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Okay, not really. But the main crafty portion of the package I sent to spolowitz gave me some hell. I claimed her for a knitting project bag and a learn to spin kit.
First, there was a spindle and some roving, part of the stuff I ordered when I was first starting to spin:
And then there was a lovely little book of spinning instructions, which I drew and wrote by hand. The directions probably aren’t the best as I haven’t been spinning that long myself, but I tried, and I like how it came out, especially my little spindle diagrams:
And then there was this bag.
I tried to make a round-bottom bag with a lining and that turned out… poorly. For the sake of my sanity, we’ll leave it at that, but suffice it to say that it was bad. The finished version is cute though. I especially like the applique:
Yay, swappage.
PS: Here’s the Ravelympics sweater:
(I got bored with the long rounds and started a sleeve. The body is about halfway done (well, halfway to where I join the sleeves, anyway). It’s about 9″ long and I want it to be close to 17″.)
In case you were wondering, it is extremely difficult to block a full-length scarf in a dorm room. Just a PSA for your consideration. Still it worked out alright:
Pattern: Saroyan, by Liz Abinante (free Ravelry download)
Yarn: My own handspun BFL!
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm
Mods: Did seven increase repeats, six decrease repeats (yeah, I’m not sure how that worked out either) and 12 straight repeats.
When I started the scarf, I was worried the yarn was too fuzzy and the pattern wouldn’t show up clearly. This was true in the beginning, sort of, because my spinning hadn’t been very even. As the yarn got better, the pattern showed up better, so yay. I’m glad I persevered. It’s super pretty and the pattern is great.
The yarn is also great. Cause I spun it! It’s a little rough/ropey in places where I over plied and over spun, but a nice bath evened most of that out and the BFL is soft enough in most places anyway.
Here are some pretty detail shots:
In other knitting news, I’m fixing to have a couple more small things to show off soon. I claimed for another round of OWS for amigurumi and wrist warmers, so that’s happening. Plus the things I was claimed for.
Also, here’s what’s happening on the Ravelympics sweater:
(Yes, I’m watching the Ravelympics Radar. On my pretty pretty Mac.)
Yeah, I’m so getting gold.
So I’ve decided that I will be participating in this year’s Ravelympics. The idea, as far as I know, started with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the Yarn Harlot) and involved completing some sort of fibery thing in the 17-odd days of the winter Olympics. The Ravelympics operates in the summer now too, but as the winter Olympics are what’s happening, that’s what I’m talking about.
There are various teams you can join (I’m on a team for sweater knitters) and there are a whole list of events. I’ve already decided what I’m going to attempt to finish, and it involves this pile o’ yarn:
That’s two skeins of Fisherman’s Wool in Oatmeal and various skeins of wool in other colors. And also a zipper. I’ve decided to do the Sweaterboard Cross, the Nordic Colorwork Combined, and the Stash Compulsory Dance (some of those various other skeins I’ve had for a while). I’m making a colorwork yoke sweater using EZ’s Icelandic Yoke Sweater with a zipper. And I’m gonna STEEK IT. And it might be scary. Anyway, it’s worsted weight, so it shouldn’t take me that long and I might finish. If I do, I’m throwing my hat into the Lace Luge and the WIP-dancing and attempt to finish Featherweight. I won’t, of course, but I’m hoping the extra motivation will encourage me to get some of it done.
My cast on time was nine p.m. yesterday (Friday, Feb. 12), and I did cast on. Between last night and my post today, I managed to get all the way through the ribbing of the bottom band and begin the miles of stockinette.
And here’s where my steek is going to happen:
(It’s even marked off by my pretty pretty star stitch markers from the quotes swap I did a while back.)
Yes. Exciting. I’m so getting gold. : )
Oh, and also, I have a couple other things to post (a scarf I was working on, some swap things), so I’ll have non-Ravelympics stuff to post about while I’m knitting away on my sweater, but I’ll be sure to include a shot of the sweater in those posts so you can see how I’m coming along (and if I appear to have any hope of success).
So I finished a spinning thing! Remember the superwash merino Joe got me for my birthday?
Well, I finished spinning it. And it is great.
Fiber: Fiber Optic Superwash Merino, in colorway Superstition. 4 oz.
WPI: 28? / Lace weight
Yardage: About 700. I measured the first half, which was 374, but didn’t bother with the second, so I’m estimating about 700.
