't measure gauge. GAUGE has foiled me once again. So while it would fit the girth of the dude's noggin it would not fit in length. At all. It barely reached my the bottom of my lobes. You know who it does fit perfectly?

The youngest.

It's been knit: Side slip cloche- GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

2011-10-01T14:05:00.005-06:00

*For giveaway details scroll to the bottom*

Very few patterns in my Ravelry queue stay there for long. I try and thin it out every so often and generally what spoke to me 2 weeks ago no longer does. I recently deleted 20 or so patterns because they were too bulky or fiddly or not the right season. There are a couple that will stay there forever and ever though.

The Side Slip Cloche is one of them. I have added and deleted it so many times. A friend made one a year or so ago and I about died when I saw it. While at the library the other day I happened to grab a knitting book without looking beyond the title on the spine. Turns out it was the book with the pattern. Score!

I have 2 sets of pictures here. One on the oldest small person and one on me. I took the small person ones the night I finished it just so I could show some people. Since the hat is for an adult woman I figured it might be useful to also have an adult wear it.

The ruffle detail about does me in every time I see it. The gather at the top does too. I was working on minimial yarn and near the end was seeing just how minimal it was. This one is about 6 rows shorter than the pattern calls for. I think this is actually a good thing. As you can see it comes down low over the ears even without those rows. It definitely would have been at the bottom of my lobes with those extra ones in. I have a feeling blocking will give it a bit more length.

The band is nice and squishy. The hat is actually done in 3 pieces with the band done first. It is ribbed slightly so it has some stretch to it across the width. It fits snug but, as is plainly noted in the pictures, can fit a variety of head sizes.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
This hat is intended for a giveaway over at a blog I'm sure you'll love. I do not have a date yet but I have the hat and I have her blog url. Visit I'm Naturally Simple over the next week or so. I'm sending the hat on Monday and as soon as she gets it she'll decide on a date. BONUS! She's sending things along with it as well. Once I know the officialy start and end date I will post them here in their own post. Watch for it!

It's been knit: Another Pixie Hat

2011-09-27T14:07:00.002-06:00

My love for this hat seems to grow daily. I shared the blue one elsewhere online and got a speedy request for another one. This time sized for a 9 month old. Just so happens the lady asking for one LOVES green and since I had quite a bit leftover from the longies and tassle hat.

I still have some left (note: that's 2 skeins of Manos for one pair of small longies, a small hat, and a 17 inch circ. hat plus more for another small project). I'm thinking of saving it for a felted Christmas tree this year.

I kept the button detail to a minimum this time. Seeing as it's intended for a small child I figured that was the best way to go. The buttons are from the batch I bought at Micheal's a bit ago and I'm happy to see they worked out perfectly in terms of color.

I did make the strap a bit longer than the pattern calls for and I added 2 extra button holes (total of 3). Since she wanted a medium for growing room I figured the strap should have growing room as well. I only buttoned it on the 1st and 2nd hole for these pictures.

I did the back seam differently this time. I couldn't find my darning needle so I opted for a 3 needle bind off. I like the look and my internal seam is quite smooth and flat.

Another hat to love.

Stats: Pixie Hat

Yarn: Manos (see other posts)
Needles: 8
Deets: 3 needle bind off, garter tab and button closure, 9 month/17 inch circ.

7.5 of 17.5

2011-09-20T20:32:00.002-06:00

That would be an entire skein of Malabrigo in Butter. 7.5 hexagons with a bit left over for seaming things together. Not sure if I'll do half ones (this was a tester) but so far I'm thinking it's a yes. Total I have 17.5 and based on the layout I did the other night I can do significantly less than I originally planned. Which is great. I only need to do 2-3 a day which seems MUCH more doable. Changing my daily number also means I'm less behind than I though. Woot! Doing a layout meant needing to do math to figure out how many skeins I'd need. I'm going to need a lot more. I bought 6 the day I started and if I only get 7.5 out of each skein (assuming they all make the same amount...HA!) I'm only getting 45 total. Which would make a decent rug in your bathroom but not much more. I'm aiming for 225 (counting all the half pieces as well). We shall see.

I have some yarn that's been on the wheel for sometime now. It's a gorgeous yellow varigated and I bought it along with a solid yellow. They are brighter than the current blanket colors but I'm seriously contemplating finishing the yarn up and using it as well. I'm thinking I'll need more yellows to offset the darker colors but I may be getting ahead of myself.

I'm plugging along. I'm not working on much else really so I have no choice. I think I'll start a hat tonight. Another request for the Pixie Hat has been made. :)

Thursday's Knits

2011-09-15T13:57:00.002-06:00

Thursday's are about to get very focused. Not only do I need to work on Lepidoptera but I added on another large scale project.

Behold! The beginnings of Beekeeper's Quilt.

As written, the quilt is made in sock yarn on US 4's. I have high hopes for this though (I want to finish it in time for a Christmas present) so I changed things up. I have a thicker yarn (all of it is worsted though some is on the thinner end of it), larger needles (8's), and more stitches.

The intended Giftee is not a bright and bold color loving gal. I knew a hive-y themed color grouping was what was needed. I headed over to the LYS to browse and as I rounded the corner to the sale room I saw the perfect ones.

So going left to right and top to bottom I got:
Lorna's Laces in Patina
Lorna's Laces in Monkeyshines
Malabrigo in Butter
Lorna's Laces in Magnificent Mile
Madeline Tosh in Ginger
Malabrigo in Rich Chocolate

So far the colors are playing together PERFECTLY. Tonight I'll be working on that. To finish it in time I need to do at least 4 a day. 5 would be better. I'm already behind though so I'm looking forward to going to knitting night tonight. I'm hoping to crank out quite a few. If I can get caught up (and then some) I'll start alternating between this and Lepidoptera. I know it's only September but it feels good to have Christmas presents off to a start. I only have one other thing I want to get done in time (a stocking for the youngest)so I'm feeling optimistic.

What are you working on this week?

It's been knit: Pixie Hat

2011-09-09T12:31:00.002-06:00

Since last night was knitting night I worked on a couple projects. Mostly a gift hat. I am so happy with the way it turned out. The color, the feel, the buttons. Love it all. The pattern is Small Things Bonnet by SweetMama-SmallSugar. I opted for the Pixie version (there is a rounded one as well) and since it was intended for an adult I did the largest size. I think the best part of the pattern is the slipped stitch edge. Makes for great lines. On to the pics!

I debated on the closure. Since it's for an adult it's not really super important. I can trust that she won't yank it off on the playground and toss it under the bench. The pattern has 2 choices. Button tab or icords. As you can see, I opted for buttons (which by the way were/are on sale at Micheal's in small packs for $1.50). Since it needed a bit more punch I stuck some on the back as well. No function. Just because.

The back has a bit of short row work to add some shaping. The very bottom curves in and sits closer to the back of the head and neck.

The garter ridge edge goes around the entire thing. The pattern is knit flat and in one piece. You start with the front piece and once you pick up stitches for the body of the hat the slipped edge is displayed nicely. It really is my most favorite part. The slipped stitches just give such a clean line.

It goes out into the mail tomorrow and hopefully gets there nice and quick. I just got her address and she said the timing is perfect as the weather has started to turn. I hope it fits. No matter how long I have been knitting, I suffer from fit paranoia. Will it fit? Will it be too big or too small? If it does fit, will they like how it sits on their body? I know it will. My paranoia is unfounded. I can't be the only one though!

Thursday's bag

2011-09-08T16:10:00.002-06:00

Secret Yellow Sock: Worked on it last week and am past the short row heel and into the leg. Pondering the Secret Ribbing I want for the cuff. I decided not to short myself and got another skein of the yarn (to be revealed later) for the second sock. This way I can make the leg and cuff as long as my little heart desires. :)

Surprise Hat: Blue Araucania but can't remember which one. It is one of their heavenly blends. I can't find my tag so I have every intention of snapping a pic of a skein at the store tonight. The Surprise part is for the intended person but since I am fairly certain she does not read here I'll be sharing pics. What you see there is what I managed to get done this afternoon. Only a few more inches and some shaping and its done.

Christmas Lepidoptera: Haven't touched it for a bit. Lucky for me I have sticky notes on the desktop to remind me of where I left off. The yarn (Malabrigio sock in color 810 Cordovan) is nice and springy when held double but a little harsh on my finger when held single. It's a deterrant. That and the lack of focus I've been able to muster. :)

The proof is in the swatch

2011-09-07T15:07:00.004-06:00

You know I'm talking about gauge so just go ahead and groan now. Every knitter on every blog has mentioned gauge at some point or another right? It bears repeating.

When size and fit matter, do a gauge swatch. Got that? When size and fit matter,DO A GAUGE SWATCH.

As a new knitter I often thought that was ridiculous and so long as I had a similar yarn (if using a sub) I would be fine. I've smartened up a bit since then and know that isn't always true.

I have pictures today. Luckily size and fit weren't super important. The item is intended for a baby and the difference worked in my favor.

Same pattern, same weight yarn, same needles, and same mods were made. Both are newborn sized.

Pretty amusing huh? So again, when fit is important, do the swatch.

And just as a bonus....the newest FO.

It's been knit: Tassle Hat

2011-09-02T14:42:00.002-06:00

To say I am in love with this hat is an understatement. It makes me SQUEE! outloud. The yarn (it matches the longies a couple posts down) is beyond perfect for it. The squish and color and softness. To die for.

Not much more to be said about it other than it was in the knitting bag last night. I ended up needing to buy another skein to finish it off. A couple days ago I had too little yarn and today I am left with an excess of it. What should I do with it? I don't think I'll use it again (for no real reason other than not wanting to have a repeat) but who knows. Maybe a giveaway? Not sure anyone would want an almost-full-but-not-quite skein of some VERY bright and happy greens. I'll ponder it a bit. In the meantime the hat makes me happy and giggly. Everyone needs a tassle hat.

Thursdays are mine

2011-09-01T15:41:00.002-06:00

It's knitting night at my LYS tonight. From 6-9pm I get to just think of knitting, knit, and talk knitting if I so desire.

In my knitting bag: shorties to show off, a secret sock, a sweater/Christmas gift, and an unfinished hat that needs more yarn to be finished.

What's in your bag these days? Humor me. Comment so I don't feel like I'm talking to dead air. ;) Tell me what you're working on. If you want, leave a link to the item.

Inspiration Redux

2011-08-28T13:42:00.003-06:00

A business partner and his wife recently had a baby boy. They brought him by the office and The Spouse got a chance to hold him and oooh and ahh like people tend to do. He also picked that time to pimp out my knitting skills. :)

The blue yarns have been in the back of my mind for years now. They were originally wound together with a green with the intent of being turned into a mermaid tale. When that failed to pan out the way I wanted it went back into the closet.

Every time a toy needs to be made or a boy is born I go back to this yarn. Every time something watery floats into my mind I think of this yarn. It needed to be used so I unwound the ball (what a mess!) and started on some shorties.

The waistband started off in the green but it didn't look so nice on it's own. It was complimented so much in the ball but not so much otherwise. Taking it out also tweaked my plans of stripes. I didn't have enough of the lighter blue to pull it off.

This is where Inspiration Redux hit. The blues are very much water colors (if you get your water from a box of Crayola). As I knit I knew something nautical was in the mix. Not knowing what exactly made it so that the design would need to be duplicate stitched on. Hard to chart a design when that design is lacking. :)

I considered fish and whales mostly. I took them to Knitting Night on Thursday and got the opinions of others. Someone suggested a sailboat and the idea stuck. I wanted some fish in there under the waves but in the end I, and everyone else, decided it looked best on it's own.

I stuck an anchor on front to add a bit more cutesy factor to them. I'm rather pleased with how these turned out. I hope the intended people like them as much as I do.

Stats:
Pattern: Picky Pants- Shorts
Yarn: Random Acrylic- dark blue, turquoise, black, burgandy, and offwhite
Needles: 7's for the waist, 8's for the body
Smaller details: 2x2 waistband, twisted drawstring (more rope like and more fitting for the nautical theme), garter stitch cuff, 2 1/4 inch inseam (not sure where the 1/4 came from).

This was definitely a project where I had set out with my own ideas and had the yarn completely change them. Surely I can't be the only one. Leave a comment and tell me about a time when Inspiration became Inspiration Redux for you.

Inspiration

2011-08-21T19:12:00.002-06:00

Where do you get yours?

