Stitch, Brinn, Stitch!

FO: RAVELYMPICS CARDIGAN!

February 28, 2010 in Uncategorized | Tags: finished object, FO, knitting, knitting olympics, ravelympics, sweaterboard cross, wool, yarn | 2 comments

Whoo! I made it! I completed my sweater, steek, zipper and all, in under 17 days!

Pattern: EZ’s Icelandic Yoke Sweater (Rav link) from Knitting Workshop
Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool in Oatmeal, Lion Wool in Purple and Dark Teal, and Ella Rae Classic in Navy.
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm Knit Picks Options and Susan Bates dpns
Mods: Made it me sized (more like 34″ instead of 38″ or 40″), left out the neck shaping, did a steek (only sort of a mod), added a zipper.

So…. this sweater. It was an adventure. The knitting wasn’t especially difficult at all, although I haven’t had as much practice at colorwork as I’d like, so my floats are a little tight and it’s a little puckery. But I still love it. It was my first time doing a steek and putting in a zipper, both of which were nerve-wracking. I wasn’t sure about the tension of my sewing machine, so I was sure the whole thing was going to unravel after I cut it. It didn’t though! The zipper was also difficult. I ended up sort of basting it on and then top stitching it in place. Not the neatest job ever and it’s a little wavy, but it’s in there and it fits and it’s great.

The sweater is still drying as I’m typing (I snapped photos while it was a little dark; I wanted to catch the light), but I think by tomorrow, it will be ready for wearing. Very exciting.

So who else got the gold?

We Need to Talk

February 25, 2010 in knitting | Tags: knitting, knitting olympics, life, ravelympics, sweater, wip, wool, work in progress, yarn, zipper | Leave a comment

…about this Ravelympics sweater thing. I steeked it. And it was scary. And I’m still not convinced the whole thing won’t unravel.

Before steek:

(Nice and safe.)

After steek:

(Holy Christ, it’s all gonna come apart.)

Hot hot steek action:

(I shouldn’t even touch it.)

Hot hot colorwork action:

(Awww yeah.)

Ahem. Anyway. So. Let’s snag a peek at the calendar. It’s Thursday, February 25. This sucker is supposed to be DONE on Sunday. Cast off, finished, caput. Wearable. And my thought on Tuesday, when I did the steek, was that it would be. Except for one thing.

I BOUGHT THE WRONG ZIPPER A MONTH AND A HALF AGO.

Cause I thought I could fiddle with it and make it work. I though I could fix one side of a regular zipper and make a separating zipper.

Turns out, you can’t.

So I have a sweater with an OPEN WOUND.

Fortunately, I was able to get to Walmart and get a new zipper. It’s not the color I wanted, but I suppose it’ll do. And it means I’ll still be able to get gold with my sweater. Cause that’s totally happening.

Look for a FO post on Saturday or Sunday cause this sucker is gonna be DONE.

I've Got Mail!

February 23, 2010 in other people's crafts/cool things, stash | Tags: fiber, ows, stash, swap, wool | Leave a comment

Two packages came in the mail for me on Monday and I was thrilled to receive both. One of them was from Heini from the Ongoing Wish Swap. She claimed me for a clutch from my wists, and it is SUPER CUTE. I don’t know when I’ll have the occasion to use a fancy schmancy clutch purse, but it is super cute:

The package was sent from Finland on the 18th, so I was super surprised to find it in my mailbox on Monday the 22nd. Talk about fast shipping!

The other package I received was from one of my favorite enablers, WEBS. I ordered two four oz lots of Ashland Bay Merino in the Cranberry and English Garden colorways:

They’re both super pretty and I can’t wait to start spinning them up. : )

PS: The Ravelympics sweater? …We’re going to have a chat about that on Friday. Let’s just say I’ve run into a snafu.

Cabled Snow Hat: Pattern is up!

February 22, 2010 in knitting | Tags: cold weather things, hat, knitting, patterns, wool | Leave a comment

I’ve written up and had tested the Cabled Snow Hat, and it is available for purchase through Ravelry. There will be more on the Ravelympics sweater on Wednesday, but for the moment, let’s hear a word from our sponsors (i.e., me):

Cabled Snow Hat: US $1.75

Ravel it!

This hat is perfect for both men and women and is perfect for playing in the snow and keeping cold air off of your head. The hat brim is high enough to stay out of your eyes, and the earflaps mean your ears will stay warm and toasty, even in cold temperatures. Lots of heat is lost through the head, so this hat will keep you (or a loved one) warm.

