Half Baked Objects

Emmaline Inspired

2010-06-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Emmaline from Knitty.com.
Ravelled
Needles: US6 and US8
Yarn: Malabrigo Twist in Olive and Malabrigo Worsted in Cypress

Buttons: Too many (14) - well, it felt like too many in the sewing on process, but I think it looks nice.

Pattern Modification: Lots. See comments below :)

Comments: I was looking for a quick knitting project to use up some "leftover" yarn from previous projects - Emmaline seemed to be about right for yardage, and it seems like a design that would flatter various body shapes. I tend to prefer the versatility of cardigans, and this design looked easy enough to modify - so away I went.

I did start with a gauge swatch, all the better to do math to figure out approximately what size I might correspond to in the pattern for reference purposes. Once I figured that out, I also had to make notations on stitch counts - especially since I was going to be knitting this sweater flat rather than in the round. I didn't subtract any stitches in the front to accommodate for the modest button band - I just split the neckline in half and adjusted the eyelet placement to be symmetrical on either side, while allowing for a stitch to be lost when I picked up for the button band later. When I got to the purl bump section, I tried the sweater-in-progress on, and determined that I would need to lengthen that section (to approximately 3 inches below the underarm). I moved the underbust shaping to land...well, under my bust. For the size I was knitting, the original pattern centered the decreases right at the center of the sweater.

I also wound up moving the body shaping to hit under the underbust shaping, and also changed the increases to happen in the center panels rather than in the side panels. The sleeves were decreased at a much more gradual rate to minimize poof, though if I had it to do over again, I'm not entirely sure I would add the eyelets (and resulting increase in stitches) to the sleeve caps - there is a little bit of excess material at the underarm region - I'm not sure if this was due to the increases in the body, the sleevecaps or both. Body length was shortened to hit at my hip. The trim on the hem and arm bands is done in moss stitch, while the button band is 1x1 rib. To finish the whole thing off and to stabilize the neckline, I added an i-cord trim.

Total knitting time was just over a week and included time to tear back and make various modifications.

Persephone's Socks

2010-05-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Persephone's Socks by Lori Law

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Velvet Leaf

Needles: US1

Size: to fit a womens size 9.

Comments: I have no idea why these took so long to come off the needles - they are a simple and straightforward knit provided you don't do like I did and pick up way too many stitches for the gusset ;) I blame it on the fact that I typically do not knit top down socks because I always get paranoid that I'll run out of yarn.

These socks have a neat construction with a shaped arch - they fit nicely - and when laid flat, they actually look like a foot with an arch! If you're looking for something a little different in sock knitting, you should definitely give these a try :)

Beetroot

2010-04-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Yarn: Spritely Goods Cliodhna, Cranberry Colorway, less than 1 skein

Needles: US5

Pattern: Bitterroot from Knitty
Size: Shawl, post blocking, mine is approximately 60" across the top, and 30" down the midline.

Comments: Up until the beadwork, this was a very fast knitting shawl - my favorite bit is the edging, which I thought was rather clever. If it hadn't have been for winter olympic knitting in the middle of February it would have been completed back then - as it was, it languished for a bit, then was bound off....but was still awaiting blocking. For those interested in knitting this, I personally found it easier to put the beads on on the purl side to be less fussy, though it required that I pay more attention to the knitting to make sure I placed them properly. The pattern charts were easy to follow - placing markers to separate repeats may be helpful to some.

The pattern is written for either a full sized shawl or a shawlette - due to yarn and gauge difference, my finished project is right in between the noted finished size on the pattern.

And now a better photo

2010-03-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

with buttons! These are classic leather-wrapped buttons to go along with the classic design of this cardigan. Not sure how everyone else approaches it, but my button jar is rather barren - I tend to finish a project...then I drag it into the knitting store where I can "try on" buttons or finishing accents at will :)

Cable Cross-Country

2010-02-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

Literally!
Knit for the 2010 Winter Knitting Olympics, this cardigan was cast on during the Opening Ceremonies, and was bound off, blocked and seamed before the beginning of the Closing Ceremonies. While there were no knitting injuries this time round, there were several false starts, and some lost time due to motion sickness. Pieces of the sweater have traveled from the desert southwest clear to Florida (where I tested my tolerance of rollercoasters and motion-simulating rides, in addition to discovering what Portugese Man of War jellyfish look like when washed up on a beach) Even with the cross-country travel and the various do-overs, I found myself parked in front of the TV seaming up the cardigan during the Canada-USA Hockey game - once finished, we set the cardigan aside until an opportune moment for the finishing photo:

Sorry all the photos are so dark - looks like I'll have to try for some new photos during daylight hours to really show this sweater off.

Pattern: Cable Cardigan, from Erika Knight's Men's Knits: 20 New Classics

Yarn: Malabrigo Twist in Olive

Needles: US 10 and US10 1/2

Size: Small, with added length on sleeves.

Comments: Once I got going, this was a pleasure to knit. I opted to knit the pieces as written, with the exception of the sleeves, which I knit in the round while adding length before knitting the sleevecaps...and the collar, which I knit and attached as I went along....oh, and I grafted the collar together, instead of doing the recommended join...oh and made the 2 st cables mirror each other on each side, and opted for making 1-row buttonholes instead of how they were written...so I guess maybe I did tweak it more than just a little ;)

One major error was found in the pattern while knitting - and that was the increase row for all pieces. As written, the increase row does not account for all stitches. It was easy enough to figure out where the stitches needed to be accounted for by referencing the next few rows -but to save folks some time, where the pattern reads [k1, inc in next st] (or [inc in next st, k1]) it should really be k2 in each of those instances in stead of k1. For the back, there are also 2 additional k1's - one before the first set of increases, and the other at the end of the last set of increases. The only other item I warn you about is that the author of this book is british - so double check your needle sizes. A US 10.5 and US11 are not the same size as english 10.5 and 11 needles...it's probably best to reference the needle size in mm. I wound up using a lot less yarn than I thought I would - I don't know the reason for this, I only know that of the 10 skeins I expected to use, I only used 8.

But it still fits perfectly (again, perhaps hard to see due to the dark photo - I'll try to remedy this soon). Unlike my usual cavalier method of knitting sweaters (which involves the casting on of a sleeve and checking my gauge as I go), I actually swatched for this project...and not just swatched, but swatched, then washed, blocked and measured. Because I actually did this, I relied on math to determine total number of rows to knit to determine body and sleeve length - there were times during the course of the knitting that I was questioning this plan, but it all worked out (and it also saved me the aggravation of constantly digging out a tape measure to check progress).

Finishing was a little bit of a struggle - but mostly because I'm really rusty at seaming up projects - I tend to prefer seamless knitting when possible. The shoulders took a little bit of time because after I bound off the individual pieces, I decided a 3-needle bind off was the way to go to complete the join, so I had to pick back the bindoffs to make the appropriate stitches live again. Setting in the sleeves was actually less painful than seaming up the sides of the body - probably because I didn't keep a knitted selvedge and had moss stitch all the way out - once I started paying better attention to the columns of moss stitch, it made the seaming up go much faster. I'm very glad I devised a way to knit the collar straight onto the sweater body - partly because it reduced the final seaming, but also because it ensured that the collar was perfect length and not too long or too short - as I mentioned above, I opted to graft the 2 halves together once I got to the center of the back - it made for a much more beautiful finish, I think.

More Slippers for the House Elves

2010-01-24T22:21:00.000-08:00

Or rather, for the other House Elf :) These are a pair for my husband since the originals didn't fit.

To ensure a proper fit this time, I knitted the wide version, and knit on the foot a bit longer than recommended to accommodate felting shrinkage. They do have a fair bit of stretch to them when they are wet, so they can certainly be stretched to fit, within reason.

I should note, I did have to break into some additional yarn to finish off the toe on one of the slippers - you can't really tell in some lighting because the two colors are very similar in value - in bright light, however, it is obvious that one of the slippers sports a stripy toe.

If you're looking to bring some merriment into someone's life, I personally don't think you could go wrong with a pair of these easy to knit whimsical slippers :D

Colorwork Cozy

2010-01-05T17:06:00.000-08:00

Pattern: None - this was dreamed up in my head with the assistance of some chart motifs from Alice Starmore's Fair Isle book

Yarn: A variety of leftovers and sample skeins in my stash - all fingering weight. The tan yarn is a merino-possum blend, the ecru is pure merino wool, and the green is a silk blend - I just don't remember what the silk is blended with.

Needles: US0

Apparently all of my portable electronics need some sort of knitted case - and I apparently am partial to practicing my colorwork when knitting these wee things.

I selected subtle neutral tones for this one, mostly because that's what I had in my stash that went together, but also because knitting the pattern in it was almost like knitting up a secret. The motif is indeed very subtle, the lower motif is x's and the upper motif is more like o's or diamonds - they are much more readily apparent when the knitting is wet - but I hope for that to never happen while the ipod is inside! Even better, if I happened to have made a mistake in the knitting, no one will know ;) because it all blends together :D

As for the yarn, it was all lovely to work with - the merino-possum has a unique dark halo, and it's so luxuriously soft. The green has a very subtle shine due to the silk and some neat heathering that results in some additional shading.

Knitting a wee case like this is a great way (I think) to learn or practice colorwork....though I can't say I'd recommend trying the flat colorwork right off...it's much easier completed in the round!

A Sprite's Slippers

2009-12-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Elf Shoes by Pamela Wynne (pattern via Ravelry)

Needles: US 10.5

Yarn: Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted in Purple Anthracite and Chartreuse Olive

Size: Adult (narrow) - originally knit to length for US Mens size 9/10

Comments: The verdict? Not Horrified - but perhaps not quite overwhelmed with joy either ;) and perhaps there was a small sigh of relief when they didn't fit (too narrow and perhaps just a hair short) These were originally knit for my husband, aka Mr. WoodlandSprite (that just made me laugh when a friend of mine called him that) as a last minute stealth holiday gift. The knitting was fast and furious and completed in one long day. Fulling was completed in the super fast felting machine that is the Luscious Gracious washer.

I don't know if it was the washing machine or the pattern - but these came right out looking like wee elf feet - complete with arch and heel cup! I blocked them into shape using my own feet, and tugging on them to gain extra length at the toe. I took final measurements and was pretty sure they would fit, but alas, I think they need a smidge of extra width and perhaps also a smidge of length - the good news is the shoes, when freshly fulled, are quite malleable - and can be stretched quite a bit for a perfect fit.

You may notice that these slippers have some pretty crazy curliqued ends on the toe and each tip of the cuff - this was not in the design - I suspect folks who properly finish their knitting and weave in the ends will not have such design features....me, I always leave an inch or so dangling off my knitting whenever I finish - we chucked them straight into the wash, figuring I could trim the ends off after fulling if I so desired. After seeing the results though, I have to admit I have no such urge - I love the crazy curly slightly-grinchy ends so they're going to all stay!

Squooshtastic!

2009-12-25T20:25:00.000-08:00

Pattern: 198 yards of heaven (pattern on Ravelry)
Yarn: in this case, I used just under 264 yards of my own handspun :)
Needles: US 11 - large needle size, coupled with lace = nice, fast, rewarding knitting.

Comments: This is a large shawlette - I totally forgot to take measurements before wrapping it up and sending it off. My cat isn't tiny, so use him for reference as you will.

Modifications? I believe after 2.5 repeats of the main pattern (it may have been 3.5 - I can't find my notes) I didn't use the proscribed edging - rather I follwed another Raverly Knitter's modifications, repeating rows 11 & 12 a few times (3x each) before binding off - I didn't follow her modifications to mimic the eyelets along the bound off edge....1) I didn't like how they looked and 2) I didn't have enough yarn to do so.

I'm really pleased with how well this came out - it's open, and plenty warm when wrapped around the neck. The colors worked out well, combining the two handspuns - and because they are both navajo plied yarns, the fabric is incredibly squooshy.

behold :) I love the bits of green at the edge...and the slighty tweeded effects of having handblended while spinning the singles at the wheel. I love it. I hope the recipient adores it as much as I do!

Study in Sock Construction

2009-12-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

please excuse the catfuzz. It abounds in my household.

Pattern: Bartholemew's Tantalizing Socks - Sky construction - from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters
Yarn: Wollmeise sockenwolle in Hollerstaud'n
Needles: US2 and US 1.5

Comments: A fast knitting sock that (I think anyway) shows off handpainted yarns nicely, while adding textural elements (yay linen stitch!) that keep the knitter entertained. These are knit top down - a rarity for me, but I wanted to give this sock construction method a try.

Overall, I still prefer toe-up knitting (mostly because I'm still seriously paranoid about running out of yarn when I knit top down socks) - but these turned out some very nicely fitting socks - the heel construction ensures a nice close fit through the rear of the foot - though it may not be as durable as other heel construction methods (it's simply ribbed, rather than slipped and knit).

The split cuff nicely accommodates those of us with more ample calves, and the fabric seems happy enough to stay up without flopping over at all. These socks are actually destined for my husband...to make up for the fact that I ripped out a pair of handknit socks to knit these....don't ask. The tale is a sad one (involving handknit woolens with suspcious holes that looked like one of our pets may have decided they had a hankering for knitted fabric)...but it all seems to have ended well :)

Rustic Autumn Audrey

2009-11-15T20:48:00.001-08:00

Pattern: Audrey in Unst from the fall 2009 Twist Collective by Gudrun Johnston
Yarn: SuDan Hug-a-sheep handspun 2-ply Border Leicester (from a sheep named Libby on SuDan farm in Oregon)
Needles: Ravelry fails me - or rather I failed and didn't enter the data. I can't remember if I used US4 or US5 or US6. Regardless, there was math involved.

Comments: In short? I love it. This was a fast and fairly simple knit - and it was especially interesting because it's seamless. I love learning new techniques, don't you?

Because I seem to get stalled during the finishing, I always look for patterns that have minimal finishing required - in this case, this sweater has faux seams (along with some shaping) on the sides, and seamless set in sleeves (shaped by picking up stitches and short rowing). In addition to the faux seams and set in sleeves, Audrey has nice details including the twist stitch ribbing, the shetland lace bib motif and the I-cord edging at the neckline.

As I mentioned above, there was definitely math involved - I swatched hoping to get in the same ballpark range as the gauge specified in the pattern, but the yarn is definitely thicker in grist than the yarn called for in the pattern. As you may imagine, the major math bits were around the armscye, the lace motif and the neckline - I wound up reducing the number of lace motifs in the bib motif, while still having it occupy approximately the same space as on the original design. The neckline is a bit more boat-shaped, making it challenging to find clothes to wear under it if I want to layer (I tend to live in T-shirts, and a plain tee neckline just doesn't look right with this sweater - so I'm thinking tank or cami or a collared shirt). The only other modification was the order in which the last bits were knit - First I knit the body, then I did the button bands, then the neck edging, leaving the sleeves for last - this allowed me to use up the most yarn possible...and it just so happens the sleeves wound up a perfect length!

I don't recall how many buttonholes the original pattern called for, but since it is recommended to knit the sweater with negative ease, I wanted to be sure to prevent any sort of gapping problem and went aggressive with the buttons. After finishing the main body, I pondered installing a zipper instead of buttons, but swiftly killed that idea as I thought the rustic nature of the yarn lent itself much more to some fancy buttons.

