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So I finished those Carousel Socks. I love how they came out.
Pattern: Carousel from the most recent Knitty
Yarn: Premiere Yarns Serenity Sock
Needles: US 1/2.25 mm
Mods: Changed the short row heel to an afterthought heel. Used ribbing instead of the picot edging.
I’ve decided I quite like the afterthought heel. I’m not sure I’ll use it again because I love a good flap/gusset heel, but the possibility is there. They fit pretty well, which was a little surprising seeing as a short row heel doesn’t really work for me and they’re supposed to fit about the same.
The construction of this sock was super fun and I recommend it highly to anyone looking for something easy but interesting. At no point did I get bored with the knitting and I will definitely be making this pattern again, probably with a woolier yarn.
I appear to be on another sock jag and have cast on for a pair of simple striped socks to keep in my bag. But more on those later. Carousel socks. Go make some.
Brief fannish aside: OMFGWTFBBQ X FILES. Love. There will be crafts.
I actually finished knitting this sweater like a week ago but then KCBW happened and pictures got pushed back. Anyway, it’s all done.
Pattern: Hexagon Petal Tee from IK Spring 2011
Yarn: Takhi Cotton Classic
Needles: US 6/4mm
Mods: None. Worked as written.
I quite like how this sweater came out. My mannequin is a bit smaller than the recipient, so this isn’t the final fit. Once I figured out how to work the damn hexagons, it was pretty smooth sailing. The motifs make it seems like it’s going a lot faster than it probably is. It was a fun knit.
I’m thinking I might make another for myself but I haven’t decided yet. I would make some mods for me, namely that I would leave out two hexagons for purposes of fit. I think this top is supposed to be a bit loose and that look doesn’t always work for me.
I’m still working on my Carousel socks and am just starting a new sweater in some sock yarn. Also, I have to post what I received from the Whedonverse Swap, and it is completely awesome.
Soooo I totally spaced yesterday. So today’s post will be from day four of KCBW and I’ll do day five… sometime. Anyway. Today/yesterday’s topic is about seasonal knitting. Basically, do you knit seasonally appropriately?
I think I try. But I live in Virginia:
It’s the truth. So when I finished this hat in November
I really thought I was on the ball and SO READY for winter.
And then winter never happened. We had like three days of winter where it was in the 40s and then it was the 60s for the rest of the “winter”.
Ravelry tells me I finally finished these shorts in mid-March:
Notice how I have tights and a sweater on. Because even though winter never happened and it was officially spring, it was bloody cold that day.
If Virginia had proper seasons, I think I’d knit for them. I finished my Karlsro in September
which should have been just in time for the cooler fall weather. And then there… wasn’t any.
I made my Great Gatsby Dress in July:
and that seems perfectly suitable to July.
Of course I also knit heavy knee high socks in July…
I try. It’s not my fault if the weather’s made up! I think I’ll go to Boston. I hear it’s nice in the summer. Some snow would be nice….. /Augustana
Today’s KCBW topic is knitting heroes. Someone in the knitting (or crochet) world (or not) that inspires you. Let me tell you about a secret knitting crush I’ve had for years. I don’t usually gush about designers too much, but this one seems to have the style I wish I had. I literally want to knit almost everything she’s ever designed. This designer is Connie Chang Chinchio.
Seriously people. This is a sample of patterns that are on Ravelry:
This is a screen shot from Ravelry. I want to make ALL THE THINGS. I currently have definite plans for the Apres Surf Hoodie and I am currently lusting over the Alexandria Cardigan and the Cayuga Hat (seriously I am IN LOVE with this hat). Plus, y’know, everything else. Because seriously, do you see the cardigans?
I apparently haven’t knit anything by her yet, but I WILL. Because the sweaters. All the sweaters. I must have them.
Day two of KCBW Round three! Today’s topic is a photo challenge. Set a scene or a story with a photo. Given that I am crap with photos and didn’t exactly plan ahead (which obviously I should have), I’ll just share the one photo I actually took while on vacation:
Yes, that is a terrible photo of Mr. Smee holding both my in-progress Carousel sock and his nose. I was going for a “hold my sock” photo a la Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and this is what happened instead. I guess that’s what happens when you take pictures with Disney villains. Next year I’ll have to go with a princess. Or some sort of furry character.
AWW YEAH day one of Knitting and Crochet Blog Week! Today’s post is all about COLORS. I like them. Especially jewel tones cause I’m a slob and it’s harder to stain dark colors. My stash would support this statement and so would my projects. Out of all the things I’ve made for me, there are only a handful made in light colors. There’s this:
and some other things. But my favorite knits are darker colors. Like my Girl Friday, my favorite sweater ever:
It’s kind of hard to tell judging from my projects what colors I tend towards because so many of them were for swaps where I didn’t choose the color. So going to my stash, for which I apparently did not select actual colors, there’s a lot of undyed/white/ecru/natural. That is because the vast majority of my stash is recycled yarn because I’m poor (and it’s fun) and that’s the most common color of sweater I find.
If I could get my stash to filter correctly, I would show you this pictorally buuuuuuuuuuuuuut I can’t. Possibly I should start adding the color family names when I upload new stash.
