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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.
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).
Despite the fact that it is like, 75 degrees outside in October, it has been cold, and as a result, I’ve been whipping up cold weather things. Honestly, I like to make nothing more than I like cold weather things.
First: a crochet cal, modeled by the lovely Sarah (cause it’s easier to take pictures of other people, that’s why):
I mostly made up my own pattern. I’ve seen patterns for crochet cal’s, but they’re usually too wide. When I put my hair up, it’s usually low, so wider cal’s make a weird bump. This one is much thinner across and keeps my ears nice and toasty when it’s cold. I used black thrift store wool and an H hook. I also made one in soft brown acrylic, but it was for someone, and I neglected to take photos. Also, it looked the same.
Second: A scarflet, also modeled by the lovely Sarah:
Made from lovely soft acrylic with an H hook (can you tell it’s my favorite hook?). The buttons I actually made myself as well–they’re circlular plastic discs covered with fabric from a thrift store skirt with a horrible cut but a cool pattern (I bought it for purse lining anyway.
Third: not technically cold weather appropriate, but a hat, modeled by Sarah, which now belongs to Sarah:
I’ve been trying to make a slouchy tam-type hat FOREVER and I haven’t been able to find the right pattern. This was close, but I decided I wouldn’t wear it. Sarah liked it, so I gave it to her. She likes it and wears it.
Speaking of cold weather things–I’ve got another post in mind for more awesome cold weather things, but they’re part of a swap, so I won’t be posting them until they’re received (Mondayish, hopefully). So look for an awesome swap post soon.
Ciao,
Brinn
Hello all, and welcome to the first post of my brand new craft blog, The Adulterous Whores Club, which (if you check the About page, you’ll see) is named for a high school joke. Here in this blog, you’ll find pictures of new crafts I’ve made, my attempts at pattern-writing, ramblings of ideas concerning crafts, and other crafty things. You might find special information or deals in my etsy, tutorials, and (maybe, someday, if I ever gain readership) contests. We’ll see how things go.
This is basically the beginning of my attempt to draw business toward my crafty pursuits. I enjoy crafting immensely, but I also enjoy shopping on Ebay, and as a college student, that’s not always financially sound. So you all get fun crafty things, and I get to feed my Ebay addiction. I say it’s a win-win situation.
So this first post isn’t totally boring, I’ll include pictures of my latest crochet endeavor, as well as a sewing project I’m considering listing on my etsy:
A cute little duckie/chickie that’s currently up on Etsy
A dpn/pencil/crochet hook roll. This is actually the third I’ve made of these. The first was to test what I was doing, and the second I made for a swap (I actually intended to make the first for the swap, but I liked it so much, I kept it and made my swap partner a better one). The third I made with the intent to sell, but it isn’t up yet.
A tote made from a t-shirt (a totally kickass t-shirt that I scored for $4 at Rugged Warehouse) and some cotton fabric ($.99 for about a yard and a half at the thrift store–it was actually a curtain). The print says “Chuck Norris can defeat a brick wall at tennis”. It also has a small pocket on the inside. I have a couple more sweet t-shirts, so I’ll probably make a bunch more tote bags. I used this one for a while, and I always abuse the hell out of my bags (I put so much stuff in them), and it held up just fine. I didn’t notice any tears or stressed stitches or anything. And I put a LOT of heavy things in my bag (water bottles, books, jackets, etc.) so I’m thinking it’s pretty sturdy design. I’m thinking I may list a couple of totes on etsy because frankly, I don’t need this many tote bags. I like making them, and I love that there are infinitely many awesome t-shirts to make them out of, but definitely I need the money more than the bags. : (
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 