Here's a closeup detailed shot of the armscye - isn't it lovely? I'm really glad I discovered this method for creating set-in sleeves, because I hate seaming up set-in sleeves that are knit separately from the body. I'll probably have to study the technique some more to understand the math behind it, because I can tell you the first time I picked up way too many stitches (I went with my intuition and didn't do the math) - once I realized the sleeve was turning out to be big enough for me to put my leg through, I ripped it back and did the math conversion, and it goes to show I should have just trusted Clever Gudrun.

I'll leave you with a closeup of the fantastic buttons I found - antiqued brass buttons with wee trees! Perfect for autumn!

Flaming Featherweight

2009-10-31T16:29:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fetig
Yarn: Jade Sapphire Lacey Lamb - exactly 2 balls.
Needles: US3
Completed in just under one month to wear in celebration at a wedding :)

Comments and Modifications - because you know there had to be some! The biggest modification was probably the substitution of yarn - lacey lamb is a true laceweight yarn - probably not quite cobweb, but definitely much finer than the Malabrigo Lace yarn that was called for in the pattern. Due to the difference in the yarn thickness, I wound up coming down several needle sizes during the swatching process - I basically knit a gauge swatch, switching needle sizes as I went along, until I found a fabric I was happy with...and then I did math to figure out sizing.

This cardigan is an entirely seamless top down raglan - as such, the construction is quite simple and straightforward, though it does involve miles and miles of flat stockinette knitting :) Once I got to the point where the sleeves would join the body, I placed the spare stitches on cords to hold them, and wound up casting on a few extra stitches at the underarm (total of 6 for each side) to make up for the difference in gauge. Knitting through to the hemline, I added some moderate waist shaping before finishing with a seed stitch boarder. Keeping in mind that I wanted my front panels and collar to match the hemline, I took note of total number of rows knit to achieve the desired front panel/collar depth. Because I knew I planned on knitting to the end of the yarn. Instead of saving the front panel/collar for last, I bound off the hem and immediately began picking up stitches and knitting up the collar in seed stitch (this also made for one less end to weave in...always a bonus ;) ) As soon as the collar and front panels were done, I knit both sleeves, simultaneously from either end of the ball - I finished with less than a yard of yarn to spare once the cuffs were bound off (also done in seed stitch).

Before blocking, the hem was somewhere around hip level on me - I did not anticipate quite the amount of stretch the fabric had once it had gotten wet, though it all worked out in the end because the sleeves were in an in-between zone somewhere between mid forearm and wrist - I aggressively blocked the sleeves longer and they are now a perfect length. If I had it to do over again, I'd consider knitting to smaller dimensions and reducing the number of raglan increases. With the fabric growing considerably during the blocking, this cardi has a bit of excess through the underarm/bust area that would definitely be improved by not completing quite as many increases - though it fit perfectly in this region before it hit the water.

You may notice that my cardigan also is a bit longer in the front - this was not intentional, and was also a result of blocking - and the difference in behavior of stockinette vs perpendicularly knitted seed stitch in laceweight. I'm actually rather pleased with how it came out. This cardigan can be dressed up or dressed down to suit, and I hope to get lots of wear out of it :)

OWLs

2009-09-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

I saw a similar vest on Oiyi's daughter and quickly settled on what to knit for my friend Amy's soon to arrive baby. I had been going round and round thinking hats, baby surprise jackets, other baby sweaters, baby blanket...decision paralysis at its finest ;)

Pattern: Owl Baby Vest (download via Ravelry) OR get the instructions straight from the designer's blog
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto, superwash merino (because baby things *should* be washable
Needles: US 4 & 5

Comments and Modifications: The biggest modification was the elimination of two owls (original vest has 5 across the front) and the seed stitch band that goes all the way around the vest during the course of the Owl section. I don't know why, but I really do prefer the fewer owls and the seed stitch to the purl field and stockinette on the back of the original. The only nit I have with the pattern is that the owls seem not to be perfectly centered underneath the point of the V-neck. At first I wondered if it was something I did during the course of the conversion (and this may well still be the case - that it's all knitter error on my part) - but looking at some of the other finished projects it seems like at least on some of the vests, the owls are off center.

Overall though, the knit was fast, and the instructions easy to follow - if you're looking to give cables a try, this may well be considered a good project since the more owls you eliminate the fewer cables you actually need to complete ;)

the two-year Secret

2009-09-27T18:42:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Secret of Chrysopolis
Yarn: Spritely Goods Cliodhna, in Cranberry (1+ skeins)
Needles: US 3
Finished Size: 27.5 inches by oh, probably 7 feet or so

Comments:
In a word, epic. The entire shawl from one end to the other is charted - there are some motifs that repeat, but truely, charted was the way to go. This was a part of a KAL that started back in September of 2007 - and I had cast on way back then. For whatever reason, the shawl was knit on sporadically and eventually went into hibernation....

...until I received an invitation to some weddings this fall, at which point I began knitting on it furiously. I finished the shawl on the Saturday Night before my flight out to a wedding - just enough time to block it good and proper and get it dry and packed. I think it turned out beautifully - and I've apparently advanced in my lace knitting far enough that I no longer fear dropping stitches back a few rows to "fix" something that isn't quite right. Not visible or obvious in the shot above, the shawl is not only lace, but tis also beaded :)

Whisper

2009-04-17T22:29:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Whisper, from Spring 2009 Interweave Knits

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock (~2.5 skeins)

Needles: US 1 1/2, 3 and 6 (2.5mm, 3.25mm and 4.0mm)

Comments: A really fast knit - I actually finished this in 2 weeks, but kept putting off the photography. Clever seamless construction, this is more a "shrug" than a true cardigan as it doesn't really close completely in front. The front is basically a pair triangles that come together like a wrap - the cross point on me appears to be about the same as for others who have knit this - slightly below the bustline. This will definitely do nicely as a light pullover when temps are just a little chilly.

As you may guess, I did indeed modify - the most obvious may be that I didn't use the called for lace yarn, and as a result knit to my own gauge/fabric only using the instructions as a guide for construction. The sleeves and bottom hem feature seed stitch (I wasn't fond of the idea of the rolled hem). Also, the sleeves are more traditional in shape - starting with the notched edge, and increasing slightly in size as the sleeve grows in length (rather than starting wider and tapering downward). I also knitted the lower portion of the back to include some waist shaping to make the garment more closely follow natural bodylines, and I also added a bit of length to make it hit at about the same place as a regular cardi would....technically I guess I'm not quite done, since I still have sme ends to weave in!

Sparkling Ambrosia

2009-03-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Ambrosia, by Ann Budd
Yarn: Berroco Sox Metallic
Needles: US0 / 2.0mm

Size: One of the larger sizes

Raveled

Comments: Definitely check your gauge - the pattern calls for US3 and US4 needles, but it's easily scaled to suit a tighter gauge knit - I prefer my fabric on socks to be fairly closely knit for better wear, so opted for US0s and a larger size - since these are already a rather girly colorway, and covered with sparkles, I figured I'd go all out and went with a picot bind off (speaking of which, does anyone know how to do a picot bindoff so it *doesn't* flare out like that??). Due to the height of the socks, I also added some calf shaping by doing increases in pattern along the back of the leg. Overall, the knitting in this sock is straightforward, with a short row heel and no gusset. I do find that getting the sock up over my heel is somethings a little difficult, so some gusset increases may be warranted. I found these to be a fast, fun knit - and the pattern is suitable for breaking up colors on handdyed yarns.

As for the Sox Metallic, it's definitely not as soft as some other sock yarns - While the addition of the Nylon and the metallic might add strength and durability, I can feel it in the yarn and in the finished sock.

I Mog Di

2009-03-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

Pattern: I Mog Di - From the Wollmeise 2008-2009 sock club
Yarn: Wollmeise Sockenwolle (also from the sock club) in Hollerstaud'n (elderberry)
Needles: US1 (then US2 and US3 to increase for calves)
Size Knitted: Smaller*

Notes / Comments: Well, unfortunately, this yarn colorway seems to be one that is not easily reproduced digitally - in addition, the dark colorway makes it a bit challenging to show off the cable detailing. That said, this was a fun knit - the flat bobbles were something new and interesting :) I did not change needle sizes going from foot to leg - that is until i got a ways past my ankle and needed my gauge to be a bit looser to accomodate my calves.

Other modificiations? Of course....I made each sock mirror the other on the cables...and I also modified the top of the sock by adding matching bobbles on the back of the sock, as well as mimicking the purl field on the toe by carrying the purl field to a point on the back before incorporating the ribbing.

I do think they came out rather beautifully, don't you?

As you might notice, the socks look a wee bit loose - I have discovered that I can't knit twisted cables on anything smaller than a US1 (it really hurts my hands) - I think if I had ribbed the bottom of the socks and also had not done all the increases for the gussets, these socks probably would fit me much more nicely...

...luckily for me (and him too) - it seems these fit my husband perfectly...so guess who gets a pair of fantastically ornate socks? Lucky guy.

Limosaura

2008-12-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Is It Spring Yet?

Pattern: Cricosaura, by Blogless Erika (she Ravels here)
Yarn: Spritely Goods Sidhe in limited edition Limonata (very similar to the Chimichurri colorway)
Needles: US1 (or 1.5 - they're Addi's)

Comments: I've become taken with patterns that include designs on the gusset - these socks are knit toe up and cleverly incorporate the little scales right on over the gusset. If pressed, I could have probably knit these on US0s - it seems I've become a loose knitter when before it seems I would knit pretty much right at gauge. In any case, knit on US1's, these socks are sproingy and cushy - great for wearing around the house!

Modifications: I worked the heel flap a little differently than called for in the pattern - mostly because while I have rather wide feet, my ankles are relatively small - in order to draw in the sock, I did a slip stitch rib underneath the little scales, and slightly delayed the starting of the lace-work until I was a bit further up the leg. I also only managed to get 3 repeats of the lace done before I headed into the ribbing because I was starting to run out of yarn (one of the reasons I love toe-up socks is I can knit until I have just enough yarn to bind off :) in case you're wondering, I have just a few yards to spare after binding these off). With just 3 repeats, I do find them plenty tall - they are certainly tall enough to cover my sock lines from running/hiking :)

Mizar Inspired Mitts

2008-12-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

Pattern: A combination of the cables found on Mizar using a modified Jack-in-the-box mitten construction for the flip top
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in the Cypress colorway
Needles: US 6 / 4mm

The last of the holiday knitting went to my DH who was pressed into service in checking mitten length while I was knitting all those other mittens. He wanted convertible mittens, and I wanted to make him something different from all the other mittens I had already knit - re-casting the mizar cables into mittens worked out especially well, as the cable pattern was already adapted to form a nice mitten-top shape. I adapted the shaping on the top of the mitten to closer mimic a rounded toe on a sock, and actually grafted the remaining live stitches, rather than simply running the tail of the working yarn through to secure them.

Mmmm. Malabrigo - lofty and soft, and really nice yardage - I hadn't expected to finish this entire pair of mittens with one ball, but I did....now I'm looking for something to knit with the other ball of malabrigo I had set aside for this project...perhaps I'll have to try for a matching hat...or maybe a matching pair of mittens for me?

Staghorn Flip Tops

2008-12-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Jack in the Box Mittens, from Knitting New Mittens and Gloves
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino
Needles: US 6 / US 7 (4.0mm, 4.5mm)
Pairs Knit? Lots.

Pattern Notes: The pattern is written for 4 sizes of mittens - childrens, Womens M, Womens L and Mens....I happened to knit all 4 sizes, even doing a pair in colorwork (cabling + colorwork? Doable - but definitely challenging) I've always liked the idea of flip-top mittens, and I figured these would be welcome in colder climates - especially given the snow that seems to be flying around this winter! The pattern is clearly written, and both the staghorn and zig-zag cables are quick to memorize. If I could just figure out a way to reduce the bulge at the overlapping points on the mittens, I'd be happy - given time, I could probably figure something out with a finer yarn...but I was working on a holiday knitting timeline. I hope the recipients enjoy them and put them to good use :D

Chevalier Mitts

2008-12-25T09:06:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Chevalier Mittens
Yarn: Spritely Goods Fey, in limited edition red maple colorway, held double stranded (one skein).
Needles: US 5 / 3.75mm

Comments and pattern modifications: Once cast on, I knit these pretty much entirely from the chart - I did shorten the cuff section by a little bit, and I made the cables mirror each other on the left and right mitts. While the cabling (without a cable needle) using yarn held doubled was a little bit troublesome at times, these mittens were a pleasure to knit - and they came out really nicely too :) The subtle variegation in a semi-solid handdyed yarn really suits the mittens, I think. If I was to make any further modifications on these, I would change the final decreases for the tips of the mittens - The decreases, stacked as they are, resulted in a little bit of gapping between the stitches. I'm really happy with how these turned out - and I love how bright and colorful they are!

Orchid Lace Mitts

2008-11-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Orchid Lace Mitts by Anne Hanson of Knitspot
Yarn: Spritely Goods fingering (merino nylon blend, yet to be named)
Needles: US1

Comments: Quick to knit, I completed these mitts just in time for Rhinebeck, and wore them around the sheep and wool festival to help keep warm. I selected this yarn specifically to test its wear properties (and also to use up the rest of the skein after knitting my Slipstream Cuffs. Since the knitting is shifted around when knitting the edgings vs the main body of the mitts, they can't be done both at the same time on one really long needle (my preferred method for knitting pairs of tubular objects). I should also point out that the tight cables at the wrist on the underside aren't a part of the pattern either - I have notoriously small wrists and I realized I didn't account for that while knitting up the mitts, so rather than rip back, I opted to drop a bunch of stitches down, pick them back up and cable them tightly to draw in the fabric - I think it came out quite well :) These mitts are also an in-between length when compared to the pattern - longer than the short, but shorter than the long...The cuff edge at the forearm is a touch roll-y but I think it's because my cast on wasn't stretchy enough. Regardless, the yarn is wearing very nicely, and I'm very pleased with the finished mitts.

Slipstream Cuffs

2008-10-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

Mmm. Cables.

Pattern: My own, incorporating staghorn cables and a slipped stitch cable.
Yarn: Spritely Goods fingering weight merino-nylon blend, for evaluation
Needles: US 1

Just what are they? Well, it's basically a pair of footless socks....or short arm warmers that go from wrist to just shy of my elbow (yes, in the photo above, one of those is on my leg). They only work as arm warmers when freshly off the needles or when freshly blocked - they get rather short and squat when I wear em on my legs. I designed these primarily to go with my boots (the arm warmer part was pure serendipity):

The boots in question have a bad bad habit of chewing on my leg in one spot near the top of the zipper - I haven't found anything rough on the inside of the boot, however every single time I wear these boots, I get matching raw rub marks on my shins where the boots seem to rub.

My reasoning for knitting these without feet is because I can wear thin commercial socks with them and not have to launder the handknit part after each wearing. Call me lazy ;) I wore these out East, and I'm happy to report my legs are rub-mark-free and the yarn appears to hold up quite nicely to being stuffed into a boot.

Birthday Bog Jacket

2008-09-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Bog Jacket, with modifications/add-ons - found in Knitting Around
Yarn: Southwest Trading Co Karaoke, in Durango (I think), with accents in Forest and a tan colored discontinued colorway.
Needles: US6 / 4.0 mm, gauge 4 st/ridges per inch
Size: 42"

Comments and modifications: and there are many! Lets start with the general commentary, shall we?