With Borders closing we have stopped in a couple times. Nothing like cheap books to inspire you! I've made sure to stop by the knitting section each time and up until yesterday nothing had caught my attention.

Yesterday I happened to get lucky. While heavier knits like pictured above are not my cup of tea there is something deliciously inviting about them. I have a few people in mind from the brief flip through I did.

Spin Control was one I was thrilled to find. Being self taught on a craft can leave you wondering if you are doing it right. Yes, I can produce yarns but are they quality? Are they useable? Do they do their fiber qualities justice? I can honestly say, that in all the time I've been spinning (which is short), I have yet to learn the difference between worsted and woolen. I know the difference in looks but only in demonstration. Two swatches side by side. I have a lot to learn about it all and I'm excited to have found a book regarding just that. I haven't gotten far into it. The house is quieting down for the evening and I'm fighting the urge to knit or to read about knitting.

Tonight books about the finer details are my inspiration. What's yours?

Musings on pictures and an FO

2011-08-18T12:52:00.008-06:00

I know for many knitters taking pictures of projects can be a time consuming and frustrating thing. Colors (like reds!) are a pain in the butt. Patterns can be difficult to see on a screen but obvious in person. Lines get blurred, colors become washed out or darkened, and drape starts to look bulky.

I took pictures today of a soaker I finished. I took them inside and out. In natural light and with flash. On dark backgrounds and light. No matter what I did my camera seemed to have a spasm of the shutter. I was starting to get peeved. The idea of dragging a camera and knitting around in an attempt to get a good and accurate shot was disheartening. Maybe it's just me but the second I am done I want to show it off. I want to brag and share and squeee! over it. Not being able to because various elements decide not to cooperate makes finishing all the less appealing. Why weave in my ends and tell people I am REALLY done if I can't prove it?

Today was an example of using your resources and patience. I know that can be applied in broader strokes to life so it was a lesson I was willing to take. Not happily mind you but willingly. I have bemoaned the fact that many of my pictures were from a cell phone many a time. They just don't turn out as well and really make showcasing work difficult. Today though my cell phone was my friend.

Perfect example of cell phone quality. In comparison to the final pic above it's small and hard to see but you know what? The color is so dead on here that you could use it as a swatch pic for ordering. I have never had purples turn out so accurately and certainly not on my phone. Luckily I had sent this to myself a couple days ago and had it available to use. There are advantages to my main camera but today they weren't as obvious. Despite having a great one picture taking wasn't any easier than it has been in the past.

Stats:
Pattern: Juliette Skirty...minus the skirt
Size: Small
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 5s and 7s
Details: 2x2 ribbing for waist, stripes are 2 rows each, and cuffs are 8 rounds of garter stitch.

FO: Skirtie and Longies

2011-08-11T10:52:00.012-06:00

First up is a Juliette Skirtie. The non solid is some of my handspun so I'm quite partial to this one. :) It's a tiny newborn one. I love that the handspun comes across as a tweedy color.

Stats: Juliette Skirtie
Newborn
Solid Red: Random wool (either Paton's Merino or Cascade 220)
Body: Handspun
Needles: 5 and 7
Garter trim on a pleated skirt; no cuffs on the undersoaker; 2x2 ribbing for waist with icord drawstring

Next up is some longies. I wasn't sure about this yarn at first. Reminds me of when Yelloow-Green and Spring Green from the box of Crayola melt together on the sidewalk. It was pooling in the body (as you can see) and I was confident the shaping would break that up. Not really. In the end I think it works. Reminds me of grass now. :)

Stats: Picky Pants

Size: Small

Shaping: Backside Increases and Short Rows

Needles:8

Yarn: Manos (unsure of color/number)

Seed stitch cuff; 2x2 waist; icord drawstring

7 inch inseam

I'm quite pleased with both of these. They aren't for keeping but instead will go up for sale here soon. I was hoping to have enough yarn left to make a matching hat for the longies but it's not looking like I won't.

It's nice to be knitting again. My fingers have sat idle for too long.

Alive

2011-08-06T20:17:00.002-06:00

It's been almost a year since my last post. I have a few things to post about but for now know that I am alive and well and knitting. I lost my mojo a bit (hence the no blogging) but it is back. :)

When stealth knitting has a deadline

2010-11-11T13:32:00.006-07:00

This will be a rather detail-less post but I wanted to get something up. I know it's been quiet around here and for good reason. I bought a ton of fiber recently (more on that in an upcoming post) and once here I went to town. In five days I took 1 lb of fiber and spun it and knit it. I'll have more details tomorrow after the intended gets it but for now here are a couple pics to tide you over.
The fiber is a merino top (colorway: Forest) from Alpaca Direct. I was very happy with it. Spins well and the colors are nicely saturated. More to come!

Musings on unexpected results

2010-11-03T00:35:00.014-06:00

The finished yarn from yesterday's post was not intended to go beyond a test spin. The wheel has been neglected as of late and has been in pieces for months. I have been itching to get it up and going for some time now and I finally got over my laziness and did it. Note to self: Do not take it apart EVER again. Not worth it. It wasn't difficult to assemble by any means but all my settings are/were off. After a day of tweaking I got busy and prepped some fiber.

This was a process. See the green there? Unknown, randomly dyed wool. See the issues with it? It was thick with lanolin. Not a problem since I can wash it out. I waited until after it was spun knowing the manhandling it was about to receive would help with that. Due to the amount of lanolin in it this was a sticky clump. It pulled apart easily but it was clingy to itself. Imagine pulling apart a peanut butter sandwich. Connected to itself but not. It also had second cuts in it. Not a problem seeing as most of my non-commerical fiber does and I'm used to it but this has been processed once before. In a very basic way but it has been done. As a result this has turned the end pieces of the cut (I'm assuming based on how they spun) into balls worthy of a sweater shaver. Add in my quirky blue and it was a fun night (no sarcasm). The blue is some of my free cycle fleece, dyed with Ashford one pot dyes last year. As you can see mine is loaded with kinky and curly pieces (some of which include 2nd cuts). Also, vegetable matter. Luckily this was not a repeat of the fleece-that-shall-not-be-mentioned and it was easily removed.

How did I make my bats? I grabbed a chunk of the green and a chunk of the blue (which needed some picking and fluffing to make it through my drum carder) and sent them on through. Once my large drum was filled I removed the bat and worked it another couple times. If a piece was noticeably not working in (i.e. a second) I'd simply pull it off/out and toss it. By the time I was done I only had a small handful of fluff not worth writing home about. Spinning the blended bat was interesting. The wool is not from the same sheep. Two different textures makes that very clear. Despite being covered in lanolin the green was very dry and had no silkiness to it. The resulting yarn is hearty and tweedy. The single made from the blended bat turned out a nice mellow blue. In fact it made me think of ocean water in the fall time. That blueish grey color you can get on an overcast day. Cheesy and poetic but there you have it. Once plied however the blue single swallowed any blue in the blended one and it was now a mild green color. Sage-y if you will. Tweedy and rustic it makes me think of places like New York. Places, I'd like to add, I've never been but that's the feel it gives. Because I didn't bother to work out the second cut fluff from the green the yarn has slabs in it. As I was spinning I wasn't sure I would like that but in the end they behaved nicely and add to the rustic quality.

Is this yarn something to take home and rub all over yourself? No. Not at all. Is this a yarn that could be worn and used and abused as an item of usefulness? Absolutely. I think, just from the experience of having knit it already, it also has the potential to submit and be broken into an item of comfort. Will its scratchiness (notice I said scratchy and not itchy....there is a difference) or utilitarian aspect go away completely? Probably not. It will however mold itself into something that makes you think of home eventually. It's a heavy load for a yarn to carry but it screams that to me as I ponder it. Who knew yarn would scream at ya'? I feel the need to share that this is a scratchy yarn. It isn't like the itchy most folks think of when they think of wool. I've had that kind before. This is a dry and brisk scratchy*. I rather like it actually.

Yes, the yarn is scratchy. No, the cowl is not. No worries. I've managed to work with the yarn and there will be no scratchiness going to town on your neck. :) It's all about working with what you have and what I have rocks.

From sheep to spun: A yarn FO

2010-11-02T11:45:00.008-06:00

**More details to follow. Some of these pictures blow in terms of quality. Night time spinning/eagerness is not conducive to step by step picture taking.**

Today is brought to you by the letter A

2010-10-31T16:25:00.004-06:00

A is for Alien. In our case a one-eyed, brain eating alien.

A hat can't eat brains? Surely you jest. I have proof.

See? Gobble, gobble.

Stats:

Size 8 needles (mod)

"Heavy Rug Yarn" in grass green. I'm not quite sure what heavy rug yarn is other than atrocious to knit with and an unslightly color. It is a blend of rayon and cotton but feels like cheap toilet paper. Nice and rough. Perfect for a hat huh? :) I've had this sitting in a box for years now and am happy to finally use it. Sadly, I still have some left. The eye is unknown white acrylic and red heart black (duplicate stitched on). I did stuff it for added oomph.

Pattern is the Brain Slug Hat found here! (Sorry, Ravelry link)

Size: largest

Mods:

I did a few. First I used size 8 needle to reflect the difference in yarn weight. The yarn was definitely "heavy" and the thought of knitting it on anything smaller made my hands hurt. Knitting it on 8's made my hands hurt. Luckily it goes pretty fast. Next thing I changed was the brim. I didn't want anything rolled up since I live where it gets freaking cold and since this was intended for Halloween I wanted it snug against her head. I opted for 2x2 ribbing for 1 inch. I changed the length of the hat as well. The size I did called for 6 inches BEFORE decreasing. I did 4 inches (shorter than the smallest size) but would have been happier with 4.5 (still shorter) but that is purely a neurotic thing on my end. This came down enough to cover most of her ears. I also added a chin strap to help keep it on. I picked up 6 stitches (lined up under ribbing) and continued the ribbing until it was long enough to cross over to the other side (I don't have it measured yet...it has been relegated to the dress up box). For a fastener I did a bobble and a braided looop. Super simple. Easy to get on and off but keeps busy hands from prying it off. The last modification was duplicate stitching the eye on. I wanted to do the felt (I thought the texture would rock) but didn't have any black and wasn't about to go buy one large piece only to cut out one tiny piece.

In the end I loved the hat. I thought I'd hate it initially but it won me over. How could it not? Doesn't help the baby wearing it totally rocked it.

It's been knit: Halloween Edition

2010-10-27T15:03:00.005-06:00

Every now and then I get volunteered for something. Similar to the way a kid says, "Oh my mom will drive us. No problem!" and then goes home to ask if mom will indeed drive. Recently my sister did this to me. She had not only volunteered me but had struck up a correspondence with the person and THEN called me. As she was reading the person's reply. Yes. My sister is thoughtful. ;) What happened? My sister is a reader of VeryMom. Well she goes by Balancing Everything now but I know her as VeryMom. If you notice off to the side she has a box for inspiring ideas. About a week and a half ago my sister hopped on over and happened to glance over and see mention of vikings. Turns out VeryMom's kids wanted to go as vikings for Halloween this year but they had no hats. VeryMom was hoping to find some cute ones. My sister instantly clicked her ask a question form and pimped out my knitting skills. After a series of emails and info exchange me and VeryMom were talking. I ended up making her 3 viking hats. In about 5 days. The original plan was for 2 and on Monday night she requested a 3rd. People this was a time crunch if there ever was one. I dropped them off to her today at 2 and due to a series of uncooperative children last night was up until 4:30 this morning finishing up. I was weaving in ends at the last minute. I finished with exactly 15 minute with which to get my kids ready to go and trade cars with my mother in law. I'm very much done knitting hats for now (well that's not true...one more for the baby). I know you are waiting and getting impatient so here are the pics.Stats:

Every hat was done in acrylic. The hats were on 8's and the horns were in 5's. The smaller needles helped with not showing stuffing and kept the horns in size accordance to small heads. The 2 fellas on the ends have a band of rivets up the center. This is a mod. created by a Ravelry person. It rocks but can be tricky when it comes to decreases. I did do the decreases as written but it does throw off the purl texture that helps them pop. The middle guy has no rivets for a couple reasons. It is for a little girl so I wanted less bulk over all and, as odd as this sounds considering it's a VIKING hat, to make it a little less manly. A feminine Viking hat. Who knew? One set of horns needed to be done in a different white (ran out of the original) and as result of it being thinner I held it double. That made the overall horn larger so I stuck it on one of the boy hats. All hats have a large ear flap with ties. I live in Idaho and these are for Halloween. Cold does not even begin to describe it. This way they get the ear flaps from the original pattern but they double as warmth. I love how these turned out. As did my kids. I had to hide them more than once. The nice thing about this pattern is the stretch. It fit everyone in my house from my one year old to me.

