Stitch, Brinn, Stitch!

WIP: Sassy Ribs Socks

August 16, 2010 in knitting, life | Tags: knitting, life, school, socks, wip, work in progress | Leave a comment

So I mentioned last time that I was working on another pair of socks. Ribbed socks, two at a time, out of Cascade Sassy Stripes. Here’s what they look like:

Okay, they’re a bit farther along than that since I took this picture yesterday afternoon. But you get the picture. (Pun mostly not intended.)

I’ve also been receiving various swap things. I’m going to wait and post things as a group, but I joined a bookmark swap on Craftster. I haven’t started mine yet (gonna wait til I get back to school and have more space and access to my crafting supplies as currently, they’re mostly packed), but I’ve received two (totally awesome ones) so far. I’m also waiting on some OWS stuff (a surprise and some fabric).

Also, speaking of returning to school, I should mention that I’m moving back to Fredericksburg either Saturday or Sunday of this week. The blog will probably be pretty quiet for a couple of days around that time as I’ll need to be seriously packing (as opposed to the sort of packing I’ve been doing so far) and then I’ll be settling into my apartment and starting classes.

One last thing: the giveaway for a free copy of any one of my patterns ends tonight at midnight! If you haven’t already entered, you definitely should as there aren’t that many entries and odds are good!

FO: Crocus Socks

August 14, 2010 in knitting | Tags: finished object, FO, knitting, socks | Leave a comment

Pattern: Crocus Socks by Wendy Johnson (from Toe Up Socks for Every Body)
Yarn: Premiere Yarns Serenity Sock in Lavender Topaz (one skein)
Needles: Knit Picks US 1 circular
Mods: Well, they’re shorter but other than that, none.

So I really like these. I know I say that about a lot of the things that I knit, but I really do. The pattern is great, the yarn is… serviceable, and the socks are comfortable and pretty. I followed the pattern more or less exactly, complete with flap/gusset heel. Except when worked toe-up, there’s no actual…flap. I don’t know if Wendy Johnson invented the toe-up flap heel herself, but it really is ingenious. It looks just like a flap heel worked from the top down. I’ll definitely keep the heel in mind for future socks.

Speaking of future socks, I’ve started a new pair. 3×1 ribbed, toe-up, two at a time with Cascade Sassy Stripes. Probably will do the gusset/flap heel again so I can really see how it works (so I can adjust it for different stitch counts). But more on that later.

OWS FO: Slippers (And also some Notecards!)

August 12, 2010 in crochet, paper craft, swap | Tags: crochet, finished object, FO, notecards, ongoing wish swap, ows, paper craft, slippers, swap | Leave a comment

So I also recently claimed puzzler for some slippers and some notecards. I turned to my trusty slipper pattern and…

Pattern: Mary Jane Slippers from Oh My Goodknits
Yarn: Lion Wool in Dark Teal or somesuch
Hook: 3.75 mm/F
Mods: Made them longer to fit a US size 9/10ish foot.

This is possibly the fourth or fifth time I’ve made slippers from this pattern. It’s a good pattern and it consistently produces good slippers. Also, it’s HELLA fast. Like, two hours for the pair maybe. Very fast. One of these days I’ll make a pair for myself maybe, but in the meantime, they’re great for swaps. Everyone likes slippers, right? : )

Anyway, I also made notecards, as I mentioned above:

I stuck with simple cause that was Puzzler’s request and I really like how they came out. Especially the turtle. I love the turtle. The next time I have to congratulate someone via card, I’m totally making another one. : )

PS: Don’t forget about the giveaway to win a copy of one of my patterns!

OWS FO: Bella Mittens

August 10, 2010 in knitting, swap | Tags: acrylic yarn, finished object, FO, knitting, mittens, ongoing wish swap, ows, swap | Leave a comment

For the August iteration of Ongoing Wish Swap, I claimed Juicebox29for some cold weather goodness, when I decided to make in the form of pretty mittens:

Pattern: Bella’s Mittens
Yarn: Jo Ann Sensations Rainbow Classic, a furry bulky acrylic I’ve had forever.
Needles: US 8/5mm
Mods: None, really. I had intended to make the cuff shorter but then I… didn’t.

I like how these came out. Not enough to make them for myself, probably, but I do like them. Even in this fuzzy acrylic. It is a pretty color (I did buy it for a reason), but in general I prefer working with smooth wool.

I like these mittens a lot, as I said, and the pattern is good, if a little confusing. There are definite pattern repeats, especially of the cuff, but the instructions are written line by line so there’s no way to really memorize the pattern. I would have liked a chart I think. Still, they came out pretty well, even if I did goof and cross the cables every six rows instead of every seven. Oh well. Cute, as I said.

Oh, also, reminder! Don’t forget about the giveaway to win a copy of one of my patterns!

Green Leaves Tank Pattern is Up!

August 9, 2010 in knitting | Tags: knitting, patterns, tank top | 8 comments

After much testing drama, the Green Leaves tank pattern is up and ready!

US $5.00

Ravel it!

