Stitch, Brinn, Stitch!

Busy Busy. And a Sale!

October 7, 2010 in knitting, life | Tags: knitting, life, sales, socks | 1 comment

So my plans for Socktoberfest got kind of waylaid. I had to finish up Liesl and now I have an OWS claim (for slippers, which are at least some kind of footwear) and over the weekend, I got two orders for shark mittens in adult sizes, so I have to knit those too. Plus I have a ton of work (thank you midterms) and I still have to knit my capelet for my Halloween costume. So no time to knit socks. I can, however, wear socks:

In other news, today is my second Blogoversary! I have officially been blogging for two years! In celebration, I’m having a sale in my Ravelry pattern store for blog readers! If you comment on this post TODAY with your email address or Ravelry name, I’ll send you a discount code for 50% off any pattern of your choice. That means you can purchase the shark mittens pattern for only $3! Happy commenting!

(PS: Don’t forget about the contest!

FO: Liesl

October 6, 2010 in knitting, swap | Tags: FO, knitting, swap, sweater, wwfy | Leave a comment

I finally finished the Liesl I was working on for WWFY.

Pattern: Liesl by Ysolde Teague
Yarn: 100purewool.com merino single
Needles: 6.5 mm
Mods: None, though I used the wide neckline and the picot bind off.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that this appears to fit my 32″ model despite that I made the 38″. I really did get gauge; the lace pattern is just reeeally stretchy and the sweater hasn’t been blocked. I’m sending it back unblocked so the recipient can block it to her measurements as desired, and also so I don’t have to wait for a bunch of wool yarn to dry all the way. I’m also sending it back button-less so she can decide which buttons are best.

In other news, my second blogoversary is tomorrow! Look for a special sale in my Ravelry store for readers of the blog!

Pictures!

October 3, 2010 in knitting | Tags: cowl, knitting, pictures, update | Leave a comment

As promised, here are some better photos of my Diamonds and Ruffles Cowl (don’t forget to enter the contest!)

In other knitting news, I am thiiiiis close to finishing my WWFY Liesl. I just have a couple of pattern repeats on the sleeves and it’ll be done. I’m sending it back unblocked so the recipient can block it to her measurements. I also received two orders on Etsy for shark mittens, so I’ll be knitting those up next. After those, on my radar is my Halloween cape (I’m going to be Little Red Riding Hood). I was going to dye some angora/merino/nylon I frogged from a sweater, but I’m having trouble getting the color I want because there’s a lot of nylon, so I went ahead and ordered some Valley Northampton from WEBS and might just use that instead. I’m sure I’ll find a use for the other yarn.

FO and a Contest!

October 1, 2010 in knitting | Tags: contest, cowl, finished object, FO, knitting, yarn | 12 comments

Sorry for the unintentional radio silence, people! School has been kind of hectic.

Anyway, I recently finished knitting this pretty cowl:

(I have yet to take proper FO pics of this thing, but when I do, I’ll show them to you.)

Pattern: My own, which is currently being test knitted.
Yarn: A merino/angora/cashmere/nylon blend from a thrift store sweater
Needles: US 4/3.5 mm

I completely love it–the ruffles offer more coverage than the typical cowl, I love the lattice pattern and the turned hem, and the yarn is super soft and warm with things like cashmere and angora. Yay. I intend to wear it lots as soon as the weather gets cold enough.

What I am having trouble with, however, is a name for the pattern. Currently, it’s just called “Diamonds and Ruffles Cowl”, but I want something more interesting, so I’m opening it up to all of you: Suggest a name in the comments, and if I pick your suggestion, you’ll win a copy of the pattern AND the yarn to make it:

I’ll also pick a random entry from the comments to win a copy of the completed pattern.

To enter: Leave a comment below with your suggestion. Make sure you also include your email address or Ravelry username so I have a way to contact you. For an extra entry to win a copy of the pattern, you can tweet or blog about the contest and leave me a comment with the URL. The contest is open to everyone, regardless of location.

The contest will remain open until Sunday, October 10 at midnight, at which point I’ll draw a winner. Good luck!

WIP: Liesl

September 26, 2010 in knitting, stash, swap | Tags: knitting, swap, sweater, wip, work in progress, wwfy, yarn | Leave a comment

So I volunteered to do another WWFY swap. I’m knitting a Liesl in 100purewool merino singles, which are lovely and soft and amazing. Currently, the sweater looks like this:

I’ve restarted this sweater like five times because the cast on edge didn’t seem long enough, but I think I’m going to trust the pattern and see what happens. It should relax during blocking anyway.

In return for knitting a whole sweater, I received 250g of sock yarn:

Two skeins of Premiere Serenity Sock, a skein of Lang Jawoll sock yarn (for ankle or possibly colorwork socks) and a skein of Ms. Gusset, which is lovely and beautiful and I’m so pleased I now own.

So yes. I’m gonna knock out this Liesl (which will go pretty quickly since I’m using 6.5 mm needles), then try to dye up the yarn and knit my cape so I can get my sock knitting on for Socktoberfest.

