Stitch, Brinn, Stitch!

FO: First Socks

April 7, 2009 in knitting | Tags: acrylic yarn, FO, grey, knitting, purple, socks, wool, yarn | Leave a comment

I finished my first pair of socks!

Specs:

Pattern: Striped Footies from Lion Brand
Needles: US 5/3.25mm dpns
Yarn: Lion Wool in Purple and Vanna’s Choice in grey
Modifications: Didn’t do striped and just did the toe and heel in a different color. Other than that, I followed the pattern as written.

They fit properly, but the fabric made with the small needles is really thick and stiff, so I think for future socks, I’ll use a larger needle. They’ll wear out more quickly, but if I continue to use acrylic for the heel and toes, it shouldn’t be too bad. These would have only taken a day or two, but I was also working on Lime, the Cavern Cardi (pics to follow soon). They fit alright though, like I said, they’re pretty stiff and they look a little wonky, but I’ll wear them in boots or something where a little thickness might be a good thing.

I’m definitely planning to make more socks, though not with sock yarn since I just don’t have the patience. Maybe eventually, but for right now, I’m going to keep with the worsted weight.

I actually am working on this sock pattern (but in worsted weight, obviously). I finished one whole sock and just finished the toe increases for the other one. I am using Caron Simply Soft and US 6/4mm dpns (5) and though the fabric is still a little thick for my liking, they are coming out pretty well. Because I’m using acrylic, there’s very little stretch, so off of my foot, it looks huge and weird, but it fits nicely. Nice and squooshy. : )

Also, I’ve decided short row heel = ❤

Since Lime is done (as I said, pics to follow), I’ve also done a pair of fingerless mitts for my friend. But I need something bigger. Hmm…

FO: Hey Teach

April 3, 2009 in knitting, Uncategorized | Tags: blue, cotton, FO, knitting, knitty, yarn | Leave a comment

After many moons (or at least, a couple of days), Hey Teach has been photographed:

(More pictures can, of course, be found on the Ravelry Page for this project.)

Here are the specs:

Yarn: Cascade Sierra (LOVE)
Needles: US 8/5mm
Pattern: Hey Teach from Knitty.
Modifications: None, I knit it as-is.

The buttons came from the very small button stash I have (I stole them off a cardigan I chopped up) and I think they suit this sweater very well. It fits fantastically and I can’t wait for the weather to really warm up so I can wear it out and about. This is the perfect little cardi to wear to make a cami more office-appropriate or to cover your shoulders on a cool spring or summer evening.

And the YARN. I love this yarn. It’s super soft and lovely, and in the right light, it sort of SHIMMERS. Amazing. Plus, it is in a fantastic color that I love to death.

In other knitting news, I am nearly finished with Lime, my Cavern Cardi in Cotton-Ease. I’ve finished everything except for one sleeve, and for that I have something like fifteen inches of stockinette in the round left. It’s perfect for mindless movie knitting, though it’s gotten a little unwieldy for classroom knitting. Something smaller for class that I’ve started is a pair of socks! My first pair! They’re the Striped Footies from Lion Brand, though I didn’t use stripes and just knit the toe and heel in a different color. More on those when I actually finish them (though I did finish one already).

I also recently signed up for two swaps (and am considering a third) but the send-out dates aren’t until May (the third swap isn’t til June), so I’ll refer to them vaguely, but no pictures or specifics til May.

Tree Swap

April 1, 2009 in swap | Tags: art, denim, fabric, FO, green, notebook, notecards, paint, paper, paper craft, sewing, swap, trees | Leave a comment

I finally received my tree swap package from Lunakitten on Craftster.

Let me just say it is fucking amazing:

These AWESOME paintings on BOOK PAGES. Seriously, I am in awe. Until I obtain frames, they’re just chilling on my desk, but I’m totally going to frame them because they’re amazing.