This is sort of a lame post but I got home yesterday and I had to work today and I can’t find my camera charger. So forgive me. At some point I’ll have pictures of the Hexagon Petal Tee, which is finished, and the Whedonverse swap package I received. At some point. And there are some KCBW posts and stuff.
I’m gonna go back to marathoning the X Files (I’m on season five and OH GOD I LOVE THIS BUT THE UST I AM DYING) and knitting. I’ll see you tomorrow.
I am participating in Knitting and Crochet Blog Week again this year! I have participated for the last two years and it’s a lot of fun. I love meeting new people and new blogs through the tag system. Fortunately, KCBW starts the Monday after I get back from Florida, so I won’t have to worry too much about planning my posts ahead.
If you have a blog, I hope you participate too! Information can be found on eskimimimakes.com. Topics include color, knitting for seasons, and a photography challenge.
In regular knitting news, I have finished all the hexagons, the neckline and 1.5 armbands on my swap Hexagon Petal Tee. I should finish it up in short order but I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post about it. We’re going to the Magic Kingdom tomorrow, MGM/Hollywood Studios on Tuesday and Animal Kingdom on Thursday. It’ll be a busy week but fun I think.
I’m down to the last hexagon on my Hexagon Petal Tee but it’s too bulky to tote around Disney parks, so I started something smaller. I cast on for Clapotis in some recycled merino from a J Crew sweater. I haven’t done too much so far because I’ve been rather engrossed in a book (Insatiable by Meg Cabot, which is basically if Twilight was good), but I’ve got a bit:
I’ve been doing a lot of reading this week. I finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire and I’m waiting desperately for my hold on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest to be available. I’m reading them on my Kindle (which, by the way is amazing and love). I’m also reading the Castle tie-in novels, which are delightful, if transparent. I don’t even care. I am picturing all of the characters as the ones from the show (“Lauren Perry” is OBVIOUSLY Lannie and Ochoa is OBVIOUSLY Espo and that’s who I picture speaking). I finished the first one, Heat Wave, and am about halfway through Naked Heat.
On my reading list for the next couple of weeks is the rest of the Castle books, the Wrinkle in Time trilogy (I think I’ll actually understand them this go round) and the Hunger Games. I really want to get to the Hunger Games, but I bought the ebook trilogy so I’m reading my library books first. Impatiently.
Kind of paused on the X Files because I’m away from my internet, but chatter on that will resume when I get back to it.
So I’ve been working on this top for a WWFY swap. It’s a pretty easy knit once I figured out how to read the dang pattern. It’s going pretty quickly and I intend to make one for myself when I’m finished. Here’s what I got so far:
Here’s what the back looks like:
In life news, I am leaving for Florida tomorrow, where I will be for two weeks. I suspect I’ll get a lot of knitting done but I’m not sure I’ll be able to post as much as I’d like. So there’s that. I have several other things on the needles so I’m sure I’ll have lots of things to show off either while I’m gone or when I get back.
In fandom news, I am about halfway through season three of the X Files and I am LOVING. IT. UST for real, but it’s so good. I’m also about halfway through The Girl Who Played With Fire and I’m really liking that so far too. And yes, I will probably do some X Files crafts at some point. It’s kind of a thing now.
So I’m pretty sure I told you I was doing a Whedonverse Swap, but I’ve sent my package and it has been received. I’m pretty thrilled with what I made and it was tons of fun to do. So here’s what I sent to my partner, Craftster use FaerieCyn:
One thrifted long-sleeved tee + acrylic paint + fabric medium = Buffy tee! I’m pretty please how this came out. I freehanded the B.
One thrifted tee + acrylic paint + fabric medium + Freezer paper = Dr. Horrible Tee! I made a stencil for “Horribleness” and hand painted “I have a Phd. in”. Here’s a close up of the words:
In retrospect I might have used a color that would show up better, but I was amazed how well wax paper worked as a stencil. I’m never sure if that’s what people mean by freezer paper, but I cut out the letters and ironed down the stencil and it stuck to the fabric pretty well.
I painted this Sunnydale High logo. I was going to make it into a notebook but then it didn’t fit and whatnot. So I just put it in a frame. This was lots of fun to paint since I don’t usually paint. And I think it came out pretty well.
Felt/hot glue Browncoats pin! I whipped this up pretty quickly. I may make one for myself to stick on a knitting bag or two. I like pins.
Tiny Willow with her tiny computer! I used patterns from Teeny Tiny Mochi Mochi (the groom with some mods and the computer).
I used a variety of sock leftovers and crochet cotton. I think they are super adorable.
My favorite piece is the one I did first, this cross stitch:
I really love cross stitch. And Buffy quotes. And Giles! Look at Giles:
I found a pixel set of Buffy characters (here and zoomed in until I could see individual pixels. Then I cross stitched that, with some slight mods. I basically adore how Giles came out and now I want to cross stitch all the quotes with Buffy characters. So yeah.
For more Whedon goodness, the gallery is here, though mine was the first package received. Sooooo yeah. I like Whedon things.
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 