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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!
So I joined a swap on Craftster that was bird themed. Whoo! My partner was PinkChick. Here’s what I sent her:
An amigurumi peacock! The body is actually teal, but for some reason, my camera has a problem picking up that color. **shrug** There’s a pattern for a crochet peacock on Ravelry, but it wasn’t exact enough for me, so I made it up as I went. I like it. It’s cute. My first attempt looked like a blue turkey, but I think this one is distinctly peacock-like.
My first embroidery project! I’ve been meaning to take up cross stitch and embroidery as a means of decorating (simply–I don’t have the patience for all those complicated counted cross stitches), so I thought I’d dive in with this bird. I like how it came out! I traced a vague outline but mostly did it free hand. Here’s a close up of the bird:
My stitching isn’t that even cause I’m new at it, but I suspect it’ll get better with practice. And I do intend to practice.
I also included this card, for which I used a stamp I got in that big batch of supplies from OWS:
I like this too. I like bird stamps. : )
Stay tuned for the gallery link and what I got from my partner!
Welcome to day one of Knitting and Crochet Blog week! If you missed it, there is more information about the event here. If you’re a member of Ravelry, there is also more information (and a list of participants!) on the group The Blog Hub. Every day this week, I’ll be writing a post on various aspects of knitting/crocheting. To search for other posts participating, search “knitcoblo1” in Google and similar. That will give you posts about today’s prompt:
How and when did you begin knitting/crocheting? was it a skill passed down through generations of your family, or something you learned from Knitting For Dummies? What or who made you pick up the needles/hook for the first time? Was it the celebrity knitting ‘trend’ or your great aunt Hilda?
When I was ten or eleven, my mother taught me to crochet. I say she taught me, but what I mean is that she showed me how to make a slip knot and how to pull the yarn through the loop to make a chain stitch. She couldn’t remember how to do the rest. Since all you can make with a chain stitch and a pre-teen set on creating is a bunch of shoe laces, she bought me a learn-to-crochet kit from Michael’s for Christmas. She bought my sister a learn-to-knit kit from the same company because although my sister expressed no interest in the craft, you can’t buy a gift for an 11-year-old without getting a similar or equivalent thing for her 9-year-old sister unless you want a screaming fit. It took several weeks to convince my sister that she should let me have her Christmas present, even though, of the two of us, I was the only one even vaguely interested in yarn, but in the end, I was successful.
I borrowed books from the library and taught myself the rest of the crochet stitches. I made myself a big stuffed pig out of stiff, scratchy Red Heart acrylic. I didn’t know how to embroider, so I never gave it eyes. I loved it for a little while, mostly out of pride that I finished crocheting it, but then I cast it off to the foot of my bed, where it got squashed between the foot of the bed and the mattress, with all of the other stuffed animals and blankets I didn’t want anymore but couldn’t get rid of (there’s a surprising amount of room down there).
Shortly after I won the learn-to-knit kit from my sister, I taught myself to cast on, knit, and bind off. I bought all the furry, fuzzy novelty yarn I could get my hands on and made garter stitch scarves for anyone who would take one from me (my best friend still wears the one I gave her for Christmas in tenth grade). It was several years later before I got the hang of the purl stitch and could make anything except big, fuzzy scarves.
When I started college (the August before last; I’m just finishing up my second year this week), I brought with me a collection of odd balls of cheap acrylic, all of the crochet hooks I owned, and several pairs of thick knitting needles. I mostly crocheted, I figured, and I wouldn’t need my entire 30-odd collection of yard sale and thrift store straight needles.
Oh, how wrong I was.
I joined Ravelry on August 27, 2008 (according to my profile page). The sudden access to what seemed like all of the knitting patterns on the Internet with the ability to search (and see thumbnails!) convinced me that A, I needed to learn to purl, and B, my collection of yarn and needles was sorely inadequate.
My first knitting project (with purls!) was the Mrs. Darcy Cardigan. Yes, the one in one size that’s rife with errors and curly curly fronts.
I had some black wool from the thrift store and some 5 mm needles. I did not make a gauge swatch and instead dove right in and tried my best to purl. It did not go so well. I didn’t get the hang of it until about two inches into the stockinette, so the back of the sweater looked like this:
Still, I was too stubborn to frog, so I plugged away at it. The yarn I had for the fronts of the sweater was a mess of short ends, which I tied together and knitted (I didn’t know about moths then but thankfully, none of my other stash has been affected by this stupidity). I finished the sweater, sans sleeves, which I didn’t have enough yarn for. I wore it exactly once. It fit, technically, but it was too short (the pattern, not my fault–it’s written to be quite short), and it didn’t stay put.
