Stitch, Brinn, Stitch!

Cross Stich FO

March 29, 2012 in embroidery | Tags: cross stitch, embroidery, finished object, firefly, FO | 2 comments

In between some swap knitting and fanatical reading over the last couple of days (I just finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; it was fantastic) I whipped up a quick cross stitch for no reason other than I like to cross stitch. Also, Firefly:

I made up the pattern for Mal based on some pixel art of him and of Riley (from the Buffy set) to get the proportions right. I quite like how it came out. It’s up on my art/craft/geek wall:

Ignore the blur in the corner; the room is technically my sister’s and some of her posters and things are still up.

I’ve been making steady progress on the Hexagon Petal Tee. It’s going pretty quickly now that I’ve figured out how to follow the damn pattern.

In life news, my brother upgraded his computer and I got his old one. I ordered a graphics card which arrived today, so basically my life is going to be X FILES BIOSHOCK PORTAL BIOSHOCK PORTAL PORTAL Maybe a little knitting. So yeah. : )

Whedonverse Swap, Part One

March 26, 2012 in embroidery, knitting, Misc. Crafts, painting/art-type things, swap | Tags: buffy, cross stitch, firefly, painting, swap, whedonverse | Leave a comment

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.

WIP… Saturday

March 24, 2012 in knitting, swap | Tags: carousel socks, electronics, knitting, life, socks, swap, sweater, wip, work in progress, wwfy | 1 comment

You know, I really don’t mean to go off the radar for weeks at a time. Anyway, I’m working on things. First up, socks:

I frogged the blotchy socks I was working on before (they were coming out too small) and restarted with the Carousel Sock pattern from the latest Knitting. The structure is really interesting and holds my interest for the entire sock. Plus you only have 12 stitches at a time, so that’s nice.

The next project is a Hexagon Petal Tee from the IK Spring 2011 in Tahki Cotton Classic. I’m making it for a WWFY swap except, as I have more than enough time, I received two back issues of IK, Inspired to Knit, and Whimsical Little Knits Two. Because you can never have enough knitting books, right? Right.

I’m sure I will have a full WIP post about this last project if for no other reason than I’ve restarted the damn thing five times. Apparently I have trouble with charts. IDEK.

It looks like this now (plus a few more rounds if I haven’t ripped it all out in frustration/inability to count when you read this):

Oh, and also, I bought a Kindle Fire. It is amazing and I’m currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I got through the library. Excite. Also, it’s fantastic for knitting patterns and charts.

WIP Wednesday: Blotchy Socks

March 14, 2012 in knitting | Tags: books, books about knitting, knitting, reading, socks, wip, work in progress | 1 comment

I am knitting a pair of vanilla socks in a blotchy yarn. I’m not too concerned with how they look since I like making socks and I like wearing handknit socks. They look like this so far:

I have also started reading a knitting related book:

It’s about that woman that knitted Mary Tudor (the sweater) and wrote about it. I’m not that far in yet, but Adrienne Martini has a great voice, making her book very interesting (plus I like knitting).

I must confess I haven’t been doing a tremendous amount of knitting lately, mostly because my job leaves me exhausted and I need to be working on my Whedonverse swap package (one more thing and some finishing touches). I have a bit of time before that though.

FO: Shorts (Take Two)

March 10, 2012 in knitting | Tags: clothing, finished, FO, knitting, life, object, shorts, warm weather things | 1 comment

Ravelry tells me I started this project in May. It is now March. For those keeping track at home, that’s a total of ten months. Which makes this little pair of shorts the project spanning the longest time period yet. Anyway, they’re done now.

Pattern: Studio Shorts
Yarn: Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton (it’s like kittens, for real)
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Mods: Fewer hip decreases, probably more short rows. I don’t really know at this point.

They’re not really that wrinkly but it’s difficult to take a picture of your own ass/short-wearing section even with a tripod. And it was cold out, hence the tights. I suspect it will warm up soonishly and I’ll get a chance to wear them. They fit really well with the drawstring and they’re super comfortable. Hobby Lobby’s cotton is super soft, much nicer than kitchen cotton.

Now, anyone who’s followed this blog for any length of time will know that I’m a huge nerd. I love the recent Marvel movies (and I’m constantly disappointed I never got into comics as a kid) and I’m completely obsessed with all things Joss Whedon. Naturally, this means I’ll be going to see the Avengers at midnight when it opens. I’m thinking these shorts, green tights, green shirt, maybe some lurid green eyeshadow. Maybe green flip flops. Even though the Hulk is not at the top of my favorite Avengers (I really love Thor and Iron Man), it is the one I can easily dress up as. So that’s happening.

Knowing me, I won’t get around to uploading a WIP post about the socks I’m working on, so know that I’ve started a pair of blotchy vanilla socks in Premier Serenity Sock. I’ll probably be able to get two pairs out of the two balls I have, actually. I also started a sweater in crochet, but I’ve sort of put that aside for the socks, so more on that later.

