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So my mother is a frequent yard sale shopper. I occasionally like to go with her, but this morning I had to work so I did not go. Fortunately, my mother kept me in mind and picked up a gallon-sized ziplock bag of buttons! (It wasn’t full, but still.) Many of them were the extra buttons you get with clothes with buttons, and while most of them were boring two or four hole flat buttons, there were a couple of really cool shank buttons, brass with vaguely nautical themes:
But my favorite of all the buttons is this tiny little heart-shaped one:
So now my button box is almost full! Here’s a gratuitous shot off all of my buttons:
And now for some actual knitting content. I have two projects on the needles currently, because you know, I thought I’d just keep the project orgy going. Yeah. Anyway, I have a DROPS cable bag and the Climbing Vines Pullover from the winter IK. Both are slow going because they’re either cables/ribs or require me to follow a chart. I prefer to knit on the pullover because, as I am using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, it is lovely to knit on, and the pattern is challenging and interesting (even though I hate charts). I am knitting the bag because I really would like to have the bag, not so much because I enjoy knitting it. I am using Red Heart Super Saver because I wanted something cheap and easy to wash, though in retrospect, I should have just sucked it up and gotten some Plymouth Encore or something. *shrug* I’m slogging through it, bolstered by the fact that it’s really cute and I have adorable pink lining fabric.
More details on those will come later, when I get a little further into the construction. I mostly just wanted to show off my buttons. : )
In the last days of the final semester of my freshman year of college, I whipped out a little white shrug, partly to use up yarn, partly because I’d been meaning to make that particular pattern, and mostly because I felt I needed a shrug to wear over strapless dresses and tank tops.
Specs:
Pattern: Minisweater by Stephanie Japel
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 9/5.5 mm Circular (The very annoying Susan Bates one)
Modifications: Scrapped the puffy sleeves and did regular raglan increases til the sleeves fit. Also scrapped the edging. I’m not sure what’s up with that. Has anyone actually knitted the edging on that sweater?
Anyway, the fit is fantastic and the Simply Soft actually works quite well in this pattern. I wouldn’t knit a whole sweater out of it because I imagine it would sag like hell, but it works for a little shrug. I think I will wear it a lot. : )
Another triangle scarf, because I like them.
Specs:
Pattern: None, it’s just a big triangle with some yo’s.
Yarn: Bernat Satin Sport in Seashore (love the color, not a big fan of the yarn)
Needles: US 6/4 mm
(More pics on this projects Ravelry Page
It’s basically a huge triangle of stockinette and I got bored, so I cast off a little too soon (because I’m project monogamous, so I couldn’t just start a new one). I still have about half a ball of the yarn left and the scarf is a wee bit too small, but it works and I rather like it anyway. It’s acrylic, so that was no fun, and the yarn was really splitty, so I had to pay attention and it wasn’t quite the mindless knit I had in mind.
Also, this was my first time using yarn thinner than worsted. I still prefer worsted and above, though the sport wasn’t too bad and it’s really more of a dk weight anyway. I ordered some fingering when I ordered from KP, but that will get turned into lace (or possibly Clapotis) so it won’t be too bad. I like knitting lace and it will be sufficiently complicated to keep me entertained.
So the Superman Sweater is finished… mostly. The knitting is all done and I even sewed on a button, but I seem to have lost the only tapestry needle I have at school, so unfortunately, I will either need to haul my ass down to Benjamin Franklin and buy some more (probably… Wednesday) or wait until I get home (May 2) to track down the pack I bought over winter break and promptly proceeded to lose in my pig sty of a bedroom before I’d even open the package. Win. So anyway, I haven’t woven in the ends of Superman and I probably won’t until at LEAST Wednesday and it also hasn’t been washed or blocked. That will happen… eventually. Also swap things are, as I’ve said, on hold until I get home because I lack the right supplies.
Also, finals are this upcoming week.
