knittywhipped

GirlPod!

2011-09-02T13:45:00.001-07:00

Hey kids, have you missed me? :) The past 8 weeks have been a wild and crazy ride - one I wouldn't trade for anything in the world (not even those first couple of weeks, which were a special kind of hell).

Our little GirlPod is the light of our lives! She's SO SO unbelievably cute and amazes us every day. Forgive me for getting all sentimental, but it's an all-consuming love you can't adequately describe and simply can't imagine 'til you've been there.

I'll try to come back and post some decent pics later, but for now, here's one I took last night of our sleeping little angel and her crazy-ass hair. ;)

Baby Tulip Sweater

2011-06-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is moving day, ack! As much as the timing stinks, I cannot WAIT to be in the new house. This place has served us well, but it's time to move on. I'll just have to remember to reign in my usual anal-retentive-unpack-everything-in-one-weekend tendencies and make sure to take it easy so GirlPod doesn't decide to make an early appearance! ;)

Speaking of GirlPod, here's another little cutie crafty thing I whipped up for her last month. See, I haven't abandoned knitting entirely! ;)

The Autumn Leaves Sweater, isn't it adorable? Of course, most baby knits are cute, but this pattern really is fabulous. And free! I knitted the smallest size using DK weight yarn in hopes it'll fit her around 6 months. But hey, she's a baby, it'll fit her at some point. ;)

I used Lion Brand Collection Superwash Merino, which for some inexplicable reason is only available online. Yeah, let's put the squeaky acrylic in every freakin' store in America but leave nicer stuff online where you have to pay for shipping. Good choice, LB.

It's a DK weight, 100% superwash merino, soft and springy albeit a tiny bit splitty. Not a huge choice of colors, either. But otherwise, an excellent and reasonably priced choice for DK merino. I was able to score this from someone's Ravelry destash, which is where I suggest you look first.

I love the leaves and swingy shape of this! The pattern was easy to follow and, being a tiny knit, went by quickly. Can't wait to try it on her!

Taking cover

2011-05-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about sewing is that you can make something so much cuter and SO much cheaper than retail! Like this nursing cover!

I used this tutorial as a guideline, but made it with a softer, lighter cotton fabric and slightly larger dimensions (I think, it's been a month or so since I made it).

Being a newbie at this whole mom thing, I figured the odds of accidentally flashing total strangers was pretty high while nursing in public. This cover should help to avoid that! And the boning at the top allows for ventilation so GirlPod doesn't get a sweltery when we're out and about during the summer. Also helps me keep an eye on her. Because she'll have half of Hubster's genes as well and he's a troublemaker, that one. ;)

One tip - get the boning that has a bit of extra fabric at the edges. I got the kind that was closely encased and broke a needle when it went through the boning itself.

A little preview of how it'll look in use. :)

Some of these go for upwards of $35 retail! Cost to make it myself? Probably around $7. And it only took an hour or so. I love being a crafty bitch. ;)

Blockhead

2011-05-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

Babies love to grab things. Babies also love to throw things (so I've been told). So why not give them something to grab and throw that won't cause bodily injury and property damage?

Like, say, these fabric blocks! I LOVED making these. So much so, I didn't even mind the little bit of hand sewing! (Now that's saying something! ;)) I used different parts from different tutorials mixed in with some of my own mods, so don't have a linky for you. But just Google "sew fabric blocks" and you'll find a host of tutes you can glean from.

This first set was for my friend S, who recently gave birth to her second son. For now, though, she says her older son (who's almost 2) LOVES tossing these around!

The second set was for my friend Y, who is expecting a boy just two days after GirlPod's due date. Their nursery theme is, can you tell, sports!

And last but most definitely not least, a set for GirlPod. :) I had just enough fabric left over from the car seat cover to make these as well.

These are going to be so much fun for GirlPod to play with! Well, they will be until I start getting pelted with them over and over and over again...

Monkey!

2011-05-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine turned me on to the Make It Do website, and of course, I just had to make the Baby Car Seat Cover!

(Sorry for the crappy in-store pics - GirlPod's car seat is currently still in the box at Grandma's house until after we move.)

Like the author, I decided to piece it together with two different fabrics. Because easy is for wussies. ;)

And really, how could I choose between little monkeys and 70s starbursty things?

You can't see it in this pic, but I reversed the piecing on the inside, so the monkey fabric is at the bottom of the lining. (It doesn't matter if no one else sees it, *I'll* know it's there.)

This should provide our little GirlPod with some cool yet appropriate sun protection during the summer! :)

Bit of a revive

2011-05-16T12:32:00.001-07:00

Well, so much for that "I'll be posting so much you'll be sick of me" promise I made back in January, huh. Time's in pretty short supply these days. Not just because I'm incubating a human, but because now we're moving as well. In three weeks. When I'm 36 weeks pregnant. Because we just didn't have enough going on. :P

So, um, yeah, the bloggity blog is unfortunately going to stay pretty low on the priority list for a while. But I'll pop in now and again just to keep it alive. Will apologize ahead of time for the crappy pics you'll be subjected to when I do manage to post, too. At some point, I'm sure things will normalize but for time being, the random drive by with quickie pics will have to do. Hopefully you'll bear with me and stick around! :)

Here's the first of a few posts that should catch me up on some recent craftiness! I've made two of the fab Reversible Aprons from Simple Sewing lately as gifts:

Apron #1 (unmodeled as it went to a friend who lives out of state)

I've finally figured out how to do the pleats properly, too! All you have to do is ignore the diagram and lameass pattern notches and just follow the written instructions instead.

Apron #2 for BFF (can you tell I love me some lemon fabric? ;))

I've made four of these aprons so far, I can just about do them in my sleep now! They're so damn cute and chic!

Quick little cutie

2011-02-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

Puppy!

My cousin-in-law's baby shower sort of snuck up on me, so I whipped these two out in a few days.

The hat is just your basic baby-sized hat with a ribbed brim. Then I embroidered on a face and added some long, floppy ears (in retrospect, that may have made it look more like a bunny, but hey they're cute, too! ;)).

The Uggs are my go-to baby gift. They're a seamless, bottom-up bootie with a garter sole, with some Plymouth Heaven (which I hate to knit with, but damn if it doesn't make the booties!) at the top, down the sides, and over the instep.

Yarn thoughts
The khaki is a new-to-me find - Kraemer Yarns Summit Hill. It's a superwash merino that only ran me about $11 for 230 yards on sale (retail I think was $15). Pretty good price for the yardage!

It wasn't as soft as Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted (which is the dark brown) and it was slightly thinner, so I would classify it more as a light worsted. But it knitted up nicely and went through a brief run in the dryer well. So if you can't get a hold of the LLSW, this would be a solid substitute.

Wrap it up
My cousin-in-law LOVED these! I was happy with how they turned out - and that I was able to finish them in time! ;)
Puppy Hat n' Uggs
Pattern: Improvised both
Yarn: Kraemer Yarns Summit Hill, about 1/2 skein in Pyrite + Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, overs in Chocolate + Plymouth Yarn Heaven, overs in white
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel Interchangeables in size 7
Mods: All improvised, so um...all of it

It's a...

2011-02-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

We had our big ultrasound on Friday, had the OB write the gender in a card, went to dinner on Saturday night to celebrate Valentine's Day, gave the pastry chef the card and asked them to do something fun with the dessert for the big reveal.

And...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! :) :) :) :) :)

My first quilt!

2011-02-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

It's done!

Since this was my first time out, I went with a basic square design. They're mostly Amy Butler prints from the Passion Soul Blossoms Fat Quarter Bundle, plus the pink Martini Blush print from her Midwest Modern line, and a fat quarter of Alexander Henry's Mocca print (green with pink flowers, next to the martini olives) from the blog prize Jacey sent me.

I know, I probably used too many prints and should have broken them up with some solids or neutrals. But I loved them all too much! And even though it's kinda busy, I think it works.

Given how busy the top is, I used a basic solid Kona cotton for the border and binding, and kept the quilting simple - just diagonal lines about 3" apart.

You can see the quilting better on the back - which, even though it appears more basic, I think took longer to math out, cut, and put together than the front!

Oh, and I discovered that I SUCK at binding. Got the front on okay, but the back was a nightmare. First I pinned it perpendicularly, which led to several missed spots. Then I ran out of thread about halfway through. Since I had to stop anyway, I decided to just undo the back and re-pin it IN the ditch, which really helped avoid gaps the second time around (a couple still got through, generally after turning a corner).

And of course, it's totally uneven with a few foldovers, which I'm just going to leave as charming evidence of my first time. ;)

The mitered corners in the back are also a little off, but not too horrible.

But I did a pretty good job of stitching in the ditch on the front, if I do say so myself!

All in all, I really enjoyed the process, learning how to quilt, and seeing it all come together. It was a HUGE project though, so I was glad when it (and the freakin' math involved) was finally over. It'll probably be a little while before I tackle another quilt this size or larger! But I got a quilting guide for my walking foot and a 1/4" sewing foot so I can start perfecting my seams and straight line quilting, and am totally going to take on some smaller quilting projects in the meantime.

Even more than the process, I LOVELOVELOVE the end result! Snuggling under this quilt makes me so happy! :)

Cute overload!

2011-01-26T12:12:00.003-08:00

I couldn't help it. I saw this book and had to order it - Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones.

I already want to sew about half the projects in this book! Some reviewers have complained that the instructions tend to be too complicated, the diagrams are unhelpful, and there aren't enough pics (the last two I agree with, the first I guess I'll find out!). But look - Monkey Laundry Bag!

And Cute Booties! (Already thinking how to mod this one based on reviewers who said the opening is too small.)

Not sure I'll get this ambitious, but the Changing Pad is super cool, too.

You can see some FOs in the Flickr Little Stitches Sew Along Pool here. But be warned - you may squeal a little. Or a lot.

First quilt preview

2011-01-21T07:53:00.000-08:00

Here's a little sneaky peek at my very first quilting project:

It's a lap quilt! This was the planning stage, when I was deciding how to lay out all the prints (yeah, I know there's a lot of them, but dammit, I loved them all too much). I'm almost done with the quilt top, I just need to add the border. I was going to go all one fabric for the backing, but apparently I suck at math and didn't get enough fabric. :P So I'm going to try something a little more fun instead, using the extra fat quarters that were in the bundle.

Then I just have to put it all together, eeeek! I should probably practice binding and finishing on something smaller, but I'm too excited to finish this up and use it before it gets too warm. I'm most nervous about the actual quilting - should I keep it simple and stitch in the ditch? Go with diagonal lines? Try to make Xs? Thoughts?

She sew crazy

2011-01-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

One of the Joann's in my area is going out of business, so all of their Simplicity patterns went on sale for $1.99. I may have gone a weeeeee bit overboard:

Recognize those first two knottygnome and Jacey? ;)

Many of them are beyond my experience level right now, but I just couldn't resist! And hey, when I do progress beyond the beginner stage, they'll be ready and waiting. ;)

These four are my faves:

Next month, I'm going to take that hat and skirt out for a spin. And I LOVE the dresses. But before I even attempt to tackle those two, I think I'll start with this pattern instead:

The ties appear to sit high enough to make this work as a maternity dress, at least for a couple of months. Plus, it says "easy" on the envelope. And they wouldn't lie to me. Would they?

Mom Monday

2011-01-17T07:05:00.000-08:00

Last but not least on the Christmas gift catch-up, a hat for my lovely mom! She's in Korea, so you just get me and this jar as models. And apologies in advance for the sucky pics, I didn't have a chance to get in a snazzy FO shoot before it had to be packed up and shipped off to the motherland.

After seeing Zonda's gorgeous 16-Cable Hat, I knew it would be perfect for my mom! The pattern is well written, easy to follow, and I love the big fat cables it turns out. You do have to use a cable needle, but only on a few rows, so it's not too bad.

I made the larger size without the extra slouchy rounds - which, as you can see, was a good thing. The way I had it blocking, it stretched out a bit too much.

So after a couple of days (it was ridiculously rainy here the week before Christmas and was taking forever to dry), I popped it in the dryer on low for 20 minutes, and voila! It shrunk up to the perfect slouchy hat length.

Oops, pardon my lint!

Wrap it up
I LOVE how this hat turned out! So much, that even though I don't wear the hats I already have all that often, I am totally going to cast one on for myself this week. A little belated Christmas present for me. :)

Mom's Slouchy Cable Hat
Pattern: 16 Cable Hat (Size 2)
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, 1 skein in Charcoal
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in Sizes 6 (brim) + 8 (hat)
Mods: None (that I can remember)

Twofer Thursday

2011-01-13T07:30:00.000-08:00

Next up on the Christmas gift catch-up, two small projects that ~~I'm too lazy~~ I don't have enough to say about to split into two posts. :P

A hat for SIL's husband (would that make him my brother-in-law once removed?)

This is the Jacques Cousteau hat. Very easy pattern, and it makes for a nice dude hat! I only made a few mods - used a heavier weight yarn and larger needles, and knit for 7" before starting the decreases. BIL liked it and should get a lot of use out of it.

But what I really enjoyed about this hat was the yarn - Malabrigo Rios. O.M.G., I looooove this yarn. It's unbelievably soft, wonderful to work with, with no runoff in the soak or pilling afterwards. I have a little less than half a skein left over, hopefully enough to eke out a cowl. I also got some for Christmas and can't wait to make a sweater out of it!

BIL-Once-Removed Hat
Pattern: Jacques Cousteau Hat
Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in Playa, a little over half a skein
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in Size...um...7 or 8? One of the those.
Mods: Heavier weight yarn, larger needles, 7" before starting the crown decreases

And a stocking for FIL

FIL's existing stocking was one of those red furry drugstore things that had seen better days (you can see it hanging next to the blue stocking in the second BIL hat pic above), so MIL asked me to knit him a new one. No mods, pretty much followed the pattern - which had some typos in it, but was easy to follow - to the letter. All I did was duplicate stitch his name on afterwards.

That's pretty much it for that one! It was a pain to knit, all that yarn twisting about, and working cables in two colors sucked, but I'm happy with how it turned out in the end. And FIL seemed to like it. But please, next time I decide to take on a colorwork stocking one week before Christmas, feel free to smack me upside the head.
FIL Christmas Stocking
Pattern: Lion Brand Christmas Stocking
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in Bright Red and Emerald + Lion Brand Wool Ease in 301 White/Multi
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in Size 7
Mods: Duplicate stitched on FIL's name

An apron in time

2011-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for the congratulations! :) Now you know why there wasn't much going on here for a while. I wasn't always exhausted - but I was *completely* unmotivated to do anything but sit my ass on the couch and watch TV. Hence the almost complete lack of knitting or sewing for a few months. But there was a lot of watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix Instant. I almost finished Season 4 before the lethargy phase faded - thankfully, just in time to get a few Christmas presents done!

So let's start catching up! :) First up, 'member that cute reversible apron I made from Simple Sewing? I decided to whip one up for my mother-in law. This time, though, I used two different fabrics and um, *cough*, cut both sides the right side up. Okay, actually, both fabric had prints that could have been cut either way, but I at least paid attention this time. That's worth partial credit, right?

Very cute on her, isn't it?

She's big into birding, so when I came across this fabric, I knew it would be perfect!

The second side is very "her" also - she's into the organic thing.

I really love this fabric, too. Luckily, I got enough to make a tote or other project for myself later. ;)

The pleats still didn't turn out quite the way I wanted, so I think next time I'll just eliminate them altogether. But other than that, it turned out great! And MIL absolutely LOVED it.

No wonder - this is what her old apron looked like.

Oh, the horror!

My latest WIP

2011-01-05T11:55:00.001-08:00

Here's a little something I started working on in October:

Should be ready sometime in July. ;)

What are you asking for for (insert holiday here)

2010-12-02T14:23:00.000-08:00

I know, I've been MIA. A lot. But I promise, come the new year, I'll be posting so much you'll get sick of me! Well, okay, so we all know I won't post *that* much, but I'll at least try to get on here at least once a week, if not more. If you can hang on until then, I'll be the posting queen. Or at least the court jester.

Unless you haven't even noticed I've been gone. In which case, never miiiind! ;)

In the meantime, I'm curious - what are you all asking for for Christmas/Hannukah/the holidays? I need to start bulking up my wish list and need some ideas. Not just the crafty stuff, either, but anything and everything on your list! Throw it at me!

A twin for Fernie's twin

2010-11-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

A while back, you might remember that BFF's older son wanted a Fernie of his own. Well, a few months ago, BFF's younger son hopped on board and asked for one, too.

After all, what better way to celebrate your fourth birthday than with your own Fernie! ;)

This one's a bit of a troublemaker, though. I told him repeatedly not to sit on the candelabra, lest he burn his butt. Did he listen? No. Kinda like a four year old. So they should get along great.

And he's kinda vain. Can't stop staring at himself. But you can't really blame him. If I were that cute, I might gaze into a mirror all day, too.

He's also taken to sniffing the potpourri. Lush.

Luckily, he managed to break that habit before I sent him off to live with E. I predict lots of fun, potpourri-free days ahead!

Spherey III for E
Pattern: Spherey from Unusual Toys for You to Knit and Enjoy (inexplicably out of print)
Yarn: Bits of Cotton Ease in Pineapple + STR Mediumweight (doubled) in Lucky
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in size US 5, 32"
Mods: None

Little Loveys

2010-10-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, it's the little things that bring you joy.

Over the past few months, my friend Sarah has tried repeatedly to introduce a "lovey" (a security blanket) to her adorable, now-16-month-old daughter N. Despite these attempts, N has instead been drawn to...diaper wipes. Yep, those small, little squares of cleanliness have become her loveys.

Mom indulged her for a while, but she's starting to worry that little N is getting a contact baby high off the wipey fragrance. ;) So of course, I offered to sew up some little loveys for her in muslin!

They're pretty basic, really. I used both unbleached and bleached muslin, made two with rolled hems, two with folded hems, and one with bias tape. I even had a little fun with Stella's embroidery functions! (P.S. Thanks to Sara Kirby for suggesting the perfect name!)

Hoepfully, N will take to these lightweight, 6"x 6" loveys and give up the diaper wipes!

Favorite cashmere sock yarn?

2010-10-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

The stash is still at an all-time low, can you believe it? And it seems my knittin' mojo hit rock bottom right along with it. I haven't knitted in two months. (Someone go wave smelling salts under Cristi's nose, I'm pretty sure she fainted just now.)

