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I received an email yesterday from a woman whose son recently lost his Betta fish to infection. She said she did not knit but her son was missing his pet and could I possibly make a knitted one for him that looks like his pet.
You can’t really turn down such an adorable request, can you? Of course not. This is the picture of Rosie she sent me:
I happen to have some blue/purple yarn that was a pretty close color match, though not shiny, obviously. Here’s the fish I came up with:
(It’s a little blue-er in real life.)
I used a slightly modified Betta fish pattern of mine. I added the front red bits and did the bottom fin a little differently than in the pattern. I sent a picture to the woman who requested the fish and her son is pleased with it. So that’s good.
Because what the hell good is knitting if you can’t occasionally help a sad kid?
(PS You can now purchase handknit betta fish on my etsy shop here.)
My partner, TwistedTruth, received her package yesterday so I can FINALLY post about the completely awesome things I made her. I have been DYING to show you guys this stuff since I started. I am completely thrilled with everything I made. So here’s what I made:
First, the card:
Paper cut out, gold cardstock and black sharpie, covered with mod podge. Seriously, you guys. I need to do this paper cut out/pod podge delio more often because I really enjoy it and the results are usually pretty good.
Then a cross stitch bookmark:
I used the pattern that’s located here for the Professor then sewed some red felt on the back. My partner does a lot of ATC swaps, so I figure this could be a fabric ATC if she wanted.
Then I did some drawings, which isn’t a thing I usually do because I generally consider myself non-artistic. But I can copy an image pretty well:
Colored pencil and sharpie on card stock. My partner said she likes Pazzuzzu, the professor’s gargoyle. I thought this was a cute scene to sketch. I left the color testing on the side because I find that sort of thing interested, but she can trim it off if she likes.
Next is a somewhat more ambitious art piece:
Sharpie on card stock. Based on this toadily (yes, I went there) bitchin’ image here which is, of course, based on this iconic Obama poster. I am completely, utterly thrilled with how this came out and I am considering making another for myself. Because seriously, I’m toadily (yes, again) chuffed with it.
Last and not least (greatest, actually) is the pis de resistance, this fantastic stuffie:
It’s a knitted Robot Devil! Made in recycled wool. A pattern I made up as I went and which is probably entirely too complicated for me to want to write up. He has cardboard in the larger shapes and 18 gauge wire in the limbs so they can be posed. He doesn’t sit up very well but I think it’s a pretty good likeness.
Look at his little fingers!
I can’t wait to see what my partner makes for me but I’m so excited about the things that I made that getting stuff in return is just icing on my crafting cake.
So remember when I said I was done making shark mittens for the season? Yeah, me neither.
Pattern: Deep Blue Sea (linked on my patterns page)
Yarn: Recycled hand dyed grey and recycled red
Needles: US 8/5 mm
They’re little! They took no time at all! I made some money for them! Whoo!
Posts coming up will be a bit more exciting because I’m finishing up my package for a Futurama swap on Craftster. I finished a big thing yesterday and it’s completely awesome (for a sneak preview, check out my Ravelry page. Not you, partner!)
So that mohair wrap sweater I’ve been working on? It’s totally finished and in the mail to its owner.
(The recipient is bigger than me so I’ve got Elizabeth II on a larger setting.)
Pattern: Airy Wrap Around Lace Sweater by Stephanie Japel from Fitted Knits
Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too Douceur et Soie held double
Needles: US 11/8 mm straights and a 10.5/6.5mm circular for the sleeves
Mods: Added a slit in one side and made one front wrap shorter, as requested.
I really like this sweater a lot, and the fabric the yarn made is super soft and nice. The sweater’s recipient seems to like it thus far; I hope she likes it when she actually gets it. It was actually really fun to knit and working on 8 mm needles made it seem to fly by. It actually took about a month, but I was knitting other things at the same time.
Incidentally, this makes sweater number one for the year. And yes, I’m participating in the 12 sweaters/12 months challenge on Ravelry again this year. I made it to ten last year. I’m thinking I can probably make 12 this year but I probably don’t need 12 sweaters. Maybe I’ll make some for other people/swaps. I probably have 12 sweaters I want to make for me though.
I really think I might make a version of this sweater for myself out of some recycled merino/angora/nylon/cashmere. I’ll probably make a few changes (make the body longer, forgo the cables, full sleeves, more stitches for the fronts for better coverage. I think I’ll have enough yarn. And I really love wrap sweaters.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
THIS IS THE LAST PAIR OF SHARK MITTENS FOR THIS SEASON.
I AM SO EXCITED. I GET TO KNIT THINGS FOR ME NOW.
Except not really because I am knitting a mohair wrap sweater for a swap. But more on that later. Anyway. Sharks.
They’re done. These ones are knit in Feza Yarns Zarone, which I dyed with RIT dye to get black. The red is from a GIGANTIC recycled JCrew sweater. I have never been more excited to be done with a series of things. OMG.