Tote bag. HUGE totebag. I could fit myself in this totebag. It is awesome. I shall carry everything I own in it. Or at least use it for my books. : )

This BITCHIN’ box, which currently houses my button collection, meager though it is (my button collection, I mean. The box is kickass).

Sweet stitch markers to add to my collection. These are so pretty!

Thanks a ton to my super AWESOME swap partner, Lunakitten. So much win!!

And here’s what I sent her:

Pillow cover made from a bedsheet, random brown wool yarn, Red Heart yarn, and hair ties. The tree is freehand crochet (I made it up as I went along) and the cover is removable but buttons together with two crocheted buttons that secure via cannibalized hair tie.

Another pillow cover. Made with a thrifted curtain, brown stretch knit fabric with houndstooth on one side, an old green tank top, part of a white t-shirt, the leg of some old jeans, a button, and a hairtie. Basically, I took parts from all the old clothes I had in my fabric stash. She (and her son) seem to really like this one and I am thrilled because I wasn’t thrilled with how it came out (though I guess it came out alright). It was fiddly as hell to sew the tree on there, and my sewing machine did not enjoy sewing through denim. I actually sent her two covers and one pillow form, so she could change them out as she saw fit, but apparently she just got another pillow form so she could display both. : )

Made from a curtain, a cereal box, white paper, t-shirt scraps, awesome glue, ribbon, and dental floss. I did a bit of searching to find how the hell to do this, but I mostly just made it up. It was pretty easy, but if anyone wants a tut, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v447/EssenceJaded/Crafting/?action=view&current=2103.jpg

Possibly my favorite papercraft thing I’ve ever made ever. I just used construction paper and computer paper. I think they came out wonderfully, even though holepunching for the autumn tree took a VERY long time. I love how it came out though. Also, look at the cute little bird on the spring tree:

So cute.

The gallery for this swap is located here if you want to see more trees.

And because I forgot to mention it before, the gallery for the quotes swap is here in case you want to see more quote crafts.

(Hey Teach pictures are coming… eventually. I promise.)

Tissues are Cozy

March 30, 2009 in knitting | Leave a comment

I’m in between waiting for my swap package and plugging away on my Cavern Cardi, so until one of those things generates pictures, here’s a little post-let for something I’ve knitted recently:

Just a simple little tissue cozy so tissues don’t get all over my purse in shredded little bits. I saw this one but am averse to seaming, so I knit one all in one piece, both to avoid seaming and to practice my figure 8 cast on, which I’d just learned. It’s pretty straight forward, but if anyone wants a specific pattern, let me know. : )

As I said, still working on the cardi. It’s getting there. Also, in my perusal of the internets the other day, I manage to order something like 500 buttons (or at least 225) from a seller on Etsy (I mean, they were only like, six bucks, and buttons from the craft store ain’t cheap). They should be here soon, and I’ll certainly snap some pictures of them for you to envy. : ) I love buttons, but I don’t have nearly enough. I’m building a stash. Because certainly, a yarn and fabric stash isn’t enough.

Recent Knitting

March 26, 2009 in knitting | Tags: acrylic yarn, blue, cold weather things, cozy, FO, green, hat, knitting, sweater, wip, wool, yarn | 2 comments

Greetings, all. A couple of knitterly things have been in the works lately. For one thing, I recently started the Cavern Cardigan in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Lime (I had it on hand and have been meaning to make a light little summery/springy cardigan). I’m going to have a bit of trouble with the sizing because I’m small, and the size of the pattern is medium/36″ bust. I’m either going to have a lot of ease of a lot of fiddling. We’ll see. That’s being worked on.

Other things: I made a hat!