I don't think I've gone that long since I first started knitting, which was what, over four years ago?!? If I had to guess, I'd have to say it's 'cause:

1) It's been STUPID HOT here in So Cal lately. Even though ~~the Thermostat Freak~~ Hubster tries sneak in and keep the A/C set at a frosty 72 all the time, just knowing that it's hot enough to fry an egg outside makes me want to bury anything wooly, sit on the couch and play Angry Birds all night long. (Although in my defense, AB really is the most addicting. game. ever.)

2) I departed the flexible, freelance, work-from-home life (*sniff!*) a month and a half ago and am back to a full-time, 40-hour-a-week, in-office assignment. It's been three years since I've been in the corporate world, and dayum if it doesn't put a big fat damper on my blogging/knitting/personal time!

But, we've finally turned a corner, my friends! The forecast for this entire week is for rain and cold, YES! I'm already feeling the urge to pick up those Waving Lace socks I started in Seattle. And while it's taken some time to readjust to the daily grind, I've finally fallen into a nice little groove and balance with my schedule, so I can relax with some knitting at night instead of running around with errands and chores and such.

On that note, methinks the stash is hitting condition orange! I'm feeling the need to acquire some squooshy cashmere sock yarn. There are so many out there now, I need some help! So tell me - what's your favorite cashmere sock yarn?

Men are from WTH, Women are from Venus

2010-10-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

I know I owe you all a ton o' stuff, but for now, here's a glimpse into life at the weez household. (And please forgive the crappy pics, I was in a hurry!)

How I get ready for work
All my outfits for the week, pressed and ready to go.

How Hubster gets ready for work
Polo shirt on a pants hanger.

Men.

Look - knitting!

2010-10-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

'Member that super secret double probation test knit I mentioned a while ago? At last, the reveal!

This is Shoru, a new shawl pattern from the lovely Rosi G. Isn't it gorgeous?!?

The stitch pattern is beautiful, intuitive, and easy to knit. And the construction is great - you start at one corner, increase to the center, then decrease and work to the other corner. So you can weigh your yarn, then knit this shawl without wondering if you're going to run out of yarn two inches before the bindoff - which is only four stitches. Gotta love that!

I just love the detail on this, too. Check out those groovy wraps in the middle of the diamonds! And the edging? Simply beautiful.

I wanted a supersize shawl, so I knit this with two skeins of sock yarn. The final size fully blocked came to be 8 feet long x 2.5 feet wide. Nice and snuggly!

Yarn thoughts
This is BFF B yarn by Alpha B Yarn (say that three times fast!). It's 100% merino, very soft, with a wonderful drape. I absolutely LOVE the color - such a rich, vibrant, cranberry red. I swear, there were times I wanted to just pour this in a glass and drink it up!

There was some tint in the soak (it is red, after all), but no fading or pilling afterwards. I used almost all of both 400-yard skeins for this shawl - there were about 8 grams of one skein and 10 grams of the other remaining.

I can't attest to how it would hold up as socks, but this yarn is perfect for shawls!

Wrap it up
This is going to be my go-to go-out shawl this winter! Beautiful pattern, super soft yarn, wonderful drape, and big enough to snuggle in without falling off my shoulders. If you haven't queued this pattern up yet, go Ravel it now!

Shoru
Pattern: Shoru by Rosi G.
Yarn: BFF B yarn by Alpha B Yarn, 2 skeins in Momiki
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel Interchangeables, Size 6
Mods: None

What's in a name? You tell me!

2010-09-07T22:14:00.000-07:00

Ever wish you had a time machine? *sigh*

Actually, what I really need is a time stretcher. Something that can make the day, say, 30 hours long instead of 24.

Actually, what I really need is to win the lottery so this damn thing called work stops getting in the way of my life.

Actually, what I (and Hubster, and his sister, and her new husband...) need is for a certain family event to be over this Saturday so we can all return to our normal lives. But I mean that in the nicest way possible. ;)

Since I haven't had time to play with my new Brother lately or start any knitting projects except for a pair of Waving Lace Socks, I got nuthin'. But I swear, I am going to lock myself in a room with my cardigan pattern on Sunday and finish drafting the remaining sizes, so I'll be ready for test knitters soon!

In the meantime, how 'bout you help me out with a little something! Aforementioned Brother needs it a new name.

It's definitely giving off girl vibes, so Butch, Clyde, ~~Jason Statham~~ (oops, sorry, he's just on my mind now since I saw "The Expendables" yesterday and promptly added him to my list) and the like are out.

What would you call her? Any and all suggestions welcome!

Clams and sticky things

2010-08-26T11:56:00.001-07:00

No FOs this week, booo! But I was on vaca all last week in Seattle and didn't get a chance to finish anything. You know, what with all the stuffing of my face with fried clams:

...touching of weird sticky anemones at the Seattle Aquarium:

...posing like a moron at Pike Place Market:

...discovering duuuude, golf is HARD and I never need to try it again at the golf simulator at Hotel 1000:

...and climbing of these gazzilion freakin' Godforsaken Harbor Steps and all:

In fact, I didn't even go to any yarn stores.

I KNOW! Now someone *really* needs to feel my forehead...

Stash Alert

2010-08-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

What's wrong with this picture?

Still haven't figured it out? Here, let me help you:

No, you're not seeing things. My stash is actually, really, truly down to just 18 yarns. Actually, more like 16, since two of those are currently in use.

I can't remember the last time my stash was so low! As you can see, I've been very good with the new acquisition willpower over the past year or so, destashing tons of yarns I no longer needed/wanted and for the most part, only adding yarns when I have a specific project in mind. Even the sock yarn purchases have been very well contained! Perhaps someone should feel my forehead to see if I'm well.

Then again, it could be an interesting challenge - I wonder how low it could go before I crack. Any guesses?

Socks of a feather...

2010-08-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sit on the couch and stare at Fernie in the background together!

If you've been with me a while, you may remember the Radioactive Love Hussy overdye from my Kool-Aid dye session back in '08. I figured it was about time to knit these hussies up!

The yarn is a sport weight, so I trotted out some size 4s to knit these in the Japanese Feather Sock pattern. It felt odd knitting socks on such large-for-socks needles, but they sure did FO by in a flash!

The pattern is lovely, but it doesn't include a chart (which, at 28 rows, it really should), so I created one myself in Excel and inverted it to go toe-up. Then I just used Judy's Magic Cast-on for the toe, knit the chart, added a Sherman heel, some 2x2 ribbing, and JSSBO to finish!

It's a gorgeous stitch pattern, isn't it? Despite the fact that it is 28 rows long, it's actually very intuitive and easy to knit. And I love the winding, almost serpentine purl columns in the middle and sides of the feather lace.

Yarn thoughts
This is Instant Gratification Sock Yarn by Hill Country Yarns. The original color was a BLINDING fuschia, so I overdyed it with Cherry Kool-Aid to achieve this much richer, deeper, dark pink color.

The yarn is nice, but not as soft as I would have hoped (and this was before I overdyed it). It has a woolly, borderline scratchy feel to it. But it was only $7.50 on sale, so, frankly, I wasn't expecting much. ;) There was a whoooole lotta tint in the soak (which may have been the Kool-Aid), but no fading afterwards. Some halo, so we'll see how they wear over time.

Wrap it up
It's always fun to knit up yarn you've dyed yourself! Especially in such a fab stitch pattern. Not to mention a self-named Kool-Aid colorway called Radioactive Love Hussy! Let's just hope they don't tarnish the innocence of all of the other socks in the closet...

Hussy Feather Socks
Pattern: Japanese Feather Socks from Knitlist
Yarn: Hill Country Yarns Instant Gratification, 1 skein in Radioactive Love Hussy (the colorway formerly known as Hot Fuschia)
Needles: HiyaHiya Interchangeables, Size 4, 32"
Mods: Modified for toe-up, Sherman heel, 2x2 cuff, JSSBO

They call me a Space Monkey

2010-08-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

Well, it's more like Space Monkey Lite.

The vote in my WWYK post was overwhelmingly in favor of Cookie A.'s ubiquitous Monkey pattern, so who am I to argue (don't ask my husband that). Gotta say, you all were right. I LOVE these.

Since this is the slightly heavier STR Mediumweight, I knocked the stitch count down to 56 stitches by changing the K2s to K3s. I also ditched all the purls in favor of a cleaner, all-knit look. And of course, gotta have my EoP (Eye of Partridge) heel flap.

The fit is spot-on perfect! Nice and snug cuffs to heels to tippity toes. And of course, the pattern shows off this variegated colorway like no other. Since I gave away my last pair, it's nice to have a finally have some Monkeys to call my own! :)

Yarn thoughts
This is STR Mediumweight in Space Dust. It was a gifty from chemgrrrl with my penis-like sock monster, granted in exchange for a shrug that made me itch. (Well, now, that was an interesting sentence.)

It's STR, so I don't need to tell you how fabulous the yarn is. But lookit the color! Didn't it knit up spectacularly? I initially tried it on 64 stitches, but a) the sock was way too big and b) it wasn't blending as nicely. On 52 stitches, however, sheer sock perfection.

Wrap it up
After getting bitchslapped on my last two pairs, these socks are a big, fat, tasty WIN. Love the fit, love the color, love the yarn, love it all. Ahhh, now that's better. ;)

Space Monkey Lite
Pattern: Monkey from knitty, Winter 2006
Yarn: Socks That Rock Mediumweight, 1 skein in Space Dust
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in size 1.5, 32"
Mods: Changed the K3s to K2s for 52 stitch count, ditched the purls, EoP flap

Happy Meilee

2010-08-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

I promise you two sock FO posts then disappear for a week. I know, I suck. Here, let me soothe the pain.

Aren't they purty? With these socks, it's really just about the math:

"Honeybee with Faggoting" stitch pattern from BW Treasury #2 + Sport-weight Toe-up Sock with Gusset Heel pattern by Wendy Knits + Twisted rib cuff + Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off + Yarntini Semi-solid Sport in Fuzzy Navel = SHINY!

First, let's talk about the Honeybee. I have serious mad love for this stitch pattern. It's so much fun to knit! If you don't happen to have BW Treasury #2 handy, you can find it in a few different sock patterns, including the top-down Kai-Mei from Sock Innovation or freebie toe-up Honeybee Socks from Socken-Kreativ-Liste Yahoo Group.

I did modify the faggoting on the sides so they would mirror each other, but visually, you really can't tell. Mentally, though, I find the symmetry comforting. What can I say, I'm anal. But you knew that already.

Now let's get to the construction. I've done a toe-up, no pick-up gusset flap once before, waaaaay back when on my very first pair of socks in October '06. Thought I'd give it another whirl.

Unfortunately, like my high school hairdo, some things really should stay in the past. Don't get me wrong, the pattern is very well-written, and not having to pick up stitches? ALL kinds of fabulous. But the fit? Not so much. Even though I cut the gusset short by a few rows/stitches, it's still kind of loose, and the inverted pyramid flap just doesn't snug up well to my skinny heels. *sigh* Ah, well. Like the Sunday Swing Socks, this will just have to be another lesson learned. Man, I hope school lets out soon. All this learnin' is killing me!

But I did learn something new with these socks that didn't hurt - Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off. AWE.SOME. It super easy to knit and leaves an almost decorative finish. Best of all, it's nice and stretchy without being floppy. Love it! This will be my new go-to bindoff for toe-up socks, fingerless mitts, and top-down hats!

Yarn Thoughts
This is Yarntini Semi-Solid Sport in Fuzzy Navel. I haven't knit true sport weight socks before, so I was a tad nervous about the yardage, even for my elfin feet. While I naturally ended up with less overage than usual (you should see my sock overs jar, it overfloweth!), there was a comfortable margin left over.

The yarn itself gets a big thumbs up - nice, tight twist, a bit of sheen, and oh-so-soft! It also held up well to multiple froggings, left only the faintest hint of a tint in the soak, and showed very little halo afterwards. I have two more skeins of this in the stash, and can't wait to knit them up!

Yarntini has jumped around a bit from etsy to her own site over the past couple of years, but it looks like she's now officially parked at etsy. Her next shop update is this Sunday if you want to keep an eye out.

Wrap it up
I love the look and feel of these! It's a shame the fit is so loose around the heel, even after a run in the dryer. That won't keep me from wearing them, though. And I am SO going to knit this stitch pattern again. But next time, maybe in a fingering weight with a short row heel that's already proven to fit. 'Cause sometimes, learnin' ain't so good.

Meilee Socks
Pattern: "Honeybee with Faggoting" from BW Treasury #2 + Sport-weight Toe-up Sock with Gusset Heel by Wendy Knits +Twisted rib cuff + JSSBO
Yarn: Yarntini Semi-solid Sport, 1 skein in Fuzzy Navel
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in size 2.5, 32"
Mods: Mirrored faggoting on sides, cut the heel short by a few rows/stitches

May the force be with your weekend

2010-07-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so quiet this week! But I'll have two sock FOs for you next week to make up for it - including the Space Monkeys. (P.S. Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my WWYK post last week! It would've taken me forever to decide that on my own. :P)

In lieu of any knitting/sewing/foodie content, how 'bout a funny? I actually found this a while ago via FB, but it's worthy of a re-post here in case you missed it. :) Have a great weekend!

Sad socks say so much

2010-07-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

You know that warm, glowy feeling you get when a sock comes together?

Yeeeah, this is not one of those times.

First, the good: the pattern, Sunday Swing from knitty, is well written, easy to memorize, and knits up in a flash. The 7" was too small and the 8" was too big, so I modified the count to 60 stitches by adding a P2 on each side. I also modified the cuff ribbing to accommodate the P2s, because, as you know, I'm ~~anal~~ crazy like dat.

Now, the bad: unfortunately, the socks bias, and badly. I noticed them turning about halfway through the legs, but figured, eh, I'm sure they'll be fine on.

*BUZZ* Wrong. The biasing only got worse as the sock continued and once on, they require constant fidgeting to fly the straight and narrow. See this?

Notice how the foot is shifting left, and the side is shifting right? That's just from getting up and walking across the living room. After perusing the project pages on Rav, nobody else seems to have this problem, so perhaps those P2s I added threw some sort of bias cog in the machine?

At any rate, I really should have stopped when I saw them turning on the needles, but you get that ostrich-head-in-the-sand-I'm-sure-it'll-be-fine mentality and next thing you know, big fat FAIL! *sigh* Ah, well.

Don't let the biasing you see here turn you off from the original pattern, because, as I said, I appear to be the only one experiencing this issue. But I would advise against adding any extra stitches. ;)

Yarn thoughts
This is Sock Yarn Postcard by Destination Yarn in the colorway Copenhagen. It's a lovely yarn, more smooth and woolly than sproingy - I'd liken it to Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in twist and feel. There was no runoff in the soak and very little pilling, so they should wear well, too.

I absolutely love this colorway, a gorgeous blend of coppery tones with splashes of green patinas. Unfortunately, my attempts to achieve the single-row color changes that I described in A Tale of Two Stitch Counts did not go well. The closest I could get and still have them fit were the wide stripes you see here.

Which brings me to big fat FAIL #2 - once I realized this colorway was going the way of the stripes, I should have changed patterns. Something like Broadripple or Chevrons would have been much better suited to how it knit up.

Wrap it up
Well, they're not that terrible - but they're not that great, either. The pattern doesn't really suit the colorway, and the biasing makes them a pain to wear. I'll just have to chalk these up to lessons learned. Let's hope I don't have to learn them twice!

Copenhagen Swingers
Pattern: Sunday Swing Socks, knitty: Summer 2009
Yarn: Sock Yarn Postcard by Destination Yarn, 1 skein in Copenhagen
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel, Size 1, 32"
Mods: Added P2 to sides, slightly different cuff ribbing, EoP heel flap

WWYK? (What would you knit?)

2010-07-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

The yarn: STR Mediumweight in Space Dust

The pattern contenders:

Rainbow Socks - these look really cool, but will straight stockinette be too loosey goosey?
Devon - designed to work with variegated, but is the colorway too contrasty even for this pattern?
Monkey (Purl-free) - works well with this colorway, but do I really want to knit these or do I just want to call them Space Monkeys?

What would you knit? Vote in your comments!

Best blog prize EVER

2010-07-20T11:25:00.001-07:00

I follow a number of blogs these days, and Jaceycraft is one of my favorites. I just love the never-ending train of pretties she posts! Jacey and I are also two peas in a pod - we share similar tastes in knitting, sewing, cooking, even reading. (And she's awfully lucky I don't live near her, or I might abscond with her fabulous fabric stash.)

Jacey held a contest recently to celebrate her 300th post and guess what? I won! I was SO excited when she told me because this is, seriously, the best blog prize package EVER. Check it out:

- A copy of Amy Butler's InStitches
- Handmade Pixie Soap in Lemon Verbena (smells sooo good!)
- Fragrance samples in Yew Trees and Cheshire Cat by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (Sidebar for Batty: they specialize in Gothic-themed scents, right up your alley! ;))
- Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers (I don't drink soda, but I LOVE this)

But wait, there's more!

- Squooshably gorgeous Buffy Sock yarn in Secret Boyfriend by Femme Fatale Fibers
- Several colored zippers, perfectly coordinated to go with...

These!

- A yard (eee!) of Seahorses from the Mendocino line by Heather Ross
- A fat quarter of Mocca by Alexander Henry
- A fat quarter of Trailing Cherries by Amy Butler
- Some extra fabric treats to enhance my growing stash

Thank you so much Jacey, I absolutely love everything! And for the rest of you, I highly recommend adding Jaceycraft to your blog feed! :)

Dr. Who me?

2010-07-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Oh hell, yes.

I am a recent and dedicated convert to the Dr. Who universe (although really, enough with the Daleks already). I zipped through the first three seasons and am getting ready to start the fourth (have been putting it off for a bit as I'm dreading Donna- I did NOT like her in the Christmas episode, she was so shrill and annoying).

Of all the companions thus far, Rose is my favorite. And while I think she and the Season 1 Dr. Who (that bad guy from G.I. Joe) had more chemistry, I cried like a little girl at the end of Season 2, when Rose and David Tennant Dr. Who said their goodbyes.

Unless you have a hollow tin chest, that last scene will stomp all over your heart like an episode of Party of Five. But, you know, I am, after all, a knitter. So in the midst of crumbling into a sobbing heap of weepy mess, I immediately zeroed in on the mitts Rose was wearing. Those intricately cabled, ridiculously gorgeous, ooo-I-wonder-if-I-can-figure-out-the-pattern-for-those mitts. But of course, someone already had!

