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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. : )
Whatup, kids?
Bad news: I suffered a computer crash recently, so the most interneting I can do is on the school lab computers and my beautiful, lovely, amazing BlackBerry, without which I would have long since lost my mind. Anyway this means few new posts and no new Ravelry pictures. Sad, I know.
But because I know you’re still interested, I’ll tell you that I started and finished Talia (still needs buttons though) and a pair of mittens, pattern my own. More details and pictures when I get this whole computer clusterfuck resolved. And that’s not a candy bar. I’m also fixing to start a Meret for my sister, pictures and details also to follow the clusterfuck. I also have some things I can’t blog quite yet anyway because they are for a swap. You’ll see, you’ll see.
Anyway, there’s going to a bit of a waiting period as I have to backup everything on my laptop and reload the software and/or get a desktop in the meantime, which is a distinct possibility.
Thank for your patience, guys!
Since last updating, I’ve finished a hat and a coffee cozy and have ALMOST finished my sister’s circular shrug (I have about two and a half more inches of ribbing, and then I have to seam). I’ve still got a couple of things to make for various friends at school including at least one calorimetry, a beanie, and a bunch more coffee cozies.
I’m currently in Florida until the fifth of January, so updates will be a bit scarce. The internet is a little iffy, so I won’t be able to post pictures until I get home to my own internet connection. Then I’ll have pictures of the rest of the Christmas knitting, and possibly some other things.
Also, though I knit with needles and not usually a loom, this scarf looks SO COOL. I’ll have to try it out with some stash yarn.
Well, it’s the end of November, and for Craftsters, that can mean only one thing: Less than a month to go to get all of the Christmas presents finished. The end of November means the beginning of December, and December means late nights frantically weaving in ends and seaming. Happily for me, many of my Christmas projects don’t need to be completed until mid-January when I get back to school (my friends will be getting their Christmas presents after winter break, giving me an extra 2-3 weeks to finish up the knitting). I do have family to craft for, though, and a December birthday present (early December… Much of Thanksgiving break is going to be spent on this scarf).
First on the list, a Christmas/Birthday combo gift, the cable/rib scarf I referred to in a previous entry:
It’s getting there, but I’ve got a bit to go yet. Made out of Bernat Softee Chunky on 11’s.
Next: an iPod sweater for my sister. It’s done in 2×1 rib with a ribbed pocket sewn on the back for headphones. The pocket is a little funny, but it’s my sister and she won’t care too much.
It’s made out of some nameless sport-weight acrylic, holding two strands together. On my 8’s, which are basically my favorite needles ever.
I’ve been feeling rather green about this Christmas, so I whipped up a collection of coffee cozies. They’re designed to take the place of the cardboard things you get at coffee shops that keep your hands from burning. I have five of at least ten finished, but they only take about an hour total to make, so it won’t be hard to make more. They’re made out of various colors of Red Heart Super Saver.
I’m particularly fond of that last one there, which can be used for coffee shop mugs or ceramic mugs at home. I will definitely be making more in that style, though with some kind of border because the stockinette curls terribly. There are also two cabled ones, two in seed stitch (only one made it into the picture), and one that has ribbing and was knit longways instead of shortways, like the other ones. I’m keeping that one for myself because the seaming is full of suck, and I don’t really want to inflict that on my friends and family.
Finally: an Irish Hiking Scarf for the Boyfriend’s birthday. Interestingly, the cast on has 42 stitches which provides a nice little Hitchhiker’s reference that he will enjoy.
I used Bernat Satin, which is lovely and soft and joyous to knit with, except it does not slide well over my bamboo needles, so I will be switching to aluminum when I get home (because when I left for college, I was thinking, “I only even knit scarves, and I much prefer to crochet, so I only need a couple pairs of needles, and there’s no possible way this decision will come back to haunt me.”)
In total, after all Christmas and Birthday gifts have been completed, I will have:
– 6 scarves
– at least ten coffee cozies (probably WAY more)
– 2 hats
– a pair of armwarmers
– 2/3 PDA cozies
– a dress (I’m sewing one for my sister once she picks out fabric)
– 6 dishcloths
– a Swiffer cover for the roommate
I’ve finished a scarf, the armwarmers, 2 PDA cozies, and five coffee cozies. I really ought to get knitting.
No pictures in this post, sorry. Haven’t gotten around to taking any. But a couple of updates:
1. I finished the garter striped scarf, which is good cause I was getting tired of knitting it.
2. My cabled scarf is coming along nicely and is probably about 60 percent finished.
3. I started making coffee cup cozies, a couple for coffee shop cups and a couple for mugs. Lots of people will be getting them for Christmas.