My first knitting project was a sweater, and since then, I have not been intimidated by patterns with techniques I don’t know. I dive fearlessly into lace, colorwork, and cables (which I taught myself to knit using a tutorial on my BlackBerry while I walked the mile and a half to the public library). I cast on with abandon, knowing I can conquer any difficult parts of the pattern so long as I try.
Most knitters I know learned to knit (and purl) with dishcloths or scarves or other rectangular items. I believe this makes them more easily intimidated by things like lace or colorwork. I say, dive right in. Knit something because you love it, not because you want to practice.
You can always frog it (or felt it, which is to eventually be the fate of my vest) later.
All right guys, I finally finished and sent my swap package for the Yarnie vs. Sewists swap on Craftster. My partner was MissDolly, and we decided to craft each other’s lists (we each had five items). Here is everything I made for MissDolly (and warning–the last one is probably NSFW).
Pattern: None, it’s a top-down hat.
Yarn: Grants Knitting Worsted, the vintage wool I’m slowly working through.
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm
I like how this came out. It’s not overly complicated and the ears and a little crooked but it’s cute. And comfy.
Pattern: The Mary Jane Slippers I’ve made three pairs of now.
Hook: H8/5 mm
Yarn: Cascade 220 (grey) and Ella Rae Classic (blue)
Mods: None, I think. Crocheted as written.
Every time I make these, I like them more. One of these days I’ll make a pair for myself. In the mean time, I’ll continue making them for swap cause they’re SO FAST and they’re a great use of random wool or acrylic that I have lounging about in the stash. Also, great use for buttons I only have two of.
I did do something different for this pair though:
A while back, I picked up a couple of shelf liners/placemats (one of those things) at Goodwill. They’re kind of sticky, and I figured they’d be good for sewing to slipper bottoms so the slippers aren’t so dangerous and so they last longer (since pure wool crocheted loosely that gets stepped on a lot probably won’t last very long).
Pattern: Fetching by Cheryl Niamath, from Knitty
Yarn: Almost EXACTLY one skein of Knit Picks Comfy in Marlin (I had about three yards left)
Needles: US 6/4 mm Susan Bates dpns
Mods: None? Though next time I would do a little shaping and a different thumb. I hate afterthought thumbs.
I think these are cute. I REALLY love the cabled wrist, and I will definitely be working that into a future pair of fingerless (or fingered) mitts or gloves. It snugs up nicely and it’s quite pretty. I don’t especially care for the top (it flairs out a little) or, as I said, the lack of shaping (there’s not enough ribbing for that) and a regular mitten thumb (have I mentioned I dislike afterthought thumbs? Cause I do). I probably won’t make these for myself, but they were fun and fast to make for the swap, and I’m pleased I used up the last lingering ball of Comfy. (Now I have to order more.)
Pattern: My own; made it up as I went.
Yarn: Lamb’s Pride (in Kiwi), Lion Wool (in Purple), and some yarn from a thrift store sweater I frogged
Hook: Uh… G maybe? For amigurumi, I generally just use whatever hook I pull out first. I think I used a 3.75 mm hook.
Guys, I love this rabbit. LOVE. I was convinced it was going to come out horribly, and then I put it all together, and it’s AMAZING. I’m seriously considering making another for myself to sit on my desk and be cute and nerdy. His little glasses (scraps of jersey I glued on) are adorable. LOVE.
WARNING: This next one is NSFW or kids. Though you should expect this sort of thing from time to time since the name of my blog is “Adulterous Whores Club.” Just sayin’.
Pattern: Adult Lip Balm Cozy
Hook: Uh… 3.75 mm?
Yarn: Wool from a thrift store sweater.
Mods: Made adjustments for thicker yarn, stuffed it fully instead of leaving space for chapstick.
…Yeah. It was fun to make, and she wanted one, so I obliged. You know you want one too.
In my most recent OWS claim, I claimed leighi123 for fingerless mitts and little stuffies for her two-year-old. Here’s what I made:
Just a ribbed tube with a thumb hole. Very simple, no shaping. I used US 2 dpns and Trekking XXL (the same yarn I used in my last baby knitting adventure).
Gator! I love him. If I didn’t use up all the Lion Brand Cotton-Ease that I had (the yarn I made him out of), I would make another for myself cause he’s SO CUTE. LOVE.
Armadillo! I used Lion Fisherman’s Wool. I love him too! It took me a couple of tries to get the right head shape (I had the same trouble with the gator shape too), but once I got it, it worked out really well. He’s stuffed fairly lightly, so he’s super squishy and wonderful. Although, I will say that when I was sewing on his legs, I misjudged the placement of one and it turned out… unfortunately:
It’s all fixed now though, and it no longer has an unfortunate appendage.
