I estimate that I will have 100 ends to weave in when this is done.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Just a quick note to update you on what I am working on right now:
The Mrs. Darcy cardigan has been given a bit of a rest -- I need to do some frogging and calculating for it, and really don't have the mental energy (or inclination) to work on it right now. I am hoping to complete it by late summer/early autumn, but that will depend on my work situation.
The Hush-Hush Royal Flush project is coming along well, but holy moly it is slow going! My deadline is late August, so I still have plenty of time for it. The yarn is so so lovely; I am really glad that I grabbed two skeins of hand-dyed yarn from Tanis Fiber Arts.
Last week I picked up some yarn for a quick project. My brother requested a scarf, so I decided to knit one for his birthday gift. Yes, his birthday is in August, but he goes to University on the other side of the country. Thia way, he will have the scarf when it starts getting chilly. I wanted it to be inexpensive and washable (boys are messy, you know!) so I grabbed a few skeins of acrylic. Here are the colours:
Unfortunately, I couldn't find four appropriate colours of the same brand, so one of the skeins is a bit thicker. It affects the width of the scarf ever-so-slightly, so the stripes are narrowest for that yarn.
More to come!
The Mrs. Darcy cardigan has been given a bit of a rest -- I need to do some frogging and calculating for it, and really don't have the mental energy (or inclination) to work on it right now. I am hoping to complete it by late summer/early autumn, but that will depend on my work situation.
The Hush-Hush Royal Flush project is coming along well, but holy moly it is slow going! My deadline is late August, so I still have plenty of time for it. The yarn is so so lovely; I am really glad that I grabbed two skeins of hand-dyed yarn from Tanis Fiber Arts.
Last week I picked up some yarn for a quick project. My brother requested a scarf, so I decided to knit one for his birthday gift. Yes, his birthday is in August, but he goes to University on the other side of the country. Thia way, he will have the scarf when it starts getting chilly. I wanted it to be inexpensive and washable (boys are messy, you know!) so I grabbed a few skeins of acrylic. Here are the colours:
Unfortunately, I couldn't find four appropriate colours of the same brand, so one of the skeins is a bit thicker. It affects the width of the scarf ever-so-slightly, so the stripes are narrowest for that yarn.
More to come!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Maddy's Jacket
Wow, it has been a while since I've posted here! I've had a FO to share, but it was waiting to be gifted so it was a bit hush hush. Here it is:
Project: Maddy's Jacket
Made for: baby Lawrence
Pattern: Peach Blossom Baby Jacket by Looking Glass Knits
New Skills: Raglan, first jacket, DPNs
You may notice that the sleeves looks a little off: the jacket is actually knit in twisted stockingette, whereas the sleeves are regular stockingette. It wasn't done on purpose -- this project helped me realize that I've been wrapping the yarn the wrong way on the purl sts, so it has been twisting. I knew something was up! Some fellow self-taught leftie knitters on lj helped me figure out what I was doing wrong. I still think it looks cute, but wish the sleeves matched!
The pattern said that this could all be done on straights, but there was no way I could pick up the sleeve stitches -- so it forced me to learn how to use DPNs a little sooner than I'd planned to.
Otherwise, the pattern was excellent and I really love the finished product. I wanted something that was not too cutesy or traditional to match the parents' personalities.
I started knitting this before the gender of the baby was known and used some blue acrylic* I've had for a while, and picked up some lovely soft yellow to compliment it. I think it would look sweet on either gender, but baby ended up being a girl so I picked up some yellow buttons to finish it off. She definitely won't fit into it for a little while, but I'm excited to see how it looks on her
It's not perfect, but I think it is pretty adorable for my first sweater.
*NOTE baby clothes and blankets generally should not be knit with acrylic. They are traditionally knit with wool because it burns very reluctantly, and is self-extinguishing (the flame will go out when taken away from the source of fire). Acrylic, on the other hand, could melt into a baby's skin. Of course, you hope your baby won't be surrounded by flames, but remember that he/she has no way to move away from them. I only used acrylic because this is a jacket, not sleep wear, so she won't be unattended while wearing it. I also let the parents know, and they were glad to hear that it is machine-washable!
Project: Maddy's Jacket
Made for: baby Lawrence
Pattern: Peach Blossom Baby Jacket by Looking Glass Knits
New Skills: Raglan, first jacket, DPNs
You may notice that the sleeves looks a little off: the jacket is actually knit in twisted stockingette, whereas the sleeves are regular stockingette. It wasn't done on purpose -- this project helped me realize that I've been wrapping the yarn the wrong way on the purl sts, so it has been twisting. I knew something was up! Some fellow self-taught leftie knitters on lj helped me figure out what I was doing wrong. I still think it looks cute, but wish the sleeves matched!
The pattern said that this could all be done on straights, but there was no way I could pick up the sleeve stitches -- so it forced me to learn how to use DPNs a little sooner than I'd planned to.
