You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘yarn’ tag.
I finished my Cavern Cardigan, button and all, in about a week and a half. The thing knit up EXTREMELY quickly.
Specs:
Pattern: Cavern Cardigan from Cosmicpluto.
Needles: US 7/4.5mm 29″ circular and dpns.
Yarn: Almost exactly three skeins of Lion Brand Cotton-Ease
Modifications: Fewer raglan increases, fewer increases for the fronts, probably lengthened the body and the sleeves, changed the ties to a button/button flap.
I really like how this came out, actually. I originally did the sleeves too short, so I ripped them back and made them longer, and now they fit perfectly. I love how it looks on me, and the cotton/acrylic blend is nice and light, perfect for cool spring/summer evenings. It’s just long enough and fits well across the bust. I think I am going to get a lot of wear out of this one. : ) And because I am a poor college student, I would certainly use cotton-ease again.
So now that this is finished, I need another sweater on the needles. I have a few patterns I’m considering, including the Climbing Vines Pullover from the Winter 08 Interweave Knits. That’ll probably be my next sweater project, in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes.
Speaking of sweaters: Around various blogs and Ravelry, I’ve seen reference to this knitting challenge, which is to knit a sweater for every month. I’ve decided this will be my goal. Here’s what I’ve done for this year so far:
January: Corona/Talia (I did them both in January)
February: Burgandy (Cable Cardi from Knit Simple)
March: Spring Cardi (Hey Teach)
April: Lime (I finished it in April. It counts).
I just placed a huge (almost $70) order from Knit Picks for enough Wool of the Andes to knit the Climbing Vines Pullover (in Lake Ice Heather, a lovely grey color). I also ordered a bunch of Comfy as well as a couple balls of a different color of WotA, some Palette for a shawl, and some knitting needles. Squee.
I finished my first pair of socks!
Specs:
Pattern: Striped Footies from Lion Brand
Needles: US 5/3.25mm dpns
Yarn: Lion Wool in Purple and Vanna’s Choice in grey
Modifications: Didn’t do striped and just did the toe and heel in a different color. Other than that, I followed the pattern as written.
They fit properly, but the fabric made with the small needles is really thick and stiff, so I think for future socks, I’ll use a larger needle. They’ll wear out more quickly, but if I continue to use acrylic for the heel and toes, it shouldn’t be too bad. These would have only taken a day or two, but I was also working on Lime, the Cavern Cardi (pics to follow soon). They fit alright though, like I said, they’re pretty stiff and they look a little wonky, but I’ll wear them in boots or something where a little thickness might be a good thing.
I’m definitely planning to make more socks, though not with sock yarn since I just don’t have the patience. Maybe eventually, but for right now, I’m going to keep with the worsted weight.
I actually am working on this sock pattern (but in worsted weight, obviously). I finished one whole sock and just finished the toe increases for the other one. I am using Caron Simply Soft and US 6/4mm dpns (5) and though the fabric is still a little thick for my liking, they are coming out pretty well. Because I’m using acrylic, there’s very little stretch, so off of my foot, it looks huge and weird, but it fits nicely. Nice and squooshy. : )
Also, I’ve decided short row heel = ❤
Since Lime is done (as I said, pics to follow), I’ve also done a pair of fingerless mitts for my friend. But I need something bigger. Hmm…
After many moons (or at least, a couple of days), Hey Teach has been photographed:
(More pictures can, of course, be found on the Ravelry Page for this project.)
Here are the specs:
Yarn: Cascade Sierra (LOVE)
Needles: US 8/5mm
Pattern: Hey Teach from Knitty.
Modifications: None, I knit it as-is.
The buttons came from the very small button stash I have (I stole them off a cardigan I chopped up) and I think they suit this sweater very well. It fits fantastically and I can’t wait for the weather to really warm up so I can wear it out and about. This is the perfect little cardi to wear to make a cami more office-appropriate or to cover your shoulders on a cool spring or summer evening.