From a chart I found on Ravely. Unfortunately, it came out weird. My large gauge made the motif too wide and also I fucked up the chart a couple of times. Also, it was coming out too long, so I hurried with the decreases, making it really bunchy. It now looks like this:

Yep. But I made some other things too:

It’s the Zune/iPod Wallet found here on the Internets. I used Red Heart Strata in this blue color, which would have been a lot nicer if they hadn’t included the black and white bits. *shrug* I made one using the pattern exactly for my iPod and cast on a couple more and knit a couple extra rounds to make a similar one for my boyfriend’s Creative Zen mp3 player. It’s really a quite useful little cozy because it means I don’t have to search through my whole purse for my headphones and because the cord isn’t EVERYWHERE, the headphones will last longer. So that’s good.

Pictures of Hey Teach are… nonexistant yet. I’m waiting for the weather to warm up and stop being wet so I can take spring-type pictures in the sun. Patience, children. Also, I’m expecting a swap package some time in the realm of soon, so you have that post to look forward to also. : )

Favorite Quotes Swap

March 20, 2009 in swap | Tags: coasters, felt, FO, houndstooth, notecards, paint, paper craft, purse, quotes, red, sewing, swap, tile, tote bag | Leave a comment

I finally received my swap package from Rockmygypsysoul on Crafster, and it is rockin’:

KICKASS tote:

Sweet coasters:

Stitch markers:

She used almost all of my quotes between the bag and the coasters, and the bag has such a great shape. Because I know you can’t read it, the quotes on the bag are:

“The one you love and the one that loves you are never ever the same person.” (Invisible Monsters)
“You know that old saying about how you always hurt the one you love? Well, it goes both ways.” (Fight Club)
“We are not special. We’re not crap or trash either, we just are. We just are, and what happens just happens.” (Fight Club)

And now, here are the things I sent to her:

Notebook made completely from scratch (recycled cardboard, white paper, decorations from stash). Interestingly (I think anyway) it’s sewn together with dental floss–I wanted something stronger than thread but didn’t want to buy anything new. Stash item ftw.

A set of notecards made from computer paper and construction paper. The quote on them is “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I will always be with you.” (AA Milne). They were lots of fun to make.

And finally:

Tote bag made from red houndstooth fabric, a flowery bedsheet (the lining), and felt. I used this awesome-strong fabric glue so I didn’t have to fiddle with sewing on the letters, though I did cut them out free hand. The quote that this goes with is from the West Wing and is something to the effect of, “Victory is mine! Victory is mine! Bring me the finest muffins and bagels in all the land!” The muffin is a t-shirt scrap and a scrap from a thrifted curtain.

Stay tuned for one more swap, which is finishing up soon.

Finished Crafts (for SALE!)

March 20, 2009 in sewing | Tags: ACDC, bag, blue, cotton, dpn roll, Etsy, fabric, FO, music, red, sewing, stripes, tote bag | Leave a comment

Before I get to the pictures, here’s an update: I have completely finished Hey Teach, buttons and everything. Still need to photograph it (that’ll happen soon), but in the mean time, I have plenty of other things to post over the next week or so. I sent out one of two swap packages and am expecting mine any day now, so look for that post probably Monday.

But as for now: Two things I’ve done recently and (OMG!) how you can get them in your possession.

First: ADCD tote bag!

Made from an ACDC t-shirt I purchased at Rugged Warehouse and some fabric I purchased at Walmart. It’s 15″ by 15.5″ with a squared bottom and the straps are 16″ tall. It’s totally machine washable and very sturdy. It also has a line of blue topstitching around the top of the bag.

This totebag, perfect for an ACDC fan, is available here on Etsy and here on Artfire.

Item number two: Another dpn/pencil/crochet hook roll.

This is made from cotton houndstooth fabric and a thrifted Barney bedsheet. It has eight pockets, six of which are an inch across and two of which are two inches across. It ties securely with ties made of t-shirt scraps.

This little organizer would be perfect for dpns, crochet hooks, pens, pencils, paint brushes or colored pencils for yourself or as a girl. It’s available here on Artfire.

Stay tuned for more crafts, including Hey Teach, a hat, and the swap.

Bone-Head Move

March 13, 2009 in blog, knitting, swap | Leave a comment

So remember that cable cardi, the one I finished except for the buttons, which I was going to sew once I got back to school and then take lovely pictures of? Even though it was going to be lovely and warm for a week?