Otherwise, the pattern was excellent and I really love the finished product. I wanted something that was not too cutesy or traditional to match the parents' personalities.
I started knitting this before the gender of the baby was known and used some blue acrylic* I've had for a while, and picked up some lovely soft yellow to compliment it. I think it would look sweet on either gender, but baby ended up being a girl so I picked up some yellow buttons to finish it off. She definitely won't fit into it for a little while, but I'm excited to see how it looks on her
It's not perfect, but I think it is pretty adorable for my first sweater.
*NOTE baby clothes and blankets generally should not be knit with acrylic. They are traditionally knit with wool because it burns very reluctantly, and is self-extinguishing (the flame will go out when taken away from the source of fire). Acrylic, on the other hand, could melt into a baby's skin. Of course, you hope your baby won't be surrounded by flames, but remember that he/she has no way to move away from them. I only used acrylic because this is a jacket, not sleep wear, so she won't be unattended while wearing it. I also let the parents know, and they were glad to hear that it is machine-washable!
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Feather & Fan Scarf
I wanted to knit a light, lovely scarf for my Great Aunt Jenny who is dying of cancer. She lives in England and I can't go visit, but I wanted to send her a tangible expression of love, comfort, and well wishes.
Project: Jenny's Scarf
Pattern: Easy Lace Scarf by Knitters Review
Made for: Aunt Jenny
New skill: Lace knitting, beaded fringe
I had a moment of panic while knitting -- what if wool is irritable to cancer patients? Would a lace scarf be appropriate for springtime on the southern English coast? I was reassured, and finished knitting it a few days later. I used some lovely sock yarn that was hand-dyed by a local fiber artist. I highly recommend the yarn -- the colours are gorgeous, the price is right, AND this 80% wool -- 20% nylon blend is machine washable and dryable. Check out Tanis Fiber Arts on Etsy.
After blocking, the scarf measured 6' (before blocking, it was as long as my desk at work, I'll have to measure that on Monday!).
I decided it could use some embellishment, so I headed over to the neighbourhood bead shop and picked up some pretty gold beads, figured out how to wrangle them onto the yarn, et voila.
I wrapped up the scarf with a nice bar of Verbena-scented soap and mailed it off on Wednesday.
Project: Jenny's Scarf
Pattern: Easy Lace Scarf by Knitters Review
Made for: Aunt Jenny
New skill: Lace knitting, beaded fringe
I had a moment of panic while knitting -- what if wool is irritable to cancer patients? Would a lace scarf be appropriate for springtime on the southern English coast? I was reassured, and finished knitting it a few days later. I used some lovely sock yarn that was hand-dyed by a local fiber artist. I highly recommend the yarn -- the colours are gorgeous, the price is right, AND this 80% wool -- 20% nylon blend is machine washable and dryable. Check out Tanis Fiber Arts on Etsy.
After blocking, the scarf measured 6' (before blocking, it was as long as my desk at work, I'll have to measure that on Monday!).
I decided it could use some embellishment, so I headed over to the neighbourhood bead shop and picked up some pretty gold beads, figured out how to wrangle them onto the yarn, et voila.
I wrapped up the scarf with a nice bar of Verbena-scented soap and mailed it off on Wednesday.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Old Shale
Yes! I finished knitting on Monday, and blocked it tonight. Should be dry in the morning..
I'm thinking I will add beaded fringe, so I'll need to head over to Bidz soon.. Probably won't have a chance until this weekend -- maybe tomorrow, if they're open into the evening.
I'll tell the story of it when I post the final pictures.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Nintendo DS Lite Cover
Project: DS cover
Pattern: Seamless Nintendo DS Lite Sock by Kathryn Ivy
Made for: Me
New skill: Seamless double-knit pouch
I'm not the type to knit cozies for items just for the sake of having cozies. I did, however, want my (ok, the bf's) DS Lite protected from scratches.
I was going to knit this using the leftover skein from Jack's mosaic scarf. He always carries his PSP in a case, so I thought he'd like one for the DS as well. Good thing I told him before knitting it -- he told me he wouldn't use a case for the DS so I should save my yarn; he has one for PSP only because the screen is exposed. I always have a ton of crap in my purse and didn't want the DS to get too badly scratched, so I made one anyway. Just in purple instead.
This yarn is leftover from the calorimetry that I made my sister for her birthday. It is absolutely lovely, I recommend it: Queensland Collection Rustic Wool in colour 09.
And yes, that's an Ice Blue DS. Isn't it lovely? It has been loaded it up with Tetris, Sudoku, and old school Mario Bros for me to play, along with a ton of other games I just haven't tried!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Monsteress's Extra Yummy PB Cookies
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
Dash of water
Dash of salt
1 1/4 cup flour (might need an extra sprinkle)
Mix the milk, egg, pb and water in a large bowl. Add salt and gradually mix in flour. Roll out the dough and cut with your favourite cookie cutters.