I will leave you with one final image:

Hope everyone who celebrates Halloween has a good weekend. I'll have family up so I'll be quite until Monday. :)

Dirty motivation

2010-10-22T23:12:00.003-06:00

People, I have never been more motivated to get rid of a fiber than I am today. This is the bottom of my tub after letting the fleece soak. I knew it would be bad but this? This is gross. This isn't even half of it. I had already started cleaning out clumps of fiber before I thought to take a picture. The entire thing has been washed and is drying. This is an overwhelming project. I went out into the garage to find my hand carders only to find another large bag of this. I'd guess, between the two, I have about 11-15 lbs of fiber here. Like I mentioned below though I'm weighing on my home scale (not a digital) so I'm pretty sure my number is off. Finding that second bag was depressing. I've since contacted the company I want to use (Spinderella by the way) to see if they even think it's worth sending in. I'm hoping they tell me yes because I would hate to toss these bad boys. I get that not all fleeces are created equal and I know somewhere in my heart these will likely be tossed but it would still seem a waste. Blegh.

I've noticed more and more lately that I have lots of people visiting here. I want to hear from you! Comments, questions, concerns. Whatever floats your boat. Talk to me. I want to know what's rolling around in your noggin. What would you do if you had a couple large fleeces that made your skin crawl in terms of ugh factor?

It's been knit: Bathroom cotton plus more

2010-10-22T12:09:00.005-06:00

Today's post is brought to you by the room: bathroom. No worries. We're all about the clean factor here.

First up is an FO. Shower mitt. Done on 8's in some basic cotton. It was meant to be part of a gift exchange but I had forgotten it at the time (this has been done for months) so I kindly took over it. It needs some tweaking. As it is once it gets wet it grows way too much to be of much use. I like it though. Makes my tub look inviting. I do have a pattern somewhere but I'd have to track it down.

See? Looks super inviting huh? :) That is a natural chocolatey brown (and black occasionally) alpaca fleece. I've been feeling the urge to spin lately (is my wheel put together? of course not). My sister and I have been talking fibery pursuits these last couple days so I decided to pull this bad boy out. He is large. Like stuffed in a 55 gallon black garbage bag you use for outside stuff large. In an attempt to find out just how large I managed to stick it on my itty bitty little home scale but it was difficult to see the number and I'm not sure it was correct anyway. During processing alpaca can lose anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of it's total weight. That's on an already skirted fleece. Is this one skirted? Absolutely not. It's one gross, matted, clumpy fleece currently. The amount of vegetable matter is insane. At one point I was afraid to open the layers up and have a mouse or something come flying out. Do you know what it's like to be afraid of a fleece? It isn't pretty. I have 2 small sweater bags full of fiber in my washer. I'm currently on rinse 3. I'm hoping it doesn't take much more. The fleece in the tub has soaked overnight so with any luck a good amount of junk will have dissolved enough to shorten my overall cleaning time. There is a place in Salt Lake City that will process this for me but it has to be cleaned first. They are very honest and have no problem tossing a fleece if it's just too horrible. They say on there that a free one often costs you more, whether that's in time or money. This one was free and it will take a lot of time. If I send it to them (Spinderella) though they will process it into roving for me. I'm tempted. Very tempted. I know I could do it myself but processing a fleece is a time intensive thing I'm not sure I want to do it. Skirting it (removing tags and VM and the like) seems like such an overwhelming task at times. I'm thinking of cleaning it up the best I can and sending in pictures to see if they'll even accept it. If they will I'll totally send the beast in. Stay tuned for more pictures of the process.

It's been knit: Kitchen cotton

2010-09-23T16:07:00.003-06:00

Stats:

Past FO

Sugar and Cream cotton yarn in red and orange

My own pattern

Size 8's (if I remember right)

I love these. As you can see from the faded color they are very much in use. I'll be making up more here in the next little bit.

FO: Gifted skirtie

2010-09-03T11:40:00.006-06:00

This was for the family the last Apple Blossom went to.

Stats:

Pattern: Juliette skirtie

Size: Newborn

Yarn: Lambs Pride in yellow and pink

There is/was a headband that went with it but no pictures. :) I love how it turned out and it still fits her at 3-4 months old.

She's alive! (Also FO)

2010-09-02T01:16:00.008-06:00

I know. There are no excuses for my lack of blog energy. So let's skip that and get back into blogging. :) I need to play catch up still. So as a quick note to myself: washrags (2), shower mit, Christmas stockings (they rock if I do say so myself), pink socks, skirtie and headband, baby hat, baby shower gifts (maybe). Also note to self: alter sock pattern and get it back to being for sale. On to the FO (not listed above): another Apple Blossom Cardigan.
Pics are older and not that great but you get the point. :) Same as the other one but with purple for the body (acrylic again). I love how it turned out...hurt my hands though. And because I know the rules ;) here is a modeled shot (yes I have permission on the photo....baby is much older now).

Pardon the absence...

2010-04-29T21:43:00.002-06:00

we are in the middle of a move. Will return shortly. :)

It's been knit: Christmas Gift Edition: Ragdoll

2010-04-14T19:40:00.002-06:00

I made these up for the kiddos for Christmas. I'm just slow to blog them. :) I'm not even going to attempt to tell you what yarn I used. It was way too many odds and ends (and even some acrylic). The torso is done in a dark brown on each of them for 2 reasons...I wanted a layered look and I didn't have enough body color. :) The head on the brown haired one is a bit floppy and drives me batty but I'm not motivated enough to take it apart and add a bit more stuffing. :)

Pattern: Ragdoll by Debbie Bliss

(hair detail...kind of...the brunetts is pig tails and the blonde one is a funky pony tail)

(detail of the dress...the back is left open though the pattern says to put a button)

I've been requested to make more clothes. We shall see. :)

Oh yeah! The Pogo socks have been under test knitting. I did take the pattern down in the mean time to allow for that and it will be up again here shortly!

It's been knit: Gift Edition:

2010-03-26T00:27:00.001-06:00

Pattern: Knotty but Nice from Knitty
Yarn: Wool-Ease
Mods: None. I actually did what I was told. :)

This was a brother in law for Christmas. Our birthdays are right next to each other and for mine he gave me a giftcard for yarn and a request for a hat. To say I'm a slacker would be polite. I finally made him one for Christmas when we drew nanes for the guft exchange and he happened to be our giftee. Seemed fair enough. He wanted a hat and we had his name. I'm not sure he saw it like that though. :) I have no action shots (though not for lack of trying. I asked AND the spouse asked...nothing yet) so I have no idea how the fit was. It fit me rather snugly (remember...that's CABLES not ribbing) and his noggin is bigger than mine. I'm determined to find out though. It's such anice hat and a fun knit. There are some mistakes (in mine..not the pattern) and only because I wasn't paying attention. It doesn't need a super amount of it but it does require a little bit. The weather is warming up but this pattern has been on my mind for a bit now. I want one for myself. :)

Pogo Socks

2010-03-18T13:35:00.005-06:00

are now available!

Sadly, I won't be entering the sock contest. My gauge is 1 stitch off (which in the grand scheme of things can make for a much different fitting sock). It's up and ready though. I just hope it's well done and makes sense!

I asked a friend for help on the name. The construction of these is not a common one. You start at the heel and work DOWN the length of the foot. After that's all done you go back to your heel and work your way UP the length of the leg. Easy and fun but still offering a bit of a change in pace to keep you interested. It works great for handspun. I like toe up socks for the fact that I get to use every last bit of yarn but I don't always like the fit of them. With this pattern I was able to get the foot (and heel!) fit that I want. By turning around and going up the leg I was still able to use up all my yarn and not worry about running out too soon.

Calling all test knitters

2010-03-08T19:16:00.005-07:00

Come out, come out, where ever you are!

I need some test knitters! You must be familiar with sock construction (yes, I will be entering this in the contest mentioned in a previous post so if you are entering as well, please don't ask to test knit for me!). There are 2 sizes available. You can do 1 sock in each size, a complete pair in both sizes, a complete pair in one size, or just one sock in one size. However you want!

This is a unique pattern that uses sport weight yarn, size 5 needles, has a short row heel, and uses a provisional cast on.

For those who do this (I'm thinking I could 2 or 3 testers), you can get a final copy of the pattern for free. I do plan on listing this one for sale. Gotta love the motivation of a contest to get your butt in gear! I've been meaning to write this up since I made these socks.

If you are interested please leave a comment! First come, first serve!

I love surprises :)

2010-03-07T18:12:00.005-07:00

Ok that's a big fat lie (by the way I have new yarn and socks to show!). I really don't...unless I don't know about them in advance. :) I noticed a visitor off to the side had stumbled upon my blog via another website. It's not one I know so I clicked it. My child's apron was linked on another site! Small on the grand scheme of things but cool in my book. :) It's this one. Lots of good links there!

For the sock knitters out there lookie! A contest to help battle SSS. Who can resist goodie baskets? I think I'll give it a shot....if for nothing else than it'll be fun to see what everyone else cmes up with.

This is more of a note to myself but I have a couple things in the wings to blog. A hat for a brother in law (waiting on pics) and two (technically 4) final Christmas items (stockings and dolls). We are out of town right now so they will have to wait. Up next though are the socks mentioned above and another Apple Blossom Cardigan.

Here I go....

2010-03-06T00:04:00.003-07:00

making my first attempt at selling a pattern. :) Nothing big but I've been pondering it for awhile now. I've decided to make my soap sack (blogger isn't letting me link to it tonight...I'll try again later) a purchase pattern. You can find it over on Ravelry!

Buy now!

Go check it out! I'm hoping this is the start to lots of designs (however simple they may be). I'm eager to see how it turns out. :)

Fiber to FO: Gifted Socks

2010-02-26T14:01:00.003-07:00

Fiber: No 9 "Black Coffee" superwash merino from FiberOptic on Etsy. GORGEOUS colors and fantastic dye job. I had no dye transfer on my fingers or bobbins. The color was deep and saturated and just all around beautiful.

All plied! Did my basic 2 ply. Not sure of what the yardage was. This was done for sometime before I was even able to get a good picture. I gave up on trying to get yardage and WPI. I'd say it was sport weight-ish.
The socks ended up being a Christmas present. The toes and heels are done in leftover Swish Worsted from my sister's socks. It ended up being a perfect match for the handspun. It was a bit thinner but it worked out well I think. I was hesitant to use it at first but knew they would be too short without. These are like my last handspun ones and done both toe up and cuff down. Not sure ont he numbers right now but I do have the notes somewhere. They fit a man's size 10.5 shoe though so just assume "large". :) I love the way they yarn striped. I didn't plan it at all. At first I wasn't a fan of it but in the end I really like the effect. Reminds of "country" scenes you see in gift shops...the ones with moose and pine trees and little cabins.

It's been knit: Gift edition: Curly Purly soaker

2010-02-13T06:33:00.002-07:00

Size: Newborn
Needles: 5, 6, and 8
Yarn: Red is random wool and green is Wool of the Andes. Snowflakes are done in Paton's Merino.

This was for my neice, L. I swear my sister said she has a picture of her in it but I could be mistaken. I'll have to ask. :)

Alrighty, I think all the gift edition knits for my sister have been blogged. Grand total? 10 items.
Hats: 3 "child", 1 "toddler", 3 "adult"
Socks: 1
Extra: 1 doll, 1 soaker

I do believe she can never complain about never getting anything knit. :)

It's been knit: Gift edition: Socks and a doll

2010-02-12T17:46:00.002-07:00

This is "Ragdoll" by Debbie Bliss (free pattern on Ravelry though it's also in Essential Knits for Kids: 20 Fesh, New Looks for Kids). This works up super fast! I was able to use up lots of little scraps with her. The purple (I know, hard to see) is some of my handspun. Pink is Paton's Merino, green is Cascade 220, body is Wool of the Andes, and panties/bottoms is more Cascade 200. Hair is leftover Swish Worsted from socks (posted below). Stuffed with wool.

These are Blueberry Waffles by Sandy Turner. I did these over 40 stitches on size 5 needles with a short row heel and 2x2 ribbing. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these socks and it was tough to send them to my sister.

