You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘knitting’ category.
So, before we get to the FO: Bad news, bears. I did not get the job I was hoping for. Good news: More time for crafting and therefore blog posting. Bad news: My only income is my Rav pattern store and my Etsy store (so like, buy my shit please). Good news: The intent to move up to Fairfax with my boyfriend is back and stronger than ever. Bad news: Not sure who’d hire me for less than a year since Joe’s planning to go to grad school next year.
Anyway, that’s enough good news/bad news.
Pattern: Box 96 Pullover from IK Summer 2010
Yarn: Recycled 60/40 cotton/acrylic sportish weight.
Needles: US 5/3.75 mm KP Options (I seriously love these needles)
Mods: Removed the roll brim in favor of garter sleeve bands. Crocheted the lace bits to the sweater. I didn’t knit the roll edging at the bottom but started right in on the decreases. It’s stocinette, so it rolls, but not much. And I still might do a row or two of sc along the bottom.
So I totally fell in love with this vest when IK Summer 2010 came out. It stuck in my brain. I eventually got the magazine from someone on Ravelry and have just now gotten around to making the vest. And I love it. I totally love it. The V is a bit deeper than anticipated, so I have to wear a tank under it if I wear it as a shirt.
It did come out a titch too big because I steam blocked it and there’s a substantial acrylic content. It’s got a lot of cotton too, so I think a spin through the washer and dryer should shrink it up a bit. And it does fit as is, I just might have to wear a belt as styled.
I can never remember whether I’ve told you about the 12 sweaters/12 months challenge I participate in on Ravelry (the group is here, but this marks number nine fr the year. I frogged a couple I made (some Leah versions), but I still made them, so I’m right on track for knitting 12 sweaters this year. Also, not all of them were for me.
I’ve pulled out the yarn, needles, and pattern book for Karlsro, a wrap sweater from Noro Book One. I knit a version for a WWFY swap and I rather liked the pattern, so I’m starting one for myself in a brown recycled wool. Y’know, once I finish all the shark mittens. : )
The thing about suddenly working (or volunteering) a full-time job when you’re used to having the whole day for whatever is that I have waaaay less time for knitting. And I have shark mitten orders which means I’ve put knitting for myself on hold. : ( I currently have three orders outstanding (one is for two pairs of children’s mittens).
I have all the parts knit for the first two pairs, and I need to put them together. The next pair is a bit past the thumb gusset.
I’ve also been doing some unravelling. My mother found a big red cabled pullover that I’m working on (though it’s a little felted). I also recently found a tan cashmere sweater to felt for my blanket. Which I have enough sweaters to make decent-sized, I just need to get around to doing the sewing. And I’ll need a warmer blanket soon because the weather was in the 60s for the last couple days so I got to wear knits. : ) I much prefer fall to summer.
So for the last couple of days I have been (and will be for the foreseeable future) very, very busy. I started volunteering at the local elementary school (here’s hoping they’ll be hiring….). This has left me with little crafting time as it’s quite a tiring affair, but I’ve been knitting a bit.
Here’s my Box 96 pullover so far. Have edging and lace yet to knit (sorry for the crappy pic).
I’ve also been working on a few pairs of shark mittens for sale. Still have lots of knitting to do. I’ll keep you updated. : )
After much testing and editing, I finished and uploaded the pattern for the slip stitch hat I posted on here last week. I’m pretty pleased with it; I hope you are too.
US $3.00
Ravel it!
Knit up in practically no time at all, these hats are a great stash buster for leftovers in multiple colors. Great for last minute gifts or to keep your own head toasty warm.
Materials:
– Set of 5 US 6/4 mm dpns
Yarn: 80-120 yards worsted weight wool (total)
Three color: 40-50 yards color A, 20-30 yards colors B and C
Two color: 60-90 yards color A, 30-40 yards color B
Gauge: 4.5 sts/9 rows per inch slip stitch pattern
Finished measurements: Un-stretched about 19” around. Should fit heads up to 23” around
*awkwardly shuffles to the front*
*taps mic*
Hello?