I only have three and they’re on Monday and Tuesday, so they’re not extremely stressful, but one of them kind of is because the professor giving it is a rather terrible teacher and I am still not entirely certain exactly what will be on the test.
Which, of course, means I need a simple, stress-free, but still pretty, knit to get me through finals:
I’ve been working on a simple triangle scarf of my own (admittedly very very simple) design. This is my first time using sport weight, so, you know, that’s tons of fun, but it’s on US 6/4 mm needles so it’s not too bad. And the yarn (Bernat Satin Sport in Seashore) is very pretty, even if it is acrylic. It’s quite soft and silky, so I imagine it will be lovely to wear on cooler spring/fall/summer days. Also, the colors are very pretty and just like the seashore. Ocean blue, sun shiny yellow, beige sand… I love it. All the pleasure of the beach without the grimy sand, sunburn, gross saltwater, and having to be in a bikini while creepy strange old men try to stare without my noticing. Ahem.
Speaking of acrylic yarn… I’ve gone of it a bit lately. Probably because I have more experience with better fibers. It’s still good for some things, but I find that on the whole, I much prefer plain wool. And you can certainly find wools for almost as cheap as acrylic, and wool is much better for the environment, on my hands, and it, like, breathes, which is more than I can say for acrylic. Acrylic yarn certainly still has its place in blankets that will need to be washed, toys that need to be indestructible, and learning new techniques. If I mess something up horribly in acrylic, no harm no foul, but if I screw it up in alpaca, well, that’s alpaca I don’t get to use for other things. : )
Stay tuned for the completion of this shawl/scarf. I have a feeling I’ll get a lot done on it, if only to keep me from lashing out at dorm mates who disregard quiet hours. Anyone got finals coming up?
Because I’m such a proficient knitter, I recently finished a couple of things:
Home on the Range Mitts:
(Modeled by my lovely boyfriend.)
Pattern: My own, with a slightly different thumb (involving CO 9 stitches instead of holding them). Also, I cast on more. Also, to keep them from curling, I did a row of seed stitch before the cast off. You wouldn’t expect this, but it works like a charm, and I’ll definitely be doing this for all my fingerless mitts from now on.
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Notes: Made for my friend, who wanted a pair of fingerless mitts that he could wear to the range so his other ones wouldn’t smell like… guns. Whatever that is. Powder? Smoke? Guns.
Basic Black Socks:
Pattern: Lifestyle Socks (Basic pattern)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Modifications: Worsted weight. DPNs. Ended up just using figure 8 cast on.
(More pictures of these on Ravelry.)
Okay, I love these. They’re acrylic so they won’t breathe very well, so they’ll stink to high heaven and I’ll have to wash them a lot, but I looooove them. They knit up VERY quickly. Like, a day or two. They’re like mittens. They’re comfy and lovely and wonderful. The first sock of this pair is a little messed up cause I made the heel too pointy and the ribbed bit around the ankle is a little large, but I solved the first by fewer rows on the heel and the second by decreasing four stitches after the heel is complete. LOVE. Definitely will be making more socks. Many more socks. Because I have much yarn, and they’re so quick and useful and wonderful.
Zebra Socks
Pattern: Lifestyle Socks (basic pattern)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Modifications: Same as above.
OH MY GOD, LOVE LOVE LOVE. SO much love. I fiddled with a few things for these socks, meaning they fit AMAZINGLY and oh god, so comfy. The ONLY thing I would do differently is make the solid toe section a little shorter, starting the colorwork/stripes earlier. But other than that, perfect fit. A sewn bind off makes for a sufficiently stretchy cuff which is made tight enough by going down a couple needle sizes. Love these socks. Definitely going to make a ton more in more fun colors. I need more Simply Soft…
RIGHT NOW: I have a couple of projects on the needles for a swap, so stay tuned for that. I may start another sweater (a ballet-style wrap cardigan out of JoAnn Sensations Rainbow Boucle) or I may just make more socks for myself, using wool this time. I think I’m going to get some DK weight wool and slowly ease into sock-weight yarn for socks. I’ll get there. Probably.