The pattern is straightforward, although it's primarily written with DPNs in mind. I prefer it when patterns just go by stitch count to allow for the many different methods of knitting in the round, but it's easy to just follow the chart and disregard the written instructions if need be (which is what I did). Speaking of the chart, she made it nice and big, which I love!

The side cables can be difficult to work as they're on the tight side, but it's worth it, for they complement the center diamonds so well. And it really is just about spot on to the mitts in the episode. Big huge kudos and thanks to Christina Slattery for figuring out the pattern and making it available to all!

Standard Mitt Pose 1: The Cross-Your-Heart-Bra. Please ignore the scars, which I got ~~while ironing, then a few days later, pulling something out of the oven~~ in a knife fight.

I did make several mods to these:

Knitted with lighter weight yarn and on smaller needles. I followed the same stitch count, however, which was hooray, still a perfect fit!
Altered the ribbing on the cuff so the purls would line up because I’m freakishly anal that way: P1, (K2, P2) 2x, K2, (P1, K1) 6x, P1, (K2, P2) 4x, (K1, P1) 3x, K1, P2, K2, P1.
Twisted all of the cables on the right mitt in the opposite direction (see freakishly anal reference above).
Finished the cables on Row 9, followed by 4 rows of ribbing using my cuff mods above. (I did try the pattern without it, but couldn’t hang with the flare on the front, even with some ribbing on the palm side to try and pull it in.)

Standard Mitt Pose #2: The Mr. Roboto Stomach Cover

I also ditched the pattern instructions for the thumb and did my own thing instead:

Began thumb gusset on Row 1 of third repeat
Began thumb gusset with two stitches instead of four: knit to last stitch, place marker, LRI (left mitt) or LLI (right mitt), K1
Used LRI and LLI for thumb increases
Increased thumb to 22 stitches, then continued knitting for another two rows before placing on waste yarn
To complete thumb, picked up two stitches, knit three rows stockinette, then 4 rows K2, P2 ribbing, bound off in pattern

Standard Mitt Pose #3: The Hey, Lookit My Rack

Yarn Thoughts
This is Lizard Toes Isobel in Swimming Lessons, a merino/nylon/cashmere blend that is sheer, unadulterated HEAVEN. Everything about this yarn is a win - it's unbelievably soft, a pure joy to knit with, holds up well to multiple froggings (I tested several different lengths, thumbs, and finishing edges so there was a whole lotta frogging and tinking going on), and has excellent stitch definition.

There was some tint in the wash, but no color fade afterwards. Virtually no pilling, either. Just a hint of halo, so I suspect they will wear extraordinarily well.

Thanks again, Cristi, for gifting me this half-skein! I'm SO glad my uber-sensitive skin took to the cashmere. My wallet, however, not so happy. ;)

Wrap it up
I LOVE these. Love love love them. They're amazingly soft and snuggly, and just so freakin' gorgeous. I'm going to wear them all. winter. long.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I...uh...gotta run...

Dr. Who Mitts
Pattern: Rose's Wrist Warmers by Christina Slattery
Yarn: Lizard Toes Isobel, less than .5 skein in Swimming Lessons
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel, Size 2.5, 32"
Mods: Too many to list here, but it's all in the post above!

Changing of the guard

2010-07-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Grandpa Singer.

You drove me *&%$ing crazy at times, like when your feed dogs constantly pulled to the right, or your presser foot caused endless fabric creep, or your tension went schizo near the end of a spool. But you served my wonderful Mom well for many years, and then, once I read the manual and S.E.W. and actually learned the proper way to sew, did the same for me.

I shall never get rid of you, as you hold a special, sentimental place in my heart. Now, however, it is time for you to take up a new hold in the door-jamb-that-apparently-needs-to-be-repainted closet, until such time as I can move into a home with room for a craft cave. I know, it's not what you wanted. But it must be done. Why?

'Cause baby, there's a new girl in town.

Isnt' she gorgeous? The Brother Limited Edition PC-420. {Cue rainbows forming, angels singing, light from above here.} She was a birthday gift from my very generous and super awesome in-laws. (BTW, did I forget to mention that I turned *censored* three weeks ago? :))

There are so many bells and whistles to this thing, I can't even begin to tell you. But let me just say -- automatic needle threader, automatic thread cutter, automatic reverse/reinforcement stitching, 14 different presser feet, squeeeeee!

I played with her all day long on Sunday, and she.

is.

AWESOME.

WiP It Wednesday

2010-06-30T09:51:00.000-07:00

Aside from the Copenhagen experiment, these are the only things I have on the needles:

If you're a Dr. Who fan, you may recognize these as Rose's Wrist Warmers from the "Doomsday" finale of Season 2 (tear.jerker). Are they not fabulous?

What makes them even more fabulous is the yarn - Lizard Toes Isobel. turtlegirl76, in all her awesomeness, sent me half a skein to see if my über-sensitive skin could handle the cashmere.

Oh. My. Knittinggoddess. This yarn is heaven. Sheer, unadulterated, roll-around-nekkid-in-it heaven. And so far, not an itch in sight! You know what this means, don't you?

This means I can buy yarn with cashmere!

Wait.

This means I can buy yarn with cashmere.

Oh, dear...

A tale of two stitch counts

2010-06-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

Tale #1 - Wanida from Sock Innovation at 64 stitches:

Tale #2 - Sunday Swing from knitty modded up to 60 stitches:

Isn't it amazing how you can completely change the look of a sock just by changing the stitch count? (BTW, this is Destination Yarn's Sock Yarn Postcards in Copenhagen. Gorgeous at any stitch count!)

Now normally, I wouldn't mind the flashing that takes place in Sock 1. In fact, I would love it. And I have to say, I am totally digging the stripes in Sock 2.

But the look I *really* want is this (special thanks to knittingnonstop for allowing me to borrow her pic!):

Perusing the projects page on Rav, it seems there are a few knitters who have managed this look at 64 stitches on size 1 needles, but for some reason, mine tends to flash instead (must have me a pervy sock ;)).

Hmmmm. Perhaps I need to go toe-up to see how many stitches it'll take to ~~reach the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop~~ achieve this variegated-yet-non-flashing look. Think it'll be more stitches or less? Take a guess!

Wednesday to Friday

2010-06-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

They're creepy and they're kooky
Something something ooky
La la la la mooky
The Addams Family
Duh duh duh dum *snap* *snap*

When you knit with black yarn, you need a pattern that pops. These Wednesday Socks certainly fit the bill!

It's a gorgeous pattern that uses four different charts to create two different cable patterns, both with completely different row counts. So yes, you'll need to focus like a gravedigger hiding a body during a full moon on this one. But as you can see, the results are well worth the effort.

The designer, Emily Johnson of the Family Trunk Project, did a great job writing up the pattern. While I personally found it easier to think of the twists as cables instead, her instructions were very clear and easy to follow.

The ribbon cables on the front are just spectacular, and it's so fun to see them come together! I also love how the side cables mirror each other, and how they continue down the heel flap.

These were definitely not a quick and mindless knit, and I won't be knitting tiny cables in black yarn on itty bitty needles again anytime soon, but I do highly recommend the pattern!

Yarn thoughts
This is the much-lusted after tosh sock in the colorway of Port. It knits up nicely and has a soft, sproingy hand, although there were quite a few places where it was slightly unspun and uneven.

The colorway, however, was no disappointment. Very rich, deep, and dark with hints of wine. Everything you want in a shaded solid. And - happy day! - absolutely no ruboff while knitting! My hands stayed dye-free. If you've knit with a black colorway before, you know this is no easy task. So big, big thumbs up to madelinetosh on that front.

I can't say whether the dye runs off in the soak or how the yarn wears, as these are a gift and they're waiting 'til fall for their initial bath. But overall, it was a lovely yarn to knit with.

Wrap it up
The look, feel, and Addams Family origins of this pattern mesh so well with this deep, dark, and mysterious colorway. It's definitely a knit you need to focus on, but well worth the effort. As is the friend they'll be gifted to this fall. :) Until then, they'll be waiting camped out in the closet. Hopefully not making trouble with the other monsters in there.

Wednesday Socks
Pattern: by Emily Johnson of the Family Trunk Project
Yarn: tosh sock, 1 skein in Port
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel Circs, Size 1, 32"
Mods: As usual, decreased the toe slightly differently.

Tiny Tot Apron

2010-06-23T10:50:00.001-07:00

Whew, things have finally slowed down a bit, so I can catch up! :) Let's ramp things back up with a little bitty one:

This is the Montessori Child's Apron (scroll down,pattern link is in the right sidebar), a freebie from Sew Liberated. Very easy to follow, well-written pattern that results in a terrific kids item! The top is encased elastic, so no ties needed there, and the side attaches with Velcro, so they can put this on all by themselves (which you know they love to do).

And look how cute!

I did make two minor mods: First, I went with iron-on Velcro. Attempts to sew on Velcro did not go well. :P Second, I skipped the topstitching all around the entire apron as I didn't ~~want to eff it up~~ really feel it was necessary.

It's been a while, but if memory serves, I finished this in one afternoon, cutting and ironing included. It has since been gifted it to a friend's daughter. :) Unfortunately, I don't have any modeled shots to show you, but if you visit the pattern page, there is a pic of it on an adorable little girl.

This was a fun, relatively easy pattern, super cute for girls or boys (picture it in pirate skulls or racecars, fun!), and helps keep the kiddos clean. Now that's a win all around. :)

Have you missed me?

2010-06-02T15:05:00.001-07:00

Then here, let me give you some sake shooters and sushi in return. Maybe that will help.

Feel better? ;) That should tide you over until I get all caught up, then I can start posting regularly again! Until then!

Lucky Seven

2010-05-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago today, I married the biggest PITA...HAHAHA! Just kidding, honey! ;) I married *sentimental alert!* the absolute love of my life. Some people scoff at the idea of soulmates, but I am not one of them. We really, truly are made for each other. 'Cause no one else is as weird as we are.

Happy Anniversary to my darling Hubster!!! I love you!!! *smoochy smoochy*

Skirting around

2010-05-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

My very first, actual wear-outside-the-house sewn garment!

I love wrap skirts. They're just so versatile. Add a snappy V-neck and a pair of cute slingbacks, and you're ready to go for an office meeting. Throw on a tee and some ballet flats, and you're as casual as can be. Plus, with a wrap, you don't have to worry if you've say, ingested an entire bag of Pirate's Booty or consumed your body weight in Nutella the day before. The waistline is adjustable!

For my first foray into the skirt arena, I followed the pattern for the "Easy Breezy Wrap Skirt" from the Sew Everything Workshop. Very clear instructions, and a great intro to wearable items. It was fairly straightforward, the only tricky part was sewing the straight band to the slightly curved waistline.

I did make one minor change - I switched the tie opening to the opposite side. For reasons I can't explain, I like the ties to hang down on my left hand side. Probably because I'm left handed. Oh hey, look at that, guess I can explain it. ;)

The skirt has an A-line shape with darts in the front and back, so it's very flattering and super comfy. The fabric is what I'm pretty much sticking to as a beginner - a clean, crisp, 100% cotton print from Joann's. When they're 40% off, you can whip a skirt like this out for around $10. Hard to beat that!

I'm so happy with how this turned out! It's a great addition to my spring/summer wardrobe!

I'm such a big fan

2010-05-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Literally and figuratively!

This shawl was such a fun knit! The fan stitch pattern looks complicated but is really quite easy to memorize. Which is good, since you knit about a thousand of them. Okay, more like 28. But it seems like a thousand. I mean that in a good way. Really.

I made two mods to the pattern, one minor, one major. First, I purled the first and last stitch of all WS knit rows to make it easier to pick up stitches later (I hate picking up through garter stitches!).

Second, the original pattern is knit modularly, which = weave-in hell, so I knit it diagonally to make things a little easier. Here's how I did it:

After Row 28 of Fan 1, I bound off one stitch (i.e. passed the right stitch over the left stitch), so there was one stitch left on the needle.
Picked up 24 more stitches along the left side of Fan 1, which gave me 25 stitches.
Used the outside end of the ball and the working yarn to do a long-tail cast-on of 25 stitches.
That gave me 50 stitches total for Fan 3. Knitted the fan as written to Row 28.
Repeated from step 1 for Fans 6, 10, 15, 21, and 28.

This gave me the first diagonal row of 7 fans. From there:

Did a long-tail cast-on of 25 stitches for Fan 2.
Picked up 25 stitches along the right side of Fan 1.
This gave me 50 stitches total for Fan 2. Knitted the fan as written.
After Row 28 of Fan 2, I bound off one stitch, so there was one stitch left on the needle.
Picked up 24 more stitches along the left side of Fan 2, which gave me 25 stitches.
Picked up 25 more stitches along the right side of Fan 3,which gave me 50 stitches total for Fan 5. Knitted the fan as written to Row 28.

Lather, rinse, repeat!

More of the same with the half fans along the top, again to minimize the end-weaving:

Knitted the first half-fan as written to Row 18.
Picked up 14 stitches down the left side. (These 14 stitches remain unknit until the garter border. You can place them on waste yarn or a stitch holder if you like.)
Picked up 50 stitches for the next half fan.
Repeated from step 1 until all half fans were complete, then cut yarn.
With RS facing, joined new yarn at the right side and knit across, picking up 14 stitches on the remaining halves of fans (this will make more sense when you're knitting the pattern than it does just reading it, I promise), and knitting across other stitches.
Knitted in garter stitch for five rows and bound off loosely.

There you have it! Still a lot of ends to weave in, but far, far less than the original pattern calls for.

Yarn thoughts
Malabrigo Silky Merino! Oh so soft! Oh so silky! Oh so hard to match colors! :P Three of my skeins were from the same dye lot, and there was still a noticeable degree of shade variation. I scored a fourth skein of the same dye lot from a fellow Raveler, and that turned out to be a lighter shade as well. At that point, I could have frogged the whole thing and planned out the shade variations differently, maybe even knitting it modularly in order to mix and match the colors more cohesively.

But I'm lazy.

So I just went with it. Sure, laid out on the floor, it's pretty noticeable, at least to me (and more so in person than you can see in these photos). But draped across my shoulders, it's a non-issue. Most people won't notice this little quirk, and I decided I can live with it. Quite a change from my normally anal-retentive perfectionist issues, wouldn't you say? I think the fact that Silky Merino does not take well to frogging had something to do with it! ;)

Wrap (ha!) it up
Color issues aside, I really love how this turned out! The pattern went perfectly with the Silky Merino, it blocked out to just the right size, and the fans are just so pretty! It's also nice to have a DK-weight shawl to fall between my Clapotis and sock/laceweight wraps. I can definitely see myself knitting another one of these in the future. But maybe all the same shade next time. ;)

Silky Fan Shawl
Pattern: Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl by Crystal Palace Yarns
Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino, 4 skeins in Celeste
Needle: HiyaHiya Interchangeables, Size 6
Mods: Knit diagonally instead of modularly to minimize end-weaving

YAHR like a girl

2010-05-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

Because every baby girl wants to be a Viking. Right?

My favorite baby hat pattern, now with braids! I can't even begin to tell you how much more squeeable this was in person than it looks in this picture. Just when I thought the boy Viking Hat couldn't get any cuter, adding braids for a girl? Even better!

YAHRGirl Hat
Pattern: Viking Hat
Needle: HiyaHiya Interchangeables in size 7
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Chocolate and Pewter + Wool Ease in Fisherman + Cotton Ease in Banana Split
Mods: Sized it down slightly, added braids

And of course, as a Viking Girl, she's gotta have great pair of shoes.

I used this pattern for seamless baby booties worked from the bottom up as a guide, but worked the sole in garter stitch. I also tweaked the short-row shaping for the instep slightly, skipping the wrap and closing the last two gaps with decreases as follows:

Knit short rows as written to 36 stitches, ending with a purl row but do NOT wrap stitch.
Next row: K6, SSK, K to end (back of bootie). 35 stitches.
Next row: Knit to gap, K2tog, knit to end. 34 stitches.

Aren't they cute? I wasn't able to attend, but I was told both the hat and booties were a huge hit at the shower on Saturday. I can't wait to see them on my future first-cousin-once-removed-in-law! (Try making a Hallmark card for that!)

YAHRGirl Uggs
Pattern: Baby Booties Without Seams + Suede Baby Booties detailing
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Chocolate + Plymouth Heaven in white
Needles: HiyaHiya Interchangeables in size 4 + 5
Mods: Knit the sole in garter, close final gaps on instep differently

Aloha cute!

2010-05-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

Check out my latest fabric purchase!

I LOVE this. Love love love it! I couldn't decide whether to pick the black or the red, so I just bought 3 yards in both. Not sure what they're going to be yet, but one of them is destined to be a wrap skirt. Probably the red. I could use a kicky little red skirt!

Seeing red

2010-05-05T15:00:00.001-07:00

Hello, gorgeous.

I'm doing a test knit for Rosi G. in this BFF B Sock by Alpha B Yarn (quick - say that three times fast!). The colorway is called "Momiji", which means "falling leaves" in Japanese. I literally gasped when I opened the package, it is so amazingly beautiful! This knit is going to be under wraps on Super Secret Double Probation until it's published, but I have no doubt it's going to be stunning.

I know I've been MIA for a couple of weeks, things got a tad crazy there for a bit! Plus, right now, my home office is in a big state of disarray as it undergoes a makeover (suffice to say, I'm officially OVER painting). But hang on to your hats kids, there will be a slew of FO posts coming up starting next week, including those two skirts I sneak peeked atcha last month, the Fan Shawl, and a couple of other goodies! :)

Damn you Dream Goddess, damn you!

2010-04-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

I was having the weirdest dream last night! A random plot filled with numerous WTH-type moments (par for the course when I dream), some interweavings of college friends, a couple of former co-workers, and then...Nathan Fillion showed up!

The best part about my dream? Nathan Fillion was in it.

The worst part? We were just friends.

Dahhhhmit.

Weather Master

2010-04-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Did you know that I have the power to control the weather? See, when I finish a sweater, it automatically becomes sunny and 80 degrees outside. When I finish a skirt, it turns rainy and 65.

It's a gift.

So until it becomes sunny again (hmmm...maybe I should start knitting another sweater, that outta do it), all you get are these little teaser shots:

Hehehe. You know you love it.

