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Sorry for the accidental week-long radio silence, people! I am currently in DC, as I mentioned last time, and haven’t gotten to the computer as much as usual. I’d have vacation-type photos to show you, except this week has been extremely relaxing–the vast majority of it has been spent curled up with the boyfriend and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (to which, I might add, I am totally and completely hooked. Damn you, Joss Whedon!). I’ve also, rather uncharacteristically, not been doing as much knitting as I usually would (I am oddly content to simply curl up on the couch with the show instead of needing something to do with my hands as I usually do).
I have been knitting though. The lace ribbon scarf I’ve been working on is nearing completion and looks like this:
It’s approximately five feet tall (I lay down on the floor next to it and was almost the same length) and the remaining yarn ball is about the size of a small plum. So almost done then.
I also started a pair of socks in the car on the way up to DC:
The pattern is Wendy Johnson’s Dainty Anklets (from Toe Up Socks for Every Body), but obviously sized up to fit my feet. I haven’t really been working on them because I’ve been working on the scarf (also the not really knitting thing mentioned above). I suspect I’ll be focusing on them more soon anyway since I’m taking the train home from DC so that’s four or five hours of knitting time.
I’ll be home sometime on Monday evening, and after that, the posting schedule will return to somewhat normal.
Greetings, once again, from DC!
On Wednesday, while discussing with my family what we were planning to do in DC over the couple of days we would be here, the following exchange took place:
Mother: “We should go in the Capitol building!”
Me: “…Okay.”
Mother: “If we go in the Capitol, you can’t bring your knitting needles.”
Me: “…Then we can’t go.”
Mother: “They have lockers in the Natural History Museum. We can leave our stuff there.”
Me: “…If I can’t bring knitting, I do not want to go.”
We did not end up going into the Capitol building.
This is because we missed our reservation while searching for the Vienna metro station, but still. I feel like I’ve won that particular battle.
We did do other things though. My sister, brother, mother and I drove up early Thursday morning (we left the house at like, five am) for my sister’s college orientation. We dropped her off and my brother, mother and I traipsed about the city even though it was about 100 degrees (no exaggeration). We visited the Library of Congress:
and the zoo
and I took a picture of the Capitol:
And we also went to the Hirshorn museum of modern art, Eastern Market, Stitch DC, and the American History museum. I didn’t really take a lot of pictures while we were out. I did do a fair bit of knitting though. I knitted in the car on the way to DC (unfortunately, I have a difficult time sleeping in the car, even if it is five-thirty in the morning), on the metro, and while waiting for various things around town. The scarf I’m knitting (which I believe I mentioned in a previous post) now looks like this:
It’s still got a ways to go (I’m knitting a whole ball of Malabrigo lace), but the pattern is really simple and it’s motoring right along.
Or: THEY’RE DONE THEY’RE DONE THEY’RE DONE!!
Pattern: Lakeside Socks from Knotions
Yarn: Fleece Artist Nyoni
Needles: US 1
Mods: None? Maybe made them a tick longer? I think I mostly knit them as written.
Holy crap, these socks took so long. But they are DONE. I actually really enjoyed knitting them–the pattern was simple and easy to memorize, and the shaping was pretty intuitive. I’m still not sure how much I like knitting socks cuff down as opposed to toe up, but these actually went by pretty quickly, even though Ravelry tells me they’ve been a wip for about a month. But now they are done! And I can knit other things! Like the other WWFY trade I’m working on. : )
As for the yarn: I did enjoy working with the Nyoni. It’s a little think/thin, but it’s pretty squishy. I don’t know how much I’d like it for knee socks (it’s a little itchy on my calves, but who knows, that may come out in the wash). The colorway is GORGEOUS though, and I love it a lot.
Currently, as I mentioned, I am working on another WWFY trade: a lace ribbon scarf in Malabrigo lace (LOVE). I have some Mal lace in my stash from my trip to Fiber Space that will eventually become a Featherweight cardigan, but it’s nice to get a feel for the Mal in something smaller first. : ) I’ll show you pictures of the scarf a little later, but it’s looking great so far.
Nothing much new to report on the crafting front, I’m afraid. I’m still plugging away at the Lakeside socks (I just finished the calf decreases and am now working on the rest of the leg), but there’s a ways to go yet. Here’s a bad picture of the second sock so far:
I’m getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow, so wish me luck for my surgery tomorrow. I don’t know how lucid/willing to blog I’ll be for the next couple of days, but I do suspect I’ll be able to knock out the rest of the socks–I won’t be about to do much else but knit tomorrow and the next day.
I’m also going back into DC later this week. I’m leaving early Thursday morning and I don’t know yet whether I’ll be back on Friday afternoon for a couple of days or if I’m staying through the week. Either way, I’ll try to blog as things happen but no promises. : )
So I received in the mail today possibly the most awesome knitting-related thing ever:
It’s a book of stuffed dinosaur patterns. AND THEY ARE AWESOME. It includes a pattern for a 15-inch high Parasaurolophus:
I discovered the booklet while browsing for stuffed animal patterns to make for Sarah for her cousin. I put out a quick note on the ISO/Destash books forum and within a couple hours, I had a reply from someone who had a copy, so I bought it from them. And, to reiterate, it is AWESOME. Much dino knitting will be happening.
In other news, I’ve been knitting. As I mentioned before, I finished the first Lakeside sock:
I also started another swap project, a Ribbon Lace Scarf in Malabrigo Lace (which is hella soft and wonderful):
I’m also working on stuff for another swap, but I’ll tell you about that when it’s all finished. : )
So I recently claimed gatheredthreads for a baby sweater on Ongoing Wish Swap on Craftster.org. She sent me links to a couple sweaters she liked, but I ended up making up my own pattern:
Pattern: My own, which I’m considering writing up if anyone’s interested.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Tweed, about 2.5 skeins.
