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So Thursday was my friend Jon’s birthday. He is obsessed with the ewoks from Star Wars and is definitely craft-worthy, so this is what I made him for his birthday present:
Pattern: Wicket the Ewok, mostly.
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool (brown), cream wool from a thrift store sweater, and red-orange vintage wool that never ends.
Hook: 3.75mm (f) and 4 mm when I misplaced the f hook.
Mods: I didn’t really follow the pattern for the body or the arms and I didn’t use it at all for the head or ears (though the pictures were instrumental in my figuring it out). I followed the pattern for the hood, but I had to modify it so it fit my Wicket (it would have come out WAY too big).
I happen to think he’s adorable, even though my embroidering on yarn skills are… somewhat sub-par. But Jon loves him, and that’s what really matters. : )
So my friend Sarah commissioned me to make more baby things because another of her cousins in pregnant. Which means I get to knit more cute things!
Pattern: Steggie Bib, the same bib I knit before.
Yarn: Recycled cotton from a thrift store baby blanket I dismantled.
Needles: US 6/4 mm
Mods: Several since the pattern has a bunch of errors (if you know what you’re doing, it will work out fine but if you follow the directions as written, the border will come out funky)
(The dino shows up much more clearly than it does in the photo)
Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Some sport weight acrylic I got my grandmother eons ago.
Needles: US 1.5
Mods: I made the trunk a little shorter than specified by mistake. Otherwise, knit exactly as written.
Guys. I totally love this thing. It’s completely adorable and I want him to snuggle and love. Unfortunately, he’s going to a baby related to my friend Sarah. Fortunately, I can make another! I probably won’t for a while (and probably not for me) but I bought the pattern (I’d been debating it for a while) and while it’s a little fiddly (especially the ears), but the result is SO CUTE. And the pattern is SO WELL WRITTEN. Guys, there’s a reason Ysolda Teague is the celebrity she is in the world of knitting patterns. It’s clear, lots of pictures, and every step is clearly spelled out.
So yes, I’ll definitely be making this one again. Here’s hoping Sarah’s cousin’s kid likes it as much as I do. : )
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!
Yeah. Ahem. Anyway, I occasionally knit for money. Or yarn, as the case may be. Ahem. Look! Knits!
Pattern: Sort of Paton’s Monkey Around Sock Monkey, but I also just made things up as I went.
Yarn: Acrylic stuff from my acrylic stash. The blue came from a learn-to-knit kit, I think.
Needles: US 5/3.75 mm dpns
Mods: Many, since I just looked at the basic shapes and knit as I pleased.
Inn’t he cute? I knit him for a woman I know at school. Her daughter is pregnant and loves sock monkeys, so she commissioned me to make one for her! It was tons of fun to make and it came out super cuddly and wonderful and I briefly considered knitting one for me. Only to be stopped when I remembered I have no need or space for stuffed animals. He’s cute though.
(modeled by my sister)
Pattern: My Dinosaur mittens
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers and Berroco Ultra Alpaca
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm dpns
Mods: None! Cause they’re my mittens!
I’m pleased I was “hired” to make these cause I’ve been wanting to try out the smallest size of my pattern but had no kids to knit for. I think they came out cute. : )
I also sent along this card:
The picture is cut out from a little picture book of dinos I got at a library book sale. It’s highly unscientific (it’s from like, the 80s I think, but there are nice pictures. I think I’ll make a similar one and send it to Joe. : )
The arrangement for these mittens was set up through the Ravelry group Will Work for Yarn. As such, I was paid in yarn: One lovely, wonderful skein of Dream in Color Smooshy in colorway “Punky Fuchsia”. It will become socks. With contrast heels and toes because the yarn is 100% superwash merino, and I will wear through that shit in a hot second. I need some nylon in my socks. So I’ll just add some with leftovers of another sock yarn.
So… I made another OWS claim recently. I claimed Faux_Valentine for some monster-themed goodies and a wisty surprise. For the monsters, I made another monster chunk:
out of Sugar and Cream and Serendipity Tweed. I also made an iPod cozy:
out of Wool-Ease and some nylon Fun Fur I had around. Cute, right? I like him. I decided at the last minute to make one more plush, so I knit up this:
out of some “Sullivans Crinkle”. I don’t even know. Glitzy/furry stuff from Big Lots. I love his big teeth though. : )
The wisty surprise I made was based on this bracelet from her wist:
And here’s my version:
I used a zipper from the ones that hngoodlett sent me and I bought some lace trim at Hancock Fabrics. There’s also some felt on the back. I didn’t have a jewelry clasp, so I used ribbon. I really like how it came out. : )
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.
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! 