I had originally intended to make Swallowtail with this yarn, though I think the color repeats would too distracting. I still want a triangle shawl though, and I think I can get a pretty large one with my yardage. The trick will be to find one that’s interesting to knit (no no stockinette/garter with eyelets) that also plays nice with the yarn. It’s rather uneven in spots and occasionally goes up to a heavy fingering weight. I’ve got a couple other contenders, but I’ll look at some patterns and let you know what I come up with. : )
I’ve been knitting lots of small things lately, so it seems like every post recently has been a FO post. As such, here’s another small thing I finished:
Pattern: My own. I’m thinking of writing it up mostly because I like the decreases.
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash, about half a skein
Needles: US 7/4.5
I made this hat for Joe, the boyfriend, because the previous hat I made him was acrylic and did not cover his ears. Since he only wears it in the snow (I swear, it’s like he doesn’t cold–it’s a curse, being a knitter dating such a person), earflaps are a good thing. I can’t imagine he’ll wear it often, but at least I know that he will if it’s cold enough. And that he likes it. : )
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love Cascade Yarns. This was my first time using the 220 Superwash (even though I’ve had it in the stash since probably June), and I LOVE it. It’s a little pricey for me to use a lot (poor college student, you know), but it is all kinds of soft. And superwash! It was so wonderful to knit with. And I have half the ball left. Not sure what I’m going to make yet, but whatever it is will be enjoyable.
And as for my pattern: As I said, I’m considering writing it up and offering it as a free/cheap (like a dollar or two cause I’m a college student and am poor. See above note about poorness) pattern. If you want to test knit, shoot me a comment with your email, an email, or a Rav pm (link in the sidebar). If you need convincing, look at the pretty decreases:
(In the pattern I’m writing up, the ribs will go all the way to the center. I just got lazy when I was knitting this for Joe.)
Anyway, coming up, there are swap things and a scarf thing I’ve been working on in between the small projects. And then there’s the Ravelympics, which I am doing. More about that later. : )
Pattern: French Press Felted Slippers, available for purchase on Ravelry.
Yarn: Ella Rae Classic, about a skein and a half.
Needles: US 15/10 mm Knit Picks Options
Mods: I think I knit them as written?
So… this was really my first experience with felting, though that’s not even the problem with these. The first one came out the proper size from the washing machine. It needed to be felted a little more, which I did by hand, but it wasn’t difficult. I had to cut a triangle out of the toe to make it smaller and fit better, but it came out alright.
The other one… hoo boy, let me tell you about the other one. First, I wasn’t paying attention when I was knitting it, so all of the pieces came out too big. Then it didn’t felt as much as the other one in the washer/dryer, so I had to felt it by hand more. THEN, even when I felted it as much as I could, it was still too big, so I had to Frankenstein it and chop the slipper in half and resew it back together smaller:
(It’s deceptively well-hidden. Felt is pretty forgiving.)
Yeah. AND THEN they still didn’t work right, so I had to sew a Frankenstein seam in the heel. AND THEN I had the hardest time getting the strap straight. And when I finally got the strap straight and the button on, I realized I SEWED THE STRAP ON BACKWARDS. Rip out, redo. And when I finally get the whole thing put together, Frankenstein seams and everything, it looks like this:
It’s functional but ridiculous. I guess I’ve never really had an epic knitting fail or a too-big sweater or whatever, so it’s about time. I’ll definitely be making this pattern again, but I’ll be paying closer attention to the row counts so they come out a proper size.
(sorry for the crappy pictures. It’s snowing, and February in Virginia is not shrug-modeling weather)
Pattern: Two-Tone Ribbed Shrug by Stephanie Japel (from Fitted Knits)
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 8/5 mm
Mods: Moved the pfb to the RS. I’m not even sure why she doesn’t use regular raglan increases. Probably did shorter sleeves and whatnot.
So I’m a big fan of this shrug. It’s cute, it’s a neutral color, and it fits well. And Cascade 220 is pretty soft, so I can wear it comfortably next to skin (I mean, I have a high tolerance for itchy wool next to my skin, but still). I think I will get a lot of wear out of it. Also, this sweater makes number two for NaKniSweMo. 1/6 of the way done! Whoo!
As for the pattern: It’s pretty simple, and it’s easy and leads to a lovely finished object. I’ll almost definitely be making more in other colors. I also might adapt the pattern somewhat to make one in a lighter weight. Or maybe I’ll just use a different pattern.