It's been knit: Gift edition: Earwarmer Caps galore!

2010-02-11T21:23:00.002-07:00

There should be three more in this set (hint hint) but they were also gifted once they were mailed out so there are no pictures. Le sigh.

First pic: Wool of the Andes, largest size and with the zigzag texture. I think there might be extra rows in this one but I can't be sure. 2 of the missing 3 were also done in Wool of the Andes, largest size, and with texture. I can't remember which one though. Note to others: Do not rely on the recipient to take pictures for you if you intend to blog the item. :)

Second pic: Girls hat: Lion Brand Wool Ease with tree texture. Boys hat: Wool of the Andes with tree texture. Child size on both.

Third pic: Lion Brand Wool Ease with tree texture. Can't remember size here.

The 3rd missing hat pic was done in some random acrylic I have lying around.

If I remember right (wow, there is a huge lack of memory in this post isn't there?) the Wool Ease ones were done on size 6's (instead of 8's). The smallest one (pic 3) has extra rows. I did the pattern as specified and it turned out oddly short...I added more length and I, personally, think it's oddly cone headed now but apparently it's a perfect fit

I'm cutting this post short...there's not enough memory to make it worthwhile. :)

It's been knit: Cold weather gear

2010-01-31T03:31:00.004-07:00

Woah! Would you look at that! Quality pictures. :)

Bis S's gear stats:

Hat pattern: Earwarmer Cap with the herringbone texture (size child)

Mittens pattern: A combo of one I found on Ravelry and my own numbers

Yarn: Paton's Merino in Pink Petal and my BFL Handspun

Needles: 8's and 6's (I think on the mittens)

Little S's gear stats:
Hat pattern: Earwarmer Cap without texture (size child though not as big as Big S's)
Mittens: Kidlett Mittenz on Ravelry (I think I made them a tad bigger than the pattern...yarn held double)
Yarn: Cascade 200 (brown) and Manos Del Uruguay ("recycled" from some longies I knit Big S years back that got slightly felted...perfect for this hat)
Needles: 8's and 6's (I think)

The hats were done first. Big S's mittens were done pretty quickly after the hats but Little S's weren't done until Halloween. I realized a few hours before heading out that it was flipping cold! She was a monkey and since the brown was the same color as her costume I hauled but. She had "monkey" hands as a result. They were a tad big then but she's grown into them already. Sad thing is it's only been cold enough to need mittens a couple times and the hats a few more than that. I totally love their sets this year and they are rarely getting to wear them. Hopefully I only have to upsize the mittens next year and they can use the hats again. We shall see.

Up next: Christmas stockings! Yes I know but I haven't posted the finished ones yet and they are deserving of it. Then if my sister behaves and gets me pictures already I can show you what I sent her (and it was a ton....7 hats, a soaker, a pair of socks, and a doll!). Then the 3 things I did for our Christmas. Then it's on to current stuff. At first it was only going to be one measly WIP but tonight I was begged for some Barbie clothes. Yes, you read that right. As of tonight I have done one dress and a pair of panties. See what I've been reduced to?

Fiber to FO: Handspun socks

2010-01-29T15:07:00.003-07:00

I wish i had better pictures of this yarn! I also wish I remembered any details about it. I know I have the band around here somewhere. Anyhow, this was a braid I bought at the sock summit this last August. I had bought it due to the colors: oranges and browns and reds with a bit of a olivey green. Very fall. However, the way it spun up reminded me of my parent's wedding colors...the one that used quail feathers as part of the bouquet. The one done in tones that makes me think of aging pictures from the 70's. I wasn't impressed.
I finally broke down and knit them. I had done a kids sock in it but it was too thick (even though the yarn was maybe a sport weight. Maybe.) so I opted for some me socks. They are growing on me. I like the colors better knit up (and look how it stripes! that was unintended) but they still seem a bit dull and faded to me.

These are done in a unique way. This is the second pair I've done like this (the first pair will be blogged about soon). I was unsure of the yardage which makes most sock people recommend one thing: do them toe up. I however don't like the heel and foot when done toe up which makes sock people recommend one thing: do them cuff down. See the issue? So I opted for both. I did a provisional cast on and started at the heel. I worked the heel and foot from the top down. Once that was done, I yanked out the provisional cast on and knit the leg toe up! I think this is my new favorite way of doing socks. I have another pair ont he needles right now going that way.

Stats:

Pattern: Mine. Done over 38 stitches both toe up and cuff down. Leg ribbing is staggered to create a stairs effect on the back of the leg (1x1 ribbing with a stretchy bind off). Short row heel and rounded toe. (Pattern will be available soon)

Yarn: My handspun

Needles: 5's

Once I get the pattern written up I'll get better pictures. Blasted winter light!

It's been knit: Gift knits: Apple Blossom Cardigan

2010-01-24T23:18:00.004-07:00

Near Christmas, a sister-on-law had her baby (after much waiting..the stinker was late!). The day she was born (naturally) I decided I neeed to knit something right then. I hopped on Ravelry and got searching. I ended up using the Apple Blossom Cardigan (sorry no link right now). I am so in love with this pattern I already have another one in the works (for a friend due this summer).

The pattern calls for icord ties but it just didn't seem like a sweater that could use those. I found these little heart buttons and decided to stick them on (2 of my increases ended up working perfectly for button holes!).

It was a super quick knit (yes my pictures suck but guess what!? My camera is back in action so no more craptastic pics :) ).

Stats:

Pattern: Apple Blossom Cardigan

Needles: 8's (this is a mod)

Size: Newbornish

Yarn: Random acrylic

Mods: Only 4 repeats of the lace pattern (pattern calls for 6 which would be huge on a newborn), size 8 needles (I think the pattern uses 10's), buttons instead of icord ties.

No pictures of it yet on the baby..every time she has worn it (a couple from the sounds of it) I haven't been around them that day. :)

Gift Knits: A sweet little sweater

2010-01-21T14:38:00.003-07:00

(Two posts in one day...boy, aren't you lucky!)

The nice thing about having knitting friends is when the occassion calls for it, you get awesome handknits! Another friend sent me a sweater (Seamless Baby Kimono for the curious) before she was born 9the baby that is, not the knitter). When I first got it I was sad to see that the wee one would likely not wear it in the right season. I have tiny babies that don't grow fast. Note to others: when you'd like to be proven wrong, say the idea/notion out loud. The universe has a way of providing. :) The wee one was indeed small (being early does that to one) but she has grown FAST! The weather here has been freaky just like the rest of the US so we've managed to get by with thicker jackets/sweaters. This one is perfect! I only have to cuff the arms a tiny bit. She has growing room but it fits great. It's my favorite top for her and we use it often. So on to the good stuff...a picture!

(Ahhh! Good ol' quality cell phone pic in the dead of winter lighting....always a lovely result.)

Gift Knits: Monstery longies

2010-01-21T14:18:00.003-07:00

(I'm a slacker and missed my own blogiversary...better luck next year I suppose!)

Back when I was pregnant (she's 2 months already!!) a friend offered to knit me up some longies. She'd done some faux monster/cranky pants and I wanted some. She showed me her yarn colors, I picked, and she went to town. They are one of my favorite pairs now. They look so stinkin' cute on and they fit really nice (we use different patterns)! Since the wee one was early all her longies were super long on her (like the entire length of her body could fit in them...not quite but close enough). She took a couple weeks to grow into them (and even then they were cuffed). This is one of the pairs that no longer needs to be cuffed (the Manos pair and handspun pair I did are also this way) and I am going to be so sad when they no longer fit. I can see the appeal of monster pants for sure! Without further ado, here are some pictures!

(This pictures is hers....I have yet to get a good shot of them in my house.)

(Who doesn't love a picture of handknits on wee ones?)

Stay tuned...

2010-01-02T14:07:00.002-07:00

I have quite a few kindasorta catch up psots coming. Ones with lots of pictures (good ones!). All are Christmas knitting (see? Only kindasorta catching up since the only reason they aren't posted yet is due to laziness on my end). There'll be an item count too of what all was knit this last year. I'm interested to see that number since I didn't feel particularly productive.

I have a plan for my knitting this year. In an effort to get on track and finish up various things I made of list of unfinished stuff. One of which is level one for the master knitter program. Not too long ago the harddrive on my computer died (again! BACK UP your files) and I lost ALL of the q&a portion to it. I'm still quite ornry about it and as a result have ignored it. This should be done already! I've written out my list of books I want and am going to be nabbing them from the library soon. I'm not knitting anything until I finish this level! The only thing that will be knit is the hat as the end project for it. I don't have too much left to do. It's ridiculous and irritating (to me) that I haven't finished it yet. I'm looking at this as a chance to answer my questions better (hence the list of library books) and really do it well and not rushed through. There will be actual posting about it now as well. (This does not apply to spinning as well...gotta leave something open for myself)

Once that is finished I am wanting to do one of a couple things. My ideas are: 1. knit only from my Ravelry queue (7 pages worth!). I will have 'rules" for this but for the most part it'll be knit only from that and I can add as many patterns as I want but can't delete anything. We'll see. Still tinkering with that. My other idea is to knit only socks for the year. I made 3 pairs since September and my sock love has been renewed (now these pairs were done on thicker yarn and bigger needles but it gave me a boost). I only have 2 pairs of matching socks. The husband now has one (after being on the banned knit list for losing the first pair) and the oldest has one sock. Read again: ONE SOCK. Not a pair. Just one single sock. She keeps asking why I haven't made the other one yet and told the husbands mom at Christmas she was glad to get socks from her because "Mom won't make my other one". There is no reason there should be a lack of sock pairs (matching ones...I have a couple "pairs" but they couldn't even be deemed faternal twins) in this house considering 1. I have an insane amount of sock yarn and 2. know how to knit them. :) Still trying to decide which one I want to go with. I won't decide til level one is done.

My blogiversary is in 2ish weeks. Thinking of doing a giveaway but I don't think my readership is that high anymore (what with the distinct lack of posting). I do have a loose goal of blogging at least once a week for the year. Hopefully I can stick to that.

I'm feeling twitchy. I have nothing on the needles right now. NOTHING. I cast off my last project last night. I don't have anything on my wheel either (though I do have a bit on my spindle). There is a distinct lack of fiber stuff going on right now.

It's been knit: Playing Catch up 1: Red Shorties

2009-12-26T13:13:00.002-07:00

Pattern: Picky Pants
Yarn: Wool of the Andes: Onyx Heather and Firecracker Heather
Needles: 8's
Pattern Picks: Short rows, Icord bind off, 2x1 ribbing (I think)
Mods:Hmmm, not that I can remember.

This was the final pair (of 4) meant for a friend. Luckily she got them in time to at least wear in shorts appropriate weather. :)

It's been knit: Manos longies

2009-10-12T20:26:00.002-06:00

Stats:
Size: Newborn with backside increases and short rows
Yarn: Manos Del Uraguay in Wildflower and....can't remember the name of the purple one so we'll call it Purple
Mods: Extra crotch stitches, longer length (6.5 inches?)
Garter stitch cuff

I will be going back and fixing the second leg. It's about 2 rounds shorter than the other and it drives me nuts. I'm constantly pulling on it which I'm sure isn't going to help.

When handknits are worn: Super Secret Stealth Surprise

2009-10-10T16:52:00.002-06:00

I think it fits rather well. :) The sizing ended up being around 0-3 months and this little dude is definitely in that range. I think he looks rather good in it, if I do say so myself. :)

Up next:
2 pairs of longies (one knit by me and one a gift)
5 (FIVE!) hats: 3 adults and 2 kiddos
Newborn soaker for K
My first intarsia: Christmas stocking: Technically a WIP but humor me

WIPS:
K's socks (one down, one to go)
4ish (FOUR!) more hats: one adult and 3 kiddos
2 pairs of Kiddo mittens
Me socks
Kiddos socks
Christmas stockings (planned for 2 but maybe will do 3...unless mom really does decide she wants one and then there's that one as well)
3 more soakers for K: 1 newborn and 2 small

I think that's it...I went out to my sister's this last weekend and in that time finished one of 3 hats (one had already been done). I got back on Monday and in that time I have done 1 adult hat, 2 kids hats, a newborn soaker, and half of a Christmas stocking that has intarsia. I won't say it but you know what I'm thinking has happened right? It's back. That's all I'll say. DOn't want to jinx myself. :)

It's been done: Fiber to FO

2009-10-01T22:19:00.002-06:00

Remember this fiber? Safari from Freckle Face Fibers on Etsy. I never blogged the spinning of it because I had intentions for the final yarn. I wanted to show it all in one post.