The Bog Jacket is a garment made essentially from a square or rectangular piece of fabric with little to no waste - for more information and instructions on constructing your own Bog Jacket, please refer to either the book above, or check out this PDF on a woven fabric Bog Jacket. Knit in Garter Stitch, this version of the Bog features the similar construction details - the Garter Stitch fabric was chosen because it lends itself easily to the math and grafting required in assembly. That said, it also lends itself to its own peculiarities. In particular, I re-discovered what I already knew...that Karaoke + Garter St + water (by way of blocking) = Ginormous Knitting - so much so that once I properly blocked the jacket, it is now probably considered tunic length (well past my hips, which is where it was pre-blocking) and the sleeves...oh my goodness. The Sleeves are crazy long. Like long enough for an orangutan - Right now, I'm calling the Bog "Done" - without any closures on it (initially I was thinking zipper, now I'm thinking frog closures, or something similar), and with the crazy long sleeves turned back about 3 times for really fat cuffs. If they bother me too much having those massive bumper-like cuffs bongling around my hands and wrists, I'll consider it Steek practice and use a crochet-reinforcement to mark the cutting point.

Now then, the modifications - I did the various modifications that were suggested by EZ with the exception of the fake seams and the pockets - these included: Short rows in the back to make a slight dropped hemline in the back of the jacket, short rows in the sleeves in an attempt to make them less kimono-like, shoulder shaping (moved out just a smidge from the recommended location, and they hit my shoulders perfectly now, even with all the extra stretch in the fabric), waist shaping (though I had to rip out the entire bottom of the jacket once I had it seamed to relocate the shaping to be much higher), and applied i-cord all the way around. Other modifications or diversions from the proscribed formula: I made the "body" portion of the bog jacket shorter than recommended - I don't recall the as-knitted length, but with the stretch that occurred during blocking, it is more than long enough! For extra sleeve length, I measured my own "wing-span" and determined and cast on the "appropriate" number of stitches to get me to that length - unfortunately I think with all the stretch that has occurred, I may well have been okay casting on very few extra stitches, though I will have to go back to my notes to double check!

Comments for possible future bog knitters - keep in mind that the knitted bog jacket should allow you some flexibility to make the garment fit you in a customized manner. Keeping in mind the extra stretchiness of garter stitch, depending on your personal circumference, you may want to make note of the following:

Seriously consider the growth that might happen with your yarn choice and the knitted fabric for your sleeves - you may not need to cast on many extra stitches at all to obtain proper sleeve length!
50% of your circumference may well be way too much fabric for both the sleeves and body lengths - I'd recommend measuring the armscye of a t-shirt that you like to determine the appropriate number of rows to knit for the sleeves.
Consider knitting the bog from the top down - if you're really clever, this will allow you to basically make a shrug-like garment - you'd get the kitchenering of the sleeve(s) done earlier on, and you could determine if you've knit way too much sleeve depth or not enough. You may even be able to do the kitchnering without even doing the "thumb trick" but I'm not certain ;) since I haven't completely thought it through. Anyhow, once you have the shrug-like garment completed and the bottom all held on a huge circular needle, you can try it on, and knit your waist shaping accordingly.

Now updated with a photo of me *in* my bog jacket, and all it's stretched garter stitch glory :) Don't get me wrong, I learned a LOT in this construction, and I do like the jacket - it's just it will likely wind up being more like a house / car coat kind of thing rather than an every-day cardi like my Ribby Cardi or my Cabled Cardi.

ps. yes, I know my cardi matches my cat. I wish I could say that his posing on it was planned....but you know cats ;)

Hemlock Ring Blanket

2008-08-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Hemlock Ring, adapted and charted by Jared Flood
Yarn: Berroco Foliage in Winterhazel (discontinued colorway), 10 skeins + a smidge of Karaoke (I ran out of yarn at the bindoff and there was no way I was picking back)
Needles: US 13 / 9.0 mm
Finished Size: Over 6 feet in diameter when aggressively blocked.

Comments: A very quick knit when compared to some of my recent projects - I actually had it completed within one month of casting on. The biggest trick so far has been trying to figure out just where to block it since its so large! I opted to simply soak the blanket, spin it mostly dry then loosely blocked it under its own weight instead of pinning out each individual loop on the edging.

Speaking of edging, if you do knit this blanket, be sure to save lots and lots of yarn - If you are mathematically inclined you can calculate out how many stitches you'll need and estimate the yarn from there - I had thought I had calculated right, but in my haste clearly made a mistake - and wound up binding off the rest of the blanket with some spare yarn from the stash.

Hot tip for a hole-less center - cast on 4 stitches as if you were knitting a toe up sock :), increase in each stitch once, then carry on with your knitting. I also recommend the liberal use of stitch markers to mark your repeats on the feather and fan section. Count those yarnovers carefully as you knit, or you may find yourself having to improvise a fix or rip back on the next patterned row.

Fair Isle Camera Case

2008-07-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

Because every camera needs a case :) I decided I'd make mine nice and personalized - it's not based on any pattern - I basically pulled a bunch of motifs together and made it up as I went along.

Needles: US3

Yarn: Harrisville Designs New England Shetland, primarily in Tundra and Olive. Color accents were pilfered from my leftovers from other Mitten Alongers - Steve & Kiki.

The motifs are both geometric and organic all at the same time - I'm really happy with hot it turned out, with the one motif set transitioning as the closing flap wraps around the camera over to the other side...

I did discover that fair isle in the flat is a serious kick - doable, but tricky - trying to maintain proper tension while purling 2-handed was definitely a learning experience.

The mother of pearl button, pulled the whole thing together quite nicely :) I'm happy to report it's a perfect fit for my camera!

Multi-color Mitten Along

2008-07-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Norwegian Snail Mittens by Hello Yarn's Adrian, found in The Knitter's Book of Yarn.

Needles: For cuffs: US0; for the main body of the mittens: US4 (yes, my gauge is *that* different between plain color knitting and colorwork knitting.

Yarn: Harrisville Designs New England Shetland, primarily in Tundra and Olive. Color accents were pilfered from other Mitten Alongers - the Brown from Blogless Erika; the pinks and blues from Steve & Kiki.

Comments: Both Mittens were knit simultaneously, in the same manner that I knit socks (two at a time on one honkin huge circular needle). There was a little bit of juggling around to keep the yarn all untangled, but I managed. I should say that knitting the thumbs last was not fun - as I had the both mittens attached in a rather ungainly manner to my needles (yeah, I knit the thumbs simultaneously as well).

Overall, a very fun knit - the longer floats were a little challenging to manage, but I think things came out quite nicely. The welts were challenging - especially the first one (mine are probably slightly twisted because I didn't manage to pick up quite the right corresponding stiches on the cast on edge). Once the welts are done and you have a good hang of knitting with multiple strands of yarn, the only other real big kicker is the Row Gauge...I didn't check mine closely (I never do, mostly because when I am usually knitting, I can adjust the spacing of my shaping accordingly on the fly)...anyhow, row gauge nearly did me in...but as you can see, I wound up modifying the pattern to work :)

Incidentally, I now have a fine understanding of why shetland wool is superb for steeked colorwork projects. I did attempt to only rip back part ways on my mittens, with the intent of dropping stitches and picking them back up again to adjust the motifs accordingly - the Shetland Wool proved to be rather resistant to the whole idea and simply wouldn't cooperate (it kept sticking to itself). I should have had a clue given how sticky it was to itself even in ball form. The good news is, if for some reason your knitting gets away from you while knitting with this yarn, chances are you won't have lost too many stitches in the process!

Deviations from the pattern? Of course - but not many - in this case, I used quite a lot of other colors to complete the duplicate stitches (because i was lucky enough to have all those other colors at my disposal), the fern motif is greatly shortened due to my ridiculous row gauge, and the tips of the mittens are kitchenered - rather than being bound off using the recommended 3-needle-bind-off.

Oh - Start to Finish? July 4 2008 to July 12 2008. But Illanna beat me to the finish ;)

EZ Seamless Saddle Shouldered Sweater

2008-06-24T15:03:00.001-07:00

Please excuse the flashy shot - when it's not six million degrees outside and no longer raining ashes, I'll try to get a better photo!

Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Seamless Saddle Shoulder Pullover (found in several of her books, including Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop, and The Opinionated Knitter.
Yarn: Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino, colorway 326; 6 skeins
Size: 40" Bust
Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm)

Comments: The EZ in the title of this post refers to Elizabeth Zimmermann, and not how easy this sweater was to knit - but it may as well refer to that, as it truly did seem to fly off the needles with minimal notes required. Of course, I did some modifications to the recipe/pattern as usual, not completely following the instructions as written. Modifications include:

provisionally casting on for the sleeves so that after finishing the body and neckline, I could just knit on the sleeves until I ran out of yarn
V-neck
grafted back placket (a la the hybrid style sweater)

Knit from the bottom up*, this sweater moved along surprisingly fast given that it's almost completely knit in fine gauge stockinette. I had several learning "opportunities" along the way, including discovering that no matter what I did with a folded hem, it seemed determined to flip outwards - I finally opted to finish with a 1x1 rib at the bottom of the sweater (that I can either wear tucked up underneath the sweater, or pulled down for a longer look), and notched (to accommodate my elbows) seed stitch edges at the sleeves. In addition to the flippy hem, I discovered the way I have previously executed applied i-cord (used to finish the edge around the neckline) was not working real well (it looked sloppy for some reason) - I wound up picking up all the stitches first, then applying the i-cord edging.

I have to say I'm quite pleased with how this sweater fits, and I'm tickled at where the sleeves ended up. The curious among you may wonder just how much yarn I had left...and the answer is hardly any. More specifically, after knitting both sleeves simultaneously down from the body of the sweater and binding off, I had a mere 2-3 inches of yarn left attached to each sleeve!

*if you were reading along my main blog, you might note that I apparently rushed into splitting the top for the V neck and yoke - I wound up picking up stitches above the hem, unzipping the knitting stitch by stitch, and knitting downwards adding additional length.

Flamin' Firestarters

2008-04-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Pattern: The Firstarter by Yarnissima
Yarn: Spritely Goods Fey in Limited Edition Red Maple Colorway.
Size: US Womens 9
Amount of yarn used: 80 grams / 2.8 oz
Needles: US0

Comments: Toe-up twisted cables with a unique gusset - once I got the gauge right, the knitting went by without too much trouble. I'm especially pleased with the bounce and stretch of these socks - I think these are the first socks I've knit with such a tight gauge, and I 'm very pleased with the results. The twisted stitch cables are lovely, and just enough to make for elegant accents on the socks - and even better, they were easy enough to execute without resulting in a flare up of my tendinitis. My complements to the designer, Marjan, for her fantastically detailed pattern write up - she kindly includes detailed instructions on how to complete a provisional cast on as well as instructions for those who have not knit traveling stitches previously.

I should mention that while I did magic loop the pair of socks on one long needle, the pattern does call for transferring or moving stitches around to complete the cabled sections. If you make a habit of knitting your socks on magic loop in a pair, you should make note and plan accordingly...I've taken to keeping a couple of paper clips in my knitting notions bag as stitch holders for just such occasions.

Henna'd legs

2008-04-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

Yarn: Spritely Goods Sylph in Limited Edition Deep Blue Sea colorway. One skein. All the way up to my knees and it only took one skein*! YAY!

Needles: a variety - I started on US1s (or technically 1.5s since they were 2.5mm) - then as I went up the calf, I switched to US2s/2.5s, then US 3s. For the garter, I knit on US0's, but then switched back to 3s for the cuffs.

Pattern: Scherherazade's Slippers by Maia Discoe

Comments & Modifications: These socks can be magic looped, but cannot be knit together at the same time on one long needle because stitches are moved from the instep to the sole for a good portion of the knitting. I did knit them at the same time though - each on their own needle, thus managing to not get hit with second sock syndrome. Because these socks are toe up - I was able to gauge the yarn as I went.

The socks are not supposed to be knee-highs, but since I have a lot of calf curve, I decided it may well be best to just take them clear to the knee if I could manage it with the yarn to prevent any slouchiness that the socks might be prone to doing if I ended them near the full portion of my calf. I did "cheat" and knit the garter out of some other leftover sock yarn just to be sure I had enough for the short cuffs. When I bound off, I still had enough yarn to go round quite a few more times.

I really did enjoy the knitting - the motifs would certainly be more visible in a lighter colored yarn, but I'm quite happy with how they turned out in this dark slightly variegated colorway (the motifs are also more visible in sunlight - but I keep forgetting to take photos when the sun is out!) I love how the patterns wrap around the leg and travel up the back side. In order to get these to reach all the way to my knees, I added one more repeat of cables before starting in on the ribbing - as I did the transition from the cabled pattern to the ribbing, I also did a few increases to better accommodate my shapely leg...unfortunately I failed to take notes, making it up as I went along on the fly - this would be another good reason to knit both socks at the same time ;)

The pattern is knit off of charts, and size is adjusted by changing gauge. Maia was right on with her recommendations for needle sizes, and also with her estimates for how long to knit before heading into the heel shaping - my socks fit perfectly, and brought much joy in the knitting. A shame it's warming up so fast, I'm going to have to save the joy in the wearing until next fall/winter!

*okay, I did "cheat" by knitting the garters in a different yarn - but I did have yarn left over when I was done...so I'm pretty sure I could have managed with a single skein.

Cabled Mitts

2008-02-11T12:59:00.000-08:00

Pattern: My own - totally made up from the top down, with shaping through the arm, ribbing at the wrist to the hand with a gusseted thumb. Complete with fat cables that match the Central Park Hoodie.

Yarn: More Patons Classic Merino (I'm burning off the stash that I had bought to complete the CPH) in Burgundy.

Needles: US 7 and US5.

Comments: Elbow length long mitts that are form fitting right through the hands - perfect for warming up if I happen to be sitting around in a Tee shirt and a sweater is a little too much. The paired decreases down the forearm keep the fit nice and snug while not distorting the cable at all - I converted to a ribbed pattern at the wrist and through the palm to keep the fit snug. Thumb gussets were knit in, keeping with the clean lines and seamless transitions. Judicious use of a smaller needle size also allowed me to adjust gauge as necessary.

Twinned Knits

2008-02-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Fake Isle by Amy

Yarns: For the Red one, I used Patons Classic Merino in Burgundy paired with SWTC Karaoke in the Black Sheep Colorway. For the other, it's all Karaoke - Black Sheep and Forest colorways.

Needles: For the Red one, I used US6 needles throughout. For the other, I used US4s and US6s.

Sizes: The Red was the Larger size, and the green is the smaller size. Sadly, neither fit perfectly.

It started with the red hat, knit according to the pattern, with a couple extra rows at the brim as the only modification - mostly because the hat looked a bit short in the photos on the pattern. I'm not sure what it is with my knitting, but it seems every time I knit a hat, it always develops a bell like shape where it is fairly wide at the brim. Seeing as a normal person's head does not do this, it makes for an ill fitting hat. While the top portion of the hat seemed to be about right for circumference, the hat wound up being too deep - and rather than rip it all out, I debated with myself over felting it or turning the bottom of the hat inside - due to the belled shape, I figured the 2nd option would make for lumpy lines, so into the sink it went.

