Poodle Days and Starry Knits

Oh yeah, this blog

2011-08-18T10:32:00.003-04:00

Things went a little haywire life-wise earlier this year so a lot got neglected. Including my knitting and crafting, and this blog. But I'll give it a try again if anyone's still hanging around and reading.

My get-back-into-knitting project was something I had seen Alison working on and wanted to make myself.

Pattern: Cha Cha Ruffle Scarf
Yarn: Trendsetter Cha Cha (1 skein) on US 10 needles

Once I got the hang of knitting with the ribbon yarn and changed to bamboo needles (it couldn't slide off the metal needles fast enough!) it went really quickly.

Now on to other projects!

Pucker up, baby

2011-05-08T19:23:00.002-04:00

I've been a fan of Alan Dart's toy patterns for a long time, but I had never gotten around to actually doing one. And when a friend of mine began talking about how she was tired of kissing frogs in order to find her prince, I knew I had to do this one.

Pattern: Frog Prince, by Alan Dart
Yarn: Cascade 220 superwash (lighter green), Plymouth Galway Highland Heather (daker green), and Vanna's Choice (yellow, white, and black) on US 5 needles

This pattern is awesome. That's really all there is to say.

He's just totally adorable. And definitely kissable.

Hmm, maybe I should knit one for myself...

baby talk

2011-04-22T14:41:00.003-04:00

My friends are reproducing like crazy, so I've been doing quite a bit of baby knitting.

I even suppressed my dislike of colorwork for a whole sixteen rows to knit this!

Pattern: Fly Away Home
Yarn: Vanna's Choice in red and black on US 7 needles

And for the daughter of an old astro friend from college, I felt this was necessary.

Pattern: Stars, from Susan B. Anderson's Itty Bitty Hats
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in pink heather, and Vanna's Choice in admiral blue and yellow on US 7 needles

Tiny hats for tiny heads!

this is the sweater that never ends

2011-04-15T15:45:00.004-04:00

Because I am wearing it today, you get a look at what I refer to as the Neverending Cardigan!

(without flash)

(with flash)

Pattern: Ashfield Cardigan, from New England Knits
Yarn: Lily Chin Gramercy (11 balls) on US 4 needles

I call it "neverending" because I began this sweater last November and only finished it on the last day of March. I am never knitting a sweater for myself on size 4 needles again. And, while I had a bag of ten balls of yarn, it wasn't enough to finish, so I had to go a-hunting. Luckily a very nice woman swapped me her remaining 1.5 skeins for a ball of Regia!

Close up of the lace pattern:

um, hi

2011-04-11T16:11:00.004-04:00

Yeah, I disappeared. Life complicated a few things. So here's a knitting catch up post of some stuff I've done over the past few months.

A Turn-a-Square (by Brooklyn Tweed) hat

and modeled by Torchwood writer James Moran

A Pom Pom Scarf

Baby sun hats

And a yellow chick (from Zoe Mellor's Knitted Toys)

More soon, I promise, if you're still around and reading me!

here kitty, kitty, kitty

2011-01-05T13:20:00.002-05:00

A stack of cats! These were a Christmas gift for a friend.

Pattern: Stackable cats, from Mochimochi Land
Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted in Plum Line and Beet Red, and Patons Classic Merino in Peacock on US 6 needles

Tiny cat

Medium Cat

Big Cat

I am quite enamored of this trio.

off to the Bazaar

2010-12-06T11:10:00.003-05:00

For the last few years I've spent an hour in line outside the Cyclorama one Sunday in December waiting for the Bazaar Bizarre to open. This year was no exception. It's an alternative craft fair but, really, there's something for everyone. Here are some of the things I enjoyed looking at this year.

Hedgehog bags from slaPPhaPPie

Matrioshka pillow from Hambone and Jennicakes

Adorable stuffed creatures and hoodies with furry linings and horns from Diane Koss

And this awesome tweed triceratops from MIAOW

I don't know where this lampshade made out of cocktail umbrellas came from, but it was adorable.

And the things that actually came home with me: awesome city prints from JHill Design

(I bought the small prints of Amsterdam and Chester since I've actually been to both, and love the things she chose to iconize them, but I was also tempted by Kiev and Albuquerque. And Champagne. And Malibu. They're all beautiful. I requested that she make a London one, too.)

And this baking print from Flowers in May

Apparently I was very into prints this year. :)

fall festivals

2010-11-15T21:53:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we took a road trip out to the inaugural New England Fiber Festival in W. Springfield. It was pretty nice, a lot smaller than Rhinebeck, but all indoors in one large building. That included the sheep and alpacas and even the sheepdog demonstrations. We saw a lot of familiar vendors and pet lots of animals and looked at lots and lots of yarn and fiber. Some pictures:

Herding ducks

A happy Fiber Festival goer

twist and shout

2010-11-08T23:58:00.003-05:00

Last year Kate convinced me to do the October Mystery Sock knit-a-long. That sock turned out pretty well, so when she mentioned that it was coming up again I decided to cast on for another mystery sock.

Pattern: Through the Loops Mystery Sock 2010
Yarn: Knitpicks Bare Merino/Nylon Fingering (0.8 skeins) dyed with icing colors by me
Notes: Got impatient at the end and didn't wait for the final clue and just did a regular toe.

I'm not as big a fan of this year's sock as last year's, but it fits and I like the colors. Which I should since I did the dyeing. I've named the colorway "Lemon-Lyman" after a particular episode of The West Wing.

The one thing that I did like about the pattern was that it got me to figure out how to do twists and cables without a cable needle! I was going to throw the whole project out the window if I hadn't been able to do that, as it was just too fidgety for me. The way I did it means there are a good number of twisted stitches on the back sides of the cables but they're not visible in the pattern and I can definitely live with that.

Now back to gift-type knitting!

head of the class

2010-10-23T09:30:00.002-04:00

I've been knitting hats lately.

Pattern: Picot Cloche, by Carol J. Sulcoski
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica (0.9 skeins) on US 8 needles
Notes: I knit an extra inch before the decreases, and then knit a plain round after each of the first two decrease rounds.

This lavender one is for me, but the second one is for my mom.

Pattern: same
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted in glazed carrot (0.62 skeins) on US 8 needles
Notes: same as above

This was actually my first time knitting with Malabrigo, and it was a dream to knit with. Just lovely.

braids

2010-10-05T10:02:00.003-04:00

I've gotten a lot of knitting done in the last week, mainly because really thick yarn knits up really quickly!

Pattern: Braided, by Susan B. Anderson
Yarn: Plymouth Yarns Yukon (2.66 skeins) in a dark purple on US 13 and 15 needles

The pattern was quick and easy. There were lots of ends to weave in, but it wasn't too bad if you did them as you went along. And I love the braids!

And since I had yarn left over, I wanted to make a hat to match, so I tried to find a pattern with a braided cable like the braids in the scarf.

Pattern: his black cabled hat
Yarn: Plymouth Yarns Yukon (1.33 skeins) in dark purple on US 13 needles
Notes: I doubled the length of the ribbing so that I could fold over the brim.

And these wintry things are looking very cozy now that it's getting cold outside!

warm toes

2010-09-23T21:46:00.003-04:00

There's always more sock yarn waiting to be knit.

Pattern: Uzume, by Monkey Toes
Yarn: Claudia's Hand Painted Fingering in Purple Earth (about 1.5 skeins) on US 1.5 needles

These were actually a pretty fast knit, and even I memorized the pattern before the end of the first sock, which made it even faster.

Here's a detail of the stitch pattern. It would look better in a non variegated yarn, but you can still see the little loops the stitches make.

Even so, I still like these socks, even if I can find the one mistake I made.

And I have no idea what's up next. Hmmm...

roll it up

2010-09-17T17:34:00.002-04:00

An online friend of mine is currently packing up her life here in the States and getting ready to move to England. She had seen some of my other sewing projects and asked if I could make her a jewelry roll. I didn't know if I could, but I was willing to give it a try!

I used the tutorial here, with a few small alterations.

It has a band to attach necklaces to, with pockets to store them in.

And it has an attached zippered pouch for storing loose items, like rings.

And here it is, all rolled up!

wrap yourself up

2010-09-08T20:09:00.002-04:00

Knitting a heavy wool cardigan probably isn't the normal thing one does during a hot August. But I wanted to use one of those sweater quantities of yarn I've had hanging about for a while, and bulky yarn usually means fast, so I did some sweating. And here's the result:

Pattern: Ariosa Back Lace Panel Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald
Yarn: Valley Yarns Northampton Bulky in Chestnut Heather (9 skeins, almost exactly!) on US 10.5 and US 10 needles
Notes: Because I was running out of yarn toward the end I reduced the number of rows on the button band, buttonhole band, and collar.

A sweater knit out of bulky yarn is never going to look fabulous on my body type, but this came out pretty well, I think. And the back is just so pretty.

I also got to pick out some fun buttons.