I LOVE the way it turned out. I spun it thicker than I normally would and had enough for my item with some left over.
I never did figure out the WPI or end yardage but I had a ton. Squishy too! I admit that at first I wasn't sure I liked how it plied together (my standard 2-ply). There were parts that seemed to cancel out because it plied together with another chunk of itself. I had hoped the green would pop more as well. Once knitted though I loved how subtle the colors were. It really is very Safari like in the sense of the scenery I think.

This horrible picture is from my cell phone. The sad thing is this is the BEST picture I have managed to get in weeks. Weeks? Yes, these have been done since August. I have tried inside and outside and at all times of day. Lights on or off, with dark and light backgrounds. It's impossible to get a decent picture. I am hoping to get truely better ones soon but this is all you get for now. The yellow tones make it hard accuracy wise.

This one almost looks felted but they aren't. Oy, I wish I had better pics! I had to seize the chance though because these really are the best color wise.

Stats:

Pattern: Picky Pants

Size: Newborn with backside increases and short rows

Mods: Longer inseam (6.5 inches? They are put away so I can't measure right now). I did a simple icord bind off since the yarn is the oomph to these I think. :) I kept everything simple for that reason.

It's been knit: Flower embroidery longies (and hat)

2009-08-21T16:59:00.007-06:00

These were done over a week ago (as in finished...took longer than that sicne they were an in between project). I went to Sock Summit and have been debating whether to post my two FO posts or that one. I'll do these first. :)
I did these before we knew gender and was very hopeful that they would stay with me. Luckily they will. :) First...I did a picot waist and cuffs on the longies and brim on the hat. I wasn't sure how the waist would turn out and it's not as defined as the other two parts but it's still there. I like it. Not sure I'll do it again though. :) Both the brim and waist were worked per the picky pants directions. I've seen so many variations for them (and as a result many variations in look) but decided to keep the look consistent. I knew I was going to use those directions for the cuffs so I kept with it the whole way. The hat does have a few rounds of garter stitch after the picot to help keep it from rolling up/out. I found that to be an issue when I did the easter bunny hat so I'm glad I threw it in. It doesn't flare out at all!
Here's a side shot of the leg embroidery (some of these pics are darker/poorer quality....the camera batteries are dying so some were taken on the cell phone). I did REAL embroidery!! I used lazy daisy/detached chain for the flowers and stem stitch for the stems and leaves. The small dots (hard to see here) are french knots. I spent time finding videos that were thorough enough to know not everyone knows how to do this but not so basic I felt stupid. :) I love doing it! So much better than the attempt I did on the tree longies. I did have a picture I used as a reference but I can no longer find it or I'd link it. It's pretty similar to that though. :)
I decided to carry it around the back of the leg and on to the butt. I didn't want a ton there since really, who is goingto be seeing it that much? but also because I didn't want it to look heavy. The leg is already detailed enough.

As you can see, the design is visible on all sides. I wanted just enough visible on the front and/or back to make you want to look at it more but not so much that it was crowded (visually). I'm pretty pleased with the placement. I just eye balled it so was surprised it worked out as well as it did.The hat is my own basic pattern (same as the one in my stealth knitting post). This time I worked it from the bottom up. I'm not sure why I was having such difficulties but I did start it more than once top down. My stitch count was never right though. I did frog back a little at one point in order to readjust length. I had misjudged my total decrease length and it ended up super long. Luckily hats are small so it's not a big deal.
Just a crown shot (stuck on a racoon doll :) ). I'm pretty pleased with how well my decreases turned out. Nice and pretty.

Stats:
Pattern: Longies: Picky Pants
Hat: Basic baby beanie (mine)
Size: Longies: Newborn with backside increases and short rows, inseam is 6.5-7 inches
Hat: 0-3? Not sure...just winged it..I'll ask my sister in law how her's fits her newborn since it's the same stitch count
Yarn: Green: Cascade 220 Lavender: BFL handspun
Needles: 8's

Only drawback that I can is the length is a bit too long (please don't ask me why I made NEWBORN pants so long...it baffles me) which means cuffing will likely be called for. Since I used the picot hem it's not going to be as smooth/easy or cute. With garter I can cuff it up and it still looks like garter. This onewill be a tad more goofy looking but hopefully it won't be needed for long. Overall, I love this pair! Mostly because I mastered some embroidery!! :)

It's been knit: Super Secret Stealth Surprise

2009-08-04T15:09:00.004-06:00

I realize secret and surprise are the same thing but really....that many s's I couldn't finish with the word knitting. :)

Sweater Details: Pattern: LittleCoffeeBean Yarn: random acrylic Needles: size 8's Pattern size: 3 months Mods: Stripes are 4 and 2 wide instead of 2 wide on all of them. Ribbing isn't as long on any part. Icord bobbles for buttons.

Hat Details: Pattern: My own basic beanie Yarn: same random acrylic Needles: size 8's Pattern size: eh, I'd say 0-3 months :)

(As an aside I hate the random double spacing blogger occasionally does. It pisses me off and I do not like the look of the above paragraphs as a result.)

This is for a sister in law being induced tomorrow. It's her second little boy and when I found out she was being induced I sprang to action knowing it would be soon. Never mind that I have already started 2 or 3 other sweaters for her....this one is the only one to actually get finished. I LOVE it and plan on making more. The yarn sucked but oh well. She needs washable (and not because she's a new mom) so it works. I do love how the colors turned out though. I wasn't sure about the combo but once I got past the first couple stripes I was in love. I tried the hat in just the multiblue color at first and it's actually an ugly color. The solid really helped bring out the good parts of it. :) Total knitting time (for both items together including weaving in ends) was 1 day. Super fast!

It's been knit: Juliette Skirtie

2009-07-24T22:34:00.007-06:00

It's ridiculous how much I love this thing! I broke down and bought a skirtie pattern last week. This is my first from it (Juliette Skirtie) and I am so dang happy I did!

The pleats directions are fantastic! I have seen generic ones here and there but they were always vauge and not to my liking. This one is just perfect (as you can see). I did modify mine a bit and did all but the last increase round since I was running out of yarn.

The soaker is another favorite part of mine. I do not like soakers. I do knit the Curly Purly one since I do like having that option of going under clothes but really....I don't like how many fit. Either too low and baggy or a lack of shaping or too dang long (which on my short kids is never good). This one is shorter than the pattern (not by much)but there is a very good reason for that.

I had to knit the waist and undersoaker twice. I was all done and grafting when I thought the yarn I was using (a dark brown) was "familiar". I hopped up and grabbed a lighter and sure enough I had been using acrylic. I took both out and reknit them in the white/cream wool. I was using scraps for the whole thing and was VERY unsure of the amount I had. I did the undersoaker first and knit it to the length it would/should be if the waistband had been in place. I then knit the waistband (bottom up essentially). My original one had 16 rounds. This one had 12 or 13. I barely made it.

I also did the waist as 1x1 ribbing out of habit. :) The pattern calls for 2x2 and I wish I had done it (I like the look) but that's ok. This one is a tad short in the skirt for my wee one but that's ok. She's almost potty trained and I had already sworn off knitting her more covers as a result. She just needed a legit skirtie though so this doesn't count. :) The stripe on the body has duplicate stitch on it. The single round of darker green was also brown. Instead of frogging all the way to that I just covered it once the knitting was done. It's not the best looking one but it was late and I wasn't concerned about reaching perfection (which is good because my duplicate stitch is far from it). It is looser in a couple spots but it honestly looks more like loose knitting/gauge than anything else. I am considering adding cuffs but this is one of the few that I am ok with not having them. It fits nicely and no prefold pokes out. Not too often that happens.

Stats:

Pattern: Juliette Skirtie

Size: Small

Needles: 5 and 6. The pattern calls for 7's but I don't own any and I got gauge with these (checked long after the fact).
Yarn: Knit Picks Wools of the Andes: Pampas, Avocado, Ferm (?), and an unknown Cream/White. I thought it was Wool of the Andes based off ball size but it would be Cascade 220. All scraps.

Mods: Pleats only worked til second to last increase round and then knitted til desired length (definitely wanted to make longer but ran out of yarn). Waist done in 1x1 ribbing and slightly shorter than pattern called for.

Note to self

2009-07-15T01:43:00.001-06:00

When you have a new pattern and are excited to get started make sure you double check your supplies. In lots of cases your yarn may be missing a ballband which indicate what the fiber content is. When in doubt, check. Having to reknit the entire bottom portion of a soaker because you grabbed acrylic on accident will piss you off. Lots.

Ahh retail therapy!

2009-07-13T20:48:00.003-06:00

I never understood the appeal of it until today. :) I got a paypal gift so I decided to spend it. So without further ado...look what is coming to me!

First up is "Tumble Into BFL". Some lovely BFL. I've only spun BFL once and knit with it a couple more times but boy is it lovely! I cannot wait to see what this turns out like. These are not "my" colors but I have someone/something in mind for it so it doesn't matter. :)

This is called "Coi". Some Falkland wool. Again, someone else was in mind when I got this. It seems like a more mature/adult version of the one above. Also not my colors. :) I don't think I've ever spun Falkland but that's ok. It's wool! :)This is "Safari" merino. I have seen varaitions of these tones and everytime I am insanely jealous. It's just a nice colorway and looks well with most things. Again, I have plans for it that don't involve me. Seeing a trend? :)This may be one of my favorites. This is "Black Coffee" superwash. I have some plans for socks that I might keep for myself. Still deciding.Oh I hope shipping is fast. I'm entertaining myself currently with some random stuff I have. I'm already a third of the way through it so I'm thinking I'll need to find more to do until it gets here.

Remember the infernal shorties?

2009-07-10T13:32:00.002-06:00

The bum is now oh so purtty. :)

It's been done and waiting on me to get things finished (like weave in ends and lanolize) for awhile. It turned out so dang easy!!! Amazing what following a chart can do for you. ;) I hope it doesn't sit too low on the intended. I tried them on my wee one and it ame down low but there is a year difference between the two. Hopefully that helps. :)

It's been knit: Stealth knitting

2009-05-30T20:15:00.004-06:00

These are actually quite old. I started them way back when and only recently finished them up. They were a slower goin project.And sadly you get no details. :) Well some but none that you care about. :)

Specs:

My own pattern (hence the no details)

Catnip Yarns Licorice Twist

Gifted

Now that they are safely in the intended person's hands I can show pictures. She's had them for a bit but ummm....I'm a big ol' slacker. Shocker huh? :)

Up next: A washrag (oooo!), some sock progress (ahhh!), and baby sweaters galore (eeeee! though only one is intended to stay at my house).

Happy Mother's Day..with some oomph

2009-05-10T22:18:00.003-06:00

1. I have successfully completed a design in duplicate stitch and it doesn't suck! I think I might once again like the concept. The inside/wrong side of it even looks nice! Hoo rah!

2. I have hit a speed bump in my knitting. I started a sweater (I'll show pictures later...camera needs batteries and it's dark...too dark for the cell phone) for a soon to be born nephew and decided it's bad. I used acrylic due to the recipient and well it sucks. I started another one in a different acrylic and it's a bit better but I hit a point that irritated me so I frogged a bit and haven't picked it back up.

3. I have worked on my 2 at once magic looped toe up socks. I got tired of the two at once and finished up to past the heel on the first one. Note: this does not mean I'm bad or giving up on magic loop. I was just so close to the heel and really wanted to do it so there you have that. Once the second sock is to the same point back on the needle they both go.

4. I have a Christmas surprise. And boy is it a surprise! It's currently a WIP but obviously....will be done by Christmas. Want to see the beginnings? Of course you do. Not all blog posts should be numerical lsits...I know there are plenty on here. :) Before I get to the picture....Happy Mother's Day to all who are mother's and reading here today. :)

I so so so love this set!

2009-04-21T22:02:00.004-06:00

It's my first official "set" too. Best of all the yarn was .50 cents a skein (thanks Kim!). They are a bit stiff/dry feeling (NOT rough/itchy...just dry) but I'm thinking after they are washed and lanolized that will change. They remind me of prep school colors. I adore them!

Longies: Picky Pants, Elastic Waistband, Garter crotch, 7.5ish inseam, Seed stitch cuff, Red Heart Knitting Worsted Wool: Grey and Multi Reds, Newborn size, Backside increases and Extended short rows.