Sizes
To fit bust size 32” (36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60) (Shown in 32”)

Yarn
Cascade Pima Tencel (50 g/89 yard skeins), 4 (5, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) skeins or approx. 350 (400, 450, 500, 575, 650, 750, 850) yards worsted weight cotton/cotton blend yarn

Needles
US 5/3.5 mm 29” circular

Notions
Tapestry needle
Four stitch markers
3-4 mm crocheted hook (optional)

Gauge
4.5 sts/8 rows per in/stockinette

That’s right everyone, this pattern is FINALLY up for purchase thanks to some great test knitters! The timing is a little off unfortunately (I had hoped to have the pattern up a little earlier), but there’s still some summer left! And I know plenty of places that are still warm through September. And let’s not forget about the Southern hemisphere, where it’ll be warming up soon!

Anyway, to celebrate this somewhat unplanned timing, I’m having a contest! Enter by leaving a contest on this post, and in one week (that’s Monday, August 16), I’ll draw a winner who’ll get to choose a pattern from my pattern store! For an extra entry, blog or tweet about the giveaway and leave another comment with the URL.

There are a total of two entries per person, open to everyone (regardless of location). The contest will stay open until Monday August 16 at midnight (approximately), at which point I’ll draw a winner. Make sure you leave an email so I can contact you! The winner will receive the pattern as a gift on Ravelry or (if you don’t have a Ravelry account) emailed to you. Good luck!

DIY Kit Swappage!

August 7, 2010 in dyeing, sewing, swap | Tags: dyeing, jewelry, kit, sewing, spinning, stash, swap | 1 comment

So I recently participated in a swap on Craftster wherein I swapped kits to make a craft with other people. It was sort of round-robin style. The kit I made (a drop spindling kit) went to sugaree. I included a how to spindle pamphlet, a little sample of my early handspun, a drop spindle, some fiber, and a drawstring bag to hold it all:

The bag:

and the fiber:

I included about 30g of alpaca fiber and about 125g of domestic wool top (from the pound I ordered when I started spinning) that I dyed. I call the colorway “Ocean Madness (It’s No Excuse for Ocean Rudeness)”.

The kit I received in return was from ChrisSews and it was for making jewelry. She sent so much cool stuff!

Here’s everything:

Tons of findings:

Tons of beads:

as well as instructions and materials to make these earrings, based off some on my wists:

I can’t wait to make the second earring so I can wear them, but I don’t think I’ll really be able to until I go back to school. There’s a lot of little parts and I don’t want to lose anything, so I’ll wait until I’m settled in my apartment at school and have a work space that belongs to me.

FO: Shark Mittens

August 5, 2010 in knitting | Tags: finished object, FO, knitting, mittens, ongoing wish swap, ows, sharks | 5 comments

I finished another pair of shark mittens for a commission on Etsy. Whoo!

(The model, btw, is my brother, whose fingers are waaaay to long for the mittens but whom I shanghaied into modeling because his learning to drive is using up the gas I pay for with no input from him)

Pattern: My shark mittens
Yarn: Cascade Eco and overdyed vintage wool
Needles: US 6/4mm
Mods: None

You know, I really like knitting shark mittens. The pattern is definitely my most successful pattern to date (by a landslide). The result, I think, is super cute, and they’re pretty fast. I made this pair in like three days. I like ’em.

In other knitting news, I am still working on the Crocus socks. I’ll try to snap a picture of them sometime tomorrow so you can see where I am. I’ve also recently made a couple of OWS claims, so I have a cold weather set (probably a hat and shorter Bella Mittens) and a pair of slippers to make (plus some notecards). Fortunately, those are all really quick knits, so I’ll be able to knock them out pretty quickly. I’ve started (like today) watching Firefly (it’s on Netflix), so they’ll all be things I can knit up in a couple of episodes.

FO: Lace Ribbon Scarf

August 3, 2010 in knitting | Tags: finished object, FO, knitting, lace, malabrigo, scarf | Leave a comment

I finished the Lace Ribbon Scarf!

Pattern: Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Loro Barranquero, about a skein
Needles: US 4/3.5 mm
Mods: Took out a horizontal repeat to make it narrower.

So I’m pretty pleased with how this came out. It’s nice and long and the yarn holds the pattern quite well, even though I didn’t properly block it with water and whatnot. It’s also nice and long. The recipient of the scarf is knitter Jenarita, who I hope likes it. : )

The pattern was pretty fun to knit. It was mostly mindless, but I had to pay attention to the double yarn overs on the purl back rows. So it was a pretty good balance. The yarn, by the way, was utterly fantastic. Man, the things people say about Malabrigo are totally true. It’s so frickin’ soft. And the colors mixed nicely, not pooling or anything. Nice. I have some black Mal lace in my stash for a Featherweight when I ever get around to it, but it was nice to try out the yarn before I begin that monster.

In other knitting news, I frogged back to the toes on the Dainty Anklets I was knitting. The pattern wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to, so instead I started the Crocus Socks in the same book. I also started a pair of shark mittens on a commission through Etsy. But more on those later.

Gah!

July 31, 2010 in knitting, life | Tags: knitting, life, scarf, socks, wip, work in progress | Leave a comment

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.

WIPin in DC

July 24, 2010 in knitting, life | Tags: dc, knitting, life, scarf, wip, work in progress | Leave a comment

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.