On the knitting front, thank you all for your great suggestions on my plea for ideas! Lots of excellent patterns and pairings in your comments!

It was Brenda's rec to knit the Wednesday Socks that sent the mojo running back, running I tell you! That pattern is absolutely gorgeous! My STR Lenore is being saved for something else, though, so I did a little Rav stalking and found the perfect colorway of Madeline Tosh Sock (which I've been yearning to try) in someone else's destash. It's winging it's way to me now and should arrive in the next day or two. Can not wait to cast those on!

Grace's rec to knit the Textured Shawl with my blue Malabrigo Silky Merino also hit the mark! I'd been racking my brain trying to figure out what to make with those three skeins, for some reason a shawl didn't occur to me!

As gorgeous as that pattern is, however, I wanted something with some softer edges, so I did a little Rav search and came across the Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl. Ding ding ding! Love at first sight!

Like most shawls, it looks like a big hot mess right now:

I'm knitting it diagonally instead of modularly because I tend to run screaming from that much end-weaving.

But, like most shawls, it should block out beautifully. It's going by pretty quickly, too, as I've got the pattern memorized now and am knitting it sans row counter. I just need to pick up one more skein in this colorway, then hopefully I can have it done by the end of the week!

Oh, and I also have another sewing FO to share with you, but it was a gift so I have to wait for it to reach its destination. :)

Thanks Happy Bunny, Bawk Bawk!

2010-04-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Herro!

My name is Happy Bunny! Whheeeeee! (What, I said I was happy.) I'm a shorter-nosed, longer-eared version of Otto the Polar Bear. weez fashioned me out of something called Wool-Ease, which makes great toys 'cause it's easy to take care of. I'll bet that first spin around the washing machine is going to be so. much. fun!

I'm not just cute, though. I'm really snuggly! Plus, when I get excited, my ears fly up!

I'm a good listener, too.

Even though some things confuse me, being new to the world and all.

So, like, what are you about?

I'm going to fly out to K's house this weekend, where her super adorable kids can squeeze me and hug me and call me George. I can't wait! It's good to be a Happy Bunny! Wheeee!

Happy Bunny
Pattern: Otto by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Wool-Ease, 1 skein in Fisherman
Needle: HiyaHiya Interchangeables, Size 4
Mods: Decreased the face faster to do away with the snout; only one set of increases on the arms to make them less bulbous; picked up more stitches for the ears, increased gradually, then decreased rapidly to make them bunny-like.

Divine Knitspiration

2010-04-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Just to clarify, I'm looking for inspiration, not perspiration.

I only have one WIP going right now, a knitted bunny for my friend's daughter. That should (hopefully) be ready to gift by Easter Sunday, so I need a couple three projects to get the mojo going again. And to keep me from doing something completely unwise, more than a little scary and ultimately doomed to try and fix those two errant cables on my CPH (which yes, I am wearing again today).

I've been strolling through my Rav queue, looking at my stash, and...nothin'. Nada. Zip. Nothing is calling out to me, saying, "Knit me, knit me now, weez!" (When my yarn does that, I promise, I don't actually answer back. Most of the time.) In fact, I haven't even wanted to *buy* any yarn lately, which is why said stash is reaching critically low levels. Now you know it's serious!

So, please, inspire me! Take a peek at my stash, and tell me what pattern you would knit next if you were me!

And they call it, hoodie luh-huuuuv

2010-03-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

'Member my first Central Park Hoodie? I loved that thing. Still do, in fact. But in retrospect, that was puppy love.

This, this is true love.

Don't get me wrong, the electric bluegaloo CPH is one of my favorite knits. But frankly, I almost never wear it. It simply doesn't get that cold here very often. So it, and my other wool sweaters, only see the light of day once or twice a season.

This baby, however, is a cotton blend. That be LOVE #1. I've already worn it five times in the past week alone! It was 78 degrees yesterday, and I still wore it. Uuuuntil the hot hot air in my car forced me to take it off.

LOVE #2? (No, it's not my butt. Definitely not my butt.) It's knitted all in the round and...wait for it...all. top. down. That's right, I reverse-engineered the entire pattern. It wasn't that hard, actually, thanks to ~~the Bible~~ Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top. No seams and a custom-tailored fit!

Dude, I would make such a good spy. Except for the running and the shooting and the secret identities and stuff.

I obviously can't go into too much detail without giving away the pattern or breaking the record for the longest blog post ever, but here's a general rundown of my mods:

Used a provisional cast-on for the back and fronts
Used short rows to shape the shoulders
Joined the back shoulders to the front shoulders with a three-needle bind-off so there would be more stability to counter balance the weight of the hood (and had to fudge it a stitch on each side to line up the purl columns because I'm freakishly anal that way)
After the shoulders, on the fronts, increased a stitch every other RS row 3x, then did a provisional cast-on to add extra stitches for the neckline
Joined the fronts to the back once the armhole depth had been reached, adding stitches at each armhole with a backwards loop cast-on
Knitted set-in sleeves top down, decreased from the elbow to a couple of inches above the wrist, then knitted 2x2 rib until the cuff was the perfect length for my under-tall arms
Used decreases and short rows to create a nice, rounded hood
Knit the entire border band in one piece (thank you 60" HiyaHiya Interchangeable Cable!)
Added a zipper instead of buttons

TIP: If you plan to knit this top down, flip the order of the charts. For example, when it says to knit Chart A, Knit Chart C.

And look! LOVE #3: No villagers-with-torches pointy hood this time! I used decreases and some hoodie short rows a'la Cristy (sounds good, don't it? Next time I go to a restaurant, I'm going to order that), creating 6 wraps per side in 4 stitch intervals to add height to the fronts. That turned out the perfect hood for me!

I'm too obnoxious for my cardi, too obnoxious for my cardi, so obnoxious let's part-tay...

LOVE #4: This pattern really is spectacular, any way you knit it. The cables add interest but are easy to memorize, and the multiple purl columns conform to your body without the need for shaping. The finished product is cute and flattering, and really - how can you not love a hoodie!

By knitting it all top-down, I was able to customize it even further to the perfect length, the perfect width, the perfect fit!

Yarn thoughts
LOVE #5: The yarn. Oh, the yarn. I heart this new discovery of mine like I heart Nathan Fillion (but in a completely different way). This is Tatamy Tweed by Kraemer Yarns, a cotton/acrylic blend that comes in several amazing tweed colorways. It's easy to knit with, machine washable and fabulously soft!

It did shed some of those tweedy bits while knitting and in the dryer after the first wash, so I had to trot out the lint brush for a few tees and things. But those were very minor inconveniences and the sweater doesn't look any less tweedy post-shedding.

I just found out that Kraemer has now launched a Tatamy line with solid versions of their tweed colorways, which makes me all kinds of giddy! This may become my new go-to sweater yarn!

Wrap it up
I can't get enough of this sweater! It's so cute and comfy and cottonlicious, I want to wear it all the live long day. In fact, I have some forest green Tatamy Tweed in my stash and am seriously thinking of knitting another one. Because top-down, custom-fit, in a fabulous cotton tweed, it is sheer sweater perfection. (ETA: Even with those two cables twisting the wrong way, ~~which I just noticed thanks to Anonymous~~ which I totally did on purpose. Design feature. And a knittily-engrained life lesson. 'Cause, you know, the world isn't perfect, so your sweater shouldn't be either. ;)).

Top-down Central Park Hoodie
Pattern: Knitscene, Fall 2006 or Interweave Online
Yarn: Tatamy Tweed Worsted, 7 skeins in Oatmeal
Needle: HiyaHiya Interchangeables in size 8 (various cable lengths)
Mods: Knit all top-down, short row shoulders, non-pointy hood, zipper instead of buttons, and a buncha others listed up above

Zip It Good

2010-03-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

My first pass at the CPH Zipper Experiment was a big, fat FAIL. Not because the process is difficult, because it really isn't, but because I'm an idiot. As they say, "Measure twice, sew once." Okay, I know that's not the actual saying. But it should be.

In summary, I thought I wanted the zipper to be 21". So I bought a 22" (they come in standard 20" or 22" lengths, naturally) clipped off the extra polyester teeth, pinned, basted, sewed the sucker in, tried it on, found it was ~~choking me like a bad horror movie~~ a bit too high, clipped off more polyester teeth, sewed it in again, didn't like how the top-sans-zipper-stop looked, thought for a moment, measured again...and discovered the length I'd now trimmed it to was exactly 20". *sigh* Ripping out a machine-sewn seam in fabric buh-lows. Ripping out a machine-sewn seam in your knitting really, really buh-lows. It ain't easy being anal. *sigh again*

Luckily, take two was much more successful! There are a few tutorials floating around the Internets on how to sew a zipper into a knitted sweater, but since several of you requested it, here's a step-by-step on how I did it:

What you'll need:
- Zipper (duh)
- Straight pins
- Needle and contrasting thread for basting
- Sewing machine
- Ball-point needle (I used a size 16)
- Zipper foot (Note for SJ: A zipper foot allows you to sew the zipper in close to the teeth, which a regular presser foot doesn't allow you to do.)

Step 1: Make sure you have the proper length zipper :P, and that it separates at the bottom. Test it out a few times, make sure it works and that it slides up and down easily. Wash and dry the zipper and the sweater in the same manner you will care for the finished item.

TIP: If you go with a zipper that has polyester/plastic teeth, make it easy on yourself and use a standard length or get one customized. Clipping off extra teeth and the top zipper stop can be done, but it just looks like a big hot mess IMO. If you go with a metal zipper, I've read you can easily remove the extra teeth and re-position the top zipper stop with pliers.

Step 2: Your zipper will have this bit of extra tape at the top:

You can go ahead and sew that in as is, but I decided to tuck it away, so it would look a little neater.

First, with the back side of the zipper facing you (heeheeheebackside), fold the top down so that it's perpendicular to the rest of the zipper. There should be something along the lines of a 45-degree angle up one side. Hand sew up that angled side. (This doesn't need to look pretty (obviously), no one's really going to see it.)

Next, fold the top down. Hand sew along the side edge.

Next, see that little flag sticking out? Fold that in, and hand sew along the inside edge. Get out your thimble, as it will be a little tough to get through the plastic covering the edge.

Do you have a flag? Not anymore!

Here's how it looks on the front side, once it's finished:

Now the extra tape is tucked neatly out of the way, but won't interfere with the zipper teeth.

Step 3: Pin that sucker in like there's no tomorrow. Ever see Zombieland? Rule #2 - the Double Tap. This is not the time to be stingy with your stick pins. Make sure it's pinned in well, and that the placement matches up on both sides.

With a 2x2 rib, it was easy to match up the fronts - I pinned one side, then lined up the knits and purls to pin the other.

Note: Some tutorials recommend basting the fronts together first. I chose not to do this as: a) I didn't want the border band sitting directly above the zipper (snag nightmare!), and b) I wanted to see where I was pinning the zipper in to get the right placement.

Step 4: Try it on and zip it up. Make sure it's the length you want and that the zipper slides up and down easily without getting caught on anything. Then go take some Advil, because leaning over and pinning all that crap in will give you a monster neckache.

Step 5: Using a contrasting thread and fairly long stitches, baste the zipper in, going down the center(ish) of the zipper tape. Once it's basted in, remove the pins.

Note: Your basting doesn't need to be perfect, you're going to rip it out later anyway. Your primary goal here is to overthrow the planet...ooops, sorry, wrong tutorial...um, to secure the zipper so you can remove the pins.

Here's how mine looked from the front:

And the back:

And the top:

Step 6: Try it on and zip it up. Again, make sure it's the length you want and that the zipper slides up and down easily without getting caught on anything. Because it's a helluva, HELLUVA lot easier to take out a basting stitch than a sewn-in seam. Ask me how I know this. Actually, don't. It's too soon.

Step 7: Insert the ball-point needle and zipper foot onto your sewing machine and move the needle position to the far right.

Place the right front side of the sweater under the zipper foot (the zipper should be on top of the feed dogs, as it will slide more easily over them than the knitting would). Sew the zipper in slowly, going from top to bottom. Since this is a worsted weight sweater, I used a fairly long straight stitch, set at 7.

Tip: My sweater was a little too thick to backstitch, so I just loosened the presser foot setting to "Darning" at the beginning and end and sewed in place for a few stitches to lock it in.

Repeat on the left front side.

Note: I moved the needle position to the far left and sewed this side in from top to bottom as well. It was kind of a pain with the bulk of the sweater sitting on the right, but my sewing machine has a tendency to push the top fabric forward more than the bottom fabric, even with the presser foot at the lowest setting. By sewing both sides in from the top down, I figured any fabric creep would at least be at the bottom edge, where it wouldn't be as noticeable. However, if your sewing machine is less than 35 years old, you could probably go ahead and sew the left front side in from bottom to top. :P

Step 8: Carefully remove the basting thread. Some of it may be caught under the machine stitches, so go slowly and don't rush this last part!

Once the basting is removed, hand sew along the top and side edge at the top of the zipper and the side edge at the bottom of the zipper for about half an inch, using either a running stitch or whipstitch.

Here's how my finished zipper looked from the back:

The top front (see how nice it looks with the tape tucked in? Aren't you glad you didn't skip that step? ;)):

And voila, the front!

Step 9: Try it on, jump up and down, and squeal for joy! See, it wasn't that difficult. In fact, it was pretty damn easy! I am SO happy with how this turned out. Totally worth re-doing after the initial fail!

It's been in the mid- to upper 70s the last couple of weeks (boooo!), but the forecast calls for 68 degrees on Thursday, so hopefully, I can show you the whole sweater soon! :)

Zip It

2010-03-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

Looky what I just gooooot!

That be a zipper foot. (Not just a regular zipper foot. An adjustable zipper foot. Eeeeee!)

You know what that means? It means I'll be sewing a zipper into my second Central Park Hoodie this weekend. Yes, I'm sewing a zipper into my knitting.

Pray for me.

A twin for Fernie

2010-03-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

'Member Fernie?

Well, he needed a twin brother. Make that a fraternal twin.

My BFF's family spent the weekend with us back in January, and her older son (who just turned 5) fell in LOVE with Fernie!

But Fern, he's been around. Kinda dusty and crotchety, with coins in his butt and all. So for T's big-boy birthday, Auntie weez made him his very own Spherey!

This little guy is almost identical to his bro Fernie, but he's more of a happy-go-lucky type, with a permanent little smile on his face. And his arms and legs are all the same color, a deep, dark blue. (Any Syracuse fans out there? I think these are your colors! ;)) And of course, he's all huggable stuffing. No coins in there!

He's on a road trip with the P.O. right now, waiting for T to name him and squoosh him and call him...well, we'll see. ;)

Spherey II for T
Pattern: Spherey from Unusual Toys for You to Knit and Enjoy (inexplicably out of print)
Yarn: Cotton Ease, bits of Orangeade and Blueberry
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in size US 5, 32"
Mods: None (I know, shocker)

Renaissance Cushion

2010-03-16T17:35:00.001-07:00

Up 'til now, I was using a tiny plastic square box to hold my pins and um...the floor to catch threads.

Dude, this is so much better.

It's a pincushion/organizer/threadcatcher, all in one! The pattern is free from Sew, Mama, Sew! and it is totally awesome. Very clear, easy-to-follow instructions, with pics every step of the way.

The pincushion is weighted down (the pattern said to use rice, I filled mine with some sort of buckwheat combo that was formerly in a heated neck wrap thing) so it will sit on your sewing table. Genius!

Likey my drinkey? This fabric used to be a pair of pajama pants!

The organizer holds whatever small tools you use most - for me, a seamripper :P, a disappearing ink pen, and behind the scrap bag, a measuring tape and point turner (aka old size 5 dpn).

Ah, Paris.

For the threadcatcher/scrap bag (why do I automatically think of that episode of "Friends", where Phoebe's husband Mike threatens to change his name to "Crap Bag"?), which can be detached to stand alone, the bottom and top were cut and sewn separately then seamed together.

This is one section that I might do differently next time - first, only the top of the bag has interfacing (I used lightweight stabilizer instead of fusible). I would reinforce the entire bag, as it tends to get a little floppy. Second, since I used a single fabric for the entire bag, it might have been easier to make it all from a one piece, rather than cutting and sewing on the top separately.

A few other mods: I didn't use quite as many different fabrics as the pattern calls for, going with one for each component instead. I also skipped the interfacing on the button loop, as that made it a little too bulky, and ditched the wool felt for the straight needles, since I ~~suck at hand sewing~~ don't use them very often.

Overall, it was a pretty easy project! The only dicey parts were sewing the triangle at the bottom of the button loop (even without the interfacing it was still bulky as all hell) and hand-sewing the bottom opening after stuffing the pincushion. It's a good thing no one can see it!

It's SO handy having this by your side when you're sewing! It's also nice not to step on those random pins that kept falling and getting lost on the floor before (I've uttered one too many an, "OW! What the...dahhhmit."). And when the machine starts to frustrate me, it's a good reminder to turn it off, get a drink and fuhgeddaboutit!

Reversible Apron - In More Ways Than One

2010-03-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

Don't look like much just hanging there, does it?

But look how cute on!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how well this apron turned out! This was my first experience working with a paper pattern, and the end result was better than I imagined. It took me two days to put it all together, but, dare I say it?, it was actually...fun!

It was also quite educational. First, I learned that if your fabric print is directional, it's best to make sure it's say, facing the right direction BEFORE you cut it out. Not, say...

...upside down. D'oh! Luckily, I noticed and corrected this before I cut the other side.

Second, the same holds true when you're sewing the pieces together.

Nice job sewing in that strap upside down, dumbass. Guess I went a little too far with the whole reversible theme. :P

There were a couple of minor issues with the pattern (the Reversible Apron from Simple Sewing) as well. For one, the paper pieces didn't quite match up, so a little fudging and trimming was in order. (Experienced sewers, is that common?) Also, the pleats were a bit of a head-scratcher. The diagram didn't gell with the written instructions, and I couldn't figure out how to line up the three notches into two pleats. They didn't sew in very well, so I ended up having to iron them in afterwards. As you can see in the pic above, they're already starting to flatten out. Next time I make this, I'm going to ignore the notches and form the pleats by common sense instead.

Final pattern note - instead of slip-stitching the 6" bottom opening (because my hand-sewing skills really suck), I seamed it using a little fusible web, a tip I saw on some "Sewing with Nancy" special a while back. Worked perfectly!