4. I’ve decided to work up some dishcloths in some Sugar and Cream I’ve got in my stash. There are a bunch in my Ravelry queue. They will probably be for my mother’s birthday and my Grandmother’s Christmas present. Though there is a Transformers one that is just bitchin’ that I’ll make for myself, though probably not until after the holidays.
5. Still have no idea what to make for the boys in my life. Possibly scarves. The brother will be difficult to knit for though.
First: I finished my Mrs. Darcy Cardigan, which is actually a vest because I didn’t feel like knitting sleeves and also I didn’t have enough yarn.
It’s a little bit lumpy on the sides, but I really like the buttons. Also, it’s really warm, which is surprising considering it’s a vest. Ah, wool. I’m a big fan of this vest, and there’s a good chance I’ll be making more in different colors.
I’ve also been working on a cabled cardigan which I’ve finished almost all the way to the sleeves, but I ran out of yarn:
The yarn in question was once a sweater that I found at the thrift store. The label said pure wool, so I picked it up for cheap and unraveled it. Now it will be a pretty cardi to keep my torso and neck warm. : )
I’ve also been working off and on on this simple striped garter scarf:
It’s for a friend’s (Jon, boyfriend of model/armwarmer recipient Sarah in previous photos) Christmas present, which I may have mentioned in a previous post.
All of this means I have the following projects on the needles:
– Garter scarf
– Cabled Cardi
– Cabled Scarf (which I don’t have pictures of currently, but will include in a later post)
– Ballet Cardigan (which will most likely get frogged)
And I still need to come up with awesome scarf patterns for Christmas presents. Also, I need to start an iPod case for my sister and a scarf for my mother (which I can’t start until Thanksgiving since she bought the yarn). I’m also planning golf club covers for my father and I don’t even know what for my brother. What the hell do you get 14-year-old boys for Christmas/their birthdays?
So I finished the body of my ballet-style sweater. It looks like this:
I started a sleeve, but I may have to rip it back because I don’t think it’s wide enough. In any case, I’m taking a break from that sweater because I dislike the large gauge, which is surprising for me since I hate small needles. *shrug*
I’m chugging along on my Mrs. Darcy Cardigan. I said I was putting it down because of the yarn thing, but I cast on for one of the front panels anyway. I probably won’t be able to finish it, but if I can, that would be awesome. I’m thinking I might make the sleeves out of some Simply Soft I’ve got in my stash. The blacks aren’t exactly the same, but oh well. I may also frog a never-finished afghan for the black Red Heart–that probably won’t be the most comfortable, but I’ll wash the sleeves to soften them before I sew them to the body. *shrug* We’ll see.
Despite having two sweaters on the needles already, I am seriously considered using some cream wool I recycled from a thrift store sweater to make this cardigan mostly because I love the collar. I’d probably try to make it close all the way though. Maybe more buttons. : )
Also, I have a FO:
They are the Irish Hiking Armwarmers and my first foray into cables (without a cable needle). Foray successful, despite teaching myself from my cell phone while walking in downtown Fredericksburg. They’re made from some light blue Red Heart (stash yarn) for Sarah’s Christmas present (she’s the model in a previous post). I’ll definitely be doing more with cables (and maybe even use a cable needle this time).
It’s been cold for the last couple of days and I’ve been itching to do some knitting that isn’t just scarves and rectangles. The result? I’ve cast on for two sweaters, only one of which I actually have enough yarn to make.
The first sweater I started is the Mrs. Darcy Cardigan. I’ve heard that the pattern is rife with error, but it’s really cute and I figure I can just wing it and see how it goes. I’m doing it in black with yarn I bought at the thrift store, so it will be really easy to match. I’ve finished the back and blocked it:
(Sorry the lighting is terrible; I didn’t feel like hauling a large piece of cardboard outside for a progress shot.) I’ve since put this aside in favor of another sweater.
On a recent trip to Walmart, I picked up four skeins of Bernat Softee Chunky on a whim (they were like, $1.50 each. Can you blame me?) and had no idea what to do with them. I wandered around Ravelry for a while and eventually stumbled upon this ballet-style wrap sweater from Lion Brand which uses bulky-weight yarn and large-ish needles, which I just happen to have. It also only calls for 500 yards of yarn, and I have about 600. Perfect. Here’s a progress shot, in the crappy lighting of my window sill:
It’s actually a solid grey color-not mottled at all, as it appears here.
I’ve also been working on various Christmas things, including a scarf in school colors (depressingly blue and grey, for Mary Washington) for a friend. Most of my Christmas presents will probably get done over winter break and will be given in January when I return for spring semester (mostly because I will have more time due to not have exams/class).
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 