And now back to some smaller knitting for a little while...

a little piece of fabric

2010-09-07T13:52:00.002-04:00

I'd wanted to try Spoonflower for a long time. It's a company where you can design and print your own fabric. So, their Free Swatch Day this past month seemed like a perfect opportunity. I fussed around with a lot of ideas, but none seemed to work the way I wanted them to, so I started going through photographs.

This is a photograph I took in London two years ago:

I loved the set up of the picture, and all the things it brought together in one shot, but because it was taken at twilight and I didn't have a tripod, it was too blurry to be any good as a photograph. So I started playing with it in Photoshop, and I eventually had an image to submit.

This was my resulting 8x8 swatch:

I love it. I have no idea what I'll use it for, but it's just nice to have something I created like this. And hopefully someday I'll come up with something else to use Spoonflower for--they're great!

stop and smell the roses

2010-08-15T21:02:00.002-04:00

Or, in some cases, sew them.

When Cat and I went on our field trip to Lowell, I mentioned that I picked up a couple of pretties at the Quilt Museum that you might see later. Well, later is now, since I finally sat down with my sewing machine and turned them into a finished something.

My Mackintosh rose bag! The outside fabric is a Japanese fabric fat quarter that I got at the Museum, which is where I also found the pink polka dotted purse handles.

I've been a big fan of Charles Rennie Mackintosh ever since I went to Glasgow, about six years ago, so I couldn't resist the rose fabric.

And the purse handles were just too cute.

The lining fabric is just a small pink print that I found at Winmill Fabrics; I wanted something that wouldn't take away too much from the outside.

I based the shape and measurements for the bag on this One Hour Bag pattern. I'm so pleased with how the whole thing turned out!

Shaun meets the knit-o-matic

2010-08-11T10:30:00.002-04:00

It's been almost two years since I was in London, and that Shaun the Sheep kit I picked up as a souvenir has gone unknit all of that time. Until now, that is.

Shaun explored the local flora. He was disappointed to find that the pumpkins were glass.

Pattern: Shaun the Sheep kit, from Patons UK
Yarn: Patons UK Fab DK in black (1 skein) and Patons UK Fairytale Velvet DK in white (about 6/10 of the skein) on US 2.5 needles

Shaun was more pleased with the orchid.

Shaun explored further.

Shaun is a lovely little souvenir, he is.

field trip

2010-08-06T16:10:00.002-04:00

Last weekend Cat and I took a little trip up to Lowell. Our main stop was the American Textile History Museum. We had never been there before, but the museum is great. Lots of hands on stuff, lots of scenes you can actually walk into, and lots of neat stuff to look at.

A general store of old.

Reels from an old cotton mill

Fashion history

A cabinet of dyes

And a close up of a few of the jars inside the cabinet--I liked how it had the chemical composition drawn on the label.

From the knitting display

And some old and modern machinery

Afterward we also went to the gift shop at the New England Quilt Museum, which had lots of pretties to ponder, some of which you might see later if I ever get back to my sewing machine. :) And then we found the Classic Elite Yarn store, but somehow both of us managed to leave without buying any yarn! Miraculous.

what would I do?

2010-08-02T17:37:00.002-04:00

So, when Knitpicks started listing a yarn with the colorway "Time Traveler", that was described as not creating "socks that are larger on the inside than they appear on the outside" and that were very similar to the the colors in a Fourth Doctor scarf, what would I do?

Smart people. Order some, of course. Here are Madame Nostradamus's Fourth Doctor Scarfy Socks.

Pattern: Basic stockinette sock with short row heel, improvised
Yarn: Knitpicks Felici in Time Traveler (1.5 skeins) on US 1.5 needles

They're particularly appropriate right now, as I'm on the Fourth Doctor in my Doctor Who watching.

Now if only walking in them would lead me to a TARDIS...

because this just needs to be shared

2010-07-26T19:30:00.002-04:00

I found this in the used book basement at the store my knitting group meets at this weekend. I give you, a Prince William paper doll book from 1983: "The Royal Baby."

HRH on his diaper!

Oh, yes, we want to remember those "good old days" of the British empire, don't we?

"Mummy doesn't like blood sports, but Daddy knows what's best for men..."

Rule Britannia!

purple waves

2010-07-16T17:26:00.002-04:00

I've had the pattern for this shawl printed out and in my files for over a year now, and I'd gotten this yarn from a swap over a year ago as well, and finally they found their way to each other!

Pattern: Waves of Leaves shawl, by Malcolm and Marcus Designs
Yarn: Kindred Spirits Silk Shimmer (most of one skein) on US 6 needles

It was actually a fast knit--I would have been finished it in a little over a week if I hadn't taken a break right before the end!

It's a small shawl/scarf, but very pretty. And I love the colors of the yarn.

I'm particularly taken with the diagonal lines of the cast off edge.

Do you know where my title comes from? :)

round and round

2010-07-12T15:02:00.002-04:00

I've always been a fan of argyle. Yes, I'm a little bit preppy. But I never tried knitting it because of all of the colorwork involved. So when I found a pattern that created an argyle pattern in texture rather than color, I really wanted to try it.

Pattern: Argyle Purl Scarf, by knarlyknitter (can be found as a free download on Ravelry)
Yarn: Berroco Comfort in red (1.5 skeins) on US 8 needles

The verdict? It's a great pattern and comes out really sharp looking. This was also the first time I'd used Comfort, and I really liked it.

Another close up of the pattern:

It's already gone to its new home, and I've even got another project finished, though it needs to be blocked before posting. And then, I don't know...

double trouble

2010-06-15T14:34:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine is due to have twins next month, so there's been more baby knitting going on and this time, in sets of two!

Pattern: Vertical Stripes Baby Sweater, by Lion Brand Yarn
Yarn: Classic Elite Sundance in mauve and chocolate brown (about 2.25 skeins of each) and Classic Elite Sundance in light teal and dark teal (same as others), on US 6 needles

The main modification I made, since I was trying to use only the yarn I had, was to knit in stockinette rather than garter stitch. However, I still ran out of yarn and had to buy more. But I like the smooth look of the stockinette anyway.

And two pairs of little booties for little baby feet!

Pattern: Saartje's Bootees
Yarn: Regia Tweed 4-fadig (above) and Regia Bamboo (below) on US 2.5 needles

The straps didn't seem to come out quite long enough, so I made them button to each other rather than do the criss-cross style.

I love this pattern; I think it's the simplest I've done but also the cutest.

Me myself & I

2010-06-09T09:51:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I followed a few links and ended up at the site for Stitch London's Stitch Yourself project. The idea is to have people knit, crochet, or sew miniature versions of themselves for the "Who Am I?" exhibit at London's Science Museum. I was really intrigued by the idea, and here is the result.

Pattern: Stitch Yourself Knit Body Blank (available at the Stitch London site, above)
Yarn: Leftovers of Red Heart Classic, Vanna's Choice, Valley Yarns Colrain, Valley Yarns Amherst, Berroco Chinchilla in various colors on US4 and US6 needles

She's weaaring purple Mary Janes, like a pair I have.

And she's carrying a Tenth Doctor (Doctor Who) doll, since that's what I'm most known (infamous?) for knitting. This was suggested by the brilliant Kate. I made him out of felt and superglue.

The other thing she's carrying is a copy of 84, Charing Cross Road. I figured those two things summed me up pretty well--a dork, a knitter, an Anglophile, and a bookworm all rolled into one.

She's going off in the mail today to London, but I couldn't resist taking a picture of her with my Doctor Who dolls.

I hope my Mini Me enjoys London as much as I do.

Break of day

2010-05-24T17:47:00.002-04:00

Shawl done!

Pattern: Daybreak, by Stephen West
Yarn: Blue Moon Socks that Rock Lightweight in The Cookie Next Door (almost the full skein) and Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids in Island Red (almost the full skein) on US4 needles

It's a very simple pattern--so simple you might get tired of the stockinette--but really pretty. I love the stripes and the slipped stitches, and how these two yarns worked together.

And from the front...

the socks that would never end

2010-05-17T22:16:00.003-04:00

They just went on and on, my friend.

Seriously. I started this pair of socks in January, as a carry around project. After months of stopping and starting I finally finished them this afternoon.

Pattern: Basic Stockinette Sock (72 stitches)
Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball in red on US1 needles

I love the color and gradation effect of this yarn. The yarn itself I'm not so in love with. It's single plied, and not tightly, and tends to be splitty. And at points where it's very loosely plied it breaks apart entirely. So beside the two knots in the ball of yarn, I had at least three other breaks to contend with.

But they look nice and they're done, and I can move on to something else. Time to go through the stash!

Sheeps!

2010-04-26T15:00:00.002-04:00

This weekend was the annual Sheep Shearing Festival at Gore Place.

Alpaca!

Sheep shearing!

Sheep herding and dogs!

Nigerian dwarf goats!

Lambies!

Woolly stuff!

Hedgehogs! (for Kate)

Kilts!

Always a fun day, with the critters and the crafts.

baby in blue

2010-04-06T20:04:00.002-04:00

Thanks to amazingly speedy service by the USPS and the Royal Mail, you're seeing this a lot sooner than expected!