In non-craft news, little Fredericksburg is apparently supposed to be hit with up to 30 inches of snow over the next couple of days, so don;t worry too much if you don’t hear from me for a bit. There’s a chance the power could go out, which I hope it doesn’t cause then we’ll have no heat, which would suck. This also means that my photos might suck for a while cause I’m not about to go outside in a little sweater or whatever when there’s two feet of snow on the ground.
In other crafty news, I’m doing some more swapping, including a sewing project that gave me hell, which I’ll tell you about probably Sunday or Monday or something. Stay tuned!
Pattern: Charade, a free download on Ravelry.
Yarn: Red Heart Heart and Sole, one skein in Rustica.
Needles: US 1 metal dpns
Mods: Worked toe-up and pretty much just used my own toe-up sock pattern and threw in the stitch pattern on top. Also, I probably have fewer stitches than the pattern. I went up to 60. Also, I used self-striping yarn cause it’s what I had, even though the pattern says not to use self-striping yarn. I’m a rebel, damn it.
The ankles of these are a little loose, as usual. I think I need more ribbing before I bind off. **shrug** I do like them though. They’re super cute and they stay on well enough.
I want to venture out in the world of sock knitting and make some that are a proper height. I like the short ones because when I’m done with the heel, I’m pretty much done, but I would like to have some taller socks. The problem with this, of course, is that taller socks require more yarn, and I’d have to get more than 50 grams. Maybe I will and maybe I won’t. In the mean time, I’m content making anklets. And like, other things.
Speaking of other things: I also finished the shrug I’d been working on and I started some felted slippers. But I’ll tell you more about that later. : )
Pattern: Girl Friday, from the most recent Fall Knitty.
Yarn: Valley Yarns Northampton in Amethyst, almost four skeins.
Needles: US 8/5 mm
Mods: Changed the lace pattern to omit the purl bits, did fewer sleeve increases, increased length.
So I’m completely in love with this sweater. Great color, great pattern. Warm. I LOVE the shawl collar. The sleeve caps came out a little short (my fault), but totally wearable. The sleeves are long enough and the body is long enough. LOVE. I will wear it all the time. Especially since the shawl collar will protect my neck when I flip it up.
So: Great sweater. I made the XS which resulted in sweater fronts that aren’t quite wide enough, but fortunately, I love how the sweater looks with an open front. My original plan was to do button loops and buttons, but I decided against it. I wear my cardigans open most of the time anyway.
I’m really glad I changed the lace pattern too. The purl bits made the lace look too arrow-like to me, so I just replaced them with knits. And now I have diamond-type things, and I love it.
The pattern is great though. Clear and easy to follow, and I love the extra-long sleeves. They’re actually perfect for me–I wear all of my sleeves rather long. The yarn is also quite lovely. I used Valley Yarns Northampton, which I got from WEBS. I think I used about 3.5 skeins. I obviously can’t comment on wear and tear or how it holds up over time, but it seems to be a pretty sturdy yarn. It’s definitely a lot… beefier than the Wool of the Andes or Cascade Eco I’d used in sweaters before. It’s a little heavy (though I think thinner than the 220 I’m using for another sweater currently).
Anyway, I will definitely be getting a ton of wear out of this sweater. I’m ridiculously thrilled with how it came out, and it looks pretty great on me, if I do say so myself (and I do).
Sorry for the unintentional radio silence, people. It’s amazing how lax I get about posting when I don’t have a ton of finished things to show you.
Anyway, I’m still working on Girl Friday. I finished the sleeves and got them sewn into the body. Currently, it looks like this:
I just have to do the collar/button band, block it fully, then sew on the buttons. Since this project is no longer portable, I started another sweater type thing:
It’s the two-color ribbed shrug from Fitted Knits (which I got for my birthday and love) in grey Cascade 220. It will be perfect for getting to wear cute little dresses and tanks in colder weather. I have a feeling this is going to knit up reeeeeally quickly.
This little shrug, I’ve decided, is going to be my NaSweMoDo (it’s called something different on Ravelry this year though) number two. I didn’t count the shrug I made last year cause it was little, but I’m not sure I really need another 12 full-sized sweaters, so I’m counting shrugs. And probably a capelet that I’m planning to make around September.
I’ve got several sweaters planned for this year, including a yoked zip up (for Ravelympics, which I’ll talk more about later), another (light-weight) shrug, a striped button-up, and I’m going to finish that damn Featherweight. Sometime this year.
Also: remember the fuck-up with my address I told you about the other day? I think I probably fixed it. I just called USPS, and the woman I spoke to put in the right address, so hopefully it will get to me with speed. : )
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 