Sadly, the felting experiment didn't go so well - instead of shrinking, the hat seemed to bloom (in case you're wondering, no, I did not wash my swatch. I'm one of those knitters that swatches rarely - and I fix my knitting on the fly. It can sometimes be my downfall). Anyhow, back to the hat - it seemed to bloom and expand. While the stitch definition became less defined, I saw little shrinkage. I also noticed that even after blocking the hat nicely, it seems to have a point at the top - nowhere near as pointy as my meathead, but the hat definitely does not lay flat against the top of my head - even when I pull it down tightly. I suspect an issue with my floats combined with the possible change in gauge for the very last bit of knitting (all one color for the very last bit).

Undeterred, I cast on for a 2nd hat, this time opting for modifications including knitting 2x2 (rather than 3x1) ribbing on smaller needles. I also stayed on the smaller needles after switching to stockinette for about 4 rows. This was successful in preventing the dread bell shape.

Unfortunately, the hat is still too deep - not by too much, but some. While the hat does fit better than the first, it still doesn't quite stretch right at the very top and also has a slight lump at the very crown of the hat. I'm thinking my head is not suitable for the pattern of decreases used on this pattern.

Excuse the baleful eye in the left hand photo :) I assure you - my head is not cone shaped as it appears in that red hat. Now I'm stuck with a dilemma. 2 lovely hats - neither of which fits quite right - I might keep the red one for my own, I can't see foisting the cone head on someone else. I'm still debating gifting the green one away - it was intended as a gift, but I'm not sure it will fit the recipient properly given that it doesn't quite fit me (or my DH) Comments? Suggestions for yet another hat pattern? I hate to say it, but I might be relegated to yet another Pirate Hat.

Regardless of the fit issues, I think the stitches look nice, don't you?

Kilt Hose

2008-01-21T20:14:00.001-08:00

Pattern: Toirneach Kilt Hose from Knitty
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino in Burgundy, 2 skeins, leftover from my Central Park Hoodie
Needles: US 2 & US0 - yikes!

Modifications/Comments: I had a heck of a time getting started on these kilt hose - of course, I didn't swatch, mostly because I rarely (as in never) swatch for socks because...well, I usually find I have no problems adjusting on the fly, and I would have to swatch in the round anyway - So I usually cast on and have few problems adjusting as I go. Sadly, my knitting was not being cooperative - the first time, I wound up twisting the join (one of the reasons I rarely knit cuff down), the 2nd time, I managed to somehow introduce a twist after knitting a few rows (I blame it on my vintage circulars - in a fit after that fiasco, I caved and bought the Knitpicks Options set), the 3rd time I realized the lace cuff was big enough to be a garter around my thigh.

The 4th time was the charm - I reduced the number of cast on stitches and went down 2 sizes in needles - the 1x1 ribbing was brutal on 0's but I have a good feeling that these socks are going to stay put :)

I did wind up adjusting the number of stitches that I decreased down to also, a total of 42 stitches at the ankle instead of 48. With the smaller gauge, I probably could have gotten away with the original numbers called for in the pattern, as the ribbing is stretched quite tightly - but i figure with knee socks, that should help hold em up better.

All I need to do now is wear my new kilt hose with my kilt and my CPH :D

Hat with Holes...

2007-12-31T22:36:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Urban Homesteader by Christy
Needles: US 6 & US7
Yarn: SWTC Karaoke - Held Double stranded for most of the knitting

Comments: Sorry about the "flashy" photo - I was needing to do the self portrait thing and I wasn't having any luck outside. This hat was a really fast knit, and it worked well to help bust some of my stash :) While it does make my head look a little jelly-fish like - especially in that center photo - I love how deep the hat is. It means my ears definitely stay completely covered when worn (even when I don't wear it with my hair sticking out one of the flaps). Right now, I'll probably be using it mostly in Pony tail mode, only because my hair is much longer than I realized it was :) Definitely recommended. Don't skip out on whipstitching the edging on those flaps, btw - otherwise you may notice your flaps are really curly!

Cabled Goodness (Central Park Hoodie)

2007-12-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

Pattern: the Central Park Hoodie, originally from Knitscene now available from Interweave's Knitting Daily shop.
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino Wool in Burgundy - less than 6 balls used.
Size: 44 - though my gauge was slightly smaller, so it's somewhere between a 40 & 44.
Needles: US 5 & 7
Modifications? Of course!

Commentary: I do believe this is one of the fastest sweaters I've ever knit. I don't recall ever being quite so eager to cast on for any given project - I blame this one on the cold weather snap that has me bundling up in all my handknits - definitely a rare treat down here in the desert! Anyhow, I purchased the pattern and went hunting for yarn on December 11th, knit a hasty swatch and cast on that evening. That would be where modification # 1 came in - I knit the body in one piece - after consulting the pattern, I found it odd that the fronts and the back didn't end with the same type of stitching allowing for nice seam in the ribbing, so I simply cast on the total number of stitches (I didn't subtract 4 stitches for the seams) and knit happily away on my 2x2 ribbing. After 4 inches of ribbing, that was where I discovered that there must have been an error in the pattern - The right sides of the fronts should have started out with opposite stitches - the Right Front should have started with P2 instead of K2, and vice versa for the Left Front - voila, the missing stitches and the non-smooth ribbing was now accounted for. Undeterred, I decided I could make things work out and didn't rip back the 4 inches of ribbing on small(er) needles.

In order to make things all look good, I had to decide if I was going to have the cables appear to seamlessly emerge from the ribbing on the fronts or the backs - or see if I could fudge things around to make it look excellent on all counts. I wound up settling for having the outer cables on the back not flow perfectly up and out of the ribbing, though I was able to salvage the center cables by turning them into 4x4 cables rather than 3x3...Of course, I came to this realization after I had knit several inches of the body - fear not, I didn't rip it all back to resolve this - instead I opted to drop back all the cable stitches for that center cable sequence and pick them up and reknit em from the ribbing upwards :) Sadly, I didn't take photos - it was an impressive sight. My husband thought I was nuts. Once I had the cables changed to my liking, everything from then on flowed quite nicely. I had been tempted to graft the shoulders together, though I was not satisfied with my initial (hasty) results, and wound up doing the 3-needle bindoff instead.

For the hood, I decided I wasn't going to be happy with the cable ending abruptly at the top bottom of the neck, nor was I going to be satisfied with it ending at the top of the hood to disappear into a seam - I figure a hood is just like a really big sock heel, so I went ahead and modified the pattern, changing the decreases and carrying the cable up and over the top as if it were a heel flap - I also modified the ending sequence of the cable pattern to have them merge together into a single 2x2 twisting cable at the front of the hood. While I am very happy with the results, I should probably confess to having ripped back the hood at least once as the first attempt left me with a gigantic hood that would have looked more at home on a flowing cape than on a fitted cardigan (it was way too voluminous). With a lot more patience, and my handy Vogue Knitting Ultimate Knitting Book opened to the 1x1 rib grafting instructions, I wound up grafting the edging cables together at the top center of the hood quite nicely if I do say so myself :)

Sleeve Island was conquered by knitting both sleeves together, at the same time, circularly - the same way I knit socks ;) Finally, I set in the sleeves, and picked up all the stitches for the 2x2 ribbed edging (yes, another modification, I went to all that trouble to make the hood look seamless, I couldn't very well have allowed for a seam front and center now could I?) and knit like a fiend. I finished all the knitting on Christmas Eve Eve, tried various methods of closures from simply holding the cardi closed by overlapping the front edgings and pinning them with a DPN, to installing buttons on the insides to allow for clean lines of ribbing to be featured - I wasn't happy with either option, so I gathered up some yarn scraps and braved Jo-Ann Fabrics on Christmas Eve to find a zipper - lucky me, they had a perfect match, in a perfect length...and it was 50% off :D...now all I had to do was get the darned thing installed...

Those of you who are aware of my previous cardi adventures know that I don't trust my handknits to myself and my sewing machine - I typically hire out to have my zips installed. Unfortunately, there was no way the zip was going to get installed in time for Christmas if I went that route....so the rest of Christmas Eve was spent referring to various sources on how to hand-install a zipper.

I patiently pinned the zip in (as recommended by the Domiknitrix book) and carefully tried it on to make sure there was no bunching or rippling. I then basted the front of the cardi shut to make sure all the ribbing was happily aligned (per the fantastic instructions by Bonne Marie at Chic Knits and adjusted my initial pin-job accordingly. I then threaded my needle with matching thread and whip stitched that baby in place as directed in that Vogue Ultimate Knitting book. Once the zip was secured, I turned back around and backstitched my way right back down the zipper to make sure it was in for the duration. I should note for those wondering that there were no modifications required to get the zipper to go in nicely, though you will notice a slight mashing of the yarn about a stitch or two in from the bound off edge - this is where the backstitches march on the fabric. You might want to go with a different edging, rather than the K2P2 rib, but as I didn't do so, I can't comment how well a different edging might look - I'd think a plain stockinette hemmed band would work well, though it would mean additional seaming/finishing - but I suspect it would be easier to install the zip on something other than the 2x2 rib - especially if you're slightly obsessive like I am and want all the knit parts to line up nicely with all the purl bits :)

I daresay I did a pretty good job of it, don't you?

And here we are, outside, where the light gives a much better represntation of the actual color of the cardi. With nice long sleeves, and a slightly longer body than my Ribby Cardi, I think this will become a favorite this season!

Of course, I can't leave you without a view of all the cabled goodness :D Definitely a treat to knit, and fast too - and yes, I was done before Christmas :D

Guinevere - the Secret of the Stole

2007-12-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Secret of the Stole I by Nautical Knitter
Yarn: Spritely Goods Fey, in CoffeePot Rock Colorway. Approx 2.5 skeins used (10 oz)
Needles: US6
Miscellanea: Iridescent and Luster glass beads in complementary colors. Only one small bit of the "middle" section was actually knit due to concerns over the finished length of the stole.

Finished Dimensions: 100 inches by 26 inches - yow!

Comments: This stole was (I think) my first ever "mystery" type project - and the knitting was enjoyable. The finished stole is quite lovely, though had I estimated my yarn usage better I would have blended in the 3rd skein of yarn in over the entire length of the stole - it is the same colorway, and dyed the same day too - this is the nature of handdyes though. Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I can't seem to get a good shot of the stole - it's very long, and I seem to be lacking in drape-worthy surfaces. Every time I laid it out on the floor for photographing, I wound up chasing the cats away. If I had it to do all over again, I probably would have opted to forego any knitting in the middle section at all to shorten it up another several inches and I might have gone with one of my more solid colored yarns. While the coffeepot rock colors are fairly muted and don't obscure the pattern too much, a solid (or only slightly variegated) yarn would have displayed the motifs even better.

If you are interested in knitting the stole, I do recommend joining the yahoo group to read up on the inspiration and background for this stole.

A much more gorgeous photo by the Nautical Knitter:

Wing of the Moth

2007-10-15T17:59:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Wing of the Moth" by Anne Hanson of Knitspot
Yarn: Handspun Singles from Spritely Goods handblended batts in Arizona Sycamore colorway, combined with additional fiber that was blended by hand rather than by the carder.
Needles: US 6

the moth, pre blocking
Comments: Have I said recently how much I love lace? It's challenging to knit, and it has different "faces" to it at different stages of the process. Witness above and below - the moth, prior to blocking - it has such texture to it in its unblocked state!

another preblocking photo - of the moth preblocking
I love these bumps - they were formed on the backside of the shawl, in the fircone lace section - witness the fuzzy halo from the angora :)

The patten itself is well written, though due to my own peculiarities with how I use markers I had a little bit of a challenge figuring out just what I was supposed to be doing during the transition rows, but if you follow the instructions, you should be fine.

Blocking this baby wasn't too bad, and it didn't seem to take any longer than my other shawls - I ran blocking wires across the top edge, stretched her tight evenly across the top (7-foot 8-inch wingspan on this one - I'm rather aggressive with my blocking though), then pulled the midline tight and pinned it in place (46 inches tall if I remember the measurement correctly). From there, it was a question of pinning out the coronas - I did this the same way I did the points on my other shawls - I pinned the "center" point of the "center" corona out on both left and right sides, then I did the next midpoints between those coronas and the bottom point and top points, and continued in this manner until each midpoint of each corona was pinned out - then I went back through and pinned out each of the loops in the corona to get that nice scallopy edge. I will admit to getting a bit impatient at that point, and pinning away at will from left to right along each corona, which has resulted in some slightly lopsided scallops, but I figure it will do for now ;) I'll have to reblock her sometime in the future anyhow :D

Those that followed along on my regular blog might recall that the yarn spun for this project was prepared in 2 different methods. The main fircone portion (the portion in the lower right in the above photo) was spun from blended batts. The yarn used in the outer portion of the shawl was prepared by actually blending fibers at the wheel - resulting in considerably more striping. The fibers used in the preparation were the same as those used in the batts, and also in the same ratios - they just spin up differently depending on how thoroughly blended they are.

The Moth was a pleasure to knit, I just regret that I can't seem to capture the slight sparkle that is present in the yarn - The colors remind me of a Sphinx Moth, though up close, there is more earthy green visible. I'm looking forward to the weather cooling down so I can actually wear the Moth rather than simply gaze at it!

Broadly Rippling

2007-10-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

My husband is winning out on the handknits...first he (finally) got Avast, and I just recently finished him a pair of socks! And before anyone comments on the length of the socks, he was consulted and that was the length he wants - and all the easier on me as I didn't have to knit on and on and on for the leg :P And yes, you might be noticing a loose tail hastily tucked in - all my hand knit socks have that characteristic. Something about finishing and weaving in ends - I believe almost all of my handknit socks have the little tail hanging loose at the cuff.

Pattern: Broadripple from Knitty
Yarn: Sock Landscapes in Cape Cod from Knit Picks by way of Janet (thanks Janet!)
Needles: US 3

Modifications: Toe up with short row heel :)

Comments: Easy pattern to knit and plenty manly in the right colors. The pattern stitch, once established, allowed me to happily knit away without having to reference the pattern at all. I'm getting better at short row heels, though I still had a little bit of a hole when I resumed knitting in the round. This even after I picked up an extra stitch in an attempt to close the hole. *sigh* perhaps that's another characteristic of a handknit sock (for me anyhow :P)

Avast, at last!

2007-09-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Avast from Knitty
Yarn: SWTC Karaoke in Black Sheep Colorway (50-50 wool & soysilk)
Needles: US 5 and US7 - managed to hit gauge perfectly :D
Size: Medium
Modifications: Slightly longer torso (I think) longer sleeves, and I opted to knit the sleeves in the round and kitchner the underarm seam rather than seam it. Essentially the sweater is seamless :)

Comments: I honestly don't recall if I washed the swatch before carrying on with this sweater - though it is fair to say that even if I had, I'm not sure I would have captured the increase in length of the finished object or not - after all, a full size sweater has quite a bit more material and weight to it than a tiny little 4x4 swatch. That said, the sweater fits great through the torso, though both the arms and the body are a touch on the long side...some of this may also be simply due to the ease that is allowed - when I took the measurements to knit to, I took exact measurements from the underarm to determine sleeve length and body length on the sweater - it should be obvious that the sweater does have some ease to it, and does not fit tightly into the underarm of the wearer (thank goodness) :)

The zipper (hard to see) actually goes all the way from the waist to the top of the collar - so in cooler weather, it can be zipped completely to form a mock turtleneck. I opted to take the sweater in to my local tailor to have the zipper installed - at 31.5-inches, I wasn't about to hand sew it in, and I certainly wasn't about to trust it to my sewing machine.