I'm so happy with how this turned out, especially since it's my first non-accessory project! The fit is fully adjustable with ties at the back and neck, the cut is very flattering, and it's quite comfy. I keep it hanging on a cabinet knob in my kitchen and wear it all the time when I'm making dinner!

Now, there's only one question left - if I smack Hubster on the head with a frying pan when he's snoring, will that make him stop?

Knock, Knock.

2010-03-09T14:38:00.001-08:00

Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I knitted this scarf?

Baaaaahahahahahahaha! Sorry, I actually got a decent night's sleep last night and it's made me a little hyper.

But you don't have to be hyper (unless you really want to be, try it, it's fun!) to see this scarf is fantastic! The pattern is Corazon by our very own, super fabulous Rosi G.

I LOVED knitting this. The stitch pattern is absolutely beautiful, and so much fun to knit! Which is good, because I'm never knitting a scarf in sock yarn again. You know how when you knit a scarf, you often wonder if someone's frogging part of it while you sleep because you don't seem to be making any progress at all? Multiply that by a thousand, and that's what it feels like to knit a scarf in sock yarn. Took foooorrrevver. If this pattern weren't such a treat to knit, I'd have thrown myself out a window. One on the first floor, because I'm a total wuss, but it still would've hurt.

But seriously, how can you not love something that looks like this?

I only made two very minor mods for symmetry - I eliminated one purl stitch on the second pattern repeat and matched up the number of garter ridges at the beginning and end. That was all it took to turn this pattern, which is originally designed as a cowl, into my new favorite scarf!

The pattern is very well-written, too - includes a nice, big, easy-to-read chart along with written instructions, she even tells you which row to stop at so as not to interrupt the pattern design. Thumbs way up, Rosi! :) If you haven't gotten this pattern yet, I highly recommend!

Yarn thoughts
Mmmmmmmm. Malabrigo Sock Yarn. An absolute dream to knit with, gorgeous gorgeous color, with virtually no runoff in the soak and no fading or pilling afterwards. And hoooo, baby, this stuff is soft. Of course it's soft, it's Malabrigo. Mmmmmmmm.

Wrap it up
Corzaon, you stole my heart. You're so fun and spontaneous. Soft and pretty, too. Let's go have a candlelight dinner and take a moonlit walk on the beach...

Corazon Scarf
Pattern: Corazon by Rosi G.
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock, 1 skein in Terracotta
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in Size 2.5, 32"
Mods: Elimated a purl stitch, matched up the number of garter ridges at the beginning and end.

I'm an excellent crazy ass, loony bin sifter

2010-03-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

That title has nothing to do with the post, I just thought it was one of the best lines I'd ever heard on "Bones". :D

D'ja miss me? Sorry for ducking out for so long. Have been going through a very difficult time recently. Hence the absence here and from your blogs as well. (I'm too far behind to catch up at this point, so I had to declare Google Reader bankruptcy and just mark all as read today. Forgive me!) But, we're looking forward now with hope and a smile. :) And hopefully, more blog action!

So what's been up? Well, the knitting mojo went on walkabout for a while, but I did manage to eke out three hats in January. Wanna see?

(Insert imaginary pic here)

Yeah, so would I. Forgot to snap pics before gifting them off. Oops! I also knitted a faboo scarf, but haven't taken pics of that yet either, so no FO post yet.

I know what you're thinking - "Geez, weez, ditch us all for ages and come back with nuthin'?"

Now you all know me better than that! :) 'Member how I absolutely hated sewing, then learned to at least tolerate it? Well, since the knitting mojo was nowhere to be found, I gave sewing another try and it turns out...I actually *do* like it!

First, I made some project box bags. I'm still tinkering with the process a bit, so I'll show you those later. But I will say that they turned out super cute despite their mistakes, and started to turn the tide. However, it was this little baby that really got me hooked.

My very own, handcrafted yoga mat bag! The basic pattern is from Simple Sewing, but I modded it up a bit. First, I doubled the fabric so it would be sturdier and lined. Second, I made the bag a little bit bigger, so it'd be easier to get the mat in and out, and fit a towel as well. Third, I made the pocket a tad roomier, too. Fourth, I sewed down a longer bit at the top of the strap, and reinforced it by sewing an "X" in the middle. Fifth, I pilfered this cord and cord stop from a bag a set of sheets came in to make the drawstring.

I LOVE how it turned out! The pocket is big enough to fit my keys, sunglasses, cell phone, gym membership card, even a water bottle if need be. And I just feel so...jaunty carrying it into the gym.

Let's all bring back jaunty! Use it in a sentence today!

Overcoming the sewing hate took a few different paths. One: realizing stuff that I sew for myself can have ~~mistakes and slightly uneven seam lines~~ customized design features. I am a beginner after all! It's not like I'm shooting to become the next Project Runway designer. These aren't shirts or dresses or anything that require a specific fit, either. For now, it's all about having fun, so I just let go of perfection. Which was pretty easy. Not sure what that says about me...

Two, *cough* um, reading the sewing machine manual. Gee, it's amazing what a difference that made. Turns out I'd been threading the machine all wrong. D'oh! You should've heard me while I was reading through it, too. Lots of exclamations along the lines of, "Wow, this thing has a thread cutter?!? I had no idea!" and, "ohhhhhhh, so THAT's what that's for!"

Third, having the right tools. I'm talking an Omnigrid cutting mat, Olfa rotary cutters (the 60" ergonomic rotary and the pinking rotary - both scored on eBay for a STEAL, btw - totally, completely rock my world), Omnigrid clear ruler, and disappearing ink pen to start. A little strip magnet on the strike plate (pilfered from a refrigerator notepad) is helping me sew a less-crooked line, too. And Guterman thread. Gotta have Guterman thread - especially when it's 50% off at Joann's!

Last but not least: studying the Sew Everything Workshop. This is a GREAT beginner's book. Tone very similar to the Stitch-n-Bitch books, with things spelled out simply and conversationally. Haven't tried the patterns yet, but it's a must-read for the basics.

Of course, even all that can't keep my older-than-dirt Singer from frustrating the crap out of me at times - take for instance, the random skipping and bunching that occurs whenever a spool gets down to the last 30%. WTH is that about? (Bez, I know you know my pain.) The feed dogs - even after having the machine serviced - tend to pull to the right, too. And this weekend I discovered that it turns into a cranky ol' grandpa if you even attempt to sew anything other than a straight line (why hello thread-shredding zig zag and faux overlock, nice to meetcha).

But for now, the Singer and I are getting along much better. We're even becoming friends. In fact, wait 'til you see the Reversible Apron I made this weekend... ;)

3...2...1...Happy FO Year!

2009-12-31T12:00:00.001-08:00

Whew, I can squeeze these last few FOs in, just in the nick of time! Apologies for the final (I promise!) influx of crappy pics and combo posts, but I procrastinated. I should probably make "stop procrastinating" one of my New Year's resolutions, but I'm procrastinating making resolutions.

Artichoke Socks II

These were a Christmas gift for MIL. The pattern (which I've knit before) and yarn were a great match, and they fit her perfectly. I have to admit, I was quite sad to give up my coveted skein of Lucky, but when you know a knit is going to be spot on, you just hafta give in to it. ;)
Pattern: Artichoke Socks by Soxie
Yarn: Socks That Rock Mediumweight in Lucky
Needles: HiyaHiya Steel Circs in size 1.5, 32"
Mods: Modified the stitch pattern down to 54 stitches, subbed in Sherman heel

Beau-pere Beret a Troisième

I've made two of these for FIL, one in black and one in khaki, and he wears both of them ALL the time. So of course, had to round it out with a third! This is such a great pattern, I always enjoy knitting it!
Pattern: Moss Stitch Beret by Kent's Craft
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, less than one skein in Chocolate
Needles: HiyaHiya Steel Interchangeables in sizes 7 + 8
Mods: Same as last time, but switched to size 8s after brim

Big Damn Mitt Envys

I knitted these up with the leftover sport-weight Speed Demon from my Big Damn Chevron Scarf. Modified the stitch count down, even fiddled around with the ribbing some. I'd initially planned to write up a pattern with the mods, but I gotta be honest - Mitt Envys look and feel much better in fingering weight, so I'm going to leave well enough alone. These are nice and cushy, though! And I *heart* this colorway. Almost as much as I *heart* naked Mal. Okay, maybe not as much as naked Mal. But these do keep me warm. Then again, so does the sight of naked Mal...
Pattern: mine :)
Yarn: Sweet Georgia Speed Demon in Firefly
Needles: HiyaHiya Steel Circs in size 2.5, 32"
Mods: Modified the stitch count for sport weight, fiddled around with the ribbing

And that wraps it up for 2009! I wish you all a safe, happy New Year that you can hopefully remember in the morning (and if not, have a good friend or mate who will tell you about it). Now that I'm in my *censored*, I'm more of a hang-at-home girl for the Eve. So tonight, Hubster and I will be celebrating with some quality TiVo/DVD time, and for me, some knitting. Oh, and mustn't forget the cupcakes.

From left to right, that be Pumpkin Pie, Hazelnut Crunch, and Apple Pie. Which may have already been inhaled. But I'm not admitting anything.

You can't beat cupcakes! ;) Happy New Year everyone!

Meeeerrrry Chocolate! Er, Christmas!

2009-12-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

Nothin' says Christmas like a heart attack waiting to happen!

Saltine Toffee Cookies - just butter, sugar, saltines, chocolate, and nuts, and OMGSOGOOD. Super easy and cheap, too! Just how I like my men. Cookies! I mean cookies!

You know how I've never been much of a sugar person? Yeah, that phase of my life is apparently over.

I've always loved to cook, but have never really been a baker. Most likely due to the lack-o-sweet tooth described above. And the horrible batch of microwave brownies I made in the 6th grade that my brothers *still* won't let me live down. Plus, I also like to cook by instinct, without really measuring. You can do that to a certain degree with baking, but there's a much higher probability of FUBAR.

Well, over the past month, I've discovered an inexplicable desire to bake. Not sure where it came from, but turns out it's fun! (Not that I'll be turning into a Cookie Czar anytime soon! ;) More like a Cookie Court Jester. I'll serve in Bezzie's court. :D)

The problem is, you kind of have to sample the results. You know, for quality control and stuff. And that has awakened what has, until now, been a lifetime-dormant sweet tooth. (Except for pie, breakfast, and ice cream. Those have always been the exceptions.)

Given the choice, of course, I'd much rather snarf down a bowl of popcorn. Or a bag of Seasoned Pretzels from Eastshore Specialty Foods, which came in Hubster's annual gift basket from Vendor-I-Can't-Remember and is already 2/3 gone. But from now on, if you show me a cookie, I'll show you some crumbs on my mouth! ;)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to head out on a pre-emptive 3.5-mile powerwalk, since I've already quality-controlled two of those Saltine Toffee Cookies (before they were cooled, no less) and they're going to be in the house until tomorrow morning, when I make Hubster take most of them to his office to keep me from morphing into Santa's Asian twin sister.

May you all have a wonderful, very Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, and if not, a very happy day off! :)

Holiday Twofer

2009-12-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

Alrighty, since the holidays are approaching and I'm in the crap-I-couldn't-decide-which-yarn-and-pattern-and-now-that-I-have-finally-decided-I-only-have-a-week-to-finish-these-damn-socks-for-MIL mode (get all that?), you're getting a little holiday twofer post with horrific pictures. :P I've knitted both of these patterns before anyway, so there's not much new to add!

NephYAHR! Hat III

This pattern is so fun! I knitted this for a friend of mine who had a gorgeous baby boy this summer. Used the exact same mods as last time, but knitted the actual baby size (instead of sizing the pattern up for toddlers) and sans the extra row of seed stitch in the grey.

Pattern: Baby Viking Hat by Chili Con Yarne
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Chocolate and Pewter + Berroco Pure Merino in dove
Needle: HiyaHiya Steel Interchangeables in size 7
Mods: Shorter horns knitted in the round using short rows, slipped first stitch in rivets

Mitt Envy V

I made these for another friend, who waaaaay back when managed to score me a Wii Fit when they were nowhere else to be found. She messaged me as soon as she got them, said she had been planning to ask for a pair of fingerless mitts for Christmas, and that she was going to wear them all the time! I love it when that happens! Now if only my psychic powers would help me win the lottery...

Pattern: Mine :)
Yarn: Dyed in the Wool Handmade Fingering Mediumweight in Nicotiana
Needles: HiyaHiya Steel Circs in size 1.5, 32"
Mods: Used the LLI/LRI lifted increases instead of M1s

Snuggly Little Uggs

2009-12-09T13:55:00.000-08:00

Baby stuff, squeee!

*sigh* I just love knitting baby stuff. So cute! So little! And of course - so fast! ;)

One of my friends just had the most adorable baby girl this summer. Well, last month, when she mentioned she wanted to get herself a pair of Uggs, this pattern popped right into my head. Had to make 'em!

I have knitted this pattern before, but it was a few years ago, back during my supernewbie phase. The first time around, I knitted them flat, as written. The resulting seams were...um...let's just say, not pretty. The second time, I knitted them in the round, but all in stockinette, as I hadn't received the enlightenment of Judy's Magic Cast-on.

This time around, I made the whole thing seamless, complete with garter soles. I simply used the aforementioned Judy's Magic Cast-on, purled the first row, then followed the pattern from there, switching up to Magic Loop when it reached the bootie part.

Tada, no seams whatsoever! SO much better this way. I also used the wrap-and-turn method for the short rows (as opposed to just turning), and slipped the first stitch of those short rows knit-wise to tighten them up a bit.

Yarn thoughts
Another great thing about baby stuff - it's great for stashbusting! These took up some overs of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, Berocco Pure Merino, and Plymouth Heaven - all warm yet machine washable, so easy care for mom and dad.

Oh, and yeah, stiiiiill don't like knitting with novelty yarn. Such a PITA! Luckily, you only have to endure it for a couple of rows, and it's totally worth it, 'cause these are just the coolest baby booties on the block!

Wrap it up
Kyooooot! The recipient finds them quite warm and cozy, too, I'm told. I mean, she can't talk yet, but you know, you can see it in her eyes. ;)

Baby Uggs
Pattern: Suede Booties from DIY Network (sorry, it's no longer available online)
Yarn: Overs of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Chino, Berroco Pure Merino in Brown, and Plymouth Heaven in White
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel Interchangeables in size 4 and 5
Mods: Used Judy's Magic Cast-on and Magic Loop to knit them seamlessly and in the round, used wrap and turn method for short rows, slipping the first stitch knit-wise to make them a bit tighter

Mmmm...cookie...

2009-12-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry the blog has been a bit quiet lately! But look, I made you some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies to make up for it!

Baker's note: I subbed allspice for cloves and brown sugar for white sugar, added chocolate chips and skipped the icing.

Wait, you mean you can't reach them through the screen? Aw, man! *sigh* Oh well, I guess I'll just have to eat them all by myself. I'm a giver that way.

Mmmmm. *wipes crumbs from mouth...and lap...and desktop...*

Now that I'm on a sugar high, I can work on those three FO posts that've been waiting in the wings. I'm also knee deep in geeky pattern calculations for the Oh Sexy Boooyfriend Cardi, so expect a call for test knitters on that one sometime soon. Oh, and I've got three gift knits that I really, really should get to as well. Now if I could just put down my Sixteen-Button Cardigan to work on them...

Whew, hope you got some rest dear bloggy, 'cause the holiday rush has begun! :)

Happy Hedera II you...

2009-11-23T11:49:00.000-08:00

*sigh* I love this pattern.

It's ridiculously easy to memorize, knits up super fast, and has quite a bit of give - all of which is very helpful when you need to knit them up in a week because the month of November has flown by in a flash and your BFF's birthday snuck up on you before you knew it and smacked you in your knitting ass.

But, I digress.

They're even purty laid flat instead of on de feet! M's leg-enders are about half a size smaller than mine, so the chair gets to model them for you instead of me.

Only a few minor mods here - made the cuff slightly longer at 15 rows (I think? somewheres around there), knit 10 repeats of the lace pattern for the leg, and subbed in a Sherman heel. (Love this method - no wraps! It's my go-to short row heel. Click here if you'd like to try it!)

Yarn thoughts
This is Dyed in the Wool Handmade Fingering Mediumweight in Nicotiana. They do an absolutely beautiful job on their colorways! Various shades of red infuse throughout, no set striping or pooling, just a gorgeous melange of color.

The yarn itself is more wooly than squooshy, but soft and strong. There was no runoff in the soak (with red, can you believe it?) and no fading or pilling afterwards.

Wrap it up
I'm very pleased with how these turned out (and relieved I was able to wash, block, and mail them out in time)! I wanted to knit M up a birthday pair that was noticeably different in look and color than the Embossed Leaves I made her a couple of years ago, and these fit the bill perfectly. Hopefully, she'll love them just as much!

Hedera II
Pattern: by Cookie A., from the Spring 2006 knitty
Yarn: Dyed in the Wool Handmade Fingering Mediumweight, 1 skein in Nicotiana
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in size 1, 32"
Mods: Longer cuff, shorter leg, Sherman heel

Trick or Twofer Treat!

2009-11-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Hubster's cousins hosted us during the Half-Marathon weekend back in July, so I offered to knit them something as a thank-you gift. Nothing says "thank you" like Lorna's Laces and Koigu! ;) (Sorry, no modeled shots this time. I meant to, then forgot and washed them and am too lazy to model, photog, and wash 'em again. Plus, I need to get these mailed off as it's been over three months since I promised to knit these for them, sooooo, sucky pics it is!)

Have any of you seen this hat before? Hmmm, it's a rather obscure one... HA! Right. I'm sure you recognize the ~~ubiu~~ ~~ubiqoi~~ popular Koolhaas pattern from the IK 2007 Holiday Gifts issue. I have to say, I can see why this pattern has become such a bandwagon. It's much easier to knit than it looks (as long as you know how to cable without a cable needle, otherwise, it would drive you mad), really pops with those lattice cables, and is incredibly stretchy. It fit both Hubster and me!

Only made a couple of minor mods here: I a) lengthened the ribbing to create a fold-up brim, because me likey fold-up brims; b) knitted three repeats before the crown decreases (instead of five) as my row gauge was off; and c) ktbl'd the slipped stitch before moving the marker at end of Row 8 (instead of just slipping), to maintain the patterning. That was about it!

Hopefully J will like it! I thoroughly enjoyed knitting it, and the results turned out fab! In fact, this may become my go-to gift hat pattern. Uh, if my brothers are reading this, I hope you like it 'cause there's a very good chance you'll both be getting one for Christmas.