Anyway, yeah. More on the sweater later.
RAH!
I usually like to post every other day but apparently have a real job that requires me to be actually working (not knitting) makes that difficult. I’m gonna shoot for once or twice a week and call it a success. Anyway, I knitted a thing. The knitting’s been done for a while actually, but I’ve just recently (meaning last week) gotten photos of it. In my defense, I’ve been deep in the throes of another TV show obsession (BBC’s Sherlock if you must know. I have a thing for pretty British blokes who are clearly madly in love with each other).
On to the knitting.
Pattern: None, am sort of writing it up. Need to make another prototype.
Needles: US 5/3.75 mm straights
Yarn: 50/50 wool/acrylic
Yes, I wore tights. No, you cannot see my skivvies. Yes, I possibly had to shop out some lines. DON’T JUDGE ME. (And for the record, I am firmly on the side of tights are not pants, but you gotta do what you gotta do.)
Anyway, I put off photographing this for so long because I was convinced I would come up with a way to attach it to my socks without threading the ties through the ribbing and tying them together. I didn’t, obviously. I have to make another one for gauge/size issues anyway (this one was too big til I chucked it in the washing machine and drier and it shrunk a bit). I’ll probably attach something different to that one.
The pattern for this (if anyone’s interested) is sort of written but needs to be developed for clarity. On the off chance you’re interested in testing, please shoot me an email (or comment; I get those in my email too) and I’ll let you know if it’ll be ready for testing any time soon. I’d like it to be since I haven’t released a new pattern in a while and I’d like to continue expanding my library.
Unfortunately I have a billion sharks to knit first. Yes, still. Yes, I’m sick of them. I’m almost done though. I think. I hope.
Yes, I know the Oncoming Storm refers to the Doctor and not the daleks. I did not name the pattern. But clearly I am the oncoming storm since I punched up through some daleks and out through the top. Suck on that, Davros. And yes, my obsession with this show is cemented.
Anyway, I finished these mitts:
Pattern: The Oncoming Storm
Yarn: Black Patons Classic Wool and silvery grey ArtFibers Ming, a merino/silk blend of delightfulness.
Needles: US 6/4mm
Mods: Changed the ribbed thumb to garter and fixed the first black stripe so it doesn’t have the grey purl bumps on the color change. I also used worsted instead of dk.
I really love how they came out–they fit really well and the Ming is soooo soft. It’s like kitten fur mixed with clouds and dreams. Seriously nice. And the silk makes it really strong too–I couldn’t break it with my hands, which is pretty impressive seeing as it’s a single.
This last picture features one of our four cats. His name is Scrawny and my mother found him in my grandparents’ barn as a stray. I think he’s getting old now because we don’t know how old he was when we found him, but he’s a sweet cat. Loves to sit on my lap and curl up next to me while I sleep. He never used to like coming in my room but now he pretty much never leaves. Here’s a better photo:
I recently finished another non-shark FO! It was a commission, and it went faster than I thought it would.
Pattern: Marzipan Cowl (mine)
Yarn: Vanna’s Choice recycled from a vest I never wore
Needles: US 8/5mm I think
Mods: Made it a bit smaller around and the gauge is different.
I’m pretty pleased with how it came out and I was glad to make something other than mittens. I might make a similar one in wool for myself.
I am currently working on mittens, being exhausted from my actual job, and packing (sort of) for my holiday trip to Florida to visit my grandparents. During which I’ll likely be knitting all the things.
This post would have been more involved, but I’m exhausted, so there’s that. So yeah.
News first! After weeks of staring at the WP ad above my dashboard, I finally caved and purchased my very own domain name! I am now located at stitchbrinnstitch.com (though it might take a day or so to load), though you can still find me at the WordPress link. Yay! Now it’ll be much easier to pass out my website.
Now a finished thing that isn’t sharks or spats! It is, however, mittens.
Pattern: Jurassic Mittens
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride in Kiwi and some recycled sweater yarn for the mouth.
Needles: US 8/4mm
Mods: None, they’re my damn pattern.
The dinos were a nice change from the sharks I’ve been knitting as of late. I love Lamb’s Pride (it’s squooshy and soft) and I ought to get some for myself (not that I need any more yarn).
On my plate at the moment, I have another pair of dinos and two pairs of sharks. And then there’s that mohair pullover. And all the things I want to make for me. Later this week I’ll have another non-shark FO, so you can look forward to that.
Good luck to people knitting for Christmas. I’m not knitting for anyone this year, even my completely knit-worthy boyfriend. I bought his birthday present this year (albeit a couple weeks late since we’re celebrating in January). I’ll probably knit it next year, but this year I simply didn’t have the time between my Etsy store and my actual real job (which is completely awesome. I love teaching).































