The Crafty Knitty Gritty

Mobile Uploads Begin!

2012-01-05T11:41:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays to me because I lost my phone...then upgraded to an iPhone! The benefit is that I can now post mobile, so when I think "oh, I should really take a picture of his and put it up on my blog," I can! I'm super excited about it. The only drawback so far is that sometimes typos or upload problems occur because I'm typing with only my first digits, so please forgive any typos!

Its Snowing Lace!

2012-01-05T11:04:00.001-08:00

My brother's girlfriend is a world class skier and when I heard she has a snowflake collection, I thought it would be a great opportunity to practice my tatting. I picked out a few patterns I thought I could handle and started tatting. I made one with size 10, but it wasn't nearly dainty enough, so these are the three I'm satisfied with. Unlike knitting, you can't undo the rings in tatting so I had to start and restart the big one a few times, but it turned out gorgeously! All three were starched and blocked. Let's see how she likes them!

Pink Potholders

2011-12-31T18:45:00.001-08:00

My brother (who has been featured in this blog before) has recently purchased and moved into his own house. While I was chatting with him about it, he mentioned he needed potholders. (Though it could just be that he was making cookies at the time.) I pulled out some cotton yarn I've had for a while and invented the pattern as I went, and I think it turned out quite well. I then had the rest of the yarn left, so I made a washcloth/potholder with the rest. I decided to take advantage of the self-striping to accentuate the pattern, worked from corner to corner. Both patterns available free on Ravelry here. Made with Bernat Handicrafter cotton stripes in "pinky stripes" and size 7 Kollage Yarn square needles. I decided pink would be ok for my brother because I know he's manly enough to be pretty in pink.

Tatted Hankie

2011-12-29T19:14:00.001-08:00

I'm learning to tat, how fun! I volunteered at the county fair for a charity organization and while there walked around the home and hobby area. There was a group of ladies making lace and offered to teach whoever would come to their meetings. I was the only one of those who signed up who actually turned up at a meeting! This is one of my first projects (in progress). It's a tatted edging on a handkerchief for my grandma, who always seems to need one. I'll post the final when complete.

I've been remiss...

2011-03-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

It has recently come to my attention that people actually read my blog, who knew?! Unfortunately, I have been remiss in posting recently. Though I have been feverishly crafting, I have had difficulty remembering to take pictures of my projects before they are sent off or finding time to take pictures of the projects for me. (taking the time to pose, find someone to take the picture,etc) I have also taken a fair amount of time to move into a new apartment and study for the bar, which takes quite a bit of time. Nevertheless, I intend to update my blog shortly, as soon as photos are taken and sent to me, with a flurry of new posts soon to follow.
Enjoy!

How Neato my Brother Is

2011-03-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

My little brother has appeared several times in my blog. He is one of the natural, and perhaps unfortunate recipients of my knitted gifts. Sometimes he actually requests me to knit things! He has recently graduated from Cal Poly with a Masters in Biomedical Engineering, and has been able to publish his thesis here: http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/448
Its full of science-y things like tissue engineering and microfluidics, things the whole family can enjoy!

I hope he doesn't think that because he's published, he will be able to avoid posing for more ridiculous photographs of knitted things to post on my blog. ;)

Cross-stitch Birth Announcement

2010-05-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, my friend recently had twins. I had made a birth announcement for their eldest, and thought it would be an appropriate response for the twins. I didn't like any of the ones in the store, and so few had enough room for two names, so i found a picture of one and made it myself using the picture as a guide, hoping I got the colors right. I waited until they were born to get the names and date, and they were born on my brother's birthday! (several years later of course). Then I had my mom frame it nicely with some lace, and I hope to deliver it soon (i know, a year later!)

Viking Balaclava

2010-05-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

There are so many neat patterns on the internet, and every once in a while, my brother, Evan, will find a neat one and ask me if I can make it. Yes, of course I can (as long as it isn't a crochet pattern...) He sent me a picture of a moustached balaclava, and I found a viking one that I thought was neater, and so did he. After he agreed to pay for the yarn (yay!) and I got his head measurements, I started the math, and started knitting. (I'll get a picture of him wearing it when I can)
Here's what I used:
Pattern: Hat and Beard
Yarn: Wool Ease in Ranch Red (he really wanted a bright red!), Cocoa, Grey Heather, and Fisherman
To make the hat pattern into an adult size, I used size 10 dpns and because my brother's head is so big, added an extra round of increases. Other than that, it was fairly similar to the pattern. I stopped about 1.5 inches away from the hat edge to change to grey and make the rivet band. I changed that around a bit, as you can see. the rest was fairly simple.