The baby parade continues with Lizzie, who is due early next month. For this little one--who we've been told will be a girl--I made these goodies:

Pattern: Ballet Blossom Cardigan from Vintage Knits for Modern Babies, size 6-12 months
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Forget-Me-Not (1.5 skeins) on US3 and US5 needles

I didn't do the flower called for in the pattern but improvised a rose instead.

And instead of doing a tie around the back I put a button closure at the front, with a snap inside.

What I'm most proud of on this project is the seams. I've been knitting for six years but I've only just figured out invisible seams!

See, right side:

And wrong side:

And since it's going to be a spring/summer baby, I made another of the sun hats.

Pattern: On the sunny side, by Melanie Hoffman
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Coral Beaches on US7 needles

And booties, too, of course!

Pattern: Triange Edged Booties from Debbie Bliss's Quick Baby Knits
Yarn: Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Heather in Crocus on US2 and US3 needles

Welcome, little one.

in lieu of actual knitting content

2010-03-28T13:05:00.003-04:00

I give you photos.

My Wollmeise stash as it stands after scoring two skeins in last week's Loopy Ewe update:

So prettttty.

And this is from yesterday.

PAX East, a video game convention, is going on here in Boston. Which means the city is currently overrun by geeks, a very good thing in my opinion. And while I'm not a gamer, I am most definitely a geek. So when a friend of mine going to the convention planned a knitting get-together for convention-goers I decided to tag along. So I spent a few hours knitting and chatting with my fellow geek girls, eating cookies, looking at costumes, and generally having fun. And the girl next to me was crocheting a D20, hence the picture above.

And here's the finished D20, too.

Dear geeks, you are always welcome back.

oodles of babies

2010-03-09T20:37:00.002-05:00

I've got a lot of friends having babies in the next few months, and I've started stocking up on the baby knitting in preparation. I can't show you everything yet, but these few were sent off yesterday.

Pattern: Umbilical Cord Hat, from Stitch n Bitch
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Cherub Collection Kaleidoscope DK (what a long name!) on US 7

And modeled by my lovely teddy bear:

And another hat...

Pattern: On the Sunny Side
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Tea Rose, on US 7 needles

And modeled by a fabulous poodle:

And, of course, there have to be booties, too.

Pattern: Herringbone Bootees by Zoe Mellor
Yarn: Sandes Garn Sisu in red, with a little bit of Patons Kroy in white, on US 2.5 needles

There are more things done, but those will have to wait until it's closer to the arrival of those little ones!

The three day scarf

2010-02-22T20:50:00.002-05:00

So, remember those two balls of yarn I walked out of the store with on Thursday? By Sunday night they had turned into this:

Pattern: Mochi Plus Beaded Rib Scarf
Yarn: Crystal Palace Mochi Plus (2 skeins) in color 552 (as I refer to it, sunset colors) on US 8 needles

Just a quick, satisfying project. And wonderful colors to look at during winter!

short but sweet

2010-02-19T09:31:00.002-05:00

This was a very quick knitting project for a thank you gift.

Pattern: Princess Mitts, by Jennifer Hagan
Yarn: Brooks Farm Solo (small portion of a skein) on US 6 needles

(Without the flash shows the cables better.)

I love the finished project. I do feel, though, that the written pattern could have been far clearer, especially in regard to the thumb gusset. I used the designer's revised pattern, available on her website, and I have just read the original version (available here) and the original was easier to understand. I did figure it out eventually--with Johanna's help!--but it was needlessly complicated.

But they are pretty, and a fast knit.

I missed my bus yesterday afternoon and decided to kill time by browsing in Windsor Button. Always a mistake. :) These decided to come home with me.

I'm really attracted to those sunset-y colors right now.

v for victory (well, sort of)

2010-02-12T09:25:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to knit a vest for the past few months, to wear over a button down shirt at work, but I only just got around to actually doing it.

Pattern: High Street Vest by Kate Flagg
Yarn: Farmhouse Yarns Not Just for Socks in Storm (almost two skeins) on US 5 needles

I got the yarn in a swap over on the Doctor Who boards on Ravelry, and it's very nice. The one problem I had was that when I wound the skeins I discovered that one was considerably lighter than the other in terms of color. So I ended up alternating skeins every other row while knitting.

I would have really loved this pattern except for one little thing. It is supposed to be done specific to your measurements, so you're supposed to insert the numbers for where you want it to fall on your body. Except that I'm a really lousy judge of where things are supposed to be on my body and I ended up making the body of the vest far too short. Even a suggested number would have helped to suggest to me that maybe my numbers were not leaning the right way. Otherwise the pattern is great and leads towards a nice finished product. In the end I cast on and knit an additional three inches of ribbing and grafted that to the original cast on. It's not perfect--the seam is noticeable--but it's wearable. Another time I'll make one--with the right numbers.

twisted

2010-01-25T22:30:00.002-05:00

I didn't think I'd actually get in a finished object this month, but I've done a lot of knitting the last couple of days and here is the result.

Pattern: Clandestine, by Cookie A.
Yarn: ShibuiKnits Sock in peacock (less than two skeins) on US1.5 needles

Cookie A socks are always a challenge, and I always fail to remember that they're full of twisted stitches. Not that either of those is a bad thing. And she does design a pretty sock.

The color is actually closest to this last photo, but with a little more green like in the first two. I wish I could have photographed it better. It's a beautiful color and I loved how the ShibuiKnits knits up--it's the first time I've used it.

Winter warmth

2010-01-11T15:17:00.002-05:00

Finally, my last two finished objects from 2009!

Pattern: Stashy Hat, by Thea
Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft DK in a light blue (less than one ball) on US7 and US8 needles

The last time I made my friend a hat it was when I was first learning to knit and to say I got the gauge wrong is an understatement. I figured it was about time she got one that actually fit!

And then my three and a half year old buddy asked for a scarf. A purple scarf, to be precise.

Pattern: Beaded Rib scarf (pulled the rib pattern from a stitch dictionary)
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore Chunky (slightly less than one ball) on US10.5 needles
Notes: Because she's only three and a half, I decided to add a buttonhole and a big pink button so the scarf can be buttoned and not pulled tighter around her neck.

2009 Knitting Year in Review

2010-01-02T14:03:00.002-05:00

So, um, I did a lot of knitting in 2009. So much so that I couldn't fit all of the projects into one mosaic in the photo mosaic makers.

45 completed projects.

Even if you don't count Lizard Ridge--which I started in 2007--that's still 44 projects. How the heck did I do that?

5 hats, 9 baby things, 6 scarves, 7 toys/dolls, 4 shawls, 6 pairs of socks, 2 sweaters, plus one pair of mittens, a finished throw, a kiddie tank top, and a dishcloth.

(There's still two I haven't shown you.)

Wow.

Orange you glad I didn't say orange?

2009-12-30T11:38:00.003-05:00

Now that this has been gifted, I can post what I made for my mom for Hanukkah this year.

Pattern: Waffle Rib scarf, improvised from a stitch dictionary
Yarn: Mirasol Nuna in orange (1.5 skeins) on US7 needles

I bought this yarn months ago with my mother in mind. It's totally her color.

And I made a matching hat.

Pattern: Waffle Rib Hat
Yarn: Mirasol Nuna (1.1 skeins) on US8 needles

I've got a couple of other projects I still can't show, as they'll be gifted in the New Year, but thus ends a very full year of knitting!

He respects Owl, because you can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right.

2009-12-21T22:37:00.002-05:00

That's kind of how I feel about this project. I love the idea of it, but the final product--at least my version of it--less so. I've seen it look great on other people; me, not so much.

Pattern: Owls, by Kate Davies
Yarn: Berocco Air in geothermal (7 or 8 balls--I lost track) on US10 and US10.5 needles

I had to upsize the pattern to fit me, and I got the numbers right, but it's a pattern for bulky yarn, and the combination of bulky yarn and my body isn't a good one. The owls are cute, though.

But it's finished, at least, and I can move on to my next project with a clear conscience.

snugglies

2009-12-13T14:33:00.003-05:00

It's winter time, and little ones need to keep warm!

One of my former co-workers is expecting his first child next month, so I've been on a baby knitting spree.

Pattern: Sweet Baby Jayne Hat, by Heather Hill
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in cranberry and terracotta and Vanna's Choice Baby in duckie, on US8 needles
Notes: Based on Jayne's hat from Firefly. It's really cute, but I am 90% sure the pom pom is going to fall apart the first time it goes into the washing machine.

And the baby will need warm feet, of course!

Pattern: Converse Baby Booties
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in cranberry and white, on US4 and US5 needles
Notes: Despite having to weave in a million ends, I lovelovelove this pattern.

This baby is going to be stylin'!

And while I was at all of this baby knitting, one of my favorite babies needed a winter hat.

Pattern: Modified Baby Jayne Hat (68 stitches around, no pom pom)
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in dusty blue and light blue on US8 needles

Doesn't it look adorable with those big blue eyes?

somewhere over the rainbow

2009-12-07T21:51:00.002-05:00

Over the rainbow shawl, that is!