The hat knits up fast and makes a great last-minute gift, and at only about 110 yards (half a ball of Cascade 220 superwash), this hat is also a great stash buster!

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash (or 110 yards of worsted weight yarn)

Needles: US 7/4.5 mm dpns and 16″ circ.

You will also need: a tapestry needle and a cable needle

Gauge: 5 sts/7 rows per inch stockinette

Finished Size: Will fit most adult heads (cable pattern is very stretchy)

Who wants to see a Sweater WIP?

February 20, 2010 in knitting | Tags: cold weather things, knitting, ravelympics, sweater, wip, wool, work in progress, yarn | Leave a comment

I know all of you guys do. And I am all too willing to oblige:

One sleeve totally done and attached and the other sleeve up to my elbow. Which means I have about 8.5 more inches of sleeve to knit and I will finally be up to the colorwork. O hai thur, gold medal. You’re so gonna be mine.

OWS Knits

February 18, 2010 in crochet, knitting, swap | Tags: amigurumi, crochet, domo-kun, elephant, fingerless mittens, finished object, FO, knitting, mittens, monster, swap, toys, wip, wool, work in progress, yarn | Leave a comment

So I claimed for another round of OWS, as I said before. This round, I claimed luckdragon for Domo-Kun fingerless mitts and some amiguruimi, both of which turned out to be for her daughter. So this is what I made:

Pattern: My own, which I based on pictures of mitts on Craftster.
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in brown and some random red wool.
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm

They’re cute. The eyes were a pain to sew on. The teeth are quilt batting since I didn’t have felt. They were also sort of a pain. Also, I tried out a new thumb gusset on these, and I think I’ll be using it from now on since it makes more sense.

And now the amigurumi (which I knitted, mostly):

Pattern: My own, which I made up mostly on the spot.
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 4/whatever metric size that is

He’s a little top heavy, but super cute. I started him before the Ravelympics started, then took a break from my sweater on Saturday to finish him up. I like him. His body and head/trunk were knit in one piece, and I crocheted the ears and legs. It was much easier that way than dealing with five dpns to knit four little legs.

Pattern: My own, which I totally just made up.
Yarn: Red Heart Heart and Sole in Watercolor Stripes
Needles: US 1

He’s cute too, with his little button eyes. I took more pictures of him than the other things:

He likes to play the piano!

With his favorite movie!

HE WILL HAUNT YOUR DREAMS.

Or just be cute. Here’s one more:

Pattern: Monster Chunks, sort of. I made it up, but I based in on this pattern.
Yarn: Lily Sugar ‘n’ Cream in Hot Pink and Serendipity Tweed in Water Lily Leaves
Needles: US 5/3.75 mm dpns

I wasn’t going to do the teeth, but I cut them out and they looked so cute, so I left them in. : ) This little guy is my favorite.

So now I’m expecting two OWS packages (plus some various other things I’ve ordered which I’ll probably show you whenever they get there). One of them was sent out today. The other isn’t due for another week (though I haven’t heard from her either, even just about my address). I really dislike getting flaked on, but at least the people I sent to are productive swappers that don’t flake (as far as I know).

(By the way, here’s what the Rav sweater looks like today:)

Body is done up to the armpits. Now need to finish and attach the sleeves, then do the yoke. I am flyin’ through this baby.

OWS: The From Hell Edition

February 16, 2010 in knitting, paper craft, sewing, spinning, swap | Tags: applique, bag, kit, knitting, ongoing wish swap, ows, paper craft, ravelympics, sewing, swap, sweater, wip, wool, work in progress, yarn | 2 comments

Okay, not really. But the main crafty portion of the package I sent to spolowitz gave me some hell. I claimed her for a knitting project bag and a learn to spin kit.

First, there was a spindle and some roving, part of the stuff I ordered when I was first starting to spin:

And then there was a lovely little book of spinning instructions, which I drew and wrote by hand. The directions probably aren’t the best as I haven’t been spinning that long myself, but I tried, and I like how it came out, especially my little spindle diagrams:

And then there was this bag.

I tried to make a round-bottom bag with a lining and that turned out… poorly. For the sake of my sanity, we’ll leave it at that, but suffice it to say that it was bad. The finished version is cute though. I especially like the applique:

Yay, swappage.

PS: Here’s the Ravelympics sweater:

(I got bored with the long rounds and started a sleeve. The body is about halfway done (well, halfway to where I join the sleeves, anyway). It’s about 9″ long and I want it to be close to 17″.)