Classic in design, and easy to knit (oy, the miles of stockinette!) - I wound up knitting from a couple balls of yarn at a time in an attempt to reduce the broad striping that Karaoke tends to do. This is actually the first sweater I've knit for my Dear Husband, and he seems to like it well enough - we'll see once the weather cools down since he wasn't thrilled to be modeling it with the temps still over 100F down here!

Wabenschal Scarf

2007-09-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Wabenschal
Needles: US8
Yarn: Spritely Goods Sylph Superwash Merino Yarn in Limited Edition Spring Chaparral colorway (less than one skein)
Finished Dimensions: (approximate) 10 inches by 7 feet

Comments: Quick to knit, this lace scarf is knit on the bias and is shaped like a long thin parallelogram. I found the pattern simple and easy to follow, with clear charts. For those just learning how to read charts, this may be an easy pattern to learn on - unfortunately for those that don't read charts, the instructions are not knit line by line. I always find it a bit of a challenge to figure out when a rectangular lace piece is "long enough" because they do stretch quite a bit in the blocking - in this case, I blocked this piece twice - the first time, it was more narrow and over 8 feet in length! Since it is intended to be used as a scarf (though I'm sure it can also be used as a table runner), I figured I should reblock it to get it down to a more manageable length. By stretching it a bit wider than it was originally when first blocked, I managed to "shrink" it by about a foot.

Dayflowers and Leaves

2007-08-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

Yarn: Spritely Goods Sylph in Globe Mallow, less than 1 skein (approximately 3 oz)
Needles: US8 / 5.0 mm
Pattern: Now available at Spritely Goods
Finished Size: approximately 9 inches wide by 7 feet long.

Comments: I really enjoyed working this scarf up, and if I knit another one, I will probably swap the left and right leaf panels. If I'm really brave, I'll figure out how to eliminate the "border" stitches between the two motifs...though after examining the finished project, I suspect those border stitches between the motifs help keep the scarf nice and even along the edges.

The big challenge with this scarf was charting it out...the full repeat for the entire width of the scarf is 80 rows....because of the differing repeat length of the individual components. I suppose I could have gone and knit it from 2 different charts, however I'm sure I would have mucked things up had I done so (keeping track of individual rows was enough of a challenge ;) )

As for the yarn, it worked out very nicely. I wasn't sure how the variegation would play out on this project - it turned out that it didn't hide or diminish the lace pattern at all :)

I believe this is my first project that I've actually also kept tabs on over in Ravelry - for those that are members, the project is listed here.

Dropped Stitches in Lotus

2007-06-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Simple was the way to go.

After numerous attempts at other stitch patterns, I finally gave up and settled for a simple drop stitch scarf to show off the Noro Lotus.

Because I was knitting with 2 skeins of yarn, one with a rather abrupt color change (there was a knot about a third of the way into the skein), I decided to alternate knitting every two rows from each skein, carrying the wan on up as I knit along - The result was slightly broken color transitions, but beautiful none the less.

Yarn: Noro Lotus, 2 skeins
Needles: US13
Pattern: None, but I'll write it out below if anyone else wants to knit one :D

Finished Size: 7" x approximately 4-inches.

Pattern:
Loosely cast-on 10 stitches with one skein of yarn.

Knit 1 row

Attach the 2nd skein of yarn, and knit 2 rows.

(Row 1) Switch yarn, picking up the new yarn towards the back of your work. K1, *YO, K1*.
(Row 2) Knit all "main" stitches, dropping all yarn overs.

(Rows 3 & 4) Switch yarn, Knit 2 rows.
(Rows 5 & 6) Switch yarn, Knit 2 rows.

(Row 7) Switch yarn, K1, *YO twice, K1*
(Row 8) Knit all "main" stitches, dropping all yarn overs.

(Rows 9 & 10) Switch yarn, Knit 2 rows.
(Rows 11& 12) Switch yarn, Knit 2 rows.

Repeat these 12 rows for as long as you want or until you are close to running out of yarn.

If you have a thing for symmetry, you'll want to end your scarf with the following sequence:
(Row 1) Switch yarn, picking up the new yarn towards the back of your work. K1, *YO, K1*.
(Row 2) Knit all "main" stitches, dropping all yarn overs.

(Rows 3 & 4) Switch yarn, Knit 2 rows.
(Row 5) Switch yarn, Knit 1 row
Bind off all stitches loosely.

I must have lucked out because after I bound off, this was all the yarn I had left! It came out perfectly though because I was wanting to make the most out of those two skeins, and I don't think I could have asked for a closer margin.

Looking for a close-up of the scarf?
I'm happy to oblige :D

Cat paws included for scale ;) (actually, my cat refused to let me get a photo of the scarf on the floor without being in the photo - she's like that with knits...if they are on the couch, they're fine - if they are on the floor, they are apparently hers.)

Blue Bamboo Baudelaires

2007-05-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

Lace and cables and socks. I never thought I'd be one for "girly" socks, but I do seem to be hooked when it comes to handknit ones :)

Pattern: Baudelaire from Knitty
Yarn: Regia Bamboo Color - 1063
Amount: Quite possibly only one ball, I was working with what I had left over from my Swallowtail
Needles: US1

Comments: First, lets go for a closeup of the lace and cables, shall we?

*sigh* I am really mostly happy with how these turned out - they were wonderfully satisfying to knit - the lace pattern was an easy one (for me anyhow) to remember. Pattern modifications? Why yes, always, thank you very much - what fun is it if I'm going to knit if I can't add a little something of my own?

As far as modifications go, this one was fairly minor - I made the right and left socks mirror images of each other - meaning the cables are mirror each other when the socks are worn. I love them this way - I think if I had them marching in the same direction on both socks, I'd feel lopsided...but that's just me. The other change I made was to do the heel with a slip stitch for the flap. I had originally cast on for these socks in a size M and turned the heel complete with stockinette heel flaps, but found that my gauge must have been off as the socks were decidedly loose - after ripping them back, these finished ones are size S and they fit perfectly.

I was really pleased with how my heel came out - no holes, not even when I rejoined the instep :) I must be getting the hang of this sock knitting business. My only quibble with these socks is that I have a hard time getting them over my heels. This is apparently a fairly standard quibble with toe up socks, though I did not notice it with any of my previous pairs of socks (all knit toe up). It may just be this particular lace pattern combined with a certain eagerness to be done that may have had me starting the gusset a few rows earlier than may have been prudent...

...regardless, I think they are quite lovely, and I'm going to enjoy wearing them.

More Singles

2007-04-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

A full day of spinning results in three full bobbins...11 ounces and almost 800 yards worth of lovely yarn with a slight sheen.

Fiber Content: 50-50 Fine Wool & Soysilk - I purchased the fiber dyed, but then decided to add some additional color to it by overdying prior to spinning. I'm calling it Tropical Sea because it reminds me of the bright yet blue-overtoned colors of a tropical reef.

Specific yardage on each skein will soon be available as I'm planning on listing these at the shop. I'm hoping to have them listed by the beginning of May.

**Whoops. While I did indeed have them listed at the beginning of May, I apparently forgot to activate these beauties in the shop. They are there and active now :) Note: I'm linking to the DK weight skeins, though there is also 1 skein in sport weight also.

Newspaper

2007-04-07T15:30:00.000-07:00

Spun especially for a special person's birthday...these colors are her favorites :)
I named it after the children's riddle: what's black and white and "red" all over?

It's a bunch of mixed wools, spun up single ply though it has fantastic barber poling and almost looks plied because I held the colors of roving parallel to one another. Unfortunately, I forgot to grab the yardage and weight - from memory I think it came out to be a light-worsted in thickness and there was plenty of it :D

I have to admit this is one of the few truely finished objects for the year so far, though it certainly isn't for lack of trying!

Eyelet Lace

2006-12-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

This scarf was knit as a holiday gift, it's a nice long somewhat narrow scarf from handspun vebena batts! The pattern was simple, and unfortunately it no longer appears to be online any longer. And of course, I knit it so long ago I don't recall what the dimensions of the finished scarf was (and of course it's winged off to its new home), nor do I recall what size needles I used. Anyhow, It's warm when wrapped several times around the neck, but open enough to stretch and cover a longer season.

If you're wondering what the yarn looked like before it was knit, click here!

I was very happy to hear the response of the recipient :) she's very happy with it indeed!

Red for the Bride

2006-12-23T17:54:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine is getting hitched, and I decided I needed to make her a little something to celebrate the occasion. Why Red, you ask? Well, I'm Chinese. Red is a color for good fortune and happiness - and no wedding would be complete without a little red. The above is probably the best representation of the color - the other photos are a little off in their color and I had a hard time correcting them.

The Details?

Yarn: it's more Southwest Trading Co Bamboo. The same stuff I used on my Shetland Triangle Shawl. Almost 2 balls.

Needles: US6

Pattern: Cinnabar, from the December 2006 Magknits

Finished Size: Approximately 10-inches wide, by 80-inches long (oops. It's a bit longer than I had anticipated - it grew about a foot and a half in the blocking process)

Comments: A neat pattern, it's garter stitch based, so it's reversible! It incorporates these mock cables with a little bit of openwork and dropped stitches of the Seafoam stitch. The total scarf took a little longer than the two recent shawls - I think I had it finished in perhaps a week to a week and a half. I wasn't originally planning on blocking the scarf, but the edges of the scarf were definitely not straight. The blocking really made the pattern (especially the mock cables) much more distinct. This may not be required for some yarns, but you'll have to decide for yourself :) The pattern was quick to "memorize" and I only had to quickly glance at the charts to jog my memory once I had gotten into the flow of the knitting. It is a beautiful scarf, and the bride really liked it, as did numerous other women at the wedding!

Incidentally, the designer has made a matching hat pattern available for purchase!

Chaparral Socks

2006-12-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

Gift socks...and incidentally, the first socks I've knit to give away, and also the first I've knit in my own DK yarn. I sure hope they fit! (and they do, so says the recipient :) *whew* what a relief!)

Pattern from All Tangled Up
Yarn: Spritely Goods Sprite (superwash merino!) in Chaparral
Needles: US3

Comments: A much faster way to knit socks (compared to my usual fingering weight socks) and the pattern seems to have a fair bit of give, to more easily accomodate any mistakes on behalf of the knitter who may or may not have access to the intended feet.

I'm even more excited over this pair of socks because it's the first full garment I've actually knit up in my own yarn...and now that I've seen it knit, I've got more visions for this colorway - I think it will do well with lace patterns too as the colors are so harmonious :)

Shetland Triangle Shawl

2006-12-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

a little flashy, sorry bout that!
I didn't think I'd ever be one of those shawl-a-week knitters, but here's the 2nd one and in less time even than the Swallowtail. I've been hoping to get some photos in natural light, but my hours aren't cooperating with me, so I've done up an all-indoor shoot instead.

Anyhow, the details!

Pattern: Shetland Triangle Shawl, by Evelyn Clark. Found in the book: Wrap Style

Yarn Used: Bamboo by Southwest Trading Company, in Red. Probably worth noting, this is the "older" version of bamboo - the newer feels much softer. This is a yarn of "chain" construction, rather than a traditional twist construction. ~1.25 balls or so...

Needles: US9

Comments/Commentary - because you know I have some ;) Don't worry, I'll intersperse it with pretty photos!

The Shetland Triangle Shawl was super speedy to knit - I think I had this one off the needles in a total of 5 days - I tended to knit on it in the evenings while watching TV. The pattern was quickly memorized, and it's nupp free ;) As with all lace, the magic appeared in the blocking - the freshly bound off shawl looked tiny - as in barely large enough to stick out from underneath my cat, had she decided to sit on it. Once blocked, the shawl stretched to a full 70 inches across the top and about 28 inches down to the center point. I felt like I had stretched it as far as it would go in the blocking process, but once dry, it seems like there's even more stretch to be had (I suspect it may have something to do with the yarn and how it may have "swollen" during the soaking process)

I opted for the full completion of the final pattern, and as I have issues binding off loosely enough to form those lovely scallopy edges, I used the same bind off as called for in the Swallowtail Shawl, and it didn't disappoint. I've plenty of points to keep me pleased :)

The only "issue" I encountered was with my yarn, rather than with the pattern - because of its chain like construction, the yarn can "unravel" if it splits - there were several sections of "thinner" yarn where it had partially unraveled or unchained itself in one ball of the yarn - I didn't have any issues at all in the 2nd ball. I stabilized as I went along, by knotting off the thinner sections, though I must have missed on section as it showed itself quite spectacularly during the blocking process. The good news is that the yarn didn't actually break, and I was able to stabilize that section by drawing up the slack and knotting it off to prevent further unraveling of the yarn.

I'm loving this shawl, and because it's knit from bamboo, I think it will make a good year-round piece :)

Swallowtail Shawl

2006-11-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

The Swallow Tail Shawl, from the fall 2006 Interweave Knits is now complete :) It knit up super fast in just over a week's time. If you're wondering why it looks so large, it's because it is probably the same dimensions as "full sized" shawls, measuring about 68 inches across the top and 30 inches down to the point. No pattern modifications were done other than to use a different yarn (and of course larger needles).

Yarn: Regia Bamboo Color (1063)
Amount: Approximately two and a quarter balls.
Needles: US7

Comments: The pattern is a breeze to follow, and I found I had it memorized fairly quickly - I wound up not placing stitch markers between the pattern repeats mostly because I got tired of having to shift them around - I've apparently come a long way in my knitting as I find it much easier to "read" my knitting, even in lace form, and I was able to correct mistakes often within a couple of rows without having to tink or rip back - the most common mistakes I made were omitting a yarn over or forgetting to pass the slipped stitch over.

As the case seems to be with all lace projects, the magic is indeed in the blocking. The shawl was so squinched up (as lace often is) before blocking, I was amazed at how large it wound up blocking to. Before heading into the Nupps and the Lily of the Valley sections, I was trying to decide if extra budding lace was required - thank goodness I decided not :)

Speaking of Nupps, I've decided that I love love them. A pain to execute, but they sure give the shawl that extra bit of interest. I knitted my shawl using Denise interchangeable needles - the points on the needles aren't the pointiest, but I managed to do all my nupping without having to resort to slipping stitches hither and yon onto other needles or clear all the way back to the cable - the trick, I think, was to make sure to form the nupp loosely so that on the purl row it wasn't too difficult to capture all five stitches for the purl-5-together. I will admit to breathing a huge sigh of relief once the nupping was done and I was able to move onto the border.

Unfortunately I couldn't get a good shot of the full shawl indicating what the yarn looks like - photographing shawls prove to be much more difficult than I anticipated! Outdoors, things were lit very brightly, yet harshly and with too much contrast - so I resorted to a small indoor shot near a window of the shawl folded up.

Faery Meathead

2006-11-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

Knit for the 2006 Meathead Along which had the specific instructions of embellishing to my own liking above the left ear.

Since I have had flowers on the brain of late, and the shape of the hat reminded me of the Elven armour in Lord of the Rings, I decided to embellish it fit for a Faery Queen.

I'm pleased to present Tatiana, a Meathead Hat embellished with hand crochet flowers and curving vine (incidentally, the vine is fixed on the hat, though the flowers can be added or subtracted or shuffled around at will). If I was a faery queen, this is a hat I'd want to wear, as it is a perpetual reminder of spring.

Yarn: Reclaimed handspun super bulky from a sweater, embellished with hand crochet flower pins made from crochet cotton.

Needles: US15

Pattern: by Larissa, to be included in her new book!