Pattern: Revontuli -huivi/Northern Lights
Yarn: Kauni Wool 8/2 Effektgarn in color EQ (180 gram skein) on US8 needles

I started this to have a project on my train rides home for Thanksgiving, and it was a simple but pleasing lace pattern.

And here it is blocking.

in which a namesake meets his inspiration

2009-11-15T21:38:00.002-05:00

No, not David Tennant. Sorry, guys.

I did spend the weekend playing fangirl at the New England Fan Experience. Since I went by myself I didn't do a lot of the more social stuff, like the dance and costume stuff, but I wandered around the dealers' room and went to several panels (Corin Nemec has freaky skinny legs and John de Lancie really likes sailing) and saw the back of Leonard Nimoy's head as he was herded past.

But the main reason for my going was the presence of Gareth David-Lloyd, who played Ianto Jones on Torchwood. And also known as the inspiration for my Knit Ianto doll. Both the Ianto doll and the Captain Jack doll came with me this weekend, and I got lots of very nice compliments about them.

I went to both of Gareth's panels, and even did the photo session, which was a little bit awkward, but he was very sweet. And at the autograph session yesterday afternoon, I introduced Gareth to Knit Ianto. Amazingly he did not act like I was crazy (he's seen worse from fans) but was quite lovely about it. And he called me "angel," which may have been where my brain froze.

And the two Iantos together:

And since the photo session picture came out well--I am so not photogenic--I'll even post that one.

I think I like fangirling.

putting on my top hat

2009-11-10T22:09:00.002-05:00

I already had two other projects going this past week, yet something made me drop both of them to start a third. And, of course, that's the one I've finished.

Pattern: Keyhole Bow-Tie, from Knit Simple, Fall 2009
Yarn: Berroco Boho in red (~1.5 balls) on US 7 needles

I had my doubts as to how it would come out in this yarn, but I actually like it. The ribbon yarn gives it a shape it wouldn't otherwise have. And I like the colors. Now to see if I ever actually wear it!

Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour

2009-10-31T14:11:00.002-04:00

It's the last day of October, and the last day of Socktoberfest, and thus fitting it's the day I post my Mystery Socktober Socks!

Pattern: Mystery Sock '09 by Through the Loops
Yarn: S.R. Kertzer On Your Toes Bamboo in Gray (1 full skein), plus a little leftover sock yarn, on US 1.5 needles

See that little bit of purple on the toe of the right foot? I ran out of yarn with four rows to go on the second sock! I knew that was a danger with the yarn I was using, which is why I only did three repeats on the leg instead of the called for five. But I came so close and had to finish it off with some leftover Socks that Rock.

It's a very nice pattern, though, and this knitalong was a fun thing to do over October.

Our annual Rhinebeck road trip

2009-10-19T20:11:00.002-04:00

Another year's fun at Rhinebeck has come and gone, alas. Do we really have to wait until next October?

We left Boston very early Saturday morning to head out. The weather forecasts all week had taunted us with warnings of rain and snow. Instead we got a gorgeous, if cold, Saturday to wander around the fair.

The sights from the fairgrounds...

I made a friend:

Monet with her first skein of Socks that Rock:

I made another friend:

This yarn was even more eye-searing in person:

Monet in her new hat:

Our whole crew:

From the Ravelry party:

With Ysolda Teague in her "secret project"--dressed up as Bob!

The youngest member of our crew:

On the way home we did our normal stop in Lenox, where we were met with cold, heavy rain. By the time we left Lee, it had become heavy, golf ball sized snow, which accompanied us across the state back to Boston. The view from the car:

Definitely an out-of-the-ordinary end to our fun weekend!

walking on sunshine

2009-10-06T18:59:00.002-04:00

Sunshine socks, that is!

Pattern: Sunshine, from Sock Innovation by Cookie A.
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in Flamingo Pie on US1.5 needles

This is the first time I've done cabled socks. Constantly pulling out the cable needle was a bit annoying, but I'm pleased with how they came out. And I love the colors of the yarn.

And Kate's got me doing socks again right away--she convinced me to sign up for Mystery Socktoberfest!

pumpkin pretty

2009-10-05T14:34:00.002-04:00

This weekend I went to the Great Glass Pumpkin Patch at MIT. I had gone for the first time a couple of years ago, but I missed it last year. But I made sure I knew when it was this year!

And my pumpkin collection, after yesterday's additions.

she wore a green beret

2009-10-02T17:58:00.002-04:00

(Yes, the Green Berets song would have been more fitting, but I had Prince's Raspberry Beret song stuck in my head the entire time I was making this, so there you go.)

Pattern: Purl Beret, from Purl Soho
Yarn: Koigu KPM in a glorious green (1.16 skeins) in US1 and US3 needles

Ariel gifted me this absolutely gorgeous green Koigu the first time (of many) that I helped her move, knowing that I had been staring at it for months. Seriously, this yarn glows. It's so pretty.

It needed to be seen, so I didn't want to make socks. Then Grumperina started posting about this Koigu beret she was making and, well, that was that. The yarn had found its project. Though I still have most of a skein left to find something to do with.

movie star spotting

2009-09-28T10:07:00.003-04:00

They've been filming a couple of movies recently around Boston, though I'd never seen any of the filming happening. This weekend, however, filming of "The Town" came to a street corner near me. It's a movie directed by Ben Affleck and starring Jon Hamm, so I decided to see if I could see anything. And while a lot of other people got shooed away, I managed to find a spot just next to the crew where I was able to watch for a few hours.

And did I see anyone?

There's Ben on the left and Jon on the right. They were filming a shoot-out scene in the street. So lots of gunfire and screeching tires and the like. I was most excited to see Jon Hamm, as you might be able to guess from the next few shots.

And where I was standing was right next to this.

Both of them came by me at separate points, but I was trying not to be a pest and so I didn't say hi (for which one of the crew women scolded me later. "You should have said hi to him [Jon Hamm]. He totally would have said hi back!"). Oh well. Still a pretty cool way to spend a Saturday morning.

in stitches

2009-09-18T10:06:00.003-04:00

More sewing!

The project that made me drag out the sewing machine again in the first place was a birthday gift for a friend. She's an astronomer, and I was going through my craft materials and found a pair of socks with stars on them. And they were just asking to be made into a sock monkey.

And this past weekend I decided I should make another box bag, this time for myself. So I did.

And the lining even goes with the doggy bag theme!

birthday blips

2009-09-14T22:10:00.001-04:00

A few photos from my birthday...

Puppies playing in Harvard Yard

A cow grazing in Harvard Yard

A cupcake

And the birthday cake I made with my giant cupcake pan (devil's food with vanilla frosting, yum!)

Maybe some year I'll get my wish of finding David Tennant on my doorstep, alas...

thread the needle

2009-09-08T16:19:00.003-04:00

I've actually been using my sewing machine again! I know, it's a freaking miracle. But I'd been feeling the urge for the last month or so, but I had to wait for the temperature to go down. Ironing while melting didn't sound fun. Here's what I've been working on.

I used this box bag tutorial to make the smaller of the two bags, which was pretty small. So, on the next one, I improvised by making the pieces as large as I could get out of the umbrella fabric and went from there. The one thing I had to really guess at was the cutting and stitching of the corners to form the box edges, but I think they came out pretty well. And I even remembered to add the ribbon loop on the second bag.

I'd picked up the fabric at Bazaar Bizarre almost two years ago with a particular friend in mind--and this was even before I had a sewing machine!--and finally I made her something from it. The bags were really not difficult to make and I had fun doing them. And this was also my first time sewing in zippers and using interfacing, so I'm pretty proud all around.

warm hands

2009-08-31T15:37:00.002-04:00

Mittens complete!

Pattern: Skyline Mittens by Emily Miller
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted in purple mystery and Manos in gold on US6 needles

I'd been wanting to do these since they came out since I loved the idea of a city skyline. And even though charts and colorwork and I don't always get along, I'm pleased with how these came out, even if one is larger than the other. But luckily that's only noticeable when they're right next to each other. :)

And now I have absolutely no idea what I want to make next! Time to paw through the stash I guess.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

2009-08-20T17:50:00.003-04:00

The FOs seem to be happening around here, but now I have nothing on the needles!

Pattern: Dublin Bay Socks
Yarn: Twisted Fiber Arts Arial in Netherfield on US 1 needles

As the yarn is self-striping I wanted a simple pattern but something more than just plain stockinette. Dublin Bay gave them a nice little bit of lace down the sides and made them more interesting to knit.

I'm also in love with Twisted Fiber Arts. Her striping yarns are just amazing. And how could I resist a yarn in the colorway Netherfield? Oh, Mr. Bingley. Not quite Mr. Darcy but still, Jane Austen for the win.

pretty in pink

2009-08-18T10:17:00.003-04:00

It's pretty much too hot to move around here, but somehow I've gotten something finished--another Ishbel!