Well, it’s certainly been a while, huh? Two and a half weeks. Do I even have readers left?
I know it can be irritating to read posts that are just apologies for not posting, so I’ll keep it brief: As I mentioned before, I spent some time in DC and then I spent some time in the hospital (I’m fine now, it was a mental health thing). I just got back to Virginia Beach yesterday and spent most of the day cleaning.
I haven’t been doing a whole lot of knitting, but I’ve sort of been working on the first of a pair of Skew socks:
I also did/am doing some unravelling:
(A 60/40 cotton/acrylic with horrible seams)
(lambswool/angora/nylon)
(wool/nylon)
Oh, also, while I was in DC, I visited a yarn store (Knit and Stitch = Bliss in Bethesda) and purchased a skein of Malabrigo worsted in Noviembre:
So I’ll go back to the knitting and then I’ll get back to the posting. : )
The Ivy Sockettes are finished!
Pattern: My own, sort of. Toe up with a wedge toe and an odd short row/gusset hybrid heel thing.
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll (Essential) in Ivy. Pretty much used up the rest.
Needles: US 1
So these knit up pretty quickly and are a simple, utilitarian object. They will get a lot of wear throughout the seasons. The yarn is a good, solid sock yarn and I believe I have previously professed my love for it. It’s cheap and works up into nice, soft, sturdy socks.
The construction of these sockettes, on the other hand, was…special. Because I knit my Artichoke socks two at a time, the leftover yarn was already split into two balls, so I knit these two at a time too. Which worked out fine until I got to the heel. As it turns out, I divided my yarn unevenly, so I ran out of yarn on the first sock and had to use a tiny bit of different sock yarn. Which is annoying because I had plenty in the other ball after I finished the second sock.
I knit a mini-gusset into each sock. The first heel attempt was a short row heel which resulted in a too-wide heel and some Issues. So I ripped it back and moved the short rows more to the center and worked some decreases like in a regular flap heel turn to decrease the gussets out of the number of stitches on the back of the heel.
All in all, they came out pretty well and the fit is great–the gusset means they’re higher in the back of the heel and the shallow toe means the sock is hidden under most shoes. So yay. Sockettes are a perfect use for the leftovers after a pair of mid-calf socks and I think I might write up the pattern the next time I make a pair. Would anyone be interested in testing?
And I have, of course, started another pair of socks (Skew in KP Stroll Handpaints), so I suspect I’ll be knitting more sockettes soon.
PS: I am in DC for the week to move my sister into college and to visit my boyfriend, so posting might be spotty. I am planning to visit a new yarn store while I’m there though, so there’ll probably be a post about that.
Sooooo I finished knitting up that new design I was talking about the other day! And it is way too hot for modeled shots, so enjoy these pictures on my yarn-themed mannequin head.
Pattern: Slip Stitch Hat, currently in testing. Needs a new name. Suggestions?
Yarn: Cascade Eco (light grey), Plymouth Galway (dark grey), recycled wool (cream), recycled wool hand-dye (pink), Valley Northampton (purple), and KP Wool of the Andes (light purple cast off row). Basically, scraps.
Needles: US 6/4 mm dpns and circular
So I’m pretty pleased with how these hats came out, especially the grey one. The pink/purple one is just a tick too short (I ran out of yarn and couldn’t make it any longer), so I will have to find a recipient with a smaller head than mine (shouldn’t be too hard; my head is 22″ around). The grey one fits perfectly and I adore it. ADORE.
I was flipping through a stitch dictionary the other day and found one called “Joyous Stripes”, which I’ve adapted to this hat here. And let me tell you, it is PERFECT for using up scraps. I may make another with rainbow colors provided I can find some more of some colors (maybe I’ll just dye some). Also, super warm. The stitch pattern makes the hat pretty dense so it should keep the wind out.