Comments: Supereasy, superquick knit. A very welcome break from my current knitting madness :)

Wanna see more Meatheads? Check out the Flickr Collection!

Pushing up Flowers

2006-11-13T15:58:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend working as a flowermaking factory :)

Yarns range from old leftovers (again!) of CottonEase, to Plymouth Encore, to bits of handspun yarn to crochet cotton in various sizes...oh, there are some needle felted ones too (more than the lone single in this photo) made from merino wool, of course.

Patterns: none - they were made up as I was going along.

And no, they aren't all for me. I'm churning out flower accessories for sale at a craft fair :D

Short and Sweet

2006-11-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

I'm in love with texture and really needed a break from my latest knitting opus...This skinny scarf proved to be just the perfect entertaining sidetrack.

Closeup? Certainly ;)

I especially enjoyed myself because it's knit from my own Spritely Goods Sprite yarn! (in the Chaparral colorway, in case you are wondering) I happened to have just a smidge (about 1.6 ounces) of yarn leftover from a different project, and I couldn't figure out what to turn it into...well, Inspiration struck and it turned into this cute skinny and nicely textured scarf.

My other half argued that it wasn't long enough to be a scarf appropriate for an adult and I set out to prove that it would indeed work just fine - I scrounged up a hand crocheted flower pin that matched perfectly, wrapped it (the scarf, not the flower ;) ) around my neck, affixed the pin, and voila! Perfect for keeping the chill away without adding a bunch of bulk.

Pattern: Stitch pattern adapted from Sheep in the City's So Called Scarf (I really need to get one of those stitch pattern reference books)

Needles: US 9

Knitted Running/Workout Accessories

2006-10-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

With running comes sweat. I never did understand headbands or wristbands until I took up running. I still don't' wear a headband when I run - I usually opt for a hat, because it does better at keeping the sun out of my eyes.

When I was running slower (yeah, I'm still slow, but hey, I've trimmed 2+ minutes off my average pace since starting!) it was no big thing to wipe sweat off my forehead or away from my eyes by bending over slightly and using my sleeve - or the tail of my shirt. Unfortunately, it's gotten to the point where it affects my stride now, and I worried about tripping and damaging myself. Normal wristbands wouldn't do because I wear glasses, and trying to maneuver a wristband around my glasses just wasn't working...

So I have the following - a "better" wristband! I actually wear two - one on my left hand, as illustrated below around my thumb (no, I don't need the watch to hold it in place - the reason I made the cuff so wide is because I hated having my sweat drenched watch sticking on my skin). I wear the one on my right hand around my index finger - it's a little easier to get around my glasses that way.

In case you're wondering, it's Cascade Fixation knit on US2 needles. Because Fixation is mostly cotton, it certainly absorbs sweat well, though it takes a while to dry - I thought about knitting em out of wool, but I didn't think they'd be very absorbent if I did that.

It's like two pairs for the effort of one!

2006-10-15T18:04:00.000-07:00

Say hello to my Leftover Nasturtiums...they're like two pair in one when worn with the right shoes or pants!

Pattern from Kirsten at Through the Loops

Yarn: Leftovers - Black Purl Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock (from when I knit my Jaywalkers) And black and white Dale of Norway Baby Ull (from my first fair isle project)

Knit: both pair at the same time on one US1 circular needle

Comments: In order to entertain myself for the bottom portion of the knitting, I did indeed stripe my socks opposite each other on purpose - and yes, I'm addicted to the Fibonacci sequence. It's not my fault. It's the Nerd in me.

The pattern is well written, and the only recommendations I have are to read carefully and split your stitches correctly from the get go so you don't have to move them around as I did - this isn't critical if you knit only one sock at a time, but if you magic loop a pair of socks, it caused a moment of being stumped before coming up with a solution. Also, at the end, I vaguely recall the setup for the toe decreases on the top of the socks to be off with the number of K stitches between the initial setup decreases. Oh, for the toe, don't panic if you can't decrease in pairs to wind up with 12 stitches remaining on each needle - you started with an odd number of stitches on each needle, so you'll wind up with an odd number when you get to that point...I actually got carried away and grafted the toe when I had 13 stitches on each needle (how's that for my pattern reading skills?) but it worked out perfectly with my stripes that way :)

A Sock Experiment for Socktoberfest

2006-10-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

Ever seen knitted things and figure "I can knit that - and way better too!"? I'm constantly doing that with sweaters these days - and certainly no silly iPod sock was going to be worth the money, especially when I could knit my own custom one and learn a thing or two while doing it...

Since I'm still waiting for a certain 2nd Gen nano case to be released, I figured I'd make myself an iPod sock for the interim. For this "sock," I wanted to give double knitting a try - I wanted a double thick layer of "sock" to protect the nano (since I'm not terribly good about being very delicate with things in my bag/purse) - and that way I could also see if I would like to attempt the extreme knitting sock technique as described in the recent Knitty (in case you're wondering, I think I've decided it's not for me - it's much faster for me to knit 2 socks on magic loop).

Anyhow, this "sock" is indeed reversible, has a flap built in to secure the nano inside *and* a space to allow me to connect my earphones to the nano thru the sock!

Super easy to make, I made mine out of sport weight scraps of Misti Alpaca Sport (mmm alpaca) knitting on US4s in 2x2 rib for a nice snug fit. Striping is in my favorite sequence - hooray! Fibbonacci!
'

Crafty and Clean!

2006-09-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

My house smells very very clean. Thanks to all the hand felting of soaps I've recently done! In order to felt the soaps down, you have to get em wet - and then set em out to dry - each of the soaps above is a different scent, and I did multiples of each of them over the course of several days...you can imagine how the house must have smelled what with all that lather being worked up to make the felt! :) Want one for your own or to give away for a gift? They're available in the shop!

If you make some on your own, I do not recommend trying to speed things up by doing em in the washing machine - or you might have visions of some super sudsy overflowing laundry machine nightmare gracing your wash room. These are all handfelted individually for a reason!

More Mixed Wool!

2006-09-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

I've been in a spinning mood of late and have also taken to handblending at the wheel. I did a couple more gift skeins recently:

This one is called Autumn Waterfall...and it has muted greens, reds, blues and purples.

This one is Autumn Waterfall Too - it's basically Autumn Waterfall singles plied with Black to give it a slightly different characteristic - both in color and feel since this is a nicely balanced 2-ply it's nice and fat :D

Finally, I've also completed an art yarn - I'd forgotten how much fun it can be to spin them up - this one is called Harvest Berries and it's available in the shop.

Pine Forest!

2006-09-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is cooling down, I've been spinning again :)

I spun up a ginormous skein of browns, greens sand blues for Kiki's Birthday and decided I really liked that color combo, so I hauled out my wheel and cranked out two more skeins - these two are up at the Shop if you care to make them your own!

Kiri en Fuego

2006-09-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well, Fuego was the yarn anyhow - it looks more like an Agua inspired Kiri what with the blues - or perhaps Cielo - the deep blue with light blue reminds me of the crisp intense blue desert skies with wispy clouds.

Anyhow, the details:

Pattern from Polly at All Tangled Up

Yarn: Skacel Fuego - 80% mohair, 20% wool - 3 balls with ~25g remaining.

Needles: US15 (wahoo!)

Comments: a super fast knit, mostly because I adjusted the needles upward to accommodate the relatively fatter yarn. The original yarn called for in the pattern is Kidsilk Haze...of which I have none (I do, however, have one precious ball of doucer et soie but I have no idea what it wants to be yet). Anyhow, this lace pattern was fairly easy for me to commit to memory, though I did forget a yarnover here or there on occasion, resulting in my having to tink back to get it - luckily I never did have to resort to putting the shawl in the freezer to find out if ripping *frozen* mohair is any easier than ripping mohair of the non-frozen variety.

This shawl measures almost six feet across now that it has been blocked, and it seems to be just the thing to take the nip out of the over zealous air conditioning. There was a minor moment of indecision when I tried to figure out if I had enough yarn do do one more pattern repeat row and then go into the edging - some quick math told me not, and I'm pleased to say I was right - I only have 25g of yarn remaining. The only thing I was not able to accomplish was the dramatic points/scalloping as in the pattern, I think it's because I bound off too tightly - the good news is I bound off with equal tension all the way round, so I have a nice clean edge.

Regarding the yarn, it was easy enough to work with, though I do note that my shawl sheds a little bit - so if I am foolish enough to wear on certain garments, someone may wind up asking me if I'd dyed my cat blue.

A Scarf for the Blues

2006-08-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

Remember that yarn?? (handspun mixed wools plied with a commercial chenille) Well, I wasn't very happy with it, and couldn't for the life of me figure out what on earth to do with it.

I had enough for a scarf if I could figure out how to get a loose enough stitch to allow it to have a fair amount of length...but how to manage it? I wanted a scarf with a respectable width and length...but I wanted something that was easy to work up and not require too much thinking for the knitting....Dropped stitches stepped in to give me the width and length that I was looking for:

A Clapotis inspired scarf :)

Pattern from Knitty

Needles: US 13

Yarn: handspun, honestly I don't even recall the yardage or the weight.

Comments: as a scarf, with bulky yarn and big needles, this project knit up fast and the dropping and unraveling of the stitches provided a welcome break from the mindless stockinette stitching. When unblocked, it seemed to have some curling and puffing issues. I blocked this by doing a full wet soak - I was able to lay it out flat with no pins to hold it in place to get it to block flat.

Wooly Morning Glory Pillow

2006-08-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

Remember the Red Poppy Pillow that I designed for For the Love of Yarn? Well, I've been working all this time on a knit version and I finally have it completed!

I'm pleased to present the Wooly Morning Glory (and no, I'm not making up that name - the flower on the left is really named that!)! Just as fun as it's crochet counterpart, it's a great way to add some color to your living space. Who needs boring ol square pillows anyhow?

:D

The Pattern for the Wooly Morning Glory is now available in the Free Pattern section of my shop! Go over, enjoy, and be sure to send me photos if you make one :) it would give me such a kick to have an "internet garden" of sorts of various poppy and morning glory pillows popping up!

If you're having difficulty finding the free patterns, they can be found by going to "original patterns" then "free patterns" :D Enjoy!

Finally Finito!

2006-08-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Jaywalker Socks modified to be knit toe up and both at the same time as I am wont to do to prevent wonky gauge and second sock syndrome
Yarn: Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock in Black Purl colorway
Needle Size: US 1

Comments: The Pattern (and modification) proved to be plenty easy to follow - as usual, I have just the slightest of holes at the join post gusset & heel flap, but those will be easily hidden/mended with a darning needle. Because I failed to swatch, I had to take in a few stitches after I started on the zig zag patterning in order to make the socks fit more closely - but otherwise, everything was pulled off without a hitch! Of course, I still have a fair bit of yarn left over, and I'm now trying to see if I can get a pair of anklets out of it.

Lucky Log Cabin

2006-08-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

This baby blanket was created after taking several cues from Cara.

I had found out a while back that a friend I would be visiting was expecting her first child. Of course, being a knitter, I had to decide to bring her something hand knit to mark the occasion! The trouble, of course, was what to bring? I wanted it to be something useful, quick to knit (I was working with a fairly severe time constraint) and I wanted to make use of yarns I already had on hand.

The mother to be happens to be a quilter, so I thought a Log Cabin blanket might be appreciated. Cara's post about a random-number log cabin blanket had niggled its way into my mind at that point to become a future project. I decided I'd bump it up in the possible project queue and checked to make sure I had yarn on hand that would be suitable.

As for the numbers, 18 is considered a significant number, being the number of years before a child is considered to be an adult. In addition, to some, the number 18 and its multiples are considered to be lucky. With that decided, off I went to the random number generator to create my sequence.

The blanket consists of 36 rectangles, each ranging from one to eighteen ridges in width with each number represented at least once. I still have a bit of yarn from each ball that I started with, though I had to curtail my plans for a Fibonacci inspired border sequence because the purple color was looking like it was running suspiciously low. The border features two edges with picot finishing in an attempt to make the blanket more suitable for either gender as it seems my stash of this yarn (easy to care for, now discontinued Lion Brand Cotton Ease) ran to the blue family of hues. It's a little bigger than a standard baby blanket at about 28-30 inches on either side. I didn't measure it exactly as I finished it just in time to stuff it in my luggage for a visit to see the parents to be.

I can't say I plan on knitting another full log cabin - all that picking up stitches and garter stitch had me questioning my sensibilities. Though I am toying with a combination log cabin/mitered square blanket...it won't happen for quite some time though as I think I'm all garter stitched out for the time being.

My Biggest FO Yet!

2006-07-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

So. I haven't had much to show in the way of Finished Objects of late. I've barely touched the needles, or the crochet hooks for that matter! But it's all been for a very good reason. I promise.

Some of you may know, I've been spending all my spare moments glommed in front of the computer...well, the spare moments between putting fluff in the air and turning my fingers rainbow hued anyhow. I've been teaching myself new tricks :) and I'm finally ready to share.

I'm pleased to announce that my little business has grown to the point where my humble blogshop is no longer large enough to easily browse! SpritelyGoods has now moved to its own domain with a bigger and growing product selection!

C'mon over, have a look - I think you'll like what you see!

Red Poppy Pillow

2006-07-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

I can finally share this finished work with you :) it's a design I did using this yarn for SWTC and For the Love of Yarn. It's a brightly colored departure from the traditional throw pillow - and if you can't find a round pillow form (or refuse to pay the 3x price of a square one) you can bully a square pillow form into behaving. :) that's what I did!

For you knitters out there, stay tuned. I'm trying to get a knit version cracked. It's proving to be more challenging, simply because it's easier to create a firm not-so-stretchy fabric in crochet.

Virga

2006-06-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

click for closeup!
I was recently approached to see if I could do a custom dye lot of heathery grey yarn for a beautiful lace stole (print of the wave, by Eunny Jang) - and since I was playing with the dyes this weekend for a much needed restocking, I prepped up this monster skein. I'm pleased to present the first of my Ethereally Elemental line (very subtly variegated, perfect for lace or texturework!) This colorway is called Virga, and this particular skein is the only one of its kind for now. I love how the grey is oh so lightly variegated - just like how virga is!

Pi squared

2006-06-13T08:38:00.000-07:00

Look! I do in fact still knit :) the 2nd Pi bed is now complete (well, mostly - still not yet felted), but as you can see, is devoid of cats. They seem to like it fine, I catch them laying on it, or next to it at times, but with the warm weather, they can't be bothered to curl up in it. Hopefully once its felted and the cooler weather hits, they'll take to them. Since there's no rush in getting these beds felted, I'll probably see what other felted projects I can put together so I can send them all through the wash at the same time!

I do love me a variety of colors...

2006-05-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

To save me the fruity smell from KoolAid dying, I made the switch to acid dyes...a while back, I practiced on some roving and my yarn finally came in for Dye-o-Rama! Never one for moderation (well, I'm working on that) I soaked up 2.5 lbs (about a kilo) of yarn and got all the dyes out with some colorways in mind....

Behold the results!

Personally, I think they look a lot better skeined...

They are mostly available at the shop if you care to adopt any of them for your own ;) I say mostly because I, of course, have to keep some for myself :D I took copious notes in an attempt to see if I can reproduce the colorways. I'm fond of all of them, but for some reason I'm particularly drawn to Globe Mallow. Definitely odd. The Pink strikes again!