Pattern: Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Maple Creek Farm Superwash Wool/Bamboo/Nylon in Chocolate on US 6 needles

I picked this yarn up at Rhinebeck last year and I knew from the start it wanted to be a scarf of some kind. When I finished my first Ishbel, I knew I would be making another from this yarn.

And now I believe the fan is calling my name....

Think about it, lots of things you can do with a stopwatch.

2009-08-13T14:41:00.004-04:00

Apologies for the long radio silence, folks.

As some of you know, besides being a Doctor Who fan I am also a fan of Torchwood and, in particular, of the pairing of Captain Jack and Ianto. So while watching Children of Earth last month nearly killed me it also gave me the motivation to add a couple more dolls to Who-verse collection.

So, I give you Captain Jack Harkness.

Pattern: Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), same basic pattern as the Doctor dolls
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in natural, charcoal gray, silver gray, silver blue, and black, Red Heart Classic in brown, and Lion Brand Fun Fur in chocolate on US 6 needles

And without the coat:

And I give you Ianto Jones:

Pattern: Ianto Jones, Ninja Teaboy (Gareth David-Lloyd)
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in black, Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in natural, colonial blue, and burgundy, Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in purple, Red Heart Classic in brown, and Lion Brand Fun Fur in chocolate on US 6 needles

And Jack and Ianto together, of course:

Though Jack is very disappointed to learn that neither his nor Ianto's trousers come off. I'm sorry, Jack.

And because the outfits I knit were based on a few of the season three promo shots, I also had to recreate a couple of the scenes.

Unemployment may have given me just a bit too much free time. :)

going green

2009-07-14T20:38:00.002-04:00

With life the way it's been lately, I needed a project to focus on. And so the thought came, "I know! Cookie A patterns have charts! That'll make me focus." And so it did.

Pattern: Angee, from Sock Innovation by Cookie A
Yarn: Reynolds Soft Sea Wool in green (almost 2 skeins) on US1.5 needles
Notes: Not a difficult pattern, but the chart was just complicated enough to make me concentrate on it. Which was what I wanted.

I somehow even finished the first sock in two days of solid knitting. The second one took longer, since Torchwood: Children of Earth was far too engrossing for me to keep looking down at a chart. But it was completed while watching Passchendaele last night. After all, I did have to do some looking away during the battle scenes.

I'm not sure what's next. My other project isn't holding my attention, so I may have to move on to something else...

Buy Westing Paper products

2009-07-08T10:04:00.002-04:00

Nothing to say right now, really. Have some photos from the 4th of July fireworks this weekend on the Esplanade.

all pinked up

2009-06-29T09:22:00.002-04:00

After a month of knitting miles and miles of stockinette, I finally finished my summer sweater last night.

Pattern: Skinny Empire, from Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard
Yarn: Lily Chin Chelsea in pink (7.75 skeins) on US3 and US4 needles
Notes: Extended the sleeve length from cap to elbow, and added ruffles to ends of sleeves.

I feel kind of mixed about this sweater. The top part fits okay, and the empire waist hit at a decent point on me. But the bottom part is really too large. The whole thing could stand to be about a couple of inches smaller all around. But I fell between two of the listed sizes and went with the larger size for knitting. So I'll wear it, but it's not exactly what I hoped. Though I do like the neck ruffle.

a sugar free treat but just as sweet

2009-06-26T13:41:00.002-04:00

A co-worker of mine has been really good about following his no-sugar resolution this year, except when I bring in cupcakes that I've baked. He also likes to (jokingly) tease me about my constant knitting. So when I saw a pattern for a knitted cupcake, there was no way I wasn't making it for him!

Pattern: Cupcake Pincushion, from Spud and Chloe
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in burgundy and white, and Red Heart Classic in red, on US6 needles
Notes: I omitted the pincushion part and put the bottom of a plastic water bottle in the base to help it hold its shape.

Sweet!

putting your best foot forward

2009-06-19T16:19:00.002-04:00

These may be just plain ol' stockinette socks, but I'm so happy they're finally done!

Pattern: Basic stockinette sock (70 stitches)
Yarn: Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett, about 1.5 balls, on US1 needles
Notes: These are from the second batch of colors done by Kaffe for Regia and I like the second group so much more.

I've had these on the needles since March, as a bring along with me project, but they kept getting pushed aside for other projects. But now they're finally done, they fit well, and I can move on to something else!

And I'm a big fan of all of the colors...

baby soft

2009-06-09T10:25:00.003-04:00

This weekend we had a baby shower for Danielle, so I can finally show you a few other gifty projects I've been working on.

Pattern: Wee Leafy Baby Set by Pamela Wynne
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Lemongrass on US4 needles
Notes: I upped the stitch count a bit to make it a little bigger, as the baby is due in July and so won't need a hat until the winter! Also omitted the leaf details.

And then there's this guy:

Pattern: Elijah, by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in light blue (1.2 skeins), on US3 needles
Notes: I wanted to keep this guy for myself. Love the pattern construction--no seaming! And I especially love his lovely spiral paws.

And one more yarny picture. Yesterday my work took me out for a goodbye lunch--I'll be finishing there, sadly, at the end of the month (and if you know of an open librarian/archivist position in Boston, I'd love to know about it!). And, as part of my thank you gift, they gave me two lovely skeins of Sundara. Yes, Sundara.

Working with other knitters is good.

Extermiknit!

2009-05-28T18:26:00.003-04:00

The year of Doctor Who knitting started last May, when I decided to knit a TARDIS for my friend's birthday. That led to the idea to knit my own Tenth Doctor. And then I got crazy and knit a second mini David Tennant. Oh yeah, and there was the Adipose I knit for Liz...

Anyway, it had come around again to my friend's birthday, and I was trying to figure out what to make or get him. And, eventually, I came around to this.

Pattern: Extermiknit!, the Dalek, by Penwiper
Yarn: Cascade 220 Quatro in a pink shade and Valley Yarns Amherst in eggplant, on US 4 needles
Notes: And it just turned out so cute that I then had to make one for myself, which led to this:

Yarn: Lamb's Pride Brown Sheep Worsted in periwinkle and Patons Classic Merino in peacock, on US 4 needles
Notes: Two color knitting and I still have a difference of opinion, but I'm newly in love with corrugated ribbing.

So, in the time period before I mailed off the pink Dalek to his new home, that meant I had two Doctor Whos and two Daleks in my apartment. Which inevitably led to these (I was going for battle scenes, but I didn't have enough hands, and the Doctors did not want to stand up on their own)...

And yes, I have been told that I am both daft and bonkers. In the best possible way, of course.

then I go out at night and paint the stars

2009-05-25T12:30:00.002-04:00

(Entry title courtesy of Vincent Van Gogh.)

A few months ago, I played around with some fabric paints and a pumpkin carving stencil and came out with this bag. I really liked it, but the strap on the bag wasn't long enough for me to put it over my shoulder, which meant it wasn't going to get nearly as much use as I wanted.

So, this weekend, I pulled out the paints again, cut out some more stencils, and made a few larger bags celebrating my favorite sci-fi shows.

Here's another Doctor Who bag, using the same template as before.

And then I had to do this one of Wash, my favorite character from Firefly. This one didn't come out quite as well; I think the main problem is how much of his face needed to painted so it makes it look a little odd.

But this one is my favorite of this batch. I had found this dark bag at home and just needed to use the red paint for the lovely pairing of Jack and Ianto from Torchwood.

I just love the warmth of the color with the strength of the image.

la bella

2009-05-19T10:25:00.002-04:00

I finished my Ishbel this weekend.

Pattern: Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock mediumweight in Thistle (less than one skein) on US6 needles

I know the lace doesn't pop as much in the variegated yarn, but I'm still very pleased with it.

This was a pretty quick knit, and I think I'm going to have to do another eventually. There's a skein of pink yarn in stash that's just begging to be another Ishbel.

fluffy faces

2009-05-17T22:55:00.002-04:00

Catherine and I got up very early yesterday morning to do a quick roadtrip out to the Webs tent sale. I don't actually have any photos of yarn for you--though, trust me, plenty was purchased--but I do have some of the friends we made outside.

There was a raffle to take one of them home, but somehow I didn't think they'd like living in my apartment.

a designer visit

2009-05-14T23:11:00.002-04:00

Ysolda Teague has been visiting around the mid Atlantic and New England these last few weeks, and today she was at Windsor Button here in Boston. She brought lots of lovely samples to look at, and toys to play with, and her book to sign (and even Jess from Ravelry). All of the things were beautiful--or adorable--but the thing that kept me going back to it the most? The exquisite feet on Elijah the elephant.

I love how they come to those lovely flat centers.

I ran into some people I hadn't seen for a while, and chatted with the guest of honor (who kindly didn't cringe too much at my brightly variegated Ishbel in progress--though I do plan to do another in a lovely semi-solid pink I found buried in my stash, eventually), and even met someone who invoked my adored Helene Hanff in conversation. Yay for kindred reading spirits!

And, because I am a dork, I did get a picture with Ysolda.

See, Kate? I did meet her.

Painting the town pink

2009-05-10T21:10:00.003-04:00

A birthday girl has to have a new outfit, in her favorite color of course!