Hat: EarWarmer Cap, Infant, Red heart Knitting Worsted Wool: Grey and Multi Reds.

Mods: After the 2nd or 3rd decrease round stopped knitting 2 plain rounds in between and only did one round in order to shorten it a bit.

It's been knit: Infernal Shorties

2009-04-14T11:33:00.005-06:00

Not infernal as in firey hot or anything like that. Oh no. Infernal as in "these damn infernal shorties are driving me to my wits end and I just want them out of my house already!" :) That said I am quite fond of them. The colors are pretty (not as bright in real life as they are in these pictures) and the shape is nice. Despite my dislike of the waistband in general and my hatred of it for this stupid project (hehe...just kidding....) I am planning a pair for us in this set up. These are for the same wee one the striped longies and the other blue pair were sent to (yes I know....it should not have taken this long).
Onto the stats!
Stats:
Pattern: Waistband: Curly Purly Body: Picky Pants
Yarn and needles: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes ( Cobblestone Heather and Arctic Pool Heather); US 8's
Mods: The waistband is the Curly Purly one which proved to be an issue if you want to do short rows that will still line up with the Picky Pants. After 3 or 4 times of knitting it and lots of help (I love Ravelry) I got it figured out. I did my short rows per the Picky Pants placement but still within the waistband. Once done I increased up to my Picky Pants stich count and continued on.
Options/Size: Short rows with 2 increases. After the first set of increases (brought me up to the stitch count for Picky Pants small though they were already at a Curly Purly small) I asked the intended if the pervious longies were getting tigght. She said yes so I did a second increase set. These are a small waist with a medium body. The inseam is 6 inches. She wanted shorts but I got zoneing out one night while knitting and just guessed. I apparently am overgenerous in that regard. :) The cuff is just my basic garter stitch one.
Her next, and final pair!, ones will likely be the same set up. (The above picture is almost perfect on the color of the yarn). Due to the waist they seem to pull funny but I'm hoping that will not be the case once they are washed and lanolized.

It's been knit: Easter stuff

2009-04-14T09:23:00.003-06:00

Well thing. I had grand plans but only got one thing done. I have an excuse though. I'll tell you later. :)

This is this pattern. Super simple (not sure why it's rated as intermediate...maybe because of the two color ear) and super sweet. I didn't do a gauge swatch so not sure if it would really fit a 3-6 month old but this was intended for my neice. It sort fit her, just a tad short in length. As you can see though it can be squeezed onto the head of a 20 month old with no problem. :) The picot hem on here was fun and so dang cute! I did do it differently by doing 4 stitches and binding off 2 (instead of 3 and 1). The only thing I didn't like was that it has a natural propensity to curl. I think if I make another (without the ears mind you ;) ) I'd do a round or two of garter to help it stay pointing down. I love the look of it and it bugs that half the time you can't see that detail. That's the only mod I made to it though. You could very easily size this bad boy up. It's just a basic hat. I didn't attempt to alter sizing because 1. I didn't want to think and 2. I wasn't reading ahead in the pattern and assumed the ears were done differently. The ears are done seperately and sewn on at the end.

Overall I love this hat. The sister in law it was given to is due to have another tiny one and by the time easter is here next year that one will be the right age group for it. :) This was such a hit the oldest wee one asked for one that would make her look like a "horse! A pink horse!". :)

WIP: The I'm not going to kill it version

2009-03-31T17:32:00.003-06:00

4th time is apparently the charm. As you can see the waistband has been completed. The body has been completed. The crotch gussets are done and seamed. All that remains is the legs and they are in the works. I'm actually really liking these now. I tried them on my smallest wee one to make sure they would fit the intended and uh...yeah. They will. With a bit of room to grow. I hope they aren't super huge baggy. Despite my issues with the waistband (that go beyond this infuriating amount of go rounds) I really like how these fit my kiddo. I got some new birthday yarn that is just waiting for me to use. I'm going to do a skirtie and use this set up as the undershorts. I think. I need to finish a different skirtie first. One of which I have not mentioned on here. That's how I roll. :)

An infuriating WIP

2009-03-25T07:35:00.003-06:00

THAT is v4.0. It better damn well be the last. Although, as I sit here knitting on it (never having gotten past the total waistband really) its looking too small. I swear if I have to frog this thing and do a whole nother waistband I'm going to be ornry. I may burn the yarn.

It's been spun: Summer Berries

2009-03-24T19:46:00.003-06:00

Summer Berries colorway
4 ounces total
2-ply
End yarn is 10WPI/Worsted weight
2 skeins

I think I'll end up doing a felted bag. I think it's the only thing to do with it really. It's a bit rough and lanoliny. I'm hoping washing will help with that. I'm pretty pleased with the way the colors turned out. I need to give it a good washing. Despite it setting thouroughly the lanolin seems to help rub the dye off. While I was winding it up the dye rubbed off on a few things. Not a big deal since the lanolin rubbed off as well making it rub in/off easily but still...who wants red/purple bleeding?

It's been spun: Lochlan

2009-03-23T14:05:00.002-06:00

Some of my fleece I've been moving about. :)

Notes
Hand dyed (by me)

Wool

2-ply

About 2 oz. total

A small skein at 47 yds.

Somewhat between a sport and dk weight

Not sure if I'll knit this into anything. It's rather rough and while I love how the color played out it's not "me". I'm currently working on another batch (different colorway) that was processed a bit more. I'm hoping that helps with the overall softness.

There was some knitting recently but umm...it was ugly and was frogged. It took a day or two to knit and about 20 minutes to take apart. Talk about instant gratification. :)

It's been knit: Top-Down Timothy Cap

2009-03-01T13:05:00.004-07:00

For me!! I cannot begin to tell you how happy this hat makes me. It's for me. It's my handspun. In a color I adore. It's for me. Fits perfectly....did I mention, It's for me?
I was hesitant to use this yarn. It's just so pretty and I didn't want to "waste" it on something like a hat. I wanted to horde it forever and ever but wanted other people to see it as well. I really liked the way this hat fit when I made it for the husband and have been trying to sneak off with his hat for the longest time.

He is on to me though and every time I picked it up he would casually say, "Make your own.". The other night on the way home from the store the wind was whipping in such a way that my ears burned. I knew I needed a hat. I decided to just do it and started that night. I got through the increases and went to bed. Worked on it all day yesterday and then finished it up this morning. It took less than a skein.

Stats:
Top down Timothy Hat

Size 6 needles

Fire Gorge handspun (less than one skein)- sport weight

Yarn held single
LOVE!

I noticed the other night when I went to grab the pattern from my projects page that I had used size 6 needles on the first one. I grabbed mine as the pattern downloaded only to see that the pattern writer actually used 8's with the yarn held doubled. Not sure how I missed that the first time around but it makes sense as to why I needed to block it severely. I decided to stick to my unintentional changes and do the same for my hat. After all I love his hat so much why change it up? I'm glad I did. It fits perfectly! Mine is a slightly heavier weight yarn than his was so it won't need blocking. Makes me happy since I want to wear it right now. :) With his hat I much prefer the "wrong side" (the side that shows the knit portion of the ribbing as the thicker part). With mine though I love them both. I do like the wrong side a bit more but only because it's easier to see the color transitions due to the overall smoothness of the fabric. (Picture 1 is the wrong side..the other 2 are the right side).

WIP it.....

2009-02-27T13:11:00.003-07:00

Into Shape/ Shape it up/ Get straight/ Go forward/ Move ahead/ Try to detect it/ It's not too late/ To WIP it/ WIP it good....yikes. You havin' flashbacks? I am. On bad songs and bad word play. :)

Two socks, toe up, Magic Loop style. Don't know what type of yarn it is (blogged here). 56 stitches and perfectly fitting (so far!).

Another Top Down Timothy Hat, this time for me. Out of my own lovely handspun (named Fire Gorge). Almost done! Started it last night. I noticed while looking at the husband's hat on my Ravelry page I used size 6 needles. I don't know why. The pattern calls for size 8's with yarn held doubled. I didn't do that either. I like his so much I'm continuing with the unintentional (though now intentional) alterations. This is a thicker yarn than his so hopefully it'll be as nice fitting. It's lookin awfully small.

A hybrid. Curly Purly waistband+Shoaker pattern+Picky Pants pattern (for leg portion). This is on pause as I have yet again had issues with it. Yet again? That lovely waistband has been redone three times. THREE (3). The first time I misread or miscounted (not sure which) and had 70 stitches. I needed 72. I realized this after 2 inches of 1x1 ribbing and a couple short rows and a needle change. Second time I had a hole. Not a small hole. One large enough to fit my thumb in BUT I had 72 stitches. Third time....well if I frog it it will be due to my not reading ahead and appropriately planning my project (read: short rows not lining up with the rest of the pattern details). I'm waiting to hear back on this though so we shall see.

It's been spun: Red Merino

2009-02-23T15:39:00.002-07:00

Stats:

Merino 2-ply

12 WPI/sport weight

2nd skein- unsure of yardage as I haven't checked it yet. :)

Used: Dragon Lady Designs

2009-02-20T16:26:00.002-07:00

I love these little sttch markers. I was sitting here knitting with a friend one night and lost yet another stitch marker. One of my favorite ones has gone missing and it's mate was washed and fell apart. I can put it back together but haven't yet. Frustrated I thought to myself, "I should check the PhatFiber box!" Sure enough I had a few. I picked these for the bright colors. I love them! The cherries broke (the green circle part of the stem) but I was able to fix it. Note to others: don't accidentally step on these!

My favorite is the pepper. It makes me happy. I thought the yellow one was a lemon but I'm not sure. Neither is my friend. Despite being rather substantial these are quite light weight. I normally dread having to use stitch markers. They seem fumbly and get in the way etc. but these oddly enough, don't. I actually look forward to needing to use them. My friend really liked the cherries. I think I may get her some as a gift. She's a newbie knitter and just finished her first item! She deserves some loveliness. :)

It's been knit: Striped longies

2009-02-19T17:35:00.002-07:00

Project Specs:
Size small
Backside increases and short rows
9 inch inseam
Purl round before bind off
I-cord bind off
Garter stitch crotch
This is another pair for a friend. This is pair 2 of 4. The third is in the works. The yarn is Wool of the Andes in Pampas Heather (the green) and Cobbleston Heather (the grey). I wasn't sure I was going to like how they turned out but they're growing on me. After the first leg I was ready to frog them and try to get something....with more....oomph.

Lucky for me they aren't for me. :) I like them but the intended mama loves them. They are bigger than the first pair (the blue ones) but that's ok. She's happy about that. The rest of the pairs are going to be the same sizing.

Just gotta finish up the rest of the pairs and get them mailed off!

Melissa's Kre8tions

2009-02-16T08:41:00.003-07:00

**This first pic is borrowed from the PhatFiber blog...I started spinning this up before I started taking pictures. I loved her simple packaging and wish I had gotten some pics of it before hand.**

Pretty huh? I spun this little bit up on my drop spindle. I was having issues with my wheel so I pulled it out and got to work one evening while waiting for a friend to show up. There's not much to say about this fiber except that it ROCKS! The colors are lovely and the fiber is soft. There was no dye transfer or shedding. It drafted easily and I got a nice little mini skein from it.

I made it into a small two ply. Not sure what I'll make it into. A ball? Another heart? Nothing? Leave it on my mantel since it seems to gather plenty of ohh's and ahh's all by itself? I love that she got some grey in the colorway. Grey that stayed. Hard to see in my pictures but once spun I thought it was going to dissapear. Not so! Once I plied it, it popped back out and provided a nice complimentary contrast (oxymoron?) to the blue.

**I know I said there was a bunny coming up....I got distracted by the fiber though. And some other knitting. Soon, I promise.**

My give away package

2009-02-15T13:02:00.003-07:00

My give away package has made it to the winner! She chose the Modern Spots Spindle Bag. The little blue one in front is a sample of fiber. Hope she likes it!

I just got a message from her over on Ravelry. She blogged about her prize so I thought I'd share here. Who doesn't love a little bit of a self promo? :) Really though, who doesn't love a new knitting blog to add to the list? DawningDreams .....definitely check her out....if you scroll down you can see she has an Etsy shop! The shop...I'm not normally a costume type gal but I am lovin' the gold mask!