In other knitting news, I am thisclose to finishing the Ivy sockettes, which means I am thisclose to starting a new pair of socks (Skew, I think). I’m also plugging away on my Box 96 pullover, which I hope I can finish in time to wear in warm weather (I should; you know I knit like the wind). I keep meaning to pull out my sewing again so I can work on my blankets but I don’t really have a good place to put the machine, so it’s mostly knitting here.
I currently have a whole series of works-in-progress going, of various and sundry crafts. It’s summer and I’m unemployed, which means if I only stick to one stockinette-based project at a time, I’ll lose my damn mind.
Anyway, yeah. There’s the Box 96 pullover I’ve been working on:
Finished the back and am working up the front.
There’s the aforementioned Ivy sockettes:
A somewhat-secret project, which is a new design, which will hopefully be somewhat seasonally appropriate when it gets released:
And some sewing projects. I believe I hinted about this project a couple of months ago:
I took all the shirts (mostly free) I got from my years at UMW, cut squares from the graphics, and am in the process of sewing them into a t-shirt quilt. They’re sewn in columns currently, so I have to sew the columns together, but I picked up a large sheet at the thrift yesterday for a backing, so at this point it’s just a lot of sewing. I haven’t decided if I want to do an edge binding (probably not because JESUS that would take forever), but I’ll definitely be quilting and top stitching. Loooooots of top stitching.
Finally, there’s one last sewing project in the works:
That there is a stack of delightfully soft felted cashmere squares cut from various thrifted sweaters. I need about one more sweater’s worth of squares and then I have to sew it all together. Not sure how I’m going to do that yet (overlap and zigzag stitch maybe?), but I know when it’s done, it’ll be ohhhhhhhh so soft and warm.
So that’s what’s in the works. I’ll probably finish the new design first but I might hold off on showing it off until the pattern’s done. What say you, readers? Do you prefer to see the FOs as I knit them and then the pattern updates or save everything for the pattern update?
So I finished those mismatched green socks yesterday.
Pattern: Artichoke
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll (when it was Essential) in Ivy
Needles: US 1 circ for magic loop
Mods: None. Did the flap/gusset heel and a wedge toe.
As you can see (and as I have mentioned), these socks are two different colors. Two different shades of green. Both socks were knit from one 100g skein of Esstenial. I divided the skein into two balls, the inside and the outside. So clearly there was some uneven dyeing or some fading or something. This is possibly why the yarn was on sale when I bought it. I love KP Stroll though and I have no problem with mismatched socks.
The pattern was also lovely. The lace pattern was very easy to memorize but interesting enough to make knitting the socks fun and not boring. Perfect TV knitting. They are a big large on me (they’re 64 stitch socks and I usually make 56 stitch socks for myself) but I think they’ll shrink just a tad in the washing machine.
And anyway, now I have a new pair of socks for the winter. Which, yay. I’ve already started a pair of sockettes with the leftovers, which shouldn’t take too long to knit.
Judging by the projects i currently have on the needles, I’m in something of a green jag (unsurprising seeing as it’s one of my favorite colors). Also, still on the sock jag. I’m working on two projects more or less simultaneously, so neither is finished, but one’s getting there.
First, there’s the artichoke socks I’ve been working on:
I’m currently cruising down the foot. They’re interesting enough to make for perfect television knitting. I finished watching through SG1 and a spotty re-watch of SGA (I re-watched the ones I like and now I’m sad there’s no more because OH I love that show). I’m currently about three episodes into Stargate: Universe and four episodes into the first season of Game of Thrones (which I like, but OH DEAR it is depressing as hell. Daenerys (WHATEVER) is hella awesome though).
My internet knitting (a simple project I work on when I’m trolling Ravelry or my Google Reader account or whatever) is the Box 96 Pullover from IK Summer 2010. I’m working it in a delightfully bright green cotton/acrylic mix I recycled. This is the back so far:
I like this pattern because it’s got year-round wear potential–as a tank in warm weather and a vest in cooler weather. And yes, I know people tend not to wear BRIGHT BRIGHT green in the dead of winter, but you know, I also wear white after Labor Day. So there. : )
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 