Well, I left it in the car when I came back to school. And also it’s snowing. Interestingly, though, it is snowing quite a lot, but it doesn’t seem to be sticking or it’s melting faster than it’s melting. Interesting.

Anyway, the point is, there won’t be FO pictures of the cabled cardigan for a while. : ( There will, however, be FO pictures of Hey Teach when I finish it, which should be soon. It knits up so quickly that it’s ridiculous. I haven’t had as much knitting time as I’m used to, and I’ve already finished a sleeve, the back, and a front. Lovely. : ) So that’s to come.

Also to come are swap things. I’m in two swaps at the moment, a quotes swap and a tree swap. I have one project left to craft for both of those, so I should be sending out within a week or two. When everything is received, I’ll post pics of the lovely things I made for the swaps, all of which I am RIDICULOUSLY proud of.

Warm Weather

March 7, 2009 in knitting | Tags: blue, cotton, knitting, life, wip, yarn | Leave a comment

I’m in Virginia Beach until tomorrow, and the weather is BEAUTIFUL. It’s like 80 outside, and sunny, and it’s lovely in comparison to the snow flurries and freezing cold that has been much of the rest of my “spring break”. It’s fitting that just as the weather is looking up, I’ve JUST finished my cabled cardigan. I still have to sew on the buttons, so a proper FO post will follow once I do the buttons and photograph it. More details on that later.

To match the beautiful weather, I’ve started Hey Teach from the summer ’08 Knitty. I’m using Cascade Sierra, which I actually bought from KnitWits, my LYS in the Beach, instead of a big box craft store. The Sierra was actually a pretty good price, and it’s cotton and wool, so it won’t stretch as much as pure cotton. Also: It’s SO SOFT. Definitely the softest cotton I’ve ever felt. It’s amazing.

Anyway, between yesterday and this morning, I’ve finished a sleeve and brought it and the yarn outside for a photo in the bright summery sun:

Though I’ve sworn off set-in sleeves as a result of the cable cardi (more on that later), I couldn’t resist Hey Teach, and I’ll just sew the sleeves in before I sew the side seams, making everything easier by a long shot. Knitting this so far has been an absolute joy because of the yarn but I also can’t wait to wear such a bright, summery color. : )

What I actually should be working on is a paper, some math homework, and various swap projects, but the call of the Cascade Sierra is so great.

Spring is in the Air…

March 3, 2009 in knitting, sewing | Tags: acrylic yarn, blue, dpn roll, fabric, fingerless, FO, knitting, mittens/gloves, red, sewing, wip, wool | Leave a comment

Unfortunately, it is still quite cold, both in Virginia Beach, where I live, and in Fredericksburg, where I school. The sun, however, is shining, and I took advantage of it, snapping this lovely wip photo of my cable cardigan:

But as I’ve said, it’s still cold. I’m home on spring break, but my bedroom, where I spend much of my time, is freezing because the heat doesn’t reach back there. As a result, I had to whip up these:

I used Caron Felt-It in colorway Evening Mist and 4.5mm dpn’s. I used my basic mitten pattern, but I knit these from the top down to make sure I had enough to finish both mitts (I did, with yarn left over). They came out a little too large and I had to rip back the thumb gusset on the first one a few times before I figured it out, but I like them. They’re soft and squishy.

The yarn is interesting. I have a little left over, and I think I’m going to felt something–probably a little bowl. From what I’ve seen on Ravelry, it felts pretty well, which is to be expected seeing as the yarn is pretty much roving.

One last thing: right before leaving school for break, I whipped up this:

A holder for my double-pointed needles (and also crochet hooks). I bought some dowels recently to make my own dpns, so once I finish them, I’ll be moving my crochet hooks elsewhere. I still need something for them and also my circular needles (of which I need many more sizes… Especially 6’s and 7’s).