I dream of a Harlot

2009-02-11T11:22:00.002-07:00

**I have knitting (though not a bunny) and I have spinning (samples) and I have reviews (of accessories)...however this is their only mention today.**

I stayed up late last night. The husband was on a trip and would be back in the wee hours of the morning so it gave me an excuse to. When I did finally fall asleep I dreamt a dream so lovely that my sister could see the cool factor. And she's not a knitter. Nor does she care about knitterly things.

I dreamt of the Yarn Harlot. This is my first dream of her. I don't own any books sadly, I've never seen her tour, but I do read her blog. So on to the dream!

It starts with me sitting here with my family in the morning. The phone rings and someone on the other end asks if I'd like to have the chance to have a photo shoot with her? Like they need to ask! I throw on some shoes, tell the husband to watch the kids (even he understands the awesomeness of this int he dream) and to the store I fly. Once there we get to talking and she's showing me her displays, one of which is a very limited idea of her stash. Naturally my eyes are popping out of my noggin. She asks, "Would you like a skein?" I say sure (really, who would turn that down!) and walk towards the table. Now when I say it was limited it was only a couple rows (of mostly sock yarn) and only one layer. By the time I start picking skeins up it's suddenly her whole stash on this table. She encourages me to climb on the table and "really get in there! You'll be amazed at what you find!". I was on the hunt for something autumnish. Soon she is on the table with me trying to help me track it down. I am near having a heart attack at the idea of diving through HER stash with HER when it dawns on me. No one is going to believe this. Not without proof. I have an A-Ha! moment and she asks me if I found my skein. I turn and politely say, "No. Would you mind taking a picture of me in your stash though? This would be an awesome picture!" she obliges and hops down to ger her totally awesome and highly technical (in a completely dream state fashion) camera. It's proving to be a pain though. Her settings are off and it's not wanting to take pictures. So we browse through pictures. She's explaining them to me and as she does i notice text appearing below them. Then it dawns on me! All she does is talk about them and then upload them. She never really has to blog because her camera does it for her! I'm in awe. I'm sitting there in disbelief when she tries to take another picture. I look down in an attempt to compose myself and that's when I notice. I'm wearing two different socks. I point it out to her and she says it's no biggie. I say yes it is and to look. I am wearing one red hand knit sock and one red and white striped sock. Two totally different looks. In fact the striped one is in real life not a sock but the pattern of a shirt. She sort of groans at the very obvious mis-match and we decide to abandon the picture (of me in her stash and of us together...I was very sad about this). That's when she tells me we are running late and out the door we go. We are part of a production! Production? She takes me to this old school telling me this is where her kids go and hands me my costume. Turns out we are doing a traditional Scottish dance in traditional Scottish clothing. We all get dressed (theres lots of people at this point) and get in line to march down this old hallway. We start marching but I am still so star struck I march backwards so I can continue talking to her. I finally turn around as we near our destination and she grabs the tails of my costume and gives them a good shake (like you would a rug) and I think to myself, "I feel like a giant leprachaun".

It's at that point that one my chitlins woke me up so I have no idea if we all danced well or not. :)

So thank you Yarn Harlot. I had a blast. :)

bwahahahaha

Up next: Kangaroo Dyer and a pattern

2009-02-02T19:34:00.003-07:00

If you read the PhatFiber blog you've seen the post for Kangaroo Dyers. It is sooo pretty! The one in the corner is a superwash wool (75%) and nylon (25%). The colorway is Flower Garden and that "sample" is 100 yds.! The others are (from left to right) green 70%/30% Kid mohair and silk, blue 100% silk, and brown 80%/20% alpaca/silk. I had a hard time coming up with my packaging. I had lots of ideas but none really panned out. I love hers. Simple but straightforward. I plan on using the smaller 3 for more hearts and the main one for the pattern below.

A Joey's House "Bartlett Bunny". Perfect for the samples in the box (the pattern even states that!). It uses a tiny amount of yarn. When I opened it up the oldest wee one tossed it aside (she was ripping through it like mad!) and then once she relaxed she saw what it was. Intrigued she asked a million questions and then stated very clearly: "You can make this for me. I want it in pink.". Good thing I had already paired it up with the yarn from above which has passed her pink inspection...just enough to be counted but not enough to burn the corneas out of my eyes.

I'm actually looking forward to this one. I have been avoiding doing anything due to dissapointment in my longies. I have been eyeing these for days though. I even pulled them out and set them in plain site so I'd get going. The pattern seems like a perfect extra for baby gifts. There are loads of baby bearin' ladies in my family so I'm sure I'll make many of these over the next little while.

A giveaway!

2009-02-01T23:31:00.002-07:00

Clicky!Clicky!

Check it out. PhatFiber has been doing mini profiles of everyone involved. That link there is me. I'm doing a giveaway so go check it out and leave a comment.

Oh and........

I made my first sale! I'm totally thrilled! It's been the kick in the pants I needed to get the rest of the fiber into some bats. I have one more to do and then am done with this batch. I need to get some new (and better!) pics tomorrow. I'm having an issue with the Chocolate Brown and Summer Berries bats since they both have a good amount of reds in them.

It's been knit: Nougat longies

2009-01-30T19:50:00.003-07:00

These remind of the nougat you find in candy bars. That's where all my joy in them ends though. I hate the way the legs changed so much. I tried knitting more stitches, I broke the yarn and started in a different spot, I knit from both ends of the ball. Didn't matter. This is what I got. I could deal with that though. Once they were on it wasn't so bad and I'm sure I can find a cute shirt to go with them. They bleed though. Like crazy amounts. The night I washed and lanolized them my sink looked like it had liquid rust in it. The longies faded. I was pissed. Then the wee one got sick and threw up on them. I washed them again and my sink once again looked filled with rust. The didn't fade as much but the peachy color looks greyish now. I'm surprised considering this is/was a commerical yarn...I would expect this amount out of a hand-dyed skein but not out of commerical. It's still bleeding. My diapers have splotches of orange everywhere (and oddly enough some purply/red). Oh well. She needed more longies and these will work. I used up all the yarn on these. I split the ball for the legs an just knit til I ran out before switching to the cuff. It barely is long enough! I was pretty pelased with that amount of luck. When I washed them (both times) I blocked in some extra length so now they are about as long as I would have made them if I had had more yarn.

Stats:

Pattern: Picky Pants

Needles: 8's

Size: Small with increases and short rows

Yarn: Red Heart Knitting Worsted Virgin Wool (don't bother tracking it down....you won't...it's ancient and I got it for .50 at a thrift store back in November.)

It's been knit: A manly cowl

2009-01-28T13:23:00.003-07:00

Our car died. Not today or anything but a week or so ago. This means that when the husband has to get to and from work he's most likely walking. We live in a winter state. A COLD winter state. School was closed yesterday because it dropped below -20 degrees. Anyhow, that first night it was broken we were talking and the grim realization hit him. He asked me to knit him a scarf. Which is just crazy nonsense. I hopped on Ravelry and hoped I would find a manly cowl. I did and it's lovely! It's the Tyler Cowl (Ravelry link). I think it turned out very nice.

This is how he intends to wear it (yes I know he looks like he could rob something...I've mentioned he pull it down when he goes into buildings...hehehehehe). Doesn't it look nice with the hat as well? He must be on my good knit list again.This is his, "I'm only doing this to humor you" face. I much prefer the cowl pulled down like this. I think it looks oh so nice. :) This only took a couple days to do. One of the wee ones got sick so I took a day off since she wouldn't let me knit. If I hadn't though it would have taken about a day. I cast on late one night and did about 5 rounds before going to bed.

Stats:

Pattern: Tyler Cowl

Needles: 6's and 10's (pattern calls for 5's and 10's)

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease in black....yanked from my Feb. Lady Sweater.

It's been knit: Oh how my heart beats....

2009-01-27T14:34:00.003-07:00

Yay for the new camera!!! So here they are. The hearts made from Stash Up Yarn's sample from the Phat Fiber box. The smallest one was done on 1's (maybe 1.5's), the next on 3's, and the last on 6's with the yarn held doubled. I used this pattern. Last year when I made the husband's hearts someone posted that link. I attempted it shortly there after but didn't like the feel of it. I think I may have been using yarn way too big at the time. I pulled it back out for these though and am in love with it! The bigger one is modified. I wasn't sure how much yarn I'd have left after doubling it (I still have some!) so I only increased until I had 32 stitches and when it came time to do the lobes I decreased 2 (down to the 14 stitches) and then went from there. I decreased down to 6 stitches without a knit round in between. I love it.

We aren't here for a pattern review though! On to the yarn.

I love it. You hear me? I LOVE IT. The sea cell is indeed crunchy but this yarn is about the dye job. The colors rock, there isn't any bleeding, the shades compliment each other. I used three different needles size and made various changes and I have PRETTY hearts. There isn't any ugly pooling! Now granted these are a small project so who knows how it would work out on a larger item but the few times I have had ugly pooling on a small item it has been hideous on a large one. I have a feeling the prettiness is there on large items too.

I do have plans of buying some. I really like the sea cell. It makes me want to squish these all the time. I prefer the fabric knit on 1's. This is a fingering weight sample so I expected that but as far as ease and drape and what not I prefer them. I have knit socks on 3's and while you could easily do that I think, for me, the fit will be much better on a smaller needle. I knit tight and like tight knitting though. :)

Oh happy day!!

2009-01-22T17:01:00.002-07:00

See that? That, dear readers, is coming to my house! So what right? Not so! This means I will have actual pictures! Pictures that have a smidgen of decent quality. Posts without the phrases, "Sorry for the crappy pic" or "cell phone pic" ANYWHERE. I am very excited. I have things to take pictues of (such as the hearts out of the first yarn sample!) but I am waiting. Waiting oh so very impatiently for my new camera to get here so I can take some pictures worthy of a blog post.

(Isn't the husband such a nice fella'? That was bought as a present for me when I groaned about the injustice of cell phone pics and my etsy store...I think he's a keeper. :) )

Stash Up Yarn

2009-01-17T23:26:00.002-07:00

The first of many!

This is from Stash Up Yarns. They do hand-painted yarns. This one is 70% superwash merino wool and 30% sea cell. I'm excited about that. I haven't used sea cell before, though I've seen it mentioned on many a blog. First impression: lovely. It's squishy (I saw someone mention the sea cell can be "crunchy"...not sure if it's due to the amount in this or not but I have no crunch) and the color is awesome! It has spring but doesn't loose it's shape when you pull it. I've had to re-cast on a few times (I was in a mood for fast and was picking needles too large) and it still has it's twist. No color has come off on my needles either! That's kind of important when you dye something. Details. :) I'm going to make a Mochi Mochi heart (or two if I have enough) for the oldest wee one (I want to make a bunch for Valentine's Day). I racked my brain trying to figure out what I could knit with all these samples and that seemed perfect to me. So that'll be my "swatch". Stay tuned! :)

WOOHOO!!!!

2009-01-16T17:43:00.003-07:00

My PhatFiber sample box got here today and it rocks! I have patterns and fiber and yarn and lots of little things (like stitch markers). There is a ton in there!

Because I like reviews and I know you like reviews and we all love knowing how an etsy shop's products line up I'll be making my next couple posts all about my goodies. I'll spin the fiber, knit the yarn, and use the rest. Then I'll come tell you all about it. Think of me as an enabler. :)

Oh these are just funny...

2009-01-12T16:08:00.002-07:00

The official Etsy packaging

2009-01-11T09:58:00.003-07:00

(Four colorways: Jack Frost, Ice Drops, Chilled Forest, Winter's Dusk)

This was very much not what I had planned on nor envisioned but it works. I'm signed up for next month to have a spot and I'm debating whether or not to do it. If I do I need to start now so I can get better packaging. I was very stressed and did not give myself enough time to get everything done. Oh well. It was a good lesson/experience. These were somewhat time intensive in assembling. I was able to stuff and tie one night while I slept in the living room (a throwing up baby in the bed is never good...I'd rather clean it off the carpet). It took forever!

This is almost all of them. I think there were 7 missing at this point and I finished them up the next morning. I tried to get a picture of the actual fiber but it proved to be more difficult than I was willing to entertain. There is not an even number of packages for each color way. I originally started out with just Jack Frost but dying is a fickle thing and I ended up with three different colors. I split them up but only had 39 samples. I really wanted a box of my own so I came up with Chilled Forest for the last and final batch. I really hope they spin well. I tested a small batch of Jack Frost (or maybe it was Winter's Dusk) and it spun very nice and even.