Koolhaas
Pattern: Interweave Knits, Holiday Gifts 2007
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, less than one skein in Pewter
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel Interchangeables, size 8
Mods: Fold-up brim, fewer repeats before crown, ktbl slipped stitch in Row 8

And for M, my Mitt Envys!

Is it wrong to love your own pattern? Ah, screw it if it is, 'cause I do! They knit up super quick, take very little yarn, have those kicky little cables, and look great in both solid and variegated colorways. I love this pattern so much, you'll be seeing a pair modified for sport weight later this week!

These should keep M's hands nice and toasty as she's sipping tea, overlooking her kickass San Fran view that I would hate her for if I didn't love her so much.

Mitt Envy IV
Pattern: Mine :)
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino, less than one skein in 2405
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel, size 1, 32"

Big Damn Chevron Scarf

2009-10-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

And when I say Big Damn Chevron Scarf, I mean Damn Big Chevron Scarf! This be looooong.

If you're trying to read my shirt, it says, "Dear Buddha, please bring me a pony and a plastic rocket". If you're checking out my rack, well by all means, continue.

Soooo, not much to say about this one. It's the ever-popular Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Like those who have come before me, I have to say... last minute, my ass! Everything you've heard is true - it takes foreeeevver.

So do what I did - take it on vacation! When you have four- to five-hour layovers, it's actually fun! ;) I knitted most of this on the way to, in, and on the way back from Hawaii, then finished up the last little bit here. Otherwise, it may very well have stalled somewhere in that eternal middle section. Which would've been a shame, 'cause ain't it pretty? The stitch pattern kinda reminds me of the ship, the way it bobs and weaves in space. :)

Mods: I knitted this in a single colorway, modified the stitch pattern down to 32 stitches, subbed in garter at the beginning and end (as opposed to reverse stockinette), and added a 4-stitch garter edging to each side to keep it from curling. This worked out well for the ends, but the sides? Not so much. As you can see in the modeled shots, they curl in anyway. For some reason, though, this doesn't bother me as much. Go figure!

Yarn thoughts
This is Sweet Georgia Speed Demon in Firefly (Browncoats - can you see all the colors of the logo in here?). Unlike the Superwash Sock from my Dragonslayer socks way back when, the Speed Demon was an absolute dream to work with. This stuff is ultra ultra soft and sproingy! And I LOVE the way it knit up - gorgeous, unique, with unexpected flashes of color.

There was some runoff in the soak, but no color fade and no pilling afterwards, so hopefully this scarf will last a good long while. (Note: I stashed these right after she went on sabbatical, and I think she's now calling it Superwash Sport, so the base yarn might be different. But I have seen the colorway on her new website recently, so it's worth checking out!)

Wrap it up
Love it! The final size turned out huge - 90" long x 5.5" wide. Should be nice and cosy once it stops being 90 freakin' degrees outside. Of course, the lengthy size does set in motion a slow choking process when worn using the traditional wrap and tie method:

So I'll probably stick with this method instead. Safety first and all.

Oh, and Nathan, on the off chance you're reading my blog, this one's for you (P.S. Pay no attention to the wedding photos on the wall and the wedding band on my finger, my darling. Those are just...um...props.):

Big Damn Chevron Scarf
Pattern: Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Sweet Georgia Speed Demon, about 1.5 skeins in Firefly
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel Interchangeables in size 5, 24"
Mods: Knitted in a single colorway; added garter border to beginning, end, and sides; modified for 32 stitches

Nothin' like a sunset

2009-10-20T16:17:00.001-07:00

Sun sets on yonder something Shakespearean.

Aren't they pretty? And look ma, plain stockinette! I tend to prefer patterned socks, but when you get a colorway like this one, you kinda have to go vanilla.

Not much to say. Socks like yours, 'fraid mine would seem terrible dull.

Not much to these - I used Judy's Magic Cast-on, a standard toe, and a Sherman heel, with 2x2 ribbing for the cuff. That's about it! :)

Yarn thoughts
This is Artsygal Stripes, a lovely 3-ply merino sock yarn. Not really sproingy, but nice and soft. It comes pre-wound in a set of two cakes, which makes it easy to go the matchy-matchy route! Excellent yardage as well - I think these are the tallest socks I've ever knit, and there was an entire purple section left over.

There was a fray and subsequent breakage in both skeins in the exact same spot, however, just after the yellow part of the toe. I'm hoping that's not a sign of durability! But, I have yet to wear through a pair of socks (great, I probably just jinxed myself :P), so I'm sure these will be around for many seasons.

What I really love is how the colors just meld into one another. Very Noro-like, which is nice for someone who can't knit with Noro (Kureyon too crunchy, Silk Garden too...mohairy). I think these might be dyed in flats, as the cakes have that wavy Ramen look about them. It also knits up with subtle lighter stripes throughout (difficult to capture on camera but easy to see in person), almost as if the dye didn't make it into the nooks and crannies. I would've liked to seen a more consistent color throughout each section, but these socks are very pretty and I'm sure I'll wear them quite often!

Wrap it up
I dig 'em! They remind me of those gorgeous sunsets back in Hawaii. All I need now is a Mai Tai! Mmmm, Mai Tai. Hold on, I'll be right back...

Sunset Stripes
Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: Artsygal Stripes in 090643
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in size 1, 32"

'Cause Vezzini told me to

2009-10-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

"When the job went wrong he went back to the beginning." And oh, did these go wrong.

That pile of blue on the left is the train wreck that was Raspy. I figured I'd wear it around the house, but it turns out I didn't want to be seen in it - even by me. It's been sitting in the closet unworn, preeeeetty much since that FO post. Sure, I could've tossed it in the donate pile, but that would've been easy! ;) Besides, I like the idea of a casual denim raglan, and am ~~too cheap,~~ ~~too broke,~~ focusing on reusing materials to save the world. So, I frogged the whole damn thing. We'll see if it can be re-knit into something wearable after a nice soak.

That pile of yellow on the right is Cotton Ease, from a giant summer FAIL at something similar to a short-sleeved February Lady Sweater. Turns out garter stitch + square neckline + weez = desire for that memory-wiping wand from Men in Black.

Looks like Ramen, don't it? Add some egg to that, and it'd be a meal!

Random stream of consciousness

2009-10-08T12:57:00.001-07:00

- So many people have asked for a pattern for the cardi, I've decided to dive right in and give it a whirl!

- I'm so tired right now my teeth hurt.

- I just realized that I have to figure out what to knit and then of course knit two grown-up birthday gifts and a kid's birthday gift, plus a bunny for my friend's daughter and a Koolhaas hat and a pair of Mitt Envys for my cousins in San Francisco. And that all of these need to be finished by the end of the month. GAH!

- This Caramel Apple Lollipop is really, really good. Bet my dentist will think so, too, when I have to pay her to fill half a dozen cavities later.

- I started the Tree Jacket a couple of days ago, but am just not feeling it right now. I don't want to frog what I've done and move on, though, because that 500-yard ball of yarn is the size of a small child and re-skeining it will be a PITA.

- And because all posts are better with pictures, check out this one that I took while we were in Hawaii:

Because when you're on the Big Island, you often need a map of Las Vegas.

Long Duck Cardi

2009-10-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes dreams do come true!

Every so often, I get these visions of the perfect wardrobe item. When that happens, I know I'm doomed, because I will NEVER find exactly what I'm looking for. Unfortunately, knowing that ahead of time never seems to stop me from embarking on a vision quest to every mall in the tri-county area, one that will ultimately end in multiple bouts of cursing with an ice cream chaser to soothe the pain (or I just skip the vision quest altogether and go straight for the ice cream. you know, cut out the middle man). And of course, sometimes I'll try to knit it and it will end up a big fat froggy fail (mostly because I wing it as I go, without taking the time to you know, measure and stuff).

This time, I wanted a cute, chic sweater that was reminiscent of something you'd steal from your boyfriend's/husband's/brother's/best guy friend's closet. A cardi with a deep V-neck that buttoned just below the chest, reached down to the hips, had set-in sleeves that were just a whisper too long, skimmed the body with subtle shaping, and looked as good buttoned up as it did hanging loose.

SCORE!

It took some work in the beginning, taking multiple measurements, drawing up a schematic (which is harder when you completely, totally suck at drawing like I do), geeking things out with the calculator, and so on, but totally worth it. As soon as this came off the needles, I modeled it for Hubster, whose first comment was, "WOW, that is the perfect fit!" Me kiss Hubster, he smart man.

I knitted this all from the top down, with seamless shoulders, set-in sleeves, back darts, and 2x2 ribbing at the borders. (P.S. Mucho thanks to MIL for getting me my new HiyaHiya stainless steel interchangeable needles with the 60" cable. Made picking up stitches around the collar so much easier!) I have to say, I've developed such a love for the top-down technique, it's hard to imagine knitting a sweater any other way!

Several people have already asked for a pattern on Rav, so I may get ambitious and write one up! If I laze out on a formal pattern ('cause you know, that's a lotta math), I'll definitely write up a separate post with a detailed road map on how I knit this. Because everyone should have one! :)

Yarn thoughts
This is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, my all-time favorite superwash worsted merino. I'd say I used around 3.5 skeins for this sweater. There were several balls of overs, due to some knots and/or knotted plies in one skein (grrrrrr), but I forgive LL when they do that because I love the yarn so much. ;)

Wrap it up
I. LOVE. THIS. SWEATER! It turned out exactly, and I mean exactly the way I envisioned. (Look out your window, because a pig may fly by any second). It's sexy yet understated, chic yet comfy, and will go with just about anything. I am going to wear this all winter long! Thank you Barbara Walker!

Oh Sexy Booooooyfriend Cardi
Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, about 3.5 skeins in Chino
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel Interchangeable in size US 7

Big ol' destash

2009-10-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the vaca went a wee over budget, then I had to replace my &*@$#%* hard drive, so you know what that means - yup, it's time to do some destashing! I whittled my stash down to just my favorites some time ago, so these are all really, really hard to let go of. But, it has to be done. (*sniff!*)

I'll wait a few days before posting on the Rav board and Destash blog so first dibs go to you, my lovely readers! :) Here are just a few of the items up for grabs:

STR Mediumweight in Sunstone

Sweet Georgia Superwash in Firefly (I think I'll miss you most of all...)

Artsygal Stripes

Yarntini Semi-solid Sock in Peaknit

Vesper Self-striping Sock in Oh, Lollipop!

Malabrigo Worsted in Vaa

Holz & Stein Rosewood and Ebony Circulars in various sizes

These and more are all listed here on my Rav destash page, which includes info on pricing and so on. Free U.S. shipping is included, so c'mon and clean me out! :)

I'm a markered woman

2009-10-01T15:41:00.000-07:00

Lookit what I learned to make!

Aren't they purdy? I made a handful of them with a pair of pliers from the manly man toolchest, just to see if I enjoyed the process. When it turned out to be fun, I went and got a fancy crimper thing to make the rest. The beads were all repurposed from other stuff I had lying around but never used. Yay for reduce-reuse-recycle!

Now that I've got the hang of it, I'm going to play around with the sizing, make them more uniform, smaller, etc. (These are sitting on a US9 needle and you can see they are of random and mondo-size nature.) Just what I needed, another crafty hobby! ;) This one was borne out of necessity, though. I tend to lose stitch markers at an alarmingly high rate, so these will only last me, oh, about six months or so...

Wham! Knit! Bat Shawl!

2009-09-28T14:54:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I knit stuff just 'cause it's funny.

Sorry the shawl is off-center. Or is it my butt that's off-center? Hmmm....

I had a buncha notes on this, but my *&$#%)+ hard drive crashed, and for some reason, I didn't back up my 2009 knitting spreadsheet at all this year. *bitchslap self*

So, um, I knit this and...er...it was cool.

I do remember there was a fair amount of errata in this pattern, only a couple of which were corrected on Anticraft. Some of the others are in this thread on Ravelry, but it's a bit hard to follow. I *think* that the main body of the shawl was corrected online, it was just the edging that hadn't been. I myself had to fudge it anyway, since I was short on yarn - another problem that some knitters have encountered with this pattern. (There's no gauge listed, so if you do decide to knit this, make sure you have some yardage to spare.)

It's a shame about all that, because I think some knitters get turned off as a result. If all of the corrections were made in the original pattern and/or were noted on the Rav pattern page, I sense this would be much more popular. Because c'mon, look how funny!

What else can I unearth from the memory? Oh, once you get the hang of the bats, it does get a little bit tedious, so this would be a good one for TV knitting (dude, have you seen Flash Forward? Awesome new show! I hope it stays focused and doesn't get all Lost and confused.). And I do remember adding a row of YOs at the top to give it a more finished look. Aaaand, that's all I got.

Yarn thoughts
This is the Tess Designer Yarns Superwash Merino Petite that I had to wash a bazillion times to stop the dye from rubbing off everywhere.

Unfortunately, the thickness also varied throughout and it wasn't particularly soft or squooshy. Awesome yardage in a single skein, but with three strikes, I wouldn't knit with this again.

Wrap it up
Just in time for Halloween! This is a such fun departure from the typical knitted shawl, and it ranks way up there on the funky cool factor. If you can get past the errata, then it's definitely worth a knit. Because c'mon, look how funny!

Wa Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Bat Shawl!
Pattern: Anticraft
Yarn: Tess Designer Yarns Superwash Merino Petite, 1 skein in Black
Needle: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in 6, 40"
Mods: Added YOs to top border, fudged the edging
ETA: The designer published all of the edging errata on her blog in clear, easy-to-follow instructions, just one day after this post, hooray! Click here and knit on!

I'm baaaaaccck

2009-09-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a bit, but I was off enjoying this:

This:

And some of this:

Hula Hefeweisen, sooooooo gooooooood.

It was our first vacation in three years! We had a fabulous time, with much lazing about the beach, lazing about the pool, seeing some sights, and eating like food was going out of style (what, it could).

Now that we're back, it's time to get back into the swing of things! I should have a shawl and a cardi to show you soon. Maybe I'll even get around to a FO post for that Indigo Ripples Skirt I finished over a year ago. Slacker!

Cutie patootie

2009-08-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

EEEEEEE! Baby sweater!

Baby knits are so. fun. and so. cute! It must be their teeny tinyness. Yes, that's an industry term. At least, it should be.

I knit this for a friend of mine, because her one-year-old daughter is seriously, ovary-tugging adorable. I just had to knit her something. Had to. You know what I mean, right? Of course you do.

The great thing about this pattern? The instructions are a paragraph long. Short and sweet, gotta love that!

The sucky thing about this pattern? The instructions are a paragraph long. No schematics or measurements, and fairly ambiguous in places. Sorta textbook EZ - she liked to make you think!

Since I wanted to size this up for 12-18 months, some modding was in order (yes, even to a pattern one paragraph long). Here's my rundown:

Cast on 71 stitches. Note: Row 1 and all odd rows are WS rows.
Knit 2 rounds of increases. Note: I swatched a few different types of increases and went with the backwards loop cast-on for this. It was the least noticeable, IMO.
Knit yoke for 26 rows total, with buttonholes on Rows 4, 14, and 24. Note: LOVE this mod! I think the sweater is much cuter with a longer yoke.
Cast on 7 at each underarm, put sleeves on waste yarn, then finished the body.
Knit sleeves in the round to about 3/4-length. This wasn't for style purposes, I just ran out of yarn. :P
Bound-off in knit instead of purl. Gave it a more finished look.

The final measurements: 24" chest, 12" length, 6.5" sleeves (to UA), 5" armhole depth (measured diagonally). Fits her now, with a little room to grow in!

I even got my craft on and made a hanger tag to go with it.

That brief scrapbooking phase I went through many years ago finally came in handy! ;)

Wrap it up
Love! Lovelovelovelovelovelovelove! There will definitely be more of these in the future. It's super fun to knit and soooooo damn cute. Even Hubster gushed a little. According to her mom, Miss Cutie Patootie loves it, too! And the crinkly tissue paper it came in.

February Toddler Sweater
Pattern: Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: Cotton Ease, 1.75 skeins in Cherry Red (I think, there were some partial skeins used here and there, so don't quote me on this)
Needle: Holz & Stein Rosewood in size 7, 31
Mods: Sized up for 12-18 months, longer yoke, sleeves in the round, knit bind-off

Let's daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaance!!!!

2009-08-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

Or, at least, wear legwarmers to remember that we used to.

You may recall, way back when, that I overdyed a buncha yarns with Kool-Aid. This here was the Swinging Turtle Face, formerly known as Artyarns.

There wasn't enough yardage to make much, and really, how many hats and scarves can a girl who lives in California have? But in the ahem, "winter", mornings can get a mite chilly. Padding around the house in the am, there's a drafty open area on the calves between the bottom of my robe and the top of my slippers.

The solution? Legwarmers!

When I first thought of knitting these, I knew I didn't want them to be all ribby and clingy. More on the loose and slightly floppy side instead. Cozy, one might say. So, I just knit a little twisted rib at the top and bottom, and threw a cable stitch pattern in between.

The end result turned out perfectly! Not too loose, not too snug, with a nice flare over the feet. I can wear them tall and proud, as shown above. Or, if I'm feeling a bit retro, slouchy like a maniac, as shown below.

BTW, you have no idea how unladylike this position was while photographing.

Gnarly, dude!

Wrap it up
These are, like, tooooootaly tubular! I could, like, soooo wear them all the time. They make me want to tease my hair, pin Duran Duran photo buttons on my Members Only jacket, and don 85 rubber bracelets on blinding neon colors up my arm. Or I could just wear these and put some A-ha on the hi-fi. I'm sure Frankie would say that's okay, too.

Totally Tubular Legwarmers
Pattern: Improvised
Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino, 2 skeins in Swinging Turtle Face (102 overdyed with Kool-Aid)
Needles: Holz & Stein Rosewood in size 7, 24" + Ebony in size 7, 16"

Cookies for a Cotty

2009-08-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

I normally go all bright for summertime knitting, but here's a little taste of Christmas!

It's the uber-fabulous Cotty pattern in STR in The Cookie Next Door colorway. Dontcha wanna reach out and take a bite? (I mean that in a good, you're-my-own-personal-brand-of-heroin kind of way).

And check it out, my first picot sock cuff! Only for you, Carrie. :)

As written, you cast on normally and pick up stitches to finish off the pretty little picot. I tried it that way a couple of times, but I kept ending up with one or two extra stitches. (I later found out this is completely normal, so if you haven't knit this yet, go forth and cast on!)