Pattern: Monica, from Knitty, size 4
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Pink-a-boo and Tea Rose (less than one skein each) on US6 needles

The birthday girl loved her "new dress"! The only problem with the pattern is that cotton stretches, which means the straps stretch. Five minutes after this picture was taken, the tank was around her waist! I'm going to get some ribbon to make new straps and get rid of the knitted ones, so she can actually wear it out of the house.

Petting zoo

2009-04-27T09:36:00.002-04:00

This weekend was the annual sheepshearing festival at Gore Place, a historic house in the suburbs. It was a gorgeous day, and I met up with some friends from knitting to wander around the stalls of craft vendors and to eat fair food and to just enjoy the sunshine. But I got there a little early, as I'm like a four year old when it comes to being around animals, so I spent some time communing with furry friends.

Here's a sheep being sheared.

And some before and afters in the pen nearby.

A little lamb.

This alpaca was humming loudly at me.

A stern looking bearded goat.

A lovely miniature horse.

I so want an English Lop rabbit. So soft! He felt just like the stuffed animal bunny on my bed.

Massive bundles of yarn outside one of the tents.

And the colonial militia marching across the hill.

It was a great day. I'm sorry it only comes around once a year!

Hop to it

2009-04-15T11:03:00.002-04:00

Early last week a friend of mine in London was lamenting the Lindt chocolate bunny that had appeared on her desk. "That thing's worth 24 Weight Watchers points, and I only get 18 in a day!" With that kind of opening, and having seen this pattern going around the web, there was no way I could resist making her a point-free and calorie-free chocolate bunny.

Pattern: Chocolate Bunny, from Blah, Blah, Blahhhg
Yarn: Red Heart Classic in brown, on US 6 needles
Notes: Fast, fun, and adorable!

In an odd coincidence, at work yesterday I was listening to the Jonathan Ross show on BBC Radio 2 from this past weekend (so taped a few days after my friend had talked about chocolate bunnies), hosted by David Tennant and Catherine Tate. And, at one point, David and a caller were talking about the 24 points in a Lindt chocolate bunny! The strange ways in which the parts of my life intersect...

waves of color

2009-04-13T11:10:00.002-04:00

Want to see a project that is totally my colors?

Pattern: Easy Drop Stitch Scarf, from Frazzled Knits
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Silkie in Seastone (1 skein), on size 5 needles
Notes: Just as easy as the title says!

I love how the colors work with pattern, making waves. And these vibrant purpley blues and greens and yellows are very much my colors. I'm really pleased with this scarf.

cross that one off of the list

2009-04-09T20:10:00.002-04:00

Lesson learned today: a dangerous place to be is in a yarn shop the day they receive their shipment of Koigu. Oy, was that temptation. I managed to resist, somehow, but there was a lot of pretty there that did not come home with me.

So, that recent case of start-itis resulted in a completely unplanned project. I happened to see a pattern in a book Irene brought to Knitsmiths, remembered that I had this random skein yarn that I had gotten from Thea at a Knitsmiths swap, and a few days later, I had another scarf.

Pattern: Cross Stitch Scarf, from 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders
Yarn: Danette Taylor Handpainted (one skein) on US11 needles

I don't even know who it's for, it almost feels like it made itself. But that's another random ball from the stash accounted for!

pretty progress

2009-04-05T13:01:00.002-04:00

Haven't disappeared, really. Other than a project that was a gift, I've actually been having a case of knitting start-itis. I've cast on three or four projects in the last couple of weeks and haven't worked that much on any one of them before going on to the next. But a few things have gotten done, somehow, including finishing that knitted gift.

Pattern: Koigu Lace Shawl, from Kaleidoscope Yarns
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in watercolor (2 skeins), on US6 needles
Notes: Instead of the five different colors called for, I just did the whole thing in one colorway. Fairly simple lace pattern.

It was a friend of mine's birthday this past week, and I thought she needed something pretty this year, so this shawl came into being.

I'm really pleased with it, and I hope that she likes it, too!

I'm out of good hat lines

2009-03-11T22:10:00.002-04:00

And, a day later, here's the second hat in my spree.

Pattern: Icing Swirl Hat, by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky in spice, about 3/4 of a skein, on US10.5 needles

I had picked up the yarn at the Knitsmiths swap last month because I really liked the color. And I tried the take-photos-of-myself-using-the-bathroom-mirror thing again, but it didn't work so well this time around. So Cat was kind enough to take some photos before knitting group tonight, which got us stared at by some people in Qdoba. Knitters providing entertainment, as usual.

Tipping my hat

2009-03-10T17:33:00.002-04:00

I seem to be in hat mode right now. There's something about a quick project that is soothing to me at the moment; the lacy scarf I started the other day has already been put aside (it will be picked up again, I swear). This hat is the first (and not the last) I've started in the last few days.

Pattern: Smoky, by Kate Harris
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Heavyweight in lemongrass (0.32 of a skein) on US3 and US9 needles

Maybe I was hoping that by knitting it, I would bring spring closer? Not that it worked; between the time I cast on the hat and when I put it on for picture taking tonight, it's gone from cold to nice to snowing again.

I love the color of this yarn, and I've got a good chunk of the skein left. Guess I'll have to find something else to do with it. :)

And I was amused by having to block it on a dinner plate to stretch out the lace, so I had to take a picture of that as well.

And now back to hat #2...

Waving on by

2009-03-04T13:41:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to knit from stash lately--I haven't bought yarn in two months, go me!--and I'd had these three skeins of Berroco Jasper hanging around. They were always meant to be a stripey scarf, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted until I found this pattern.

Pattern: Waving Chevron Scarf, by leethal
Yarn: Berroco Jasper, 1 skein each in red, blue, and green, on size 10.5 US needles
Notes: I just knit away until I ran out of yarn. Quick knit for a scarf, and the yarn is so soft and totally yummy. If I could afford it I'd make a sweater out of it just to have something ultra cozy in which to curl up.

And the long view:

Is it bigger on the inside?

2009-03-02T13:09:00.002-05:00

I hadn't planned on doing more Doctor Who stuff for a while, but I spent a good chunk of the weekend wandering around my apartment doing every little task or project I could find. And this was one of the results:

I had picked up the bag and fabric paint months ago, and the stencil is from a jack o'lantern carving. I found it here months ago and, as I'm not much of a pumpkin carver, I thought this might be a fun use for it. So now I have a Doctor Who and his TARDIS bag.

The lizard creeps home

2009-02-23T21:27:00.003-05:00

Way back in the middle of 2007, I started making squares for the Lizard Ridge afghan. About six months later, I finished knitting my 25 squares (I was going for a 5 x 5 blanket), and three months after that I spent a weekend crocheting ten of those squares together. Then I had visitors staying with me, and I had to clean the laid out squares off of the floor. They've been sitting under my table ever since.

That is, until this weekend. After 12 hours of crocheting yesterday, and another 4 today, it's finally done.

Pattern: Lizard Ridge afghan, from Knitty
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, many skeins in many colorways (I've long since lost track), on US 8 needles. Crocheted together with leftover Cascade 220, and border done in Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in periwinkle, all using a J hook.
Notes: I love the colors.

It's really nice to see the whole thing come together, especially after so long. But I may never pick up a crochet hook again after this; 16 hours over the last two days has just been too much!

And I even managed to finish it before another winter has ended, so I can get some use out of it this season!

I can hardly believe it's done. But it's now in place on my sofa, waiting to be snuggled up in.

Toes up!

2009-02-19T22:09:00.003-05:00

My first pair of toe up socks, and I'm kind of in love.

Pattern: Coupling, from Knitty
Yarn: Fleece Artist Sea Wool in Marine (less than a skein) on US 1.5 needles

For me, the steps I used and the pattern and the yarn were essentially the perfect combination. I used this Turkish cast on for the toe, which I loved, and which didn't require short rows. I used a picot bind off on the cuff; I had originally used a decrease bind off, which looked gorgeous, but I couldn't get the sock over my heel. The picot gives enough elasticity to get the sock on and off. And in between was this complex looking, but actually quite simple lace pattern. This pattern also uses a heel flap construction, which I much prefer to a short row heel, so it's been pretty win win all around.

And I love the yarn. Fleece Artist Sea Wool is one of my new favorites.

This was a really enjoyable and satisfying project, and I'm really pleased with how they came out!

why can't my fat be as cute as this?

2009-02-08T13:44:00.002-05:00

I wasn't planning to do more Doctor Who knitting right away, but I needed a quick project and I had a friend (who's a fellow Who-vian) who needed a little cheering up. And this was the result:

Pattern: Adipose, by mazzmatazz (pattern removed from the internet after dispute with the BBC)
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in white and a tiny bit of Paton's Classic Merino in black, on size 6 needles
Notes: I had this pattern saved from before the dispute and have been wanting to knit it for a long time. It's totally adorable.

If you don't know what an Adipose is, they're aliens from a season four episode of Doctor Who and are essentially fat-based. Here's what they looked like on the show:

And here's the one I made hanging out with some friends:

I think I need to make another one for myself!