Bake at 350'
1 egg
2 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
Dash of water
Dash of salt
1 1/4 cup flour (might need an extra sprinkle)
Mix the milk, egg, pb and water in a large bowl. Add salt and gradually mix in flour. Roll out the dough and cut with your favourite cookie cutters.
Bake at 350'
(I love my dog, and my cookie cutter!)Friday, March 28, 2008
Matilda
I started this blog with the intention of showcasing my creations, but phew, I am so tired lately. I will use this post to show off a project I finished in November:
Project: Mosaic scarf
Pattern: Matilda by Silke Hupka
Made for: Jack
New skill: Double knit, slip stitch, working with two colours
This scarf is amazing, I am so happy with it! It was my first serious, wanna-make-it-perfect project. I made it as part of Jack's Christmas present and put a lot of time and effort into it. The doubleknit took exceedingly long (I worked on this DAILY for over a month) but makes it so cosy. I chose the brown-grey Kureyon because it looks great with a variety of his jackets.
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, 100% wool, colour 149 (2 skeins); Inca Gold Marra, 70% merino 30% baby alpaca, black (3 skeins). The Kureyon pissed me off, I probably won’t use it anymore: BOTH skeins had that issue where it wasn’t one consistent string of yarn but had been tied to another. This happened in TWO places in the second skein which was spun terribly uneven to the point of near-breakage! Bah. The other yarn was lovely though.
One of the first people to compliment Jack on the scarf were two old ladies who coludn't believe his girlfriend had knit it for him. They told him it was well done and a beautiful pattern -- I think it was good to hear that from someone other than me!
Hand-wash only.
Project: Mosaic scarf
Pattern: Matilda by Silke Hupka
Made for: Jack
New skill: Double knit, slip stitch, working with two colours
This scarf is amazing, I am so happy with it! It was my first serious, wanna-make-it-perfect project. I made it as part of Jack's Christmas present and put a lot of time and effort into it. The doubleknit took exceedingly long (I worked on this DAILY for over a month) but makes it so cosy. I chose the brown-grey Kureyon because it looks great with a variety of his jackets.
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, 100% wool, colour 149 (2 skeins); Inca Gold Marra, 70% merino 30% baby alpaca, black (3 skeins). The Kureyon pissed me off, I probably won’t use it anymore: BOTH skeins had that issue where it wasn’t one consistent string of yarn but had been tied to another. This happened in TWO places in the second skein which was spun terribly uneven to the point of near-breakage! Bah. The other yarn was lovely though.
One of the first people to compliment Jack on the scarf were two old ladies who coludn't believe his girlfriend had knit it for him. They told him it was well done and a beautiful pattern -- I think it was good to hear that from someone other than me!
Hand-wash only.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Stitch markers
A couple of months ago, I was working on a project that required stitch markers. I was in a hurry so went and bought a pack from a chain store for a couple of dollars, but really didn't like them. They were big and clunky and made quite large holes where I used them in the piece. I can't post a picture as it is a Secret Project, so just trust me on it..
So, a few days ago I made my own stitch markers:
Materials:
17 ga wire
needle-nose pliers
wire cutter (sometimes on the pliers)
beads
You also need something to wrap the wire around to make a circle; this should be big enough in diameter that the stitch markers can be used on different sized needles. I used a whiteout pen and they are hanging from a 6mm needle in the picture. You can see that there is plenty of room for them to be slid onto larger needles, and because the wire is such a fine gauge you do not need to wore about noticeable holes in your work where the yarn was pulled over the markers.
1. Cut a piece of wire 3-4"
2. Wrap wire around the pen and twist together for about 0.5"
3. Add beads to one end of the wire
4. Fold the wire over the beads and wind it around the middle.
5. Trim excess wire, press in ends with pliers so it doesn't snag your yarn.
I used beads that I already had, so only had to spend a few dollars on the wire -- and I got tons. This is a quick and simple craft and I plan to make more!
So, a few days ago I made my own stitch markers:
Materials:17 ga wire
needle-nose pliers
wire cutter (sometimes on the pliers)
beads
You also need something to wrap the wire around to make a circle; this should be big enough in diameter that the stitch markers can be used on different sized needles. I used a whiteout pen and they are hanging from a 6mm needle in the picture. You can see that there is plenty of room for them to be slid onto larger needles, and because the wire is such a fine gauge you do not need to wore about noticeable holes in your work where the yarn was pulled over the markers.
1. Cut a piece of wire 3-4"
2. Wrap wire around the pen and twist together for about 0.5"
3. Add beads to one end of the wire
4. Fold the wire over the beads and wind it around the middle.
5. Trim excess wire, press in ends with pliers so it doesn't snag your yarn.
I used beads that I already had, so only had to spend a few dollars on the wire -- and I got tons. This is a quick and simple craft and I plan to make more!
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