Anyhow, I'm loving the variety of colors that are achievable with the Acid Dyes...though I'm not loving the fumes...the vinegar really stank up the house - according to others in the house anyway ;) I have been suffering a cold and allergies so I couldn't smell a thing! I'll likely start replenishing my soak solution with citric acid instead of vinegar...I could throw the old soak solution out but it seems so wasteful, especially considering there's probably a half gallon of vinegar in there! Of course, I'm now hunting for a larger soaking tub as these skeins didn't come near to filling my ginormous dyepot (18 inches in diameter ;) )

Pirate Redux

2006-04-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished it - the redone Pirate Hat - Adult sized this time! My poor husband has been waiting patiently for this hat...and now it's done...just in time for 90 degree weather!

And with a more fancy lining too - I took it upon myself to do a little bit of Fibonacci striping on the inside to keep myself entertained...

Of course, I did wind up tweaking the pattern a bit - more on that later....

Pattern, from Hello Yarn

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Sport in Lipstick Sport (shhh! don't tell! I don't know *what* my husband will think if he finds out the red part is called "Lipstick") and Black

Needle Sizes: US4 and US2

Pattern Notes & Comments:

Because I continued to worry that the hat would be too narrow, I added an extra stitch in the edge of the pattern - and when I picked up the stitches to do the liner, I wound up adding some length because the hat was not long enough to cover my ears....Sadly, it seems my tension in fair isle is different enough from my tension while knitting plain stockinette - because even with the smaller needles, the hat bells out at the bottom - this is not so good because it will definitely not do so well in keeping ears warm. I'm trying to decide how best to resolve this situation - I don't think felting the hat will help at all, so I'm thinking I might need to add a band of elastic in between the outside of the hat and the liner....Anyone have any suggestions?

Like a Whirling Dervish

2006-04-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

It seems I've been doing an awful lot of spinning of late, resulting in not much other than Yarn and Batts to post for finished objects...stay tuned, I've got a knitted one to post soon (I hope ;) )

In the meantime, as I mention, I've been rather focused on spinning and color blending - and I've also been trying to come to grips with spinning singles - especially low twist slubby kinds...

It's coming along. This yarn is spun from one of my merino batts - it spun up great and I love the striping that I get throughout...

This other yarn is more of the Mill End fibers - I really like how it came out - the striping from the blending ranges from subtle (as observed on the white strand) to a more bold candy-cane/barber pole effect. Both yarns are available to be made your own over at the shop.

And more food inspired yarn

2006-04-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

Ideally, the red and blue bits would be a bit more compact and berry-like - but hey, I think it came out pretty darn good :) It's fun to look at and the blue and red bits are nice and squashy!

Now inspired by food...

2006-04-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

These (mmmm brownies!), along a large pile of Mill End Fibers from the Sheep Shed Studio resulted in these:

A small herd of yarns named after brownies...
From left to right: Caramel Cheesecake Brownie, Raspberry Cheesecake Brownie, Raspberry Caramel Cheesecake Brownie and finally, Mud Pie.

Yum.

Oh, btw, this is being entered into the Whipup Whiplash contest :) This week's theme is "Everyday Creativity." Between the baking and playing in the kitchen and being inspired by it to create new colorways, I think it fits in quite nicely!

Gift Bearing Buns

2006-04-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since posting! The creativity hasn't been lacking - I've just been semi derailed and distracted :) These two buns are just like Carat, but they prefer to carry gifts unique to their recipients - one went to live with Mariko and the other to live with Amy. Stay tuned for piles of yarn ;)

Introducing Jacques!

2006-04-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how excited I am that I can finally post about these little guys :)

They are happy little sea turtles, and best of all, they are my first officially published work in a magazine :) Obviously I've been designing my own little animals for a while - having gotten the push from Southwest Trading Company. I owe my magazine debut to Alison and the newly published For the Love of Yarn - go check it out :)

BTW, if you do make Jacques, please share your photos here!

Finished goods for Sale!

2006-03-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

Several weekends have passed and sadly I have made next to no progress on my knitting - my latest projects seem to have stalled on the needles, and my poor husband keeps inquiring after my hat. Summer is rapidly approaching and the poor man has no hat and my cats will soon no longer care if they have a catbed as they will prefer to lay on the cool tile.

Wondering what I've been up to? I've been swamped making these:

Lovely Luscious Batts - I now have more colors :) I think I've gotten spoiled now - I love spinning batts - they draft so smoothly!

A wonderful one ply :) - this is the Desert Sunset colorway spun into a thick and thin single - I think I still prefer plied yarns, but I am coming to like single/slightly slubby yarn.

And a beaded yarn! 5 plies, believe it or not - with lots of sparkly goodness. I know I said I'd never do another beaded yarn, but I somehow couldn't resist.

All of these items are up at the shop if you care to make any of them your own :)

Introducing Carat!

2006-03-13T11:53:00.000-08:00

While I was working on my design for submission to the new eMagazine For the Love of Yarn, I started tossing ideas around in my head for a springtime pattern...and thus Carat was born :)

Carat's pattern also includes the pattern for a Carrot, so you can make him a bountiful harvest to welcome in the spring. Incidentally, if you happen to have cats, Carat might have to share his Carrots, as they are perfect cat toys (or so my household felines attest).

Visit the Shop to see him with a carrot, and to buy your pattern now!

Now with more Mallow

2006-03-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

After depleting my stash of handspuns by having them consigned over to Tempe Yarn & Fiber, I felt the urge to try to replenish the bins.

In addition to carding up the batts, I sat myself down and found myself itching to make another skein of Desert Globe Mallow. It reminds me of spring, and I simply adore how it looks. Unfortunately I think this might be the last novelty yarn for a while, as I need to concentrate on getting the store restocked. While I love looking at yarns like this one, they do not lend themselves to production spinning as they are even more labor intensive than regular handspun! This skein is now up and available at the shop, if you're interested!

Sunset Batts

2006-03-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the gorgeous and stunning sunsets of the desert, I decided I'd blend up a bunch of merino into some lovely batts. They're nice and fluffy, with a tiny bit of firestar thrown in for some sparkle when spun.

In addition to spinning them, I'm enjoying myself just looking at them and petting them - I think my cats are jealous.

Available at the shop, you can also pop over there for a sample of what it looks like spun up and plied on itself.

In honor of Learn To Spin Day

2006-03-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

According to the 2006 Year in Yarn Calendar, last Saturday was Learn to Spin Day.

As I already know how to spin, I decided to teach myself a new technique and see if I could execute a yarn that has been bouncing around in my head for quite some time. For those that are keeping track, last Saturday was the same Saturday that I was possessed to redesign my sweater. All I can say is it was a very very busy day full of fiber artistry!

Inspired by the Desert Globe Mallow, in addition to some supercoils to mimic leaves, I cage spun little bits of pink, orange and yellow onto a single of handblended merino and firestar fiber. It was a bit challenging ensuring the little tufts were securely fastened to the main yarn, but in the end a few passes of a plying thread seemed to do the trick. Out of all the yarns I've turned out thus far, I think this one is my most favorite yet!

While the mallow in the photo above does not have any orange, I should point out that the globe mallow actually has both orange and pink blooms, though not on the same plant.

Leaf Lace Redux

2006-02-28T10:22:00.000-08:00

Remember my Leaf Lace Pullover for the Knitting Olympics?

You may recall I had some concerns over how the sweater would buckle not far down from the neckline...well, I took the sweater out for a debut, and the buckling (which became more pronounced) simply drove me bonkers.

So I spent several hours over the weekend attempting to figure out how to de-and reconstruct the sweater. It seemed there wasn't enough allowance for the shoulder area, resulting in the buckling - and since I'm so dreadful at Kitchner Stitch (you'd think I'd be an expert after grafting the sweater together!) I decided I'd remove the kitchner, and knit up from the bottom. Unfortunately, this meant a serious overhaul was in order. My limited understanding of set in sleeves (and my desire to not have to rip out and reshape the sleeve caps) in addition to my even more limited understanding of neckline shaping made for a frustrating evening of pattern modification.

Behold! The fruits of my labors! Excuse the color - the photos in the original leaf lace pullover post are more true. I was so pleased when I was finished I simply couldn't wait until I had proper lighting conditions!

The set in sleeves went in fairly well, though it seems perhaps I have a little bit more space than I anticipated in the bust area - the photo is a little unflattering, as it seems a little lumpy - I assure you, I'm not lumpy and neither is the sweater. I don't know what was going on...and I didn't want to wait to post until I had better photos taken. You'll notice some holes over on the right shoulder (on the left side of the photo) and in the center of the v-neck...

The holes on the shoulder were intentional...and if you look more closely, they will resolve themselves into the leaf lace pattern. The holes in the center of the v-neck were not intentional...but they seem to mirror the eyelet lace on the sleeve. The holes are an artifact of twisted stitches in the center of paired decreases. I had initially done the neckline with a regular knit stitch in the center, but later decided I didn't like how that looked and decided to redo it with a twisted stitch, resulting in those unanticipated openings.

A closeup of the neckline shows the little leaves and the center stitches of the v-neck in more detail. In case you're trying to puzzle out how I got those leaves there while knitting from the bottom of the sweater up: The answer is those are actually knit from the top down and kitchnered to the body. If you look closely, you can see a slight line where the kitchnering took place. You might also notice that my nice line of marching "V"s along side of the V-neck are slightly interrupted. This is due to the fact that knitted increases do not make the same detailing as knitted decreases (at least not the kind of increases I was using (M1 inc)). To get the marching V's back, I played around with a crochet slip stitch applied to the border. While not perfect, it's good enough for me, and can be redone if at some point I decide it needs to be better matched to the opposite side of the neckline.

Leaf Lace Pullover

2006-02-19T16:27:00.000-08:00

Cast on for the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics, I'm pleased to say I've finished this sweater within the allotted time, with a week to spare!

Pattern: modified from the Leaf Lace Pullover in Teva Durham's Loop-d-Loop. The pattern was altered to work with a worsted weight yarn, lengthen the body and add a touch of shaping at the waist.

Yarn: Southwest Trading Company Optimum in Lilac

Needles: US8

Comments: If you have trouble with Kitchner stitch, this is not the sweater for you - both arms are grafted to the body at the shoulder, and the top and bottom of the sweater are also kitchnered together. Overall, I'm fairly pleased with the sweater, and I do like the leaf details.

The lengthening of the body obviously does result in the hem and arm leaves landing fairly close together - I suppose I could have not lengthened it quite so much, but I really dislike sweaters that land right below my waist, as it typically means I have to remember to keep my arms down or risk baring my non-sculpted middle!

While I'm not minding the placement of the leaves at the neck - through some inconsiderate math on my part, they landed nearly right in the center, rather than being offset - I am still undecided on the neckline with its mock-turtle-like lines. Over the course of time, it has a tendency to buckle a bit. I have been successful in resolving this problem by wearing the sweater with the neck unbuttoned and folded over - though that solution hides the leaf details and is asymmetric.

While the sweater is indeed finished and perfectly wearable, I'm not certain how long it will remain in this state. I may very well decide in some time to pick out the kitchner stitching, detach the arms, and re-knit the top of the sweater with a crew or scoop neck - sans leaves of course....but it's safe for now :D

Spindles for Plying

2006-02-17T12:56:00.000-08:00

Behold! A small fleet of spindles that have been created expressly for plying! After completely filling up my Emily Spindle full to bursting (the thing looked ridiculous), I decided I needed a spindle with a bigger whorl.

Instead of going out to purchase more spindles, I decided I'd go head and make my own...more economical, and a bigger whorl too! In this case, size *does* matter (at least for plying anyhow!)

Following the instructions from Interweave and DIY Network, I was able to gather the materials to make several spindles.

As you can see, I put three spindles together, they range in weights from 1.6 oz to 2.7 oz. The heaviest, pictured to the left, actually is made of 4 CDs - 2 pairs of 2 spaced closely together. The medium weight one has a bunch of binder clips attached to the edge to add weight, and the last one is simply a pair of CDs on the dowel. I haven't had a chance to ply with them yet, as I've been engrossed in my knitting olympics project.

Last minute Spinning

2006-02-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

With a touch of OC tendencies and a type A personality, I couldn't leave the yarn alone. After filling the bobbin, I couldn't resist taking the spinning to completion and plying it up.

I present "Nighttime Sky" - handblended merino fibers in various shades found in the sky - over a base of midnight blue, there are shades from a bright blue, to a steel blue of an overcast day. To add some fun, there are slight hints of lavender as found during the twilight hours, and a sprinkling of firestar. The handblended merino was corespun over the top of a blue snarl spun commercial yarn and the resulting single was plied with shiny metallic to mimic the twinkling lights of the night time sky.

A closeup detailing the texture can be found at the shop - go check it out :)

Dry At Last!

2006-02-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Skeined up and ready to go to a new home, should anyone care to buy it....

I present Beaded Bumbleberry Pie! Like the rest of the Bumbleberry Pie family, the colors are rich berry colors, and was made from space dyed targhee wool. I was tiring of doing up coils, so I tried my hand at beading singles as I was spinning. It's a bit frustrating, and very labor intensive - and I'm not convinced it's the best thing for my wheel (I'm noticing wear on my flyer hooks!) The sequins on the singles had a tendency to catch on the hooks, though they passed nicely while plying.

If you care to make this yarn your own, it is available from my shop.

More Coils!

2006-02-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

Spun up a few more coils over the weekend - the closeups are available at the shop.

In an attempt to get more exposure, I've started posting some items to etsy, and I've changed the shipping to $5- flat shipping rate. We'll see how it works out! I'll probably be taking a break from coils for a while, and work on some other techniques.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

2006-02-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

I don't know how it happens, but somehow it seems all those silly plastic grocery bags pile up and start a-multiplyin'! Usually, they eventually get rounded up and recycled by bringing them to a local drop off point. This time, however, I decided to recycle them myself by turning them into a gym tote! I'd had it with my regular gym bag - it wasn't quite roomy enough, things were constantly falling out (because I'd have them piled precariously on top), and it didn't breathe at all! While a plastic mesh tote is not the most fashionable of objects, it certainly seems to do the job well, and I really don't have to worry about it getting wet or dirty.

Not terribly difficult, just a little labor intensive getting the prep work done, this tote was finished in about a week from start to finish, replenishing my plastic bag yarn as I went along.

To prep, I cut the bags into about 1-inch wide strips, then girth hitched them all together to make a continuous piece. For the mottled look, I threw in some white bag strips in with the yellow every now and again.

Using a the largest crochet hook I had in the house (a size P I think), I created a rectangle that was an appropriate size for the bottom...I then started working in the round to make the sides and handles of the bag. The little divider was added after the fact, by picking up stitches in the bottom of the bag, then working side to side, picking up stitches on the sides to anchor it in place.

It's a little roomy, and it does stretch some, but over all, I'm pleased with the result :)

New Yarns!

2006-02-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

Picture heavy post! But it is all yarn, so drool away :)

First up is my next skein of supercoiled bumbleberry pie. The first skein went to live with the Luscious Gracious Clan and was turned into a stunning wrap (scroll down past the cool guitar strap to see the photos!). I figured I'd turn the rest of that roving into similar yarn.

Next we have a combination of handblended fiber (why yes, the box o fiber has been moved in, sorted by hue, and the carder has been used :D) It's a bunch of greens that remind me of the surprising variety of green plants here in the desert, and it's been plied with a commercial orange, red and gold flecked novelty yarn. The colors reminded me of a southwestern coral bean plant. I think I'll be gathering a lot of my inspiration for future blendings from my outdoor adventures!