And the YARN. I love this yarn. It’s super soft and lovely, and in the right light, it sort of SHIMMERS. Amazing. Plus, it is in a fantastic color that I love to death.
In other knitting news, I am nearly finished with Lime, my Cavern Cardi in Cotton-Ease. I’ve finished everything except for one sleeve, and for that I have something like fifteen inches of stockinette in the round left. It’s perfect for mindless movie knitting, though it’s gotten a little unwieldy for classroom knitting. Something smaller for class that I’ve started is a pair of socks! My first pair! They’re the Striped Footies from Lion Brand, though I didn’t use stripes and just knit the toe and heel in a different color. More on those when I actually finish them (though I did finish one already).
I also recently signed up for two swaps (and am considering a third) but the send-out dates aren’t until May (the third swap isn’t til June), so I’ll refer to them vaguely, but no pictures or specifics til May.
Greetings, all. A couple of knitterly things have been in the works lately. For one thing, I recently started the Cavern Cardigan in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Lime (I had it on hand and have been meaning to make a light little summery/springy cardigan). I’m going to have a bit of trouble with the sizing because I’m small, and the size of the pattern is medium/36″ bust. I’m either going to have a lot of ease of a lot of fiddling. We’ll see. That’s being worked on.
Other things: I made a hat!
From a chart I found on Ravely. Unfortunately, it came out weird. My large gauge made the motif too wide and also I fucked up the chart a couple of times. Also, it was coming out too long, so I hurried with the decreases, making it really bunchy. It now looks like this:
Yep. But I made some other things too:
It’s the Zune/iPod Wallet found here on the Internets. I used Red Heart Strata in this blue color, which would have been a lot nicer if they hadn’t included the black and white bits. *shrug* I made one using the pattern exactly for my iPod and cast on a couple more and knit a couple extra rounds to make a similar one for my boyfriend’s Creative Zen mp3 player. It’s really a quite useful little cozy because it means I don’t have to search through my whole purse for my headphones and because the cord isn’t EVERYWHERE, the headphones will last longer. So that’s good.
Pictures of Hey Teach are… nonexistant yet. I’m waiting for the weather to warm up and stop being wet so I can take spring-type pictures in the sun. Patience, children. Also, I’m expecting a swap package some time in the realm of soon, so you have that post to look forward to also. : )
I’m in Virginia Beach until tomorrow, and the weather is BEAUTIFUL. It’s like 80 outside, and sunny, and it’s lovely in comparison to the snow flurries and freezing cold that has been much of the rest of my “spring break”. It’s fitting that just as the weather is looking up, I’ve JUST finished my cabled cardigan. I still have to sew on the buttons, so a proper FO post will follow once I do the buttons and photograph it. More details on that later.
To match the beautiful weather, I’ve started Hey Teach from the summer ’08 Knitty. I’m using Cascade Sierra, which I actually bought from KnitWits, my LYS in the Beach, instead of a big box craft store. The Sierra was actually a pretty good price, and it’s cotton and wool, so it won’t stretch as much as pure cotton. Also: It’s SO SOFT. Definitely the softest cotton I’ve ever felt. It’s amazing.
Anyway, between yesterday and this morning, I’ve finished a sleeve and brought it and the yarn outside for a photo in the bright summery sun:
Though I’ve sworn off set-in sleeves as a result of the cable cardi (more on that later), I couldn’t resist Hey Teach, and I’ll just sew the sleeves in before I sew the side seams, making everything easier by a long shot. Knitting this so far has been an absolute joy because of the yarn but I also can’t wait to wear such a bright, summery color. : )
What I actually should be working on is a paper, some math homework, and various swap projects, but the call of the Cascade Sierra is so great.
While walking around campus the other day, I happened upon this:
A tree cozy, for that little branch. Or: more knit graffiti. I love seeing this sort of thing. : )
In other news, I’m still plugging away on my cardigan. I’ve just started waist decreases and have about, oh, six or seven more inches before I have to separate the pieces for the armholes and such (the pattern is in pieces, but I knit the body as one so I wouldn’t have to seam).
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 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.
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! 