Snowy day

2009-01-29T09:30:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a kind of sort of snow day, so I spent it at home knitting away. More friends are expecting little ones in the next few months, so it was time to get working on more gifts!

Pattern: Umbilical Cord Hat, from Stitch n Bitch
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in burgundy and Berroco Chinchilla in brown, on size 7 needles
Notes: I knit about an inch in the chinchilla to give it a furry brim, and then did the rest in the burgundy. Quick knit.

Pattern: One Hour Baby Booties, from Stitch n Bitch Nation
Yarn: Lion Brand Color Waves, on size 8 needles
Notes: Really quick knit. The yarn is extremely annoying to knit with. Are baby feet really this small?

And they wouldn't fit on my teddy bear, so the poodle got a chance to model.

So, a couple more FOs completed, and a little bit more yarn from my stash used up!

Though the winter weather can end now; I just took a nasty little wipe out on the ice outside. I'm fine, but owww.

Yes, I knit another Doctor Who. Am I crazy? Well, that's up to you.

2009-01-27T22:04:00.003-05:00

My second version of the Tenth Doctor would like to say hello.

Pattern: Doctor Who, Tenth Doctor, Mini David Tennant, Doctor in the Brown Suit, etc.
Yarn: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Chocolate, Beige, White, Burgundy, and Pearl Mist; Lion Brand Fun Fur in Chocolate, on size 6 needles
Notes: As before, I heavily modified the basic doll pattern from Kath Dalmeny's World of Knitted Toys. And I changed the yarn for the hair.

I kind of really like the air this version of the Doctor gives off--it has personality. And, of course, it has the shoes, too.

And the two Doctors are hanging out together with the TARDIS, of course.

(Though they're having to share the glasses for the time being.)

knitting for a new arrival

2009-01-08T11:10:00.002-05:00

It's a new year, and a new little one is soon to be born, so I've been doing a storm of baby knitting. My favorite two-and-a-half year old, the Mouse, is soon to have a baby brother! I'm currently referring to him as the Mouseketeer. And here are a few things I've made for him recently.

Pattern: V-Neck Cardigan with Contrast Ribs, from Debbie Bliss's Baby Knits for Beginners, 3-6 month size
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Jungle Green (most of a skein) and Orange (small amount) on size 6 needles
Notes: Simple, quick knit.

Pattern: Kurbis baby hat (otherwise known as Pumpkin Hat)
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Orange and Jungle Green on size 3 needles
Notes: Very cute!

My teddy bear tried both of these projects on and liked them as well:

And one more baby project:

Pattern: Infant Socks, from the 2007 Knitting Pattern-a-Day calendar
Yarn: Regia Color 4-ply (remains from the Monkeys I knit for stariel) on size 1.5 needles
Notes: Also very fast.

So hopefully the little one will be warm in this cold winter!

so, I was wrong

2008-12-29T00:36:00.003-05:00

I did manage to finish one more work-in-progress before the end of the year!

Pattern: Slipped Stitch Rib socks, from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Regia 4-fadig Canadian Colour in Quebec (less than one skein) on 1.5US needles
Notes: This is the third time I've done this pattern. It's nice and stretchy so it works well on my feet and with variegated yarns.

My other works-in-progress will probably be on hold for a bit while I start some projects with deadlines, but I have promised myself that I will return to them! Especially that pesky Lizard Ridge that's been in hibernation since last March--eep!

I hope you all have a very happy new year!

I knit in the skating rink and at the Hippodrome

2008-12-22T14:11:00.001-05:00

At work the other day I was going through a bunch of sheet music from musicals from the 1910s and 1920s, and came across a song that just needed to be shared here:

Knit, Knit, Knit, from the musical Jack O'Lantern
by Anna Caldwell and Ivan Caryll

Ev'ry day you find me just as busy as can be
As I knit, knit, knit.
Yards and yards of comfies made to send across the sea
As I knit, knit, knit.
I knit in the Subway and wher'ever I may roam
I knit in the Skating Rink and at the Hippodrome
You always knit in public, dear, but do you knit at home? Nit!
We love to knit Nit!

Refrain:
Cast on thirty-three
Plain as plain can be,
Lightly pull thro the wool,
Khaki or gray--
Drop a stitch,
Like a mouse,
It runs away
While my work is through
How I wish I knew
As I'm knitting, and I'm purling as busy as a bee
Will the fellow who may wear this ever think of me? Nit!

Each of us is thinking of a fellow very dear,
As we knit, knit, knit.
Some of them are far away and some are very near
As we knit, knit, knit.
I gave him a promise that from flirting I'd reform
Swore I'd never give another man my kisses warm
Will you keep your promise when you see a uniform Nit!
We love to knit Nit!

short and sweet

2008-12-20T17:21:00.004-05:00

A couple of quick projects--and probably the last projects that I will actually have finished before the end of the year!

Pattern: Calorimetry, from knitty
Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft Aran in red (less than one skein), on size 7 needles
Notes: Done in one day in November. Cut back on the number of short rows called for since it was getting huge.

Pattern: Turn A Square hat, by Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn: Valley Yarns Northampton in navy and gray, Rowan RYC Cashsoft Aran in red (left over from the Calorimetry, above), on size 6 and 7 needles
Notes: Just did stripes of a couple different scrap yarns instead of using a self striping yarn. It's for a gift for a guy, so I felt a little less like using my purple and pink Noro scraps. :)

It's very snowy out there--maybe I'll get some more knitting done after all!

The suitcase is always heavier when you return

2008-12-15T20:57:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine asked to see the souvenirs I brought home from London. So here's a glimpse at what nearly made my bag overweight on the way back.

The books:

Stephen Fry's new book, In America. It doesn't come out here until next May and, while I missed his book signing at Harrod's by two days (!), the copy I picked up at Waterstone's is signed. The Virago Modern Classic edition of 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. This is my second copy of the book, but there was no way I could resist. It's one of my all time favorites. And three Persephone Books. Persephone reprints beautiful editions of books by forgotten women writers. I only get copies of their books when I am in London, so they are a true souvenir. This trip's group are Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary by Ruby Ferguson, The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Consequences by E.M. Delafield.

The crafts:

Two half meters of Rowan matrioshka fabric from Liberty. That's where I also drooled over the Amy Butler fabric, but it was simply too expensive. And a Shaun the Sheep knitting kit from iKnit London.

And the Who stuff:

The Doctor Who lunchbag I justified buying by the fact that it was insulated and could hold a lunch, but which is now currently sitting on my dresser next to the mini-David Tennant.

And the Doctor Who slipper socks. Oh yeah, like I was going to walk into Woolworth's and resist these? Hee!

London calling

2008-12-08T16:43:00.002-05:00

I'm back from my trip, though I'm fully wishing I weren't. I don't even know where to start when talking about it; it was just a wonderful time, full of great people and sights and things, and it was a lovely diversion from real life. My friend's wedding was absolutely gorgeous. I met some amazing people. I got almost no knitting done at all. And I saw Hamlet. Such a great week.

Here's a very small selection of pictures...

At iKnit in London:

The wall of Amy Butler fabrics I drooled over at Liberty (and the photo I got scolded for taking :):

Mini-David Tennant did join me for the trip, and I brought him with me to the Doctor Who exhibit, of course!

And Hamlet was absolutely brilliant, and David Tennant mesmerizing. We were six rows from the stage and so close, it was amazing. We went to the stage door afterward and got incredibly lucky, as he came out the door directly behind us instead of through the actual stage door. And, yes, I did get his autograph. And, no, I did not show him mini-David Tennant. I don't want him to think I'm entirely nuts.

Such a wonderful trip. Now to return the real world...

elegance and opulence

2008-11-24T09:40:00.002-05:00

The Opulent Raglan, c'est fini!

Pattern: Opulent Raglan by Wendy Bernard, from the fall 2008 Knitscene
Yarn: Plymouth Galway Highland Heather in green, 5.5 skeins, on size 5 & 6 needles
Notes: Followed the pattern pretty much exactly, other than adding a couple of extra rows to the neckline

A close up of the pretty, pretty cable:

And of the sleeve:

I'm so glad to have it done; I didn't want an unfinished sweater waiting for me when I got back from trip. Speaking of which, must get back to packing/preparing/looking things up/clearing the mountain of post-its from my desk...

a hodgepodge

2008-11-21T15:51:00.002-05:00

1. At work the other day one of my co-workers came across something random in the collection she's working on. It's a ticket, which I'm guessing is from London Public Transport in the early 20th century.

What's so interesting about that, you might ask? Well, on the back of the ticket is an advertisement for a yarn shop!

The picture's crappy since I took it with my cell phone but it says "Annette Ltd. Specialist Wool Shops, Wools in a Variety to Amaze and Delight You." I just thought it was kind of cool.

2. You may have seen the forum thread about this over on Ravelry, but LIFE Magazine teamed up with Google to create a digital image archive. The pictures are a lot of fun to look through, and there are even five pages of knitting-related photos. This is one of my favorites. And I'm very amused by this one.