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm
So I like how this came out. I ended up knitting too many rows above the sleeves, resulting in a cute little foldover collar. And open cables! Guys, I LOVE open cables. LOVE THEM. It took a bit to figure out how they worked, but once I had it, they turned out fantastically. Love ’em. Not sure how the sweater will fit or how it will look on the kid, but hopefully it fits well enough.
If I do end up writing this up it won’t start testing until my current test is done (the Green Leaves tank), but since it’s a fall/winter garment, the timing will work out well. If you ARE interested in maybe testing this when I’ve written it up, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. : )
Also, in case you were wondering, I finished the first Lakeside sock! It’s done! I still have to knit the whole other one, but I’m officially half done. *dance*
So I don’t remember if I ever told you guys this, but I’m totally obsessed with the tv show Battlestar Galactica. The boyfriend and I watched all four seasons over a couple of months over the past year, and I got HOOKED. It’s a very gripping show.
Anyway, I joined a swap on Craftster that was Battlestar themed! I had such fun making the items for my partner AggiegirlKatelyn:
First, I dyed up some wool I harvested from a thrift store sweater:
Now it’s my Eye of Jupiter yarn! I dyed up two skeins: one for her and one for me to keep. : ) Not sure how it will knit up, but I do like the dye job. The blue part is a little purple cause my blue dye was a little light and I wanted to darken it up (which happened to debatable success). I like it thought. : )
Next, I embroidered a panel and turned it into a tote bag:
Guys, I totally love this thing. I have a ton of tote bags, but I desperately wanted to keep this one for myself. I didn’t though, and sent it off to my partner, who specifically requested something with “Frak off” on it. This is probably the closest to quilting I’ll ever get (I had to center the panel in four bars of the grey fabric) cause I totally lack the patience and precision, but I LOVE how this bag came out. It looks great and totally professional. Even my line of top stitching around the top is even and wonderful.
I also made her this kickin’ card:
I cut out all the yellow pieces then glued them on, did the detail work in black pen and applied a layer of mod podge. YES. It’s bitchin’. I know.
So my friend Sarah commissioned me to make more baby things because another of her cousins in pregnant. Which means I get to knit more cute things!
Pattern: Steggie Bib, the same bib I knit before.
Yarn: Recycled cotton from a thrift store baby blanket I dismantled.
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Mods: Several since the pattern has a bunch of errors (if you know what you’re doing, it will work out fine but if you follow the directions as written, the border will come out funky)
(The dino shows up much more clearly than it does in the photo)
Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Some sport weight acrylic I got my grandmother eons ago.
Needles: US 1.5
Mods: I made the trunk a little shorter than specified by mistake. Otherwise, knit exactly as written.
Guys. I totally love this thing. It’s completely adorable and I want him to snuggle and love. Unfortunately, he’s going to a baby related to my friend Sarah. Fortunately, I can make another! I probably won’t for a while (and probably not for me) but I bought the pattern (I’d been debating it for a while) and while it’s a little fiddly (especially the ears), but the result is SO CUTE. And the pattern is SO WELL WRITTEN. Guys, there’s a reason Ysolda Teague is the celebrity she is in the world of knitting patterns. It’s clear, lots of pictures, and every step is clearly spelled out.
So yes, I’ll definitely be making this one again. Here’s hoping Sarah’s cousin’s kid likes it as much as I do. : )
So my family went out on the boat this evening:
Of course I brought my knitting. I’m currently working on Elijah, a Ysolda Teague pattern I’m knitting for my friend’s cousin (well, I’m knitting it as a commission for the friend, who’s planning to gift it to the cousin at the shower). I’m also still pluggin’ away on the Lakeside socks: I turned the heel yesterday and am now motoring down the foot. I also finished everything for my Battlestar Galactica swap, but I have to mail it, so I’ll have that to show you on Wednesday probably.
I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend, whether you’re celebrating Pride Day, Independence Day, or Saturday. : )
So I tried to sew a blouse.
It’s really hard to find cute blouses that A, fit me and B, don’t cost a billion dollars. These things are difficult cause I have a really long torso plus am a huge cheapskate when it comes to clothes so… Yeah. So I bought some white cotton fabric and downloaded the JJ pattern from BurdaStyle. I prewashed the fabric. I measured. I even pressed all my seams. And yet, it still came out looking like this:
Yeah. Don’t be fooled by the innocuous floor shot–it’s bad. It doesn’t have buttons or button holes (cause why take all the time for a shirt I’m sure I’ll never wear on its own?). It’s way too big, there’s no shaping to speak of, and the directions are unclear and impossible to understand. Yeah. Not a good experience. It looks okay under a vest though I guess:
On the whole, I don’t like sewing from patterns. I don’t especially care for sewing clothes in general, mostly because I’m not very precise so things don’t hang or fit well. I can sew a pretty bitchin’ totebag cause there’s a lot of wiggle room so I don’t actually have to measure. It’s unfortunate because I love sewing. Just not clothes. I wish I did, but the problem with sewing clothes from patterns is that I am almost always smaller than the smallest size listed and once I cut everything out and sew it all together, it’s not like I can just take it out and redo it, like I can with knitting.
Speaking of knitting, my Lakeside swap socks currently look like this:
I’m almost through the calf shaping, which is good cause I am SO READY to turn the heel on the sucker.
PS: Want a pair of pretty earrings? There’s a giveaway! Open until Friday, July 2 at midnight!
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 