FO: Saroyan

February 14, 2010 in knitting, spinning | Tags: BFL, cold weather things, finished object, FO, handspun, knitting, scarf, wool | 1 comment

In case you were wondering, it is extremely difficult to block a full-length scarf in a dorm room. Just a PSA for your consideration. Still it worked out alright:

Pattern: Saroyan, by Liz Abinante (free Ravelry download)
Yarn: My own handspun BFL!
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm
Mods: Did seven increase repeats, six decrease repeats (yeah, I’m not sure how that worked out either) and 12 straight repeats.

When I started the scarf, I was worried the yarn was too fuzzy and the pattern wouldn’t show up clearly. This was true in the beginning, sort of, because my spinning hadn’t been very even. As the yarn got better, the pattern showed up better, so yay. I’m glad I persevered. It’s super pretty and the pattern is great.

The yarn is also great. Cause I spun it! It’s a little rough/ropey in places where I over plied and over spun, but a nice bath evened most of that out and the BFL is soft enough in most places anyway.

Here are some pretty detail shots:

In other knitting news, I’m fixing to have a couple more small things to show off soon. I claimed for another round of OWS for amigurumi and wrist warmers, so that’s happening. Plus the things I was claimed for.

Also, here’s what’s happening on the Ravelympics sweater:

(Yes, I’m watching the Ravelympics Radar. On my pretty pretty Mac.)

Yeah, I’m so getting gold.

Ravelympics

February 13, 2010 in knitting | Tags: knitting, ravelympics, stash, sweater, wip, wool, work in progress, yarn | Leave a comment

So I’ve decided that I will be participating in this year’s Ravelympics. The idea, as far as I know, started with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the Yarn Harlot) and involved completing some sort of fibery thing in the 17-odd days of the winter Olympics. The Ravelympics operates in the summer now too, but as the winter Olympics are what’s happening, that’s what I’m talking about.

There are various teams you can join (I’m on a team for sweater knitters) and there are a whole list of events. I’ve already decided what I’m going to attempt to finish, and it involves this pile o’ yarn:

That’s two skeins of Fisherman’s Wool in Oatmeal and various skeins of wool in other colors. And also a zipper. I’ve decided to do the Sweaterboard Cross, the Nordic Colorwork Combined, and the Stash Compulsory Dance (some of those various other skeins I’ve had for a while). I’m making a colorwork yoke sweater using EZ’s Icelandic Yoke Sweater with a zipper. And I’m gonna STEEK IT. And it might be scary. Anyway, it’s worsted weight, so it shouldn’t take me that long and I might finish. If I do, I’m throwing my hat into the Lace Luge and the WIP-dancing and attempt to finish Featherweight. I won’t, of course, but I’m hoping the extra motivation will encourage me to get some of it done.

My cast on time was nine p.m. yesterday (Friday, Feb. 12), and I did cast on. Between last night and my post today, I managed to get all the way through the ribbing of the bottom band and begin the miles of stockinette.

And here’s where my steek is going to happen:

(It’s even marked off by my pretty pretty star stitch markers from the quotes swap I did a while back.)

Yes. Exciting. I’m so getting gold. : )

Oh, and also, I have a couple other things to post (a scarf I was working on, some swap things), so I’ll have non-Ravelympics stuff to post about while I’m knitting away on my sweater, but I’ll be sure to include a shot of the sweater in those posts so you can see how I’m coming along (and if I appear to have any hope of success).

FO: Fiber Optic Superstition

February 12, 2010 in spinning | Tags: finished object, FO, handspun, merino, spinning, wool | 2 comments

So I finished a spinning thing! Remember the superwash merino Joe got me for my birthday?

Well, I finished spinning it. And it is great.

Fiber: Fiber Optic Superwash Merino, in colorway Superstition. 4 oz.
WPI: 28? / Lace weight
Yardage: About 700. I measured the first half, which was 374, but didn’t bother with the second, so I’m estimating about 700.

I had originally intended to make Swallowtail with this yarn, though I think the color repeats would too distracting. I still want a triangle shawl though, and I think I can get a pretty large one with my yardage. The trick will be to find one that’s interesting to knit (no no stockinette/garter with eyelets) that also plays nice with the yarn. It’s rather uneven in spots and occasionally goes up to a heavy fingering weight. I’ve got a couple other contenders, but I’ll look at some patterns and let you know what I come up with. : )