So that’s the plan. : )

OWS and All of My Love

September 24, 2010 in embroidery, other people's crafts/cool things, swap | Tags: embroidery, grammar, ows, swap | Leave a comment

I received today what is posssibly the greatest OWS thing ever. bergman claimed me for oven mitts and a wisty surprise. The oven mitts are super pretty, and will get lots of use:

The wisty surprise she included is the greatest thing in the history of ever and something I’ve had on my wists for a while:

Dear Bergman,
Here is all of my love.
– Brinn

FO: Baby Sharks!

September 22, 2010 in knitting | Tags: finished object, FO, knitting, mittens, sharks, socktoberfest | 1 comment

As I mentioned previously, I got an order on Etsy for a pair of baby shark mittens, and I finished knitting them yesterday:

Pattern: Deep Blue Sea
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool and some vintage wool (I swear, this stuff never ends)
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Mods: I apparently made the snout pointier than I usually do.

Baby shark mittens are adorable. They are also hella quick, despite what the Ravelry project page will tell you about the time I spent knitting them (it says like a week, but I was working on other things). Also, I love knitting shark mittens. They’re so cute and fun. : ) Definitely one of my favorite things I’ve ever knit.

In other knitting news: Socktoberfest is fast approaching. And I knit socks now. So THAT’S HAPPENING. I’m planning to knit as many socks as I can (plus my Halloween cape. And a Liesl sweater for a WWFY swap). I think I can probably do at least one. Both the sweaters are in worsted weight, at any rate.

So Socktoberfest. Who’s with me?

FO: Hobo Gloves

September 20, 2010 in knitting, swap | Tags: fingerless gloves, finished object, FO, gloves, knitting, ows, swap | Leave a comment

I recently finished another OWS claim:

Pattern: None, but I think I’ll write it up.
Yarn: Let’s see… From bottom to top, Cascade 220 Superwash, chain plied wool from a thrift store sweater, Soy Wool Solids, and vintage wool I bought at the thrift store.
Needles: US 6/4 mm dpns

So these came out a little big for me, which is fine because I have small hands and I realize normal people have larger hands than me. Regardless, I really like them. I love the garter stitch cuff and the overlap (onto which I’ll probably sew a button when I get around to re-knitting them for myself and also so I can write down the pattern this time) and the fingers. I’ll knit my finger cuffs a little shorter so my fingers don’t feel quite so squished cause my fingers feel a little squished in worsted weight knit cuffs.

Currently on the needles is something I’ve been planning for a while (it’s one of the first designs on the knitting design page of my notebook (used for sketching/school notes/fiction/poetry scribblings), and I think you guys are gonna like it when I show you pictures. It’s not my usual style–instead of chunky and whimsical, it’s more dainty and feminine, but still. I think you’ll like it. : )

FO: Vortex

September 18, 2010 in knitting, swap | Tags: finished object, FO, hat, knitting, ows, swap | Leave a comment

I finished a hat for an Ongoing Wish Swap claim. For those who aren’t familiar with OWS, it’s basically a chain swap–person A posts a listC B makes something on that list and posts their list; C makes something from B’s list and posts their list. The swap on Craftster is on it’s 62nd round (there’s a new round every month), so it’s been going on forever. I’ve been participating off and on for about a year and a half, and it’s definitely my favorite swap. Usually, you know exactly what to expect.

In this case, I claimed Burgz for a Vortex hat:

Pattern: Vortex, from Knitty
Yarn: Lion Brand Lion Wool (in Deep Teal) and Plymouth Galway (in grey)
Needles: US 9/6 mm I think. Possibly 6.5mm.
Mods: None. Knit as written.

So let me tell you about this hat. It’s… odd, to say the least. I for one could not pull it off even a little bit. It is not my style. The regular, non-point version? Sure. Yeah. This? Not so much.

But it’s not for me. It’s for Burgz, who specifically requested it via her OWS list. And even though the pattern was kind of a pain in the ass and I was glued to it for the entire construction of the hat, a hat is a pretty small thing so it worked up quickly and came out mostly how it’s supposed to.

Anyway, I hope Burgz likes it!

Stuff and Things

September 15, 2010 in knitting | Tags: cooking, knitting, swatch, wip, work in progress | Leave a comment

Since I finished my striped vest, I’ve been working on a bunch of things off and on. I started (and okay, finished), something for OWS. I started a pair of baby-sized (meaning four-year-old-sized; anyone under ten is a baby as far as I’m concerned) shark mittens for a customer (well, his mother is the customer, obviously) on Etsy. I made a swatch.

Wait, what?

Yep, I made a swatch:

In some lovely wool/cashmere/angora that I got from a thrift store sweater. What’s it for? Well, you will just have to wait and see.

There’s also this happy pile of wool/angora/cashmere (less cashmere though):

That will be dyed a lovely red so I can knit into a capelet for my Halloween costume. And also to wear.

I also started another OWS thing that requires me to chain-ply some green lace weight yarn I frogged from a thrift store sweater, and it’s taking approximately forever since I’m using a spindle and it’s not really something I can take everywhere. So slow going. But going.

And unrelated to knitting, I also made a peach crisp. (I used this recipe.)

Which sounds like it should be healthy because it’s full of peaches, right? Except no. Cause it’s got a ton of brown sugar and a stick of butter. So yeah. Not so healthy. But delicious.

Delicious.