And finally you can ogle what's left of my green yarn - there was just a smidge left over (about 8.5 yards worth), and it's got lovely heathery greens and a little sparkle and shine from the firestar that I blended in.

The two upper yarns are now posted for sale at my shop! A closeup of the southwestern Coral Bean yarn can be ogled there, along with a photo of the plant that inspired it.

Introducing Ilion!

2006-01-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

I'm working on growing my design skills - and here is the result!

Inspired by my cat, Troy, and my attempts at stashbusting, the creation of Ilion proved to be a welcome diversion from normal day to day goings on.

The pattern is my own and is now up for purchase! Visit my store to find out more about materials required and to buy your pattern now!

Yar, Matey!

2006-01-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

oooh! look! Colorwork!

And Colorwork Guts!

I think I'm addicted to fair isle knitting. The ability to knit both continental and english style certainly sped thing along nicely.

Pattern: We Call them Pirates from hello yarn

Yarn: Dale of Norway Baby Ull*

Needles: US3 & US1

Comments: * before we get too far, yes, I realize that Baby Ull was *not* the yarn called for - and it is considerably smaller in gauge than Hauk, the recommended yarn. In any case, the hat came out lovely, if too small for an adult. Measured flat, it looks like it'll fit someone with a head 17-18 inches in circumference. As I mention above, it seems I adapted to stranded knitting just fine - I didn't seem to have any issues with the floats being drawn too tightly, and the fabric has wonderful stretch. If anything, the hat lining being tacked to the outer fabric might limit the stretch of the hat a little. I used a crochet provisional cast on (much better than the other provisional I've used in the past - the looping provisional, if you're curious), and knit the whole thing on a long circular needle - the same way I would do socks via the "magic loop" method (dpns and I do not get along - they are constantly insisting on sliding out of my knitting and leaving me with loops flapping in the wind - and all knitters know that uncontrolled flapping loops are not a good thing).

New Skills learned: fair isle knitting, crochet provisional cast on.

And now for the cool part: I am offering this hat up for a swap - since I have no children of my own, and it does not fit myself nor my husband (and I don't think my cats would like it if I tried to make *them* wear it), it can be pom-pom'd for extra cuteness, though I think that might clash with the Pirate motif ;) Contact me or leave me a comment if you're interested. (This is being x-posted so I'll be getting back to all interested parties if there are more than one. If you leave a comment be certain to provide your email address so I can contact you!)

Two more for the Herd!

2006-01-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help myself. I had lambs on the brain after all that work for Southwest Trading Co, and the response from you readers has been fantastic. I decided I had to quickly create another pattern for those of you who do not have access to merchants that might have the other pattern that was created expressly for SWTC!

Behold, my two lambkins - they are made of Southwest Trading Company yarns, mostly because I have a lot of yarn from them on hand. You can substitute like yarns, of course.

The pattern is my own and is now up for purchase! Visit my store to find out more about materials required and to buy your pattern now!

Sproing!

2006-01-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

Behold!

My first attempt at supercoils! Not too bad - though I have a little bit of learning to get through! Big thanks to Marie for providing tips and hints :) I aspire to be like Marie - she's got her handspun for sale at kpixie and the Point!

Anyhow, details:

Supercoiled Razzleberry Pie

Fiber: handpainted targhee wool (not by me) bound with variegated rayon thread - colors ranging from a rich deep raspberry to a gorgeous periwinkle.

55 g /1.9 oz

approx 118 meters / 129 yards

Comments: Soft and Sproingy, for future supercoiling, I think I need to actually put more twist into my singles (that and work on a more uniform twist still :D) - you may or may not be able to tell, but the yarn has very little twist in it now that it's been plied. Some coils are more tight than others. Definitely fun and interesting to look at - it did have some issues on the wheel, as some of the coils got stuck first in the orifice and then on the flyer hooks. Not availible for sale, as it lives with the Luscious Gracious Clan :) If interested, I have more fiber in this colorway ready for plying - leave me a comment!

And now for Something Sewn

2006-01-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Not a recently finished object, but a finished object of a while back - I think I actually sewed this kitty bed up a year or two or maybe even three years ago! Luckily for me, my cat Troy has recently claimed it as his own, after ignoring it all this time! As a result, I've finally managed to get a good photo of it in use :)

The bed walls are just deep enough for him to curl up inside, and not be seen, if looking at it from the side. I simply made it up as I went along.

Materials: Festively decorated (oooh! Christmas lights!) Fabric - cotton print, I believe. Felt or fleece for the lining, and polyfil and batting for the filling.

Approximate method: In addition to sewing this, I sewed up a bunch of circular "tuffets" for the cats - the "tuffet" provides the base for this cat bed.

The circular "tuffet" simply consists of two circles of fabric, the exact same size, filled with a combination of batting and a bit of polyfil to add fluff and stitched in the center with an X to form a divet.

The walls of the cat bed are made of one long tube - it's long enough to just overlap itself when wrapped around the tuffet - I estimated the length required by measuring the circumference of the un-sewn tuffet circles. Once the tuffet part was complete, I sewed and stuffed the long tube for the walls. At that point, I had a round tuffet and one long stuffed tube - kind of like a cat sized body pillow. If you're inclined, pin the tube around the tuffet and sew in place - if you're like me, and dislike pins, grab the tube and the tuffet and whip stitch em together. The way I sewed mine together, it is kind of reversible, so that the felt part is on the outside - but I think the cat prefers it the way it is :)

A second career?

2006-01-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

These guys will officially mark the start of my career as a pattern writer!

How exciting! They are the 2nd pattern I've been commissioned to create by Southwest Trading Company - the first was a Trellised Scarf made out of Karaoke. That particular pattern is available from yarn merchants that carry Southwest Trading Co yarns (just ask em to download it for you). These were inspired by my Amigurumi binge over the holidays - specifically by these fellows.

Pattern: Will be available through Southwest Trading Company and Merchants that carry their yarn

Yarns: The white sheep is made of Bamboo Feather and Karaoke, the Blue sheep is made of Twize and Bamboo Feather - incidentally, it's a vegan sheep - 100% bamboo yarn content!

While SWTC is very generous with their compensation, I'm going to try my hand at selling my patterns via my shop. Stay tuned!

Fanciful Fruity Yarn!

2006-01-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Mmmm! Yarn! In all its fruity glory! For details on the dye process, read here. It took several days to dry after dripping dry in the bathroom over the tub....the fruity smell is still there, though it is less noticeable (either that or I've simply become accustomed to it). Each hank is eight ounces of what used to be boring natural colored Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool. I like it much better this way in it's newly transformed fruity form.

Here you can see it as a wall of yarn, fresh out of the dyepot and newly rinsed and pressed dry on a towel. Don't worry, I did spread it out after the photo was taken to try to encourage a more speedy drying. Even with the addition of food coloring and extra KoolAid packets, the yarn soaked up all the dye, as I noticed no dye bleed during the rinsing process, nor was my tub colored as the yarn drip dried. Unfortunately the Blues and Purples batch did not come out fully saturated and may be in need of an overdye.

While the Wall of Yarn was quite beautiful with its tie-dyed funky appearance, I greatly prefer how it looks re-skeined into smaller swift-friendly size - even though rewinding it took a long time (to dye the yarn, I wound it up on a huge niddy noddy). I'll probably leave them as they are until I'm ready to knit with them, at which point I'll bring out the swift and ballwinder.

I think I'm in love with dying, though next time, I'm going to use proper (non KoolAid) dyes, and I'll have to make a day of it and see if I can completely fill the pot!

Brightly Colored Birdies!

2006-01-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

while it may look like there are 15 birdies here, I'm not quite *that* productive!

During the week between Christmas and New Years, I did also happen to make good progress on finishing off the remainder of my Lion Brand Microspun, though I still remain with a fair amount of purple and lime left over.

I had a fair amount of it on hand, left over from making several Pashas and Anouk - but not enough to know what to do with - enter Amigurumi Crochet! I'm just about ready to move off from this book - for all my enjoyment of the creative process, I guess I'm a linear thinker at heart - these birds are also from Amigugumi Collection Vol 1 - ISBN 4309265723.

Hook Size: US D/3 (3.25mm)

Comments: Easy and quick to make, without their wings, they look like little eggs - or perhaps not so little, as each stands just under 4 inches tall. I imagine if I downsized them and filled them with catnip, they'd make fabulous cat toys - especially because of how roly poly they are! I found the most difficult part was closing the bottom - instead picking back up and doing decreases as noted on the chart, I opted to draw the loose end of the yarn through the stitches and draw the bottom tightly closed - I simply wasn't liking how things were coming out tension-wise on the fabric once the bird was stuffed. Next most challenging was getting the feet sewn on - they're just little x's on the bird's bottom, consisting of 4 stitches, but like the 3-stitch faces on the sheep, they were hard to get evenly spaced. I'll definitely be holding this pattern in reserve for those random scraps of yarn that seem to accumulate as I finish projects!

Anti Sheep?

2005-12-31T23:59:00.000-08:00

I remember reading a long time ago at the Yarn Harlot, that Anti Sheep is an anagram of Stephanie. Well it would be hard pressed to say that this or that Stephanie is Anti Sheep. I'm a big Wool Fan - as my Ridiculous Stash can attest.

So can these guys:

Who could possibly resist those guys?! I have to confess to not following my stash reduction plans - I was at JoAnns looking for something - I don't even remember what (I think it might have been 6mm eyes, but I'm not certain) - in any case, the yarn used for those guys was on sale. And I was between projects. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Details?

Of course, they are more Crochet Amigurumi - from Amigurumi Collection Vol 1 (no, I've not moved off of Volume 1 yet, but I do have plans to). ISBN 4309265723.

Yarn: JoAnn Exclusive - Sensations - Icee and Dolcetto in Off White and Cream, respectively. Incidentally, I've still got plenty of Dolcetto (the non fuzzy part) but I've used almost 2 skeins of Icee to make that small herd of Sheepies.

Hooks: That's right - hooks! Plural! The Dolcetto (for the bottom, ears/horns and face) was crochet using a 3.5mm (US E4) hook (for the small sheepies) and a 3.75mm (USF5) hook (for the big sheepie) - I prefer how it came out using the 3.5mm hook - that and the holes were small enough for me to put some polyfil beads in the bottom (for stabilization) without them leaking out. The Icee was hooked using a 6mm (US J10) hook.

Comments: They come together mighty fast and they are wonderfully adorable - I have to say crocheting the Icee (a feathery chenille-like yarn) was a royal pain (because I couldn't see what I was doing). I recommend putting polyfil or other weighted beads in the bottom of these guys, or sheep tipping may prove to be in your future. The horns were a little challenging on the big guy - I didn't have any white pipe cleaners, so I had to wrap polyfil around the black one I did have, and I had to use 2 since the pipe cleaner (craft variety) was not very rigid and wasn't cooperating in helping me shape the horns. Assembly was fairly easy, with the face being the most difficult - who would think getting three stitches centered and even (for the nose & mouth) would be so difficult?? The collar also took a little bit of time, as I could not find cord similar to that used in the book, and none of the yarns I had on hand looked good as a collar - I opted to go a little fancy and each is sporting a flower trimmed red velvet ribbon...and don't forget the bell :)

In case you're wondering - the big one took almost an entire skein of Icee. The pair of lambkins can be had from a single skein of Icee.

Stashbusting Socks for Sandals or Clogs!

2005-12-29T10:15:00.000-08:00

Remember Cozy? Well here's what's become of that last skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease!

I am happy to present Mizar! A fantastically quick knitting pair of socks, even with all those fancy cables (the trick is the worsted weight yarn!). Mizar is from the 2nd edition of Socks for Sandals and Clogs by Anna Zilboorg (and incidentally, they are my first cuff to toe pattern).

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease in Loden

Needles: US5 (and no, as it turns out, I forewent the swatching and guess right on needle size. I probably could have knit them on US6s with no problems)

Comments: Well, I must admit I think I prefer knitting my socks toe up - mostly because I don't get that nervous feeling that I might run out of yarn before the sock is "done" - with toe up socks, I can just keep going and then knit the ribbed cuff when it looks like I'm about ready to run out of yarn. In this case, I had to guess how many pattern repeats to do before setting in on the heel flap (I guessed right here too) and though I could probably do with a little bit more length in the sock, they fit quite well as they are - and a good thing too, because I don't think I had enough yarn to do an additional 1/2 pattern repeat before starting on my toe decreases - as it was, I estimated approximately 20-25 feet of yarn remaining out of the skein once both socks were done. These socks were fun to knit, and they look gorgeous. The side pattern actually marches right on down and around the front of the toes - so I got to practice my non-standard Kitchner stitch again (I'm getting better). I admit to still having some small laddering issues, especially at the gusset - and I have problems keeping the ladders away if I switch needles and the next stitches don't match those preceding (for example, if I had a bunch of Purl stitches and then switched needles and went to the side pattern (a modified Rib) there was usually some laddering observed - I also have a little bit of laddering at the toe, where the decreases are right along side the side pattern). The good news is the ladders along the gusset were easy to fix, and the ones near the toes are not terribly noticeable. Ladders and all, I have to admit to a tremendous sense of accomplishment in finishing these socks - they're just gorgeous to look at and plenty comfy to wear!

I have a thing for cats

2005-12-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

Can you tell?

This little girl comes from Amigurumi Collection Vol 1, one of my Japanese Craft Books.

ISBN: 4309265723
Yarn: Lion Brand Microspun in Buttercup, Lily and Purple.
Hook: USD (3.25mm)

I've found Crochet to be a welcome diversion from knitting, and the projects I've been tackling are small and seem to go fairly quickly. I'm getting better at assembly, so this little girl was finished faster than Citrine.

Unlike Citrine who likes to scamper about au naturale, this kitty sports a white frock, trimmed with purple, and has a matching slip stitched knit scarf.

Gustaf Glovedog

2005-12-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

introducing Gustaf
He lives with Schmeebot. He's a very debonair fellow, made of white gloves and sporting a microfibre knit scarf - apparently these garter stitch long-ways scarves are all the rage these days.

Gustaf is inspired by this book on the left (that is all about stuffed animals made from socks and gloves) - and is decidedly less Snoopy shaped (as the cover model is) and is more Spuds McKenzie-esque. I suppose that's my handling of stuffing for you - and short of tacking his ears down, they were never going to behave as the floppy ears on the book's cover model. Since I don't believe in unnecessary procedures, I opted to leave his ears as they were - perky and excitable looking.

ISBN: 4579110617

Gustaf is made from a pair of nylon gloves, and is handsewn (tho if I was ambitious to make a lot of Gustafs, I suppose I'd break down and do a bunch of seaming using a machine, leaving the finishing to be done by hand). Challenges included getting stuffing into his extremities without making them terribly lumpy (and he is a little lumpy - I suspect Mr. Cover Model is too - in any case this is why Gustaf is photographed from the waist up), getting his head stuffed and seamed (I think I'd baste the cut ends of the knit fabric the next time, as the fabric developed several runs that made seaming a little interesting) and getting his eyes set right. I opted to use stud eyes on Gustaf along with a spare button for his nose - because his eyes were such a challenge to set (and not re-doable once the backings were on), I think I'd go with buttons the next time. Definitely a fun little creation, and not terribly time consuming either!