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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.
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.
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. : )
I recently participated in a swap on Craftster, the theme of which is naughty words. Awesome, yeah? Well, both my partner and myself have received, so here I will provide you with pictures of all the swear-y goodness.
From me (and these are her pictures because… well, my camera, my laptop, my hard drive, and I don’t really get along that well):
A coffee cozy (Red Heart acrylic on eights, knit flat and seamed. Says Fuck), a pair of fingerless mittens with very crude embroidery/duplicate stitched “fuck!” and “shit!”, a little pouch (with a snap! And a wristband!), and the most awesome bag I’ve ever made. The lettering was a bit tedious, but if anyone wants a bag like this, let me know. I’m more than happy to commission another one cause it was quite fun to make. Also: other words. : )
Anyway, here is my totally bitchin’ package from my partner:
A door sign which is currently on my bookshelf:
Note cards for wishing someone “Whore!” or “Cunt!”:
A kickass box, in which to store my stitch markers:
Many of which she made me:
(As a side-note, I fucking LOVE stitch markers and would like to horde some awesome ones. I’m planning like 47 more swaps, expressly for this purpose.)
And this FUCKING AWESOME embroidery, which is currently residing on my printer:
It was an awesome swap! If you want to see more swear-y, crafty awesome, the swap gallery is located here.
After much time and much vacationing in Florida, I come bearing pictures of all the FO’s I did over winter break. I finished a ton of things, including two hats, two calorimetries, a shrug, and some other things. Pictures!
Hat number one: cable and rib hat of my own divising, based on the pattern from the cable and rib scarf which resembles the Irish Hiking scarf/hat, though that wasn’t intentional.
Bernat Softee Chunky, size 8 dpn’s and a circular, knitted rather loosely.
Two calorimetries, one of which is a gift, and one of which I may keep for myself or may be a gift.
Random blue acrylic from the stash and hand-dyed wool from a thrift store sweater. The pink, hand-dyed one was done using tie-dye, and I crocheted the buttons for both myself due to lack of buttons. I adore this pattern because it knits up, no joke, in two hours. Yay. I only cast on 80 for both, and that was plenty long enough. I repeated row 5 enough times to get 22 stitches on either side of the marker. On the blue one, I used a wrap and turn thing (s last stitch wyif, turn, s1 purlwise, p1, etc.) to make the holes smaller, which worked wonderfully.
Circular shrug:
Made with Caron Simply Soft and size 8’s. CO 200, which worked out fine. Made for my sister for Christmas. The damn thing took FOREVER to knit, and I was very much glad when it was finished. (It is totally finished, seaming and all, I just don’t quite have pictures of the finished project quite yet.
Another hat:
Random blue acrylic and blue Simply Soft, size 8 dpn’s and a circular. Made for my brother for Christmas. Just a simple stockinette with a roll brim.
Coffee Cozies:
Mostly various colors of Red Heart Super Saver in very small amounts I had in the stash. I started browsing a list of various stitches, and that’s how I did the checkerboard one, but I mostly just used variagated yarn or stripes to do my basic coffee cozy: CO 13 or 15 and keep a garter border for three stitches on each side, stockinette in the middle. Continue for nine inches or to fit, sew together. I don’t really know to whom these will go but, there is one that I know the recipient of:
That is my sad attempt at embroidery. It’s a dinosaur; can you tell? Well, I tried.
Currently on the needles, I have a scarf for a friend (which needs to be finished by Monday) and a ladder yarn scarf for my mother, but who knows when that will get finished. In the planning stages, I have a beret (the Meret, actually), a Talia vest (from Knitty) and various unbloggable (well, until much later anyway) things. Also, I bought a bunch of tees, so looks for some t-shirt tote bags on Etsy (and here) soon.
I finally finished my cable cardi after many weeks of its hibernation because I didn’t have enough yarn at school with me. Pictures!
Yarn: Wool, reclaimed from a thrift store sweater
Needles: 5.5mm circular for the body and 5mm straights for the collar.
I got the buttons from a thrift store sweater, and I had to add an extra one in the corner so the edge of the collar wouldn’t flop over. I made the button holes too far into the collar. Despite that, I loved the easy construction of the sweater. It was a lot of fun to knit and I loooove the end product. I started wearing it almost as soon as I finished it. : ) It fits very well and is very comfortable, even over just a tank top, which is how I was wearing it. I would definitely recommend this pattern if you don’t have the patience for a whole sweater with sleeves.
As a bonus gift, here’s a hat I also recently finished:
Various balls of cheap acrylic left over from other things and 5 mm dpn’s. This is my first hat made with the top-down method, and I like it a lot.
Also on the needles: A teddy bear (Heidi from The Knitted Teddy Bear), a pair of mittens (Ravelry link), and a circular shrug (also a Rav link) for my sister for Christmas. Because of course I can finish it by then.
For my Grandmother for Christmas, I made her two dishcloths:
I used Lily cotton and size 8 needles. I think they probably should have been done with 6’s or 7’s to tighten them up, but I like how they came out, especially after blocking.
I also finished a hat for myself because my ears were cold in the Fredericksburg winter:
I used Bernat Alpaca Blends and 8’s (I think) I knitted it flat, sewed it up into a tube and pulled the top tight. It didn’t close all the way, so I crocheted a circle on the inside so cold air wouldn’t get in. I crocheted the earflaps and sewed them on. It’s very cozy and very soft.
I also made a pair of birds (lovebirds), one for Jon and one for Sarah. They’re cutesy and such, so I call them “lovebirds”. They were extremely amused by their gift. : )
I used a G hook and Lily cotton, plus a scrap of orange Red Heart for the beaks. I used actual safety eyes also. I love how they turned out.
Since my last post, I’ve finished three scarves. Three! First is the Bernat Softee Chunky cable scarf, which was for my friend Janet’s birthday. I lack pictures of the finished product since I gave it to her, but it looks just like the last picture except longer without knitting needles attached. Also, it has fringe.
There’s also my Irish Hiking Scarf, made from Bernat Satin and 8’s:
It was taking FOREVER, so I’m very glad it’s all finished and cast off and ends woven in. : )
There’s also this scarf:
Don’t be fooled by its demure image here. That scarf is the spawn of Satan, manifested in yarn. The deal with this scarf is that my mother bought some yarn and I’d knit it up for Christmas because the LAST scarf I made her is full of holes and is falling apart. I took on the project because, well, I figure I should probably do something for my mother for Christmas. The scarf is made of Paton Pooch and Lion Brand Fun Fur on bamboo 10’s, and it is a bitch and a half. Either of those yarns on their own would be hellish, but together? It’s the freakin’ apocalypse.
Over Thanksgiving, I also whipped up this bunny rabbit from some random fuzzy white acrylic and a pair of 10’s:
I think it’s adorable. Also for the bf’s birthday because A, he loves rabbits and B, birthdays are more important than Christmas so he gets two things. : ) I had tried this pattern before, unsuccessfully, but I finally got it right this time. : )
I’ve started working on some dishcloths for my grandmother for Christmas, and I’ll have pictures of those when I’m finished with the set. I still have a ton of knitting to do for Christmas, but I’m making progress, and I think I’m going to have plenty of time.
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 