Cute little turtle! I love this picture. Glamor shots. Hella cute. I used Lamb’s Pride Worsted.
A little bird made of various label-less stash wools. He’s a little sad looking. I love him though.
A little mouse out of Knit Picks Palette and a tiny bit of Brown Sheep Nature Spun from my gigantic cone.
Most of them came out a bit bigger than I intended, but I still think they are super cute. I can’t wait to Leigh-Ann to get them because I know her son will love them. : )
So for my lastest OWS adventure, I claimed JodiLynn85 for slippers. Fast and fun to make, and now I’ll probably make some for myself. Take a look:
Pattern: Mary Jane Slippers
Yarn: Bernat Alpaca Blend
Hook: H8/5 mm
Mods: Worked an extra toe round, only used one color.
These came out pretty well, I think. And they were SUPER fast to make. Less than an hour per slipper. Probably close to an hour and a half for the pair. Yeah. FAST. They fit me, which means they should fit her pretty well too. I used a Bernat alpaca blend that everyone on Ravelry seems to despise, but I really don’t think it’s that bad. I mean, yeah, it sheds a lot, but so do cats and the shedding wasn’t really too bad. And I personally don’t find it that itchy, but I seem to be immune to all but the absolute itchiest of fibers. Like, I have no problem whatsoever wearing Cascade eco next to skin, and people bitch about that one all the time.
Pair two:
Pattern: Same as above, Mary Jane Slippers.
Yarn: Vintage wool that I over dyed and now instead of obnoxious orange is just blood orange colored.
Hook: H8/5 mm
Mods: One color. I left out the extra round I added above.
These were also super fast to make and probably took less than two hours total. There was a small hiccup when I realized I’d sewn the strap and button on backwards on the second one (I have a tendency to mix that up a lot), but that was easily fixed. And they came out pretty well. Ignore my purple feet; I didn’t feel like taking my socks off.
The reason, by the way, that one of them is two different colors is that I overdyed the yarn, and it didn’t take up the color evenly at all. The darker color is how I wanted the whole yarn to come out, but it didn’t. Boo. Oh well. That just means I have plenty of yarn for making swap things.
So as I mentioned a couple of days ago, I am participating in a Futurama-themed swap over on Craftster.org. For those of you not familiar with the show… it’s awesome. It’s a cartoon that takes place in the year 3000 in the city of New New York, and it’s full of clever math and science humor. Hilarious. Anyway, there were an odd number of people in the swap, so I was part of a round-robin with myself, Tygermane, and the organizer, Staar84. I sent my package on Thursday, and here’s what I sent to her:
First: a brain slug, as she requested:
Pattern: My own, made up based on various pictures of knitted and crocheted brain slugs.
Yarn: Brown Sheep Serendipity Tweed in Waterlily Leaves, left over from my Watermelon Cardigan.
Needles: 4/3.5 mm dpns
Hook (I know, how dare I combine both knitting and crochet!): G?
Cute, right? Super fast to make. The white part of the eye is quilt batting, and the black part is a button. I crocheted the tentacle/wavy bits because it’s easier to create odd shapes on the fly in crochet over knitting. It’s like, a round of single crochet, a round of double crochet, and a round of sc, hdc, 4dc, hdc, sc shells, which seemed to work pretty well. It sits flat and it’s nice and squishy. I finished it like, two weeks before I sent off for this swap and I’ve become kind of attached to it. Maybe I’ll make another one for myself. I have enough yarn left, I believe.
Next, a seven leaf clover necklace:
Pattern: Uh… none.
Yarn: Serendipity Tweed, same as above
Hook: The blue one? G? I don’t actually know about hook sizes.
I like how this came out a lot. : ) That’s really all I have to say about it.
Next: A coffee cozy!
Pattern: None, my own, but I can write up the chart if anyone’s interested.
Yarn: Undyed wool from a thrift store sweater and purple Lion Wool
Needle: US 7/4.5 mm
I loosely based the design for this off of a cozy I spied on staar84’s wists, but can no longer find. I couldn’t decide how I wanted to close it and I didn’t have any coffee shop sized cups to test it on, so I just made it adjustable with the ribbons.
ALSO, in case you were wondering, folded hems look fantastic but they are a PAIN IN THE ASS. The top and bottom do look all nice and neat though.