3. And I'll let mini-David Tennant make the big announcement of the week:

I'm heading to London next week for a friend's wedding, and I had tried desperately to get a ticket to see David Tennant in Hamlet (which opens in London while I'm there) when they first went on sale but had had no luck. But thanks to the niceness of someone on the internet, I'm going to get to go see it! I'm so excited. I love Shakespeare, I love David Tennant, I love London. This is going to be a fabulous trip.

playing catch up

2008-11-19T21:55:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning and meaning to update, but things have been a little crazy around here. I was home for a week or so and then have been running myself ragged since then. But I can share a few pictures, at least!

One of the reasons I was home was to be a bridesmaid in the wedding of two of my oldest friends (I've known the groom since I was six years old, and the bride since I was twelve). And I wore the shrug that I had knit to go over my bridesmaid dress. Here is one of the less bad pictures of me (blast not being photogenic!):

And a couple of poodle pictures from while I was home, while I'm at it...

The poodle with his very long legs:

And camoflauged in the woods:

(the bandage on his leg is from blood tests at the vet earlier that day)

I've got a couple of other things to share, but I'll save them for another post. Anne of Avonlea is on PBS right now, so I'm going to go curl up with my knitting and my first love, Gilbert Blythe, for awhile.

how I love those boys of summer

2008-10-30T11:08:00.003-04:00

I've waited fifteen years to see images like these:

(borrowed from several websites)

In 1993 I fell in love with baseball and with the Philadelphia Phillies. That year was full of highs and lows (I still cringe when I hear the name "Joe Carter") but my love for the sport and the team stuck. And last night, the Phillies won the World Series. It was a beautiful sight.

At the beginning of the World Series I realized that I would have a minimum of four games worth of knitting time, and I should probably start a new project to work on. I didn't expect to finish it--and I didn't--but I got a good amount accomplished, so here's a work-in-progress peek at my Opulent Raglan:

I'm calling it my World Series sweater. And what a World Series it was. Yay Phillies! Phinally!

shrug it off

2008-10-22T09:37:00.003-04:00

I finished this up last night while watching five episodes of season one of Mad Men, so now at least I can wear it to the wedding I'm in next month!

Pattern: Little Silk Shrug, from Lace Style
Yarn: Louisa Harding Jasmine (3 2/3 skeins) on size 7 and 8 needles
Notes: The sleeves are too big, as usual. I had sized up since there was no way the original stitch count would work but, as usual, I overestimated and made it too big. But at least it won't fall off my shoulders, unlike my last knit shrug.

I wasn't trying it on with the dress, since the dress is hanging all neatly in my closet, but if the wedding pictures come out okay I'll post a few here later on.

But doesn't it look nice with my shoes for the wedding?

Rhinebeck recap, part 2

2008-10-21T07:26:00.002-04:00

The evening

The Ravelry party

As you can see, my miniature Doctor Who did come along with me for the weekend, and he attended the Ravelry party. I had already gotten a lot of comments that day in regard to the Yarn Harlot's post, as well as a few people who had no idea who the doll was of but told me they "liked my boyfriend." :) But at the party I had my most surreal moment of the weekend. We were sitting at our table when Danielle, who had a better view of the room, turned to me and said, "um, I think the Yarn Harlot's pointing at you." A minute later Stephanie brought over a group of people to meet my David Tennant, saying one of her friends had a bit of a crush. Hee! They took pictures, and I even got asked if his pants come off (for the record: no. But his jacket does). And Stephanie told me it was the funniest thing she'd seen on her book tour. I think my knitting fame is complete!

Our group's combined loot

What I got

Let's see, there's two skeins of Sheldridge Farms sock yarn in Fury, Sock that Rock Silkie in Seastone, a Socks that Rock lightweight mill end that's not labeled but I think is Lettuce Knit, Socks that Rock lightweight in The Cookie Next Door, and Kraemer black yarn with sterling silver in the top row, two skeins of Brooks Farm solo in the middle row, and eight skeins of Plymouth Galway in a green heather on the bottom.

But that's not all! On the way home we stopped, as we had done the year before, in Lenox and visited Colorful Stitches, who were having a fall sale. So I came out of there with these:

That's two skeins of Colinette Jitterbug (40% off!) and two skeins of the new Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarn.

We had also stopped at the Jo Ann's Fabric store near our hotel and then made a stop at the going-out-of-business Fabric Place in Framingham on the way home. So I also got these:

And yes, I did go over my budget for the weekend. But I got some nice stuff, and I had a fabulous time. I can't wait until next year!

Rhinebeck recap, part 1: the massive photo post

2008-10-20T17:54:00.002-04:00

Rhinebeck was overwhelming, exhausting, and a total blast. For the most part I'm just going to let the photos tell the story.

The drive:

The Sheep and Wool festival:

Here are Sophia, Michelle, Catherine, and me, with Danielle and Kim in front:

Meeting some fellow Who-vians, courtesy of Iko:

Part 2 tomorrow, including the Ravelry party (and my most surreal moment of the weekend), how we spent Sunday, and what I acquired from all of our excursions. :)

what a difference a day makes

2008-10-17T13:32:00.002-04:00

Wow.

Seriously. Wow.

My little blog doesn't quite know what to make of all of the attention it's gotten over the last couple of days. Before the Yarn Harlot posted yesterday I had twenty hits that day. Since then it's gotten close to 400 hits. Wowzers.

Hello to all of you who have wandered over here from there, and thanks for all of the compliments on my knitted Doctor Who! My original post about the Doctor is here, if you want more info or want to see more pictures. As to the question of whether the pattern will be for sale, the answer is no. It's a heavily modified combination of a couple of existing patterns (including the basic doll pattern from World of Knitted Toys) plus a lot of improvisation and some creativity. I just wanted something a lot more huggable than an action figure, considering David Tennant looks fairly huggable to me. And it's far closer than I'll ever get to getting a hug from the real thing. :)

I'm off to Rhinebeck for the weekend, and I think I'll be bringing the Doctor along with me, so if you see us wandering around, please say hi! I'll definitely be at the Ravelry meetup and party on Saturday.

(Oh, and if by any chance you should happen to have a spare ticket to see David in Hamlet on December 3rd that you'd part with for much closer to face value than they're going for on ebay, let me know. :)

a visit from the Yarn Harlot

2008-10-15T22:04:00.003-04:00

I know, I know, I know. I disappeared. There really hasn't been much to write about, or I haven't felt like it, I don't know. But this week is certainly fiber-filled, so hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things.

The Yarn Harlot was here in Boston tonight, giving a talk and doing a reading from her new book. My pictures from during the talk aren't good, but I got a great one later on. Knowing that she's a sci-fi fan and a Doctor Who fan, I had to bring along a special guest for the evening--my own knit Doctor Who doll.

Me: "Yes, I knit my own David Tennant."
Stephanie: "That's a great way to get one!"
Hee!

And now I am all pins and needles, waiting to see the outcome of the Phillies game tonight!

a hasty update

2008-09-18T23:17:00.003-04:00

I literally just kitchenered the toe of the second sock on my bus ride home and I haven't even weaved in the ends, but here are a pair of socks!

Pattern: Monkeys, from Knitty
Yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Pebble Beach, on size 2.5 needles
Notes: Did these purl-free, which I find flows better for me

And a picture from my birthday dinner last week:

That's caflygrl, me, and boringknitter.

And the poodle who came to dinner with us:

much nicer than a glass of hemlock

2008-09-09T09:46:00.002-04:00

The blanket, it is done, it is done!

Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket, by Brooklyn Tweed
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Autumn Heather, 4 skeins plus about one yard from the 5th, on size 10 Inox circular needles
Notes: It's a beautiful pattern. I used thinner yarn than called for which I think actually helped the center block out better than others have said it does using the Eco Wool. But the bind off, oy. It took me somewhere between five and six hours to do the entire bind off row. Luckily, it looks nice. :)

So, the wedding gift for the early November wedding is done. I should probably start working on the shrug I need to wear over my dress for that wedding. I guess that means my next project is already set!

And now to enjoy/survive my last day in my 20s...

a sewing interlude

2008-09-07T13:31:00.003-04:00

I haven't disappeared, not entirely at least. I'm still working on the Hemlock Ring blanket, but I've reached the bind off row at least. It's going to take a while just to get through that, but soon, hopefully soon it'll be completed.

In the meantime, here's the first project I made on my new sewing machine. It's another sock knitting bag, for my friend Kate's birthday.

It came out pretty well, and I'm still pleased with myself for figuring out how to wind the bobbin and thread the machine!

And now back to binding off!

what spare time?

2008-08-20T20:40:00.002-04:00

Things have been crazy around here, between work and crafting and the imminent departure of two of my closest friends. So, here's a little sum up in pictures.

Ariel's going away party:

Cassandra's going away party:

My new sewing machine, on my new sewing table:

My progress on that pesky Ravelympics project that I'm most likely not going to finish before the Olympics end:

The Doctor thinks it's cuddly.