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…
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. : )
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).
I love mittens. I love making them and having them and wearing them… They can be simple, with a really nice yarn or with a really simple yarn and complex pattern. Fingerless or convertible, red or blue or green or yellow… I love them all. A mitten is the ultimate in small, portable projects. They can be made with almost any weight of yarn and they only take a couple of hours, unlike socks, which have (generally) small gauge and take a fair amount of time. I love mittens. In the last couple of days, I’ve made a couple of pairs:
(Red Fingerless mitts made with Caron Simply Soft Tweed and a bit of wool from a thrift store sweater to work on stranding for my friend Dalia who requested them.)
(Grey Vanna’s Choice and a couple of yards of black Caron Simply Soft for a commission knit. : ) Was paid for these ones, which is lovely. Got to feed the stash somehow.)
And my favorite of my recently completed mittens:
Owls! Or more specifically, Give a Hoot. I modified the pattern a bit, essentially just using my basic mitten pattern and putting the owl cable bit on the back of them. I also made the purl bits around the owl smaller–a selvage of two rows and stitches instead of four. They’re a little bit snug/short, but that’s not really enough to deter me.
Also, the eyes on these are little silver beads–actual silver. I have a bunch of these little beads and am not entirely sure what to do with them all. Maybe I’ll turn some of them into stitch markers. : )
Currently on the needles, I have the second sleeve of a sweater I’ve recently started. It’s the cabled cardigan from the Fall 2006 issue of Knit Simple, which I bought offline several weeks ago. The Ravelry page for the cardigan is here. I’m using Burgundy Vanna’s Choice and doing the sleeves in the round and the body as one piece to cut down on seaming, which I hate. I’m also working on/starting the Norwegian Star Earflap Hat (Rav link) because A, I love hats for the same reasons I love mittens and B, I want to work on colorwork. I’ve recently done Entrelac (just practice) and I can do cables and lace. It seems colorwork is my next big knitting adventure. : )
I finally finished my Corona after much knitting and much modifying:
I really love how it came out. It seems I added just enough length for the sweater to sit comfortably on me. I also shortened the sleeves, as you can see, since I don’t have the patience for long sleeves and I’m not sure how much I want to wear bulky sleeves. Additional modifications:
-Shortened the rib section. I don’t need five inches of 1×1 rib over my stomach/hips, and also I hate knitting 1×1 rib.
-The ribbing on the sleeves is 2×2 because I wasn’t paying attention and that’s how I did the sleeves for the Cable Cardi. Yes, I am smart.
-Obviously, I took off the hood. I don’t wear hoods and they take too long to knit. I’m impatient.
-I decreased for the neckline more rapidly than in the pattern so the V would pull open a bit more.
I used Vanna’s Choice acrylic in Powder Blue. It was cheap and I’m a cheap college student. I’m sure it will pill something terrible, but it’s quite warm and I’m rather fond of it for the moment.
Here is a hat I finished several weeks ago and sent home to my sister (that’s her in the picture):
I sort of used this pattern, but with Red Heart Super Saver, 4.5 mm dpns and much MUCH less increasing. It’s still rather large, but my sister’s head is bigger than mine and she appears to like it alright. The ribbon helps to keep the band smaller also, since ribbing and Red Heart Super Saver don’t really go together well.
Here is one more hat, which completes my cold weather set:
I used a 5 mm circular needle and dpns with Mirasol Miski, which I am convinced is the softest yarn on the planet. It is wonderful to work with and despite the rather loose ply isn’t splitty at all. And it’s made from llama fur! And the proceeds help build schools for girls in Peru! If I could afford it, I would use this yarn SO much more often. Unfortunately, I am in college. : (
Currently on the needles, I have a pair of fingerless mitts for my friend Dalia and another pair of mittens for myself. The mittens are super cool, and you will be impressed, despite the very simple pattern. : )
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 