I debated adding braids to it, but i'll let my brother decide.

Spades Scarf

2010-05-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

I recently joined ravelry.com in order to buy the pattern for those cute slippers, and after I joined, found out what a great website it is for knitters. I input all my needles so i can keep track, and I can add projects to do to organize them, stash yarn so i have it virtually organized, and i can assign projects to stashed yarns so I can use up my stash! (a great idea when you're moving). In organizing my stash, i came upon a lot of yarns that i only had one skein, and some were a bit old. One of which was this Lion Brand Microspun. Its so small, what am i going to do with it? Ravelry to the rescue! I searched patterns that were on ravelry to find one that only required one skein of microspun yarn, and found this scarf.

It was on the Martha Stewart website, and called for a different yarn, but the yarn I had could make gauge with size 5 needles. This pattern also accomplished what i bought the yarn for in the first place- it was so soft, i wanted to make it into something that would be nice on my skin. I'm calling it a "spades" scarf, because of the shape the front ends make. It knit up very nicely, its in garter stitch with slipped stitch edges.

French Press Knits Slippers

2010-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

After my slipper socks started falling apart, I thought I should make some new ones, but this time I wanted some that were cute, and with the wool i found on sale (yay!), i figured they should be knitted. In searching for a pattern online, I came across tons of patterns, and none really impressed me until I came across this one from French Press Knits. I thought they were so cute, but the pattern cost money. So, now I spend a day debating whether to pay the money and just make good use of it or find another pattern.

Well, of course I bought it, and I made some purple slippers for my Mom because I knew she'd like them. Then I had enough yarn leftover from my pair of booties to make a pair of slippers for my Granny, who is always wearing socks or slippers. They turned out so cute! And this time, the sides and bottoms are plenty thick enough. Good thing I bought extra wool yarn so I can make some for myself! Huzzah!

Cascading Leaves Afghan Poll

2010-05-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

I was going through my yarn collection trying to find uses for the yarns i had collected as well as looking over the patterns I had marked, and a gauge in a pattern matched a gauge for a yarn - oh happy day! The original pattern was for Lion Brand Jiffy, and I ended up using Caron Simply Soft, which may present a little problem. Jiffy has a mohair like texture and is thicker, which means the leaves pop out of the reverse stockinette background a little better than with caron, but I like the slick look of the Caron and its low cost. :)
So, now onto searching for low-cost options, I found mill-end yarn for sale on the caron website, but there's no gaurantee as to the color, and I wanted colors that would match the two grey skeins i already had, but onto ebay! Ebay had a nice sage-green color - a whole pound. I did a few of the squares (it requires 48) and weighed them on a gram scale, estimated the yarn i'd need, and bought a pound of mill ends in sage, and figured I would need another 2 skeins of another color, and chose dark sage (appropriate, i think).

Now what I need from the 7 people who read my blog is an opinion on how the squares should be assembled. I need 48 squares total; 8 grey and 20 each of the greens. Here are a few ideas, you'll have to forgive the renderings! Please vote in the poll to the right. Thanks!

Loop Rug

2010-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I got one of those yarn catalogs in the mail from Lion Brand, and saw this Loop Rug in the catalog. The yarn cost would have been sky-high using the special soft cotton yarn they recommended. Well, it is a rug, after all, so I decided to use the less expensive alternative, as i usually do anyways. So I got two cones (one pound each) in white (dye-able or bleach-able if it got dirty) and went with it. Its a deceptively simple stitch, but looks pretty awesome. It didn't take me long at all to finish it, all I need to do now is find a good way to give it a non-skid bottom, I'm thinking of using drawer/cabinet liner.

The good thing is, I still have plenty of yarn leftover!

Felted Booties

2010-05-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

We have tile floors in my home and so during the winter, we need to wear socks to keep our feet warm. I got a catalog in the mail, and saw some cute socks in it that looked like mary janes and thought they would be so cute, but the pattern wasnt accessible (i.e. not free) so I found the pattern for these on Lion Brand's website