Lime and Violet are getting a box. I'm actually nervous. I have listened to their podcast for awhile now and know they are honest in their reviews of items. I hope they don't think my stuff is crap. :)

A recap

2009-01-08T16:32:00.002-07:00

Belated but there you have it. :)

Total items knitted for 2008:
39

Item brakedown:
Mittens: 1 pair
Washrags: 5 (2 idiots dishcloth, 1 ballband, and 2 tribbles)
Diaper covers: 14 (3 soakers, 1 wrap, 9 shorties/longies, 1 skirtie)
Socks: 4 (3 singletons and 1 pair of baby slippers)
Hats: 2 (one beanies and one self pattern)
Toys: 10 (5 eggs, 3 hearts, 1 Sheldon turtle, and 1 Robbie the fish)
Cozies: 3 (all cable mug cozies for Christmas)

Skeins of yarn spun:
9.5 (9 whole plus the one mini skein)

Item brakedown:
1 skein Superwash Sock bat: "Cherry Glen" 14 wpi
1 skein with mini skein of contrasting Merino: "Sand Dunes" 16 wpi (used for hat)
3 skeins of lavender BFL: "Spring Kiss" 15 wpi
1 skein Alpaca/Tussah Silk Blend: "Graham Cracker" 20 wpi
3 skeins of Red Merino: 1 navajo plied, 1 single, and 1 2-ply: 2-ply is 13 ply. Other skeins are not measured yet.

Not too shabby I don't think. :) I replied the sock yarn and am much more pleased with it. It just needed extra stick to it. I'm working on some Cotswold Lamb roving right now but there isn't a picture yet. It's undyed/natural so all you'd see is a blob of white anyhow. :)

I think I am going to keep track of the amount of yarn I use this year. There are various widgets and I think it would be interesting to see what I use up. I have a pair of longies in the works right now which I'm tempted to frog for that reason. That and they are ugly. They look like carpet from the 70's. I have another pair of longies in the works for Allie (where the blue pair went) but I won't frog those. I'll just do some simple math to figure it out based off how much I have left in the end. Oh so scientific I know.

Never before seen stuff

2009-01-04T18:43:00.002-07:00

This is a horrible picture I know. This is more of my red merino. The big skein has been done for sometime. The small skein I happened to find sitting in a bowl of potpurri. Not sure why. It's only a 1 ply but I plan on fixing that. No idea how big the ball is weight wise. I am getting a yarn meter in the mail this week and will finally be able to give yardage!!!! I am so damn excited about that. It's a 13 wpi (the main ball). I'm pretty pelased with it. I'm working on the last bit (!!!!) right now. I replied the sock yarn and am currently soaking it. Now that I got enough twist for it to hold together it doesn't want to let go of the extra twist. I'm getting mroe and mroe irritated by it.

This is a creation of my own. I needed to make a hat for someone that was long overdue. This is jsut the back. I'm calling it "Red's Riding Hood" and will be writing out the pattern here soon. Best of all? Chunky yarn. Well that might be the best part. I'm not a fan of chunky yarn and have no desire to knit with it again. :)

These are the first of 4. They are for a friend who had a baby, bought the yarn and had it sent to me, and then waited ever so patiently while I sat on my duff not being nearly productive enough. :) They are a newborn with increases and short rows and an 8 inch inseam. Just some Wool of the Andes in Onyx Heather and Sapphire Heather. I was so sad to send these away. They are just gorgeous!

The last of the Christmas knitting

2008-12-27T15:10:00.003-07:00

I know I said sewing pics but this is a knitting blog and I do have knitting pictures so it only makes sense that they would be posted first. :)

Here is my mom's mug cozy. Exact same as the other two but in a random brown acrylic. No idea if she likes it yet as I haven't been able to get out to her house to give it her. Hard to see detail I know but brown and black and red yarn are not very camera friendly.

This is the Top Down Timothy Hat. I found the pattern on Ravelry. This is the top. And why, yes, yes that IS my handspun. :) I'm rather fond of it. I used size 6's and did everything as written except for the cast on.At first I thought it was too snug. Heck, it fit me rather nicely and I don't have nearly as big a head as he does. :) I blocked it out and while it ended up being a bit over blocked (in my opinion since the ribbing flattened a bit...but not too much as it goes back to shape with some stretching) it ended up fitting him well. It was a bit snug at first but as he's worn it, the fabric has relaxed a bit. He took it snowboarding this morning and said it was great. Warm, long enough to cover his forhead and ears, and not too snug on the band at all.This is the "right side". Out of bordeom I threw in a couple cables though they are tiny (1 stitch ones) and short. Hard to see amongst all the color anyhow.This is the "wrong side". I much prefer this one. I like the majority knit stitch look going on. Only drawback is you loose the cool top one this side. I do have a bit leftover in this and the entire small skein of the solid brown. I might make something out of it but I don't know what. I'm interested in what my yardage was. I really need a yardage counter!

2008-12-22T16:22:00.002-07:00

I'm feeling rather productive lately. Not sure if I really am or not but the feeling is definitely there. First up. the first skein from my Freyalyn's Fibers sock bats! It's another 14 ply/fingering weight yarn. It's currently BACK on the wheel though as my plying sucked horribly and it was a mess. Well not really but the parts that were spun tight enough to actually stick needed to be washed while the parts that weren't overspun didn't. Meaning when it did get washed some stayed and the rest sort of fell apart. I wasn't too pleased with it. I'm naming it "Cherry Glen" after the iris with the same name. Hard to tell in this picture but the colors remind me of it. I started this on my drop spindle and then transferred it to my wheel. Not sure I should have done that. I got to impatient to be done so I spun faster on my wheel than I was on my spindle. As a result the wheel spun portion is less even, the second ply (which was totally wheel spun) wasn't as long as the first, I have more slubs and more overall fuziness. Quite irritating. Let this be a lesson to take your time. Just because you can whip through something doesn't mean you should. :)

These are cabled mug cozies from here. Super fast and easy. The second one is a bit smaller (these were for my dad and his lady friend ;) ). I started the second one Friday night and brought it with me on Saturday when we drove down to see them. I finished it in the car but had forgotten to grab an extra skein (I didn't use a whole skein...just grabbed one that was floating free in the closet) and was cutting it close. I happened to have some size 6 needles in my bag and bound off with that (instead of a size g hook like on the first). Both cozies have about 6-10 rows less of the final 4x1 ribbing near the top and neither have i-cord ties, instead they have a 20 stitch crochet tie. The second one has 3ish rows less of the garter stitch topping and a regular knit bind off (the first has a crochet one). I much prefer the first one but they both turned out nicely and fit the mugs they were intended for. I have one more about to be started for my mom (in a brown). They are super fast and an enjoyable knit. My dad got his on Saturday and since Im lame and forgot the bag for them he got to "open" them then. He really liked them. They are nice and squishy too so it'll be nice on the hands.

Stats:

Lion Brand Wool Ease

Size 6's, 8's, and a g hook

Less ribbing at the top

Less garter on one cozy

Ok, off to work on the last one.

New to do list:

1. Finish mom's cozy

2. Finish the husband's hat (looking awsome by the way in my handspun)

3. Finish fiber bags and fiber (stupid blasted machine that won't work!)

Coming soon: some random sewing pictures. :)

Trade longies are done...

2008-12-19T09:44:00.003-07:00

and well on their way to the intended home!

I hope they fit. I tried them on the youngest wee one since her and the recipient are about the same size and they fit her pretty well. I tried them on over a larger prefold and the body stitches stretch a bit but not too bad I don't think.

Stats:

Size medium

Short rows

10 inch inseam

Hand dyed yarn by me (I think I'm calling it Ireland...it just makes me think of there)

Cat Nip Yarns Licorice Twist

Garter stitch cuff

Elastic waistband

As a result of hand dying the yarn the legs are very much different from each other. I originally dyed the yarn for us. It was an experimental idea and it turned out quite well. I had thought I had enough but when I reaized I didn't I dyed the solid green for contrast. When I started up on the trade they are for I decided this yarn was much more them. I took it with me to my sisters house and started knitting. Split for the legs and split the ball in half (to ensure the same amount of yarn). Only I had forgotten how the yarn had taken the dye. See the darker leg up there? That's actually the outside of my ball. The other leg was closer to the inside. The way I dyed it made the outside much darker. Not a big problem really. When I split though the darker leg had a large chunk of much darker spots. Very little of the lighter stuff. I ended up cutting off a good chunk for that reason. I think they turned out ok. The mama said she likes them. The yarn changed patterning on the entire thing. Despite my own personal ocd tendencies I do like that and wish they were ours. Even the husband was dissapointed that they aren't. :)

New down to the wire list:

1. Finish S's coffee cup cozy

2. Start on Mom's

3. Finish the husband's hat (yup, found a pattern and think it'll work)

4. Sew G's stocking (the next couple posts as a result are going to be sewing related...I have some things I finished I want to share).

I'm pretty sure that's all I need on that list. I have to finish another hat but that's not for Christmas. It is on the list though. We are travelling tomorrow (weather permitting....please oh please!) so maybe I'll bring that and the husband's hat to work on.

Coming down to the wire...

2008-12-13T18:01:00.002-07:00

1. Finish bags and fiber samples (through the drum carder...more on that later)- 70% done
2. Trade longies- 10ish rows and a quick washing/lanolizing before mailing. Finish by Tuesday.
3. Hat for the husband- Hmmmm.

More yarn and some knitted stuff

2008-12-10T16:46:00.002-07:00

Just plain ol' washrags. Bottom one is dark brown (there are actually 2 of those but one was in use at the time of the picture) and the top one is "Shaded Brown" or something like that. It's in the bathroom. It wasn't meant for there but it is and it's lovely. Both were done on.....8's? Yeah. That sounds right.

The remaining lavender BFL. Hard to see but there is a penny in there. Again, 15 WPI. It's currently on the needles as a hat. Because the first hat sucked ass and looked ridiculously stupid on my head. Lavender is not my color nor are hats my "thing". Le sigh.

Version 3.0

2008-12-07T16:51:00.003-07:00

Once again. My shorties turned longies. While at K's house I grabbed the newborn pair I had done, frogged all the other stuff I had done on the legs, frogged the newborn pair, and reknit the legs. Again. But this time they actually match the body and look good. :) I did the cuff a bit different this time. Well sort of. I bound off in the tiny bit of body yarn i had left. Gives it a little punch. I like them a lot this way. I'm glad I did it. I'm surprised I had enough for the legs. I have so little left of the newborn pair I couldn't even do another drawstring. I'm so so glad I did it this way though. I actually like them now. :)

Warning: Spnning, not knitting, content

2008-12-03T14:56:00.003-07:00

Last weekish I took my wheel down to the only shop that deals with wheels in an attempt to get my maintenece kit. I had the forsight to call ahead and see if they had it in the first place. The lady said she had a half kit and to bring my wheel with me and what they ddn't have we could figure out. So glad I did! I got t all fixed up and working and came away with a lazy kate (bobbin holder) and some merino. Today's pictures brought to by the awesomeness of a working wheel (how many of you instantly heard Seasame Street voices with that sentence?).

Lavender BFL (blue-faced leicaster): part of the fiber swap I did (from flapjack on MDC).

15 WPI (wraps per inch)

2-ply/light fngering weight

Currently becoming this hat. I have about 5 more ncrease rounds left to go on it. It's knitting up nice and evenly and looks great (in my opinion). can't wait to wear it. I'm not normally a hat person, much less a slouchy beret/tam type but I think this will work. Especially with the new hair cut coming up. :)

"Sand Dunes" (my name) Merino bought from the wheel people.

16 WPI

2 ply/ light fingering weight

Next up to becoming a hat (for the husband)

I love how this turned out! It was black ,grey, white, yellow, a darker orangy yellow, and brown. I seperated out allt he chunks of color and then divided them into twog roups. I wanted even singles! The BFL had one single that was longer (hence the two skeins) so I was hoping to avoid that. I did a bit. I didn't have much left over and it was all one color (I plied it and am going to use it as a solid coordinating color). Once spun, I wound off each ply and plied them together usng one end from inside a ball and one from the outside. I like the barber pole effect. I did a swatch the other night and it knts up nicely. We shall see what it looks like in a pattern though.

I have another skein (red merino I bought last year) drying right now. Another 2 ply though I don't know the WPI yet. once I get pictures of that I'll post it/them. I do have some knitting content (with pictures though nothing to amazing) so stay tuned. I'll try and get them up n the next day or so.