So I opted instead to sub in a provisional cast-on. Now, you may have heard me mention on occasion that I suck at provisional cast-ons. I can do it, it just ~~makes me throw my knitting at the wall~~ takes a few tries, and still often turns out a tad too loose or too tight.

Enter the long-tail provisional cast-on. Freakin' brilliant! Thank you Zonda for linking to this once! I bookmarked it back then and was able to unearth it from my foggy memory when needed!

SUPER easy to do a provisional cast-on this way. You do have to work a little harder to unzip it, however. Just like you would have to unpick every individual stitch of a long-tail cast-on, such is the case with this method. But I actually find that a plus and well worth the extra time, as it makes it almost impossible to accidentally drop a stitch.

The only other mods I made were to:
1) gradually decrease down to 52 stitches after the cuff for a snugger fit around the ankles/feet and 2) sub in my favorite EoP heel flap (it's a sickness, I tell you).

A tip on decreasing: If you choose to do this, make sure you decrease within the stockinette sections to keep the YOs lined up along the sides. For example: (lace stitch pattern)(decrease)(stockinette section)(decrease)(lace stitch pattern), repeat for other half.

The pattern is fantastic - well-written, easy to memorize, easy to custom fit, looks great in both variegated and solid colorways, and works up quickly. If you don't have a copy of Cotty yet, go get it now!

Wrap it up
I liked this colorway in the skein, I LOVE how it knit up! So pretty! This was the perfect pattern for it, too - the lace and picot cuff add interest, while the stockinette panels show off the beautiful way these colors meld together. A pair like this makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Which is a good thing, even in the summer.

Cookie Cotty
Pattern: Cotty, by Irishgirlieknits
Yarn: Socks that Rock Mediumweight, 1 skein in The Cookie Next Door
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel, size 1.5, 32"
Mods: Long-tail provisional cast-on, decreased stitches from end of cuff to ankle, EoP heel flap

Thurston for a cravat

2009-08-06T15:17:00.000-07:00

Ya gotta love a quickie.

Especially when it's a stashbuster!

I started this on a lazy Saturday afternoon, and finished it later that night. It took less than 200 yards, and used up some Berroco Pure Merino that's been sitting in the stash for two years!

It also helped me dust off my newbie crochet skills. I'm not entirely sure I hooked this correctly, I suspect I turned and started one of the rows a chain off. But at least I did it consistently. And hey, it looks like the pattern pic, so booyah!

The original pattern calls for bulky, which is laughable where I live, so I subbed in a worsted weight yarn, K hook, and did 29 motifs total. It used up virtually all but a few inches of yarn (I was sweating it there in the end), with a final length of 60" - long enough to wrap around once if worn as a scarf, or twice if channeling Thurston Howell the Third and worn as a cravat. (And if you're too young to know who Thurston Howell the Third is, get out.)

Yarn thoughts
Dear Berroco,
Your Pure Merino is so soft and squooshy. But a measly 92 yards per ball? Boooo.
That is all.

Wrap it up
Quick, easy, and super cute, too! Just how I like my men. Er, I mean, how I used to like them before I met my husband. I swear, honey.

Crochet Ruffle Cravat
Pattern: One Skein
Yarn: Berroco Pure Merino, 2 balls in Ballerina Pink
Crochet Hook: K
Mods: Worsted weight yarn, smaller hook, more motifs

I did it!

2009-08-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

I did it, 13.1 miles in 2:33:47! Not bad for my first half-marathon, eh? And here's the odd part - I actually thought it was FUN! I absolutely loved every single minute of it (okay, well, maybe not the getting up at 4:30am part)! It was a great course, really scenic, and a total trip to run across the Golden Gate Bridge - even if it was super foggy!

Here I am at the finish line. All you get is this tiny thumbnail, as it'll be a couple of weeks before MarathonFoto sends me the CD they made me sign over my firstborn child to pay for.

After the race, Hubster and I walked around the park to cool down, cabbed back to the hotel, got all cleaned up, and had lunch. Then I hopped on the Bart and met up with Irishgirlieknits, finally in person!

We had such a fun afternoon! First, she took me to Purlescence (great store, awesome staff), where I got to fondle all kinds of soft and squooshy yarns - including some Luscious Single Silk from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. (This is the first time I've seen it in person and hooobaby, that stuff is soft! SO going on my Christmas list!)

While we were there, guess who walked in? cpurl! It's...it's like she *knew*. (Hey cpurl, when you sense those winning lottery numbers, make sure you email me, m'kay?) I also got to meet Josie, knitpsycho, and a couple of other knitties!

In celebration of my half-marathon bucket list achievement (and because Irishgirlieknits already outed me, you can thank or blame her ;)), here's a rare, full glimpse of me in the wild. I'm going to try not to be all Internets paranoid and delete this later!

And yes, that's the Indigo Ripples Skirt that I finished a year ago and have yet to blog.

When they make a Lifetime movie about me and my stalker, I hope they get someone hot to play me. Like that chick who fought Wolverine in X-Men 2. Or or or - have Nathan Fillion play my stalker and I'll play me. Oooo, yeah, there's an idea...

After some very restrained stash enhancement, Irishgirlie and I went and got the most fabulous. pedicures. ever. Check it out, my feet finally look girlie again!

It's hiding the black toenail on my big toe very nicely, too.

Now, you may be thinking I'm insane for doing all that after running a half-marathon, but it was actually a good thing! If I'd just crashed and taken a nap, my legs would have totally cramped up and I'd have been seriously hurting the next day. Moving around and staying in motion was key to recovery! As, of course, was yarn. They should put that in Runner's World...

Coming up: Four, count 'em, four FOs!

You gotta have friends

2009-07-21T18:16:00.001-07:00

As you know, I'm running the San Francisco Half-Marathon this coming Sunday. I haven't worked out much in the last several years and the only other race I've ever run was a 5K (which was nine years ago) so this will be a HUGE accomplishment for me! It'll probably take me the entire three hours to finish (especially after getting wiped out for virtually all of last week with the most wicked stomach flu known to man) and I'll be panting like a dog and sweating like a man, but it'll be one of those awesome life moments when I cross the finish line!

I have some runner friends who have been cheering me on through the last three months of training, but my BFF has been especially great. In addition to donating to my charity race fundraiser, she sent me this care package yesterday:

Gels and an electrolyte drink, the Half-Marathon issue of Runner's World, and a pre-congrats, "go you" card! It was totally unexpected and got me even more excited for the race on Sunday!

Do I have the most awesome BFF in the world or what! :)

I am 16, going on 17...

2009-07-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

*snort* Yeah, right. Couldn't pay me to be that age again! But the sweater, the sweater I'll take!

Finished just in time to wear on the Fourth! I drew the line at blue shorts, though.

I needed something cute and chic and quick after a miserable FAIL at a top-down raglan sweater that had recently come off the needes (which has since been frogged, so don't expect to see that one. ever.). Liesl was the perfect solution! It's one of those magical sweaters that has a universally flattering fit. Don'tcha just love those?

The pattern is quick and simple, a top-down seamless yoke construction with an easy-to-memorize lace pattern that skims your figure with no need for waist shaping. It comes with a boatload of options for sleeves, necklines, and bindoffs as well. I do wish she'd popped in a schematic, but other than that, it was worth every penny.

Only a few mods here:
- Since my stockinette gauge was a helluva lot tighter, I used the 42" stitch counts to achieve something in the range of 32"(ish).
- Knitted with an inch(ish) of negative ease.
- Used a size 13 needle for both the cast-on and bind-off to keep them nice and stretchy with the lace. This worked especially great for the neckline!
- Added short sleeves (cap sleeves + weez = gah! my eyes! my eyes!)

This was my first seamless yoke sweater, and I love the construction! I'm going to start trolling the Rav database for more.

Oh, I should also point out that as noted above, I knitted this with an inch or so of negative ease. The pattern is intended for 0 ease, which is what you should aim for if you're planning to wear it all buttoned up. But it's summer and I'm a shameless hussy, so I really only plan to wear it with that third one buttoned.

Do you have a flag?

Yarn thoughts
My first garment in Cotton Ease and I must say - this yarn is great! It's a 50/50 cotton/acrylic blend, but you'd never guess about the acrylic if it weren't on the label. It's machine washable, very soft and sooooooper comfy. Didn't fade or pill either, plus its cheap and easy to find. Like most cottons, it can be a bit tiring on the hands while you're knitting, but other than that, it's a winner! I'll definitely be making more sweaters with this.

Wrap it up
I liked it on the needles, but on, it was love! I'm going to wear this all summer long. It'll be in every picture. People will think I have nothing else to wear. Then again, I could just knit another one...

Liesl
Pattern: by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Cotton Ease, 2.5 skeins in Cherry Red
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in 9, 24" + gigantor plastic 13 for CO/BO
Mods: Tighter gauge, short sleeves, negative ease

Something weeza this way comes

2009-07-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Do you live in San Fran or nearabouts that vicinity? Well strap down your stashes, 'cause I'm a headin' on up!

Okay, sorry, don't know why I'm channeling cowboy talk there. But I will be heading up to the Bay area at the end of the month to run the San Francisco Half-Marathon! Yes, I'm getting my nocturnal ass up at the butt-crack of dawn (see what I did there?) to run 13.1 miles. Because I'm out of my freakin' mind.

While I'm there, I'd love to meet up with any NorCal knitties! Irishgirlieknits has already promised to take me to ~~the mothership~~ Purlescence. The Half-Marathon is the morning of Sunday, July 26th. If I don't pass out and get rushed to the hospital, perhaps we could go later that afternoon? Or Monday, that would work as well. Let me know if you're free and we'll plan a knitty get together!

I'm not just twisty, I'm on Twist!

2009-06-24T15:32:00.001-07:00

Check it out, my Little Birds Hat is featured on the Twist Collective blog! Scroll down to the June 20th entry (it won't let me link to the individual post for some reason), you'll see my hat, as well as other unique takes on TC patterns.

I'm SO going to make that Monkey cushion someday. And that Sylvi blanket? Unreal!

I'm all dark and twisty inside

2009-06-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

No, seriously, I am.

I no longer watch the show (bounced it from the Tivo a few episodes into last season, when I realized I couldn't stand any of the characters any more), but how fab is this Seriously? colorway from sKnitches! After I saw Zonda's, I simply had to have it!

The one dilemma I always run into with self-striping yarns, however, is finding something fun and interesting to do with them. After much debating, I settled on the Riverbed Master Pattern from New Pathways, using the following:

- Whirlpool toe
- Chevron-y stitch pattern with purl borders for added stretch
- Plain heel
- Reinforced flap with stitches slipped knit-wise to make them all twisty-like (I forgot to shoot a close-up of that and now they're tucked away in the cedar chest, so you'll have to take my word for it that it looks really cool)
- Twisted rib cuff

The Riverbed architecture seems to be the most popular and I can see why! These hug the foot perfectly, and they're much more fun to knit than a traditional gusset. This was my first time doing a toe-up heel flap as well, and I gotta say, it was totally magical how it all came together! No fussy picking up stitches, either.

I did have to tinker with the formula a bit (emphasis on tink :P) to get the right fit, though. On the first pass, the foot was too long. On the second, the leg was too tight. On the third, I used fewer H (wing) stitches and added some stitches to the instep and the leg. Luckily, this stitch pattern is very easy to mod - you can barely tell where I added the extra stitches!

Overall they fit like a glove, but the foot is still a teeeeeny bit too long (you can see a touch of bagginess at the heel in the second pic). Next time I knit the Riverbed, I'll need to shorten the toe, shorten the heel turn, or start the arch expansion sooner than called for in the book. Also, much as I like that Whirlpool, the point of it tends to sit under my toes, so a different style may be in order.

Yarn thoughts
I love me some sKnitches! This was the same yarn used in my Feather & Sand Socks from last year, with the same feel and results here. Fab color job, soft, no fading, no pilling, and no runoff in the soak. She rocks!

Wrap it up
Is it wrong to say I love these socks a whole lot more than I ever loved the show? The colorway knit up fab, the Riverbed architecture was super fun to knit, and I *almost* got the stripes to match up, too (they're about a row and a half off). They'll be an instant cure whenever I'm in all dark and twisty inside. Seriously!

Dark & Twisty Riverbeds
Pattern: Riverbed Master Pattern from New Pathways
Yarn: sKnitches Syncopation, 1 skein in Seriously?
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steels in Size 1, 32"
Mods: Tinkered with the Riverbed formula, rest was my own pattern

My husband the weirdo

2009-06-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! :) It was a fabulous, relaxing day!

Wanna know how today started? Well, Hubster woke up around 2:30 am, showered, got dressed, made coffee, toasted a bagel, said he was really motivated and was going into the office to get some work done and finish up the payroll. He left just after 3 am.

At 3:15 am, he walked back in the door, said he was really tired and was going back to bed.

He is such a weirdo. But at least he makes me laugh! Once in a while, it's even on purpose. Not this morning, but once in a while. ;)

One more year in the box!

2009-06-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

I turn thirty-nottellingyou today! ;) To start things off, Hubster had this birthday card waiting for me!

Here's the inside:

But what makes it especially funny is this:

Isn't he the cutest? I giggled like a 12-year-old when I saw that! And it was a great way to start off the day. :) (Note: The IOU is for Universal Studios. All my years living in California, and I've never been! He's going to take me there at a date TBD later, when he can play hooky without getting a bajillion phone calls from work.)

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a hot date with the couch, a few chick flicks, and some knitting. To be followed later by a deep-tissue massage (using a gift cert Hubster gave me last year) and some yummy take-out for dinner. Bliss!

TV Tawk

2009-06-12T10:19:00.001-07:00

There are a pair of finished socks sitting here, but as the weather buh-lows, the FO shoot will have to wait 'til next week. So, uh...how 'bout we talk television?

I don't watch reality shows, which means I don't watch a lot of TV these days. Needless to say, there are only a handful of shows deemed Tivo-worthy in our home: Burn Notice, The Closer, CSI (Vegas), Dollhouse, and The Office. So far, Royal Pains is shaping up to be a contender and I am freakishly excited for the return of V (and not just 'cause it stars Inara and Wash from Firefly)! What are your favorite (non-reality) shows and why do you love them?

P.S. I also caught a few reruns of Bones recently on TNT and thoroughly enjoyed it! Now I want to catch up from the beginning! Unfortunately, hulu only has a handful of eps, so I've added Seasons 1-3 to our Netflix queue, a total of 18 discs. Great, that outta take a year. :P Any Bones fans out there with the DVDs who wouldn't mind a loaner? :)

ETA: Royal Pains is out. It's not bad, but not Tivo-worthy. And whoo hoo, TNT just started running Bones from Season 1, yay!

Tatami Me!

2009-06-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for June gloom, because I finally got to wear my Tatami Kimono sweater!

Nice weed and feed, weez.

And I absolutely LOVE it! It's incredibly flattering, super comfy, and oh-so-chic.

I actually finished this a month ago, but then the weather got stupid hot. And putting on a sweater? Even stupider. (Is stupider a word? Or would that be more stupid? Kinda like funner. But, I digress...)

Not a whole lot to say about this one, as I only made one very minor mod. Yes, to a sweater. Shocking, I know. ;) All I did was shorten the width of the sleeves by one inch. Other than that, pretty much followed the pattern, which was well-written and a breeze to knit.

Once you hit the sleeves, though, it will seem to go on fooooorrrreeevvvvver, so make sure you've got something good on the TV to distract you. (Like Burn Notice or The Closer. If you don't watch either of those shows, seriously, you must.)

One no sh*t Sherlock tip, but worth mentioning anyway: Make sure sure sure you knit a generously-sized gauge swatch in the drop stitch pattern so you get an accurate idea of how it will size once blocked. You've got a little leeway here as the fronts cross, but it's kind of like lace - blocking will make a significant difference between how it is on the needles and the actual finished product.

Nice don't-know-what-to-do-with-your-hands-so-stand-there-and-look-lame pose, weez.

Yarn thoughts
After knitting with the Woobu (ooo, great band name, Knitting with the Woobu) for my Lace Ribbon Neckwarmer, I had to use it for this (and yes, in the exact same color, too)! The merino/bamboo blend is fabulous, and the drape works beautifully for this sweater. Plus, you get a ridonculous 620 yards in just one skein!

Nice smirk, weez.

I think I touted the joys of Woobu in the Neckwarmer post, but will reiterate here, it rocks! Wonderfully soft with a silvery sheen and no itchies whatsoever. Another winner from BMFA!

Wrap it up
I think this ties with the CPH as my favorite sweater ever! The shape, length, the drape, the yarn, everything just comes together perfectly. It's also great when you want to walk your fake dog in the middle of Old Navy.

Tatami Kimono
Pattern: by Melissa Wehrle of neoknits
Yarn: BMFA Woobu, 1.25 skeins in Spinel
Needle: Holz & Stein Ebony in Size 4, 24"
Mods: Shortened sleeve width by one inch

Take a bao (baaaahahahahaha!)

2009-06-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

First up, click here and vote "love" under Irishgirlieknit's Cotty pattern for the Q3 STR KAL. It's a super fab pattern, she's a super fab girl, and there will be special pricing if it gets voted in! Let's make this the best STR KAL yet! :)

Next up, a few people wanted the bao recipe from my last post. They're very easy to make, you just need to allow several hours lead time for all the rising.

For the bao, I followed this recipe. A few notes:
1. I found this actually made about 12 good-sized baos, plus two tiny ones (rather than 24).
2. In Step 2, you'll definitely need more than 1.5 cups of flour. I added the 1.5 cups, then gradually added more, one handful at a time, to get the smooth and elastic texture.
3. In Step 3, I made each piece a little thicker than 1" wide, rolled them into a ball, used a rolling pin to flatten them into circles, put a spoonful of filling in the center, then gathered up the sides and twisted the pleats closed.
4. I used a bamboo steamer (which totally rocks) and lined it with parchment paper to keep the buns from sticking.
5. We had leftovers for dinner the next night as well, and they were delish reheated in the microwave.

For the filling, I followed this recipe. A few notes here as well:
1. Instead of pre-barbequed pork, I used boneless pork loin chops and added hoisin sauce to give it that bbq flavor.
2. I used chicken broth to dissolve the corn starch.
3. As noted in the previous post, I think the filling would be better if the pork were shredded. Next time, I'm going to pop it in the food processor after the pork is cooked but before adding the oyster sauce/soy sauce.