Lastly, I made a set of notecards:
Now, if you know anything about me, you know that drawing is NOT my forte. So you know that these were SO MUCH WORK and I am SO PROUD OF MYSELF. Seriously. I can’t draw a lick, but I’m pretty decent at looking at a picture and drawing it myself (a skill I probably picked up from my mother, who is also really good at it). I looked for pictures of the characters, studied them, and drew them on white paper. I am so unbelievably pleased with how the professor especially came out cause he ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE THE CHARACTER. Leela is also good, though not as good as the professor. I’ll admit I traced the clover cause I didn’t feel like fiddling with it. I’m not as pleased with that card, but I do like how I sandwiched the clover in clear tape, just like Fry does in the show. : )
All in all, I say a successful crafting venture. It’s always a good sign when you desperately want to keep the crafts you make for someone else in a swap, and I definitely acheived that here. God, I love those notecards. Maybe I’ll make some more for myself. Or maybe I won’t seeing as they took like four hours.
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.
Thing number one: A chapstick cozy:
Pattern: Chapstick/Lip Balm Holder
Yarn: Lily Sugar N’ Cream, colorway was like, strawberry or somesuch.
Hook: F/3.75 mm
Mods: Probably? Added a loop to attach to my keychain.
It’s functional, and that’s great. Whee, always having chapstick! I’m totally addicted.
Thing number two: A spinning FO!
Fiber: Random wool I got with a spindle on Etsy. An ounce.
Weight: About sport, I think. 2 ply.
Yardage: About 88 yards to my rudimentary measurements.
Colorway: Raspberry
Probably this will become some sort of lacy cowl because I love lacy cowls. Probably with buttons so it doesn’t have to be wide enough to get over my head. The yarn actually came out quite soft, probably due to its SOAK bath. I bought the Ravelry edition from the minimart, and I LOVE the scent. Really, it’s great.
Thing number three: A WIP shawl:
I’m using some yarn I got in a swap (the Rainbow Swap if you recall). It’s a combo yarn with strands of cotton and silk. Here, look:
The true green is the silk, I think, and the white and the teal/blue are cotton.
The shawl is looking to be quite large, which I’m cool with. I want to do some lacy edging on the edge, but I haven’t found anything I like, so I might just have a boring triangle scarf. The yarn is the prettiest part anyway.
Coming soon: Probably the FO post for the shawl cause we all know I knit like the wind (Bulls-eye). Maybe those dino mittens. Maybe I’ll knit another hat. Who the hell knows. At this point, I’m thinking about my shawl and final projects. Classes are winding down for the semester, so I’ll be studying (sort of) for finals. Fun times. Don’t worry though: Crafting will happen. Plus there’s swap things. So stay tuned. : )
My school apparently thinks Halloween is Friday, so I got to dress up twice, plus the Halloween party that I went to last week. Unfortunately, I only had one costume and it was difficult enough to come up with that idea to begin with. Somewhat unoriginally, I was a bat. While this sounds like the usual slutty girl costume, I assure you, it was not. And it had some pretty sweet diy elements. Check it out:
(imagine me wearing black pants and a black long sleeved shirt.)
Much of the costume was just me wearing black, which is pretty easy since I wear a lot of dark colors. The ears I crocheted from crochet cotton that I bought at a thrift store over the summer. I just crocheted triangles and then sewed them to a crocheted band. Easy peasy.
The wings were much more difficult. I got the idea from Craftster user EmilyinOrbit, who posted the wings she made here. Using some wire hangers, dollar store pantyhose, packing tape, and a whole lot of elbow grease (plus some crochet cords to keep the damn things on my back), I came up with these:
They’re not perfect, obviously, but they are awesome. One of the wings flaps a bit due to the way I affixed the hangers to each other and they’re quite crooked now after three days of use. I managed to get a mostly seamless outside edge, which I’m super proud of. I used three hangers and two pairs of pantyhose. The hangers, tape, and yarn I had on hand, so the total cost for my Halloween costume was $2.
I am, of course, planning ahead for next year, when I plan to be Little Red Riding Hood (again, not slutty). The sole reason for this costume decision? I want a cape. I want to knit an awesome cape (of course, I’ll wear it other times, like during winter. : ) I found this pattern on Ravelry, which will be the one I use. There will be some math to size it up, but seeing as I almost always get 5 sts to the inch in worsted weight yarn, I don’t have to swatch. Nyah nyah. Anyway, yes. I will be Red Riding Hood next year so I have an excuse to wear a cape (not that I need an excuse… And I may make another in a different color). I would have done it this year if I’d thought of it with enough advance notice to actually knit the damn thing. Plus I don’t have the right dress. Next year, though. Next year will be awesome.
And as for knitting: I finished the sweater vest, which you will see soon. I also started a new project that is HELLA AWESOME, and that will be coming soon as well. Stay tuned!
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 