FO: Skew Socks

March 7, 2012 in knitting | Tags: finished object, FO, knitting, skew, socks | 1 comment

I started knitting these socks on August 20 and finished them on March 3. That’s over six months. For one pair of socks. To be fair, I knit a lot of other things in that time, but still. Six months. The only other thing it took me this long to knit was my Featherweight, which I also put down for 4-5 months. And there’s those shorts I was working on that will probably have the same time jump. Anyway, socks.

Pattern: Skew from Knitty
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted in “Tea Party” about 60g.
Needles: US 1/2.25 mm
Mods: I did the cuff differently because I was done following directions at that point. I did the decrease short rows til I had 60 sts then did regular short rows til the sides were even, then did a 2×2 cuff.

I am always surprised about how much yarn it takes to knit a pair of socks for me. I consistently use around 60g of sock weight yarn, leaving me with a somewhat awkward left over amount. Though I suppose with two 40g leftover balls I can make a whole other pair, so I guess it’s nice that out of two skeins of sock yarn, I can get three full pairs of socks.

I really love the way these came out. The heel makes them a little tricky to get on, but once they’re on, they fit so well. The instep hugs my arch and the stripe of increases across the back sort of feels like a strap, holding the socks in place. They’re pretty awesome socks.

I’ll probably make them again because it’s a pretty easy, fun pattern. I think I’ll do stripes next time. Maybe I’ll even follow the pattern all the way through. Who the hell know? I’ll just knit all the things.

FO: Zombie Killer Slouch

March 5, 2012 in knitting | Tags: finished object, FO, hat, knitting, slouchy hat, swap | Leave a comment

I can’t remember if I mentioned here that I joined a hat swap, but I did and I sent out the hat I made. My partner has received it, so I can go ahead and show it off here:

Pattern: Zombie Killer Slouch
Yarn: Recycled merino held double
Needles: US 8/5 mm
Mods: I did the straight section about an inch shorter, mostly because I was tired of knitting it.

I was surprised at how much yarn this took: It’s basically half a sweater. The yarn is fantastic though, soft with a firm twist that held up through frogging bobbles.

My partner appears to like the hat I made, so that’s another swap success at least on my end. I was worried it came out too big because it looked ridiculous on my head (but I have very short hair and the hat sort of swallowed me up). I based it on a pattern/picture she had on Pinterest, down to the color and everything, so that’s good.

Stay tuned for the completed Skew Socks, next time on Stitch, Brinn, Stitch!

Futurama Swap

March 3, 2012 in other people's crafts/cool things, swap | Tags: art, crochet, cross stitch, futurama, hypnotoad, other people's crafts, painting, swap | Leave a comment

I received a package from my Futurama swap today! It is completely awesome and you should all be totally jealous.

Bender-inspired chapstick cozy!

With bonus chapstick! How did she know I am completely and hopelessly addicted to chapstick?

Two AMAZING ATCs. One has Fry’s/the Devil’s opera written on it (part of it anyway) and the other has URL and “Mama said Spock you out” which is one of my favorite lines and I keep meaning to cross stitch it.

Hypnotoad painting! Ahh, I love it! It’s already up on my wall, so Hynotoad can silently judge me while I’m hanging out in my room.

And finally, a completely bitchin’ cross stitch of the crew. Clearly we were on the same brain page with the xstitching. : ) Here’s a closer picture:

It’s completely awesome and I have it set up on a book case. My room is seriously not big enough for all the fantastic art I want to display.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TWISTEDTRUTH. You rock. You completely rock.

WIP: Skew Socks

February 28, 2012 in knitting | Tags: knitting, skew, socks, wip, work in progress | Leave a comment

Sooooo anyone remember the Skew socks I started in August and posted briefly about in September? No? Well, I finally picked the damn things up again. I finished the first sock:

And I’m almost up to the ankle shaping on the second:

Not really sure what I’m going to knit next. I might finish the shorts I started forever ago and I might knit a vest. Who the hell knows. Yay, knitting.

FO: Ardys Vest

February 24, 2012 in knitting | Tags: buttons, finished object, FO, knitting, selfish knitters and crocheters, vest | 2 comments

I finished the vest I was test knitting for someone on Ravelry. I think it’s pretty cute:

Pattern: Ardys (Not up yet)
Yarn: Recycled merino held double
Needles: US 8/5 mm
Mods: None, since it was a test.

You’ll note that I have on a sleeveless dress and am barefoot. This is because it was 79 degrees outside. In February. Not only have we skipped winter, we’ve also skipped spring and gone right on to summer, apparently.

Anyway, I love how my vest came out. It probably needs a more intense blocking (I just steamed it a bit), but I like it with the belt. Also, it is my second sweater knit of the year. I’m aiming for 12 again this year but I’ll be working to include several tanks which I can wear under blouses in the winter.

I also got some exciting mail today:

I’m a member of the Selfish Knitters and Crocheters group on Ravelry and we ordered buttons.

The three middle ones are from SKC. The bottom one says “Mine.” The middle one says “Knitworthy” and the top one says “Yes, I am selfish. I live by the judgment of my own mind.” Because of course my purse needed some bastardized Ayn Ran. Also, there’s no bullying button (which I got from work) and a Juniper Moon Fiber Farm button (which I got from KIP day this past summer). There is a button on the vest in the previous pictures that says “mine.” which I also got from SKC.