These buns (heeeheeeheebuns) would also be great with red bean paste, kung pao chicken, or for that matter, just about any filling. Oh, and forget the fork and knife. These be a rip-open-with-your-hands-and-inhale kind of dish. ;)

Okay, now I want more.

Triumph (for my Firefly peeps)

2009-06-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

"Did she really make fresh bao?"

Why yes...

Yes, I did.

And it was AWESOME.

Super fluffy buns (heeeheeeheeeebuns), kickass bbq pork filling, and OMG, shiny, I'll-be-in-my-bunk good. Next time, I'm going to shred the pork instead of cube it. Other than that, perfection in a bun. Much like Mal.

She's crafty

2009-06-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Based on the lack o' posts since mid-May, you may have guessed there hasn't been a whole lot of successful knitting 'round these parts lately. But you know me, I'm a crafty bitch. ;)

Using the tactics planned out previously to try and diffuse the sewing hate, I made a drawstring bag for larger sweater projects. Not too bad, eh?

Look - with finished seams and everything!

And just the right size...

To hold a sweater project. Even one that was frogged after discovering that garter stitch and a square neckline are about as hideous on me as the red-and-black striped tuxedo shirt I wore in my senior class picture.

For the handles, I did a simple single crochet using a triple strand of Cotton Ease. While it wasn't planned that way, they kinda look like leis!

And the tactics? They actually worked pretty well! I wouldn't say I *loved* sewing this, but I didn't hate it. And seeing it in my knitting basket, knowing I made it myself, brings a smile to my face every time I see it. :) Maybe there's hope for me and this sewing thing yet!

Oh, and I also made these fun little marble magnets! They took no time whatsoever, and turned out super cute. Those two on the far end were made for Hubster's benefit. I think he *almost* squealed. But don't tell him I told you that.

Favorite Socks indeed

2009-05-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

My favorite sock pattern + my favorite sock yarn = my new favorite socks!

With so many fantabulous sock patterns out there, it's not often that I'll repeat one. But the Embossed Leaves is definitely worth an exception. And it's not my first time, either (that's what she said!). In fact, it's not even my second.

No, my friends, this would be the third time I've knit these socks. That's how much I love this pattern! It's even better once you have it memorized, too. ;)

As with the previous versions, I:
- Used a regular long-tail cast on (instead of the tubular cast on)
- Skipped the yarn cutting thing
- Subbed in an EoP flap
- Shortened the foot, knitting 7 total repeats of the leaf pattern

Kitchener that butt shut!

New this time around, I:
- Decreased all of the purls on the back of the foot down to P2s in the half-repeat just above the heel flap for a tighter fit around the ankle
- Changed the P3s to P1s down each side of the foot
- Decreased the center P3 to P2 in the first Row 1 after the gusset decreases
- Began the Star Toe at Row 3, since my stitch count was lower
- And, since I will never be able to get SJ's cat butt reference out of my head, decreased the toe down to 6 stitches and kitchenered it together. This turned out to be a big plus, I actually like it better this way!

Yarn thoughts
STR, my fave! And I LOVE this colorway (Blue Moonstone), which was a blog prize from Nell. The blues, the greys, the whites, so pretty! Plenty of interest with the three different colors, but with shading so subtle, it works like a solid. No real striping, either. The pooling was totally random, which I love!

Wrap it up
My new favorites! Gorgeous colorway, super fun pattern, perfect fit. I just want to hug them and kiss them and call them George! In fact, I just did.

Embossed Leaves Socks
Pattern: Favorite Socks or IK Winter '05
Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight, 1 skein in Blue Moonstone
Mods: Long-tail cast on, no yarn cutting, decreased stitch count just before flap and on foot, EoP flap, shorter foot and toe, kitchenered toe

You sew rock!

2009-05-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your comments on my last post, you have no idea how incredibly helpful they were! Turns out some of you love sewing, which gave me hope; some of you hate sewing, which gave me comfort; and some of you offered terrific advice, which gave me inspiration.

I think one of the reasons this has all been so damn frustrating is that my mom was a sewer. She even made one of my favorite childhood outfits - a blue dress that I happen to be sporting in my fourth grade class photo. :) Right now, however, she lives a billion miles away and I miss her terribly. *sniff* Part of me desperately wants to love sewing and be good at it, because that and using her Singer will make me feel more connected to her. (Speaking of, I should clarify that I would never sell the Singer, way too much sentimental value!)

So, based on your comments and advice, I've decided to keep at it for a little while longer, installing a few new tactics to try and diffuse the hate:

1. Ditch the boring fabric! Out of abject fear that I'll screw up something pretty, I've been using crappy fabric. Boring, scratchy, blah, snooze. If you don't like the material, you're not going to like working with it, right?

Solution: I've dug out several yards of what I think is cotton (?) in two fun Hawaiian prints and will start with those instead. One, I've got plenty to screw up with! ;) Two, there's more than enough make several projects, so I can get more experience before busting out the prettier prints. Three, I like them, but won't be heartbroken if some of it lands in the trash.

2. Make something you'll enjoy! The basic projects I've tried so far aren't really things I *want* to make. I picked them because they were snoozingly simple and might help establish some foundational skills. So yeah, the fabrics were boring AND the projects were boring - no wonder I've been hating it!

Solution: I need a project bag for sweaters (the Ziplocs that I normally use get rather squished as the sweater progresses), so why not try a drawstring bag or two? The throw cushions on the couch could use some new covers, and tote bags always come in handy! Those are all are basic enough projects, but way more fun than a napkin square. Plus, they're items I'll use often, even if they don't turn out that great.

3. Divide, distract, and conquer! I've been tackling said boring projects from beginning to end in one sitting - cut, iron, sew, rip, sew, etc., all without a break. That's several hours of frustration and boredom (boredom generally referring to the ironing) in one concentrated dose.

Solution: I need to break it up and distract myself between each stage - and sometimes within each stage. I've found just the thing, too: wedding albums! Our respective families still have yet to receive an album from our wedding which was *cough* six years ago. The photographers shot 30 rolls of film, with an average of 9 negative strips per roll, all of which need to be scanned in at high res. It's a daunting project - as is sewing. Now I can use each to distract from the other! So I'll cut, scan, iron, scan, sew, scan... well, you get the picture.

Plus, once all the negs are scanned, I'll need to crop, retouch and re-size the photos, then design the albums - dude, I'll be able to distract myself for a year! And since our families have pretty much given up on ever getting a wedding album from us, it'll be a nice surprise when they're done. ;)

With this new approach in hand, we'll see how it goes! And if I still end up hating it, well, you know what? That's okay, too. It'll leave me more time to knit!

P.S. Here's the Amazon link to that super-cool sewing cabinet (mine was a gift, have I mentioned that my in-laws rock?). It took an hour or so to assemble, but wasn't too difficult. Oh, and here's a link to another store that specializes in sewing machine cabinets, if you're looking for more options!

I sew suck

2009-05-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you were around about a year ago, you might remember that I'd gotten this super-cool sewing cabinet for my birthday:

That I'd also taken my mom's super-cool old Singer (it's not cool enough to be called vintage, but it has great sentimental value :)) in for a complete servicing, AND had gotten this super-cool serger for Christmas, which was just waiting to be broken in:

Oh, and did I mention I'd also gotten a bunch of super-cool sewing books that Christmas as well? Like Simple Sewing, Quilting 101, plus a couple of how-to-serge books that are stuck in the 70s and seriously funny to look through?

Well, I've trotted these things out lately to try my hand at sewing. Nothing fancy, just stuff like turning a pair of capri sweatpants into shorts and making some basic napkins (and I do mean basic - no mitered corners or anything, just a plain ol' square). And I've discovered something.

I hate sewing.

Maybe hate is too strong a word. *thinks for a moment* Nope! I hate it. I don't enjoy any part of the process at ALL. Now you might be thinking, "Oh weez, it just takes time! Once you get the hang of it, you'll love it!"

But here's the thing - when I first learned how to knit, I immediately fell in love with it, right from the very first stitch. Even when I didn't know what the frick I was doing, even when it didn't make any sense at all, even when the thought of knitting a sweater or a pair of socks seemed unbelievably alien, I still loved everything about it. Even now that I have more experience and still manage to FUBAR a project and have to frog it completely back to the beginning and am cursing the paint off the walls while I'm doing it, I still absolutely love this craft. I might not like it very much at that moment ;), but I love it.

Which is so not the case with sewing. There is only one thing about the process, from creation to completion, that I find enjoyable - and that's buying pretty fabrics! Like these:

I love imagining what I could make with them if I actually enjoyed sewing (and, you know, was any good at it). But yeah, that's about it. And isn't quite enough to make up for detesting the rest.

Maybe it's like gardening or camping or eating olives. I like the *idea* of it, I really *want* to like it, but...I don't.

So, for those of you sewers out there, tell me - do you love to sew? Have you always loved to sew? Or did it take a while? Because I'm starting to think I should just admit this is not the craft for me and put everything up on craigslist. (Well, except the fabrics. Those I'll commission to someone else to make all the pretty things for me. ;))

The quickest way to travel is by Candlelight

2009-05-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

My first triangle shawl, done! And I LOVE how this turned out! Even if it does point to my ass.

I was surfing around Ravelry for something not socks and came across this gorgeous pattern by the blogless Saccade. It was *exactly* what I'd been looking for - light and airy, gorgeous and chic, not a hint of frilly grandma shawl in sight. I think rainbows actually popped out of the sky.

Unfortunately, the pattern hadn't been published yet. I dropped Saccade a PM and asked if it might be released soon, as I was hoping to knit it before my wedding anniversary at the end of May. Well, she turned out to be the awesome, sent me the pattern gratis, and let me "alpha" test knit it for her!

We exchanged a handful of Rav messages in the beginning to clarify some aspects of the pattern and she couldn't have been nicer. (Turns out we're both night owls, which was great! ;)) After that, I got knitting and this shawl just flew by.

The pattern is very intuitive and ridiculously easy to memorize - in fact, I didn't even use a row counter for most of it (which contributed to the quick knit-up). It was fun watching it meld into the triangle, too. Now I get why so many of you love knitting them!

Oh, and 'member how I thought an extra 100 yards of yarn would make this thing hee-yuge and voluminous? Um, yeeeeah, turns out once you get to those bottom rows with a billion stitches, 100 yards don't get you so far. But I think the sizing turned out just right - it's 60" wide by 25" long from the top to the tip of the triangle. Any larger and it would've ended up in the middle of my butt, and well, no one wants to see that.

In addition to this being my first triangle shawl, this was also my first try at a suspended bindoff - and I kinda suck at it. My bindoff tension was aaaall over the place. Luckily, it evened out when I blocked the bejeezus out of it!

Despite the aggressive blocking, however, you can see that my edging is not very bat-wing like, as many triangle shawls are. When I messaged Saccade that I was nearing the end, she suggested that I go with a looser bindoff than her half-shawl if I wanted pointier points. But, as all I had on hand were size 9s or size 13s (size 11s probably would've been perfect), I opted for the 9s and more subtle waves instead. I do think it would look a little more striking with super-defined points, but the waves are nice, too! ;)

All in all, a big thumbs up for the pattern, which is clear and easy to follow (and this is still in the initial draft phase, I'm sure it'll rock even more when it's published). Saccade even notes how much yarn you should allow yourself for the final rows, which totally saved me! After what I thought was my last repeat, I weighed the remaining yarn, could tell I was going to run short, and was able to tink back and keep from cursing the paint off the walls later.

Yarn thoughts
This is sKnitches Kettle Drum, a 60% merino/30% bamboo/10% nylon blend sock yarn that is an absolute dream to knit with. Amazingly soft and fluffy, with the fabulous sheen and drape of bamboo. Plus, with a bit of nylon, this shawl will probably wear incredibly well, and for a long time.

There was zero, and I mean zero, runoff in the soak - I actually dropped a shrug in the suds after I pulled the shawl out (what can I say, sometimes I'm a cheapass)! No fading or pilling afterwards, either.

And isn't the color just gorgeous? sKnitches is such a fabulous dyer! You can't see it very well in the pictures, but IRL, this colorway (called Goddess) has beautiful little flecks here and there in deeper shades of goldy-orange.

With the drape of the bamboo, I'm not sure how this yarn would fare for socks, but it's perfect for shawls!

Wrap it up
I didn't think triangle shawls were really my style, but I LOVE this thing! The pattern knit up so beautifully in this colorway, and both it and the yarn were fabulous on every level. I sense this will become a new wardrobe fave!

Candlelight Shawl
Pattern: by Saccade on Rav
Yarn: sKnitches Kettle Drum, 1 skein in Goddess
Needles: Holz & Stein Ebony in size 6, 24" + HiyaHiya Stainless Steel in size 9, 16" for bindoff

KAL and weave

2009-05-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

I generally ~~run screaming~~ shy away from knitalongs, even the low-pressure ones, since knitting on a deadline kinda sucks the fun out of it for me. But how can you resist when it's the ubercool Socks that Rawk group on Rav! Hanging out there is like hanging out in the knitty coffeeshop (well, if memory serves - sadly, I don't get over there too often these days). Everyone is so supportive and fun and helpful! I loves you guys. :)

When the Q2 KAL came up, I decided to jump on in. After a false start with the Shurt'... Shur't... oh, whatever that pattern is, I frogged and went with the alternate, which was Mad Color Weave. It worked MUCH better with this colorway - and was a lot easier on the hands!

A few mods (of course!):
- Made the cuff a few rows longer
- Ditched the front cables, expanded the weave stitch pattern instead (I thought it would look kinda groovy with just one set of cables carried all the way down the flap, and I totally dig it, man! Oops, apologies for '70s stoner vocab, still riding high on Friday's Dollhouse.)
- Knit seven repeats on the leg instead of six
- Did my own thing with the flap, gusset, foot, and toe (skipped the purl increases on the flap, turned heel starting with k19, picked up 16 on each side for the gussets, decreased gussets down to 31 stitches, then decreased the side purls on the instep 4 rows later, followed my standard toe formula)

This is a very easy to memorize pattern and as you can see, it works great with variegated colorways!

Yarn thoughts
Socks that Rock, my favorite sock yarn! Uh, that be all.

Wrap it up
I like how these turned out! Now me, I don't mind pooling or flashing (unless it's some creepy dude in a raincoat), but this pattern did a great job of showing off this colorway to its best advantage. And when you're knitting along with the fab group that is Socks that Rawk, you really can't go wrong. :)

Mad Color Weave Socks
Pattern: by Knit Tenacity or here on Rav
Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Lemongrass
Needles: HiyaHiya Stainless Steels in size 1, 32"
Mods: Ditched the front cables (expanded weave stitch pattern instead), slightly longer cuff and leg, did my own thing with the flap, gusset, heel, and toe

Socks, butt-pointers, and my cursed Gemini mind

2009-04-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

Oh, did you think I'd stopped knitting? Between the freaky ass global-warming-102-for-two-days-then-turn-cold-and-68-after-I-trot-out-all-my-shorts-and-tees weather and tweenybopper reading phase (thankfully, that's over...er, well, it will be after I watch the movie), I can see why you'd get that impression.

But I'm still here and knitting away! Look, see?

First up, my Mad Color Weave Socks for the Rav STR KAL. I don't think there are enough acronyms in that sentence. These are done, whoo hoo! Drying now, hopefully destined for a FO shoot tomorrow.

Speaking of socks:

Some Embossed Leaves love! This is one of my all-time favorite sock patterns. I just finished the gussets, so they should be done by the end of the week.

But it's not all socks around here:

My very first ~~butt-pointer~~ triangle shawl! I'm "alpha" test knitting this pattern (the Candlelight Shawl) for Saccade on Rav. I have about 100 yards more yarn than the pattern requires, so I'm tempted to make this hee-yuge and voluminous.

Then of course, there's the Tatami, all dropped, blocked, and halfway seamed:

I just have to seam up the other half, attach the ties and it's done! I can already tell I'm going to fall madly in love with this. Like, Hugh Jackman love.

And finally, the thorn in my side:

I did the whirlpool toe from New Pathways, and now I'm paralyzed with indecision. I'm torn between the: a) Spiraling Coriolis (with a wider band) in stockinette, b) Riverbed in 3/1 rib, or c) Riverbed in something more chevron-y. GAH! Stoopid fickle Gemini mind. Be a dear and make up my mind for me, wouldya?

That's hot

2009-04-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

It's April, people. April. WTH?!?!

And wow, my car looks a lot dustier through a crappy camera phone!

Paint the fence

2009-04-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever knit a Clapotis? Then you'll remember how it takes forever to drop the stitches. But at least with that one, you can drop them as you go, so it's not as time consuming when you're done.

Well, Clappy, meet your maker. The Tatami Kimono.

Whoooooole fence.

You know that "paint the fence" scene in The Karate Kid, where Daniel-san paints one little section and thinks he's all done, then Miyagi waves his hand around his backyard and shows him there's a billion more miles to go?

Feels exactly like that.

I've found, however, that it helps to drop the stitches on the wrong side, rather than the right side. Just slide a darning needle underneath the stitch, like so:

Then - and this is very important - pull the needle UP, towards the top of the garment. (Not forward, towards you.)

And make sure you have something really interesting on the TV. Planet Earth is a good one - that way, you can look down during the really icky parts, like when sharks and alligators...um...find their lunch, or a freakin' 6-foot salamander comes on the screen and freaks you the hell out.

I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now

2009-04-07T16:38:00.001-07:00

The library hold queue for "Breaking Dawn" is much shorter than the others, so I'm holding out on that one for now.

I just bought these off of craigslist! Fair enough price, too. I would've haggled her down some, but she was like, 10.

So today I got to do a good deed, start a youngster off on a capitalist career, and mark another check in the reduce-reuse-recycle column by buying these used instead of new! :)

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go enter my hidey-hole and emerge when I'm done with two more books targeted at readers who are are whole person who can drink younger than I am.

It's like Dawson's Creek all over again...

2009-04-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I expanded my library search yesterday and found the only copy of this in the tri-city area that hadn't been checked out/placed on hold until the end of time:

Yes, I almost knocked over three 14-year-olds to grab this off the "Young Adult" Fiction shelf before they could.

And proceeded to read it straight through. In one day. I hate to admit it, but now I'm hooked.

Daaaaahhhhhhhmit.