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Sooooo anyone remember the Skew socks I started in August and posted briefly about in September? No? Well, I finally picked the damn things up again. I finished the first sock:
And I’m almost up to the ankle shaping on the second:
Not really sure what I’m going to knit next. I might finish the shorts I started forever ago and I might knit a vest. Who the hell knows. Yay, knitting.
I finished the vest I was test knitting for someone on Ravelry. I think it’s pretty cute:
Pattern: Ardys (Not up yet)
Yarn: Recycled merino held double
Needles: US 8/5 mm
Mods: None, since it was a test.
You’ll note that I have on a sleeveless dress and am barefoot. This is because it was 79 degrees outside. In February. Not only have we skipped winter, we’ve also skipped spring and gone right on to summer, apparently.
Anyway, I love how my vest came out. It probably needs a more intense blocking (I just steamed it a bit), but I like it with the belt. Also, it is my second sweater knit of the year. I’m aiming for 12 again this year but I’ll be working to include several tanks which I can wear under blouses in the winter.
I also got some exciting mail today:
I’m a member of the Selfish Knitters and Crocheters group on Ravelry and we ordered buttons.
The three middle ones are from SKC. The bottom one says “Mine.” The middle one says “Knitworthy” and the top one says “Yes, I am selfish. I live by the judgment of my own mind.” Because of course my purse needed some bastardized Ayn Ran. Also, there’s no bullying button (which I got from work) and a Juniper Moon Fiber Farm button (which I got from KIP day this past summer). There is a button on the vest in the previous pictures that says “mine.” which I also got from SKC.
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.
I currently have a total of five knits on the needles, but we’re going to forget about the three I haven’t touched in ages to focus on the two sweaters I’ve got in the works.
The first is a heavily-modified version of the Airy Lace Wrap-Around Sweater from Fitted Knits. I just recently made one for a swap, but I’ve started another for me:
I’m using a recycled nylon/viscose/angora/cashmere blend, a laceweight held double. I’m using a smaller needle than recommended because my yarn doesn’t have the halo that mohair has. I’m going to make the sleeves and the body longer, forgo the cables, and probably mess with the wrap ties.
The second sweater I have OTN is a test knit, the thread for which is here. It’s a super cute vest with cable detailing.
This is a recycled merino fingering held double. I’m loving the fabric I’m getting.
And yes, those are my adorable adipose stitch markers.
BONUS! Kitty picture:
Sometimes Scrawny forgets to pull his tongue back into his mouth.
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.
So it turns out that a stockinette sweater with two strands of mohair knit on 6.5 mm needles goes really quickly. When I last showed you this sweater, I hadn’t separated the sleeves yet. It currently looks like this:
It’s fast. I started that sleeve last night. And I went to work today. And it’s almost done.
And I really do like working on this sweater. I’ll be sort of sad to give it up, but I did get some lovely yarn in return (Noro Aurora and Interlacements New Mexico) and I’ll definitely be making one for myself. At some point. Eventually.
I also have a scarf on the needles out of birthday yarn I got from my boyfriend. Also, I’m knitting one more pair of shark mittens. I know.
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!
Soo I’ve been knitting my little fingers to the bone recently. I’ve finished some shark mittens, am partway through a second pair, and have two other projects in the works.
First up is a Pfeiffer Falls scarf in some delightful recycled cashmere:
That’s a terrible picture and it’s not that far along, but it’s delightfully soft and I love the puffy cables. Unfortunately, winter has been really warm this year and I haven’t even needed to get out my wool peacoat. I’ve been wearing my red cotton H&M trench and that’s been perfectly sufficient. Not that I don’t have plenty of scarves already, but I wish I had some cold weather to inspire me to work on the scarf.
The other thing I’ve been working on is a mohair wrap sweater from Fitted Knits:
This is for a WWFY swap. I frogged the Lacy Ribbons sweater I was working on and started this wrap instead, working two strands of lace weight mohair on size 11 needles. It’s going really quickly and even though it’s not for me, I love working on it. I might make one for myself but not in mohair. Probably lace weight cashmere held doubled or tripled.
I meant to photograph the sharks I just finished but then I forgot and you guys have seen sharks before. Perhaps I’ll remember to photograph the pair I’m currently working on, which (fingers crossed) should be the last pair. I have one pair of dino mittens that was returned (size Child large, 7″ length). I’m going to put them on Etsy, but if anyone here’s wants them, let me know. They’re ready to ship and will be $34.
Also, my lovely boyfriend Joe will be in town tomorrow sometime for about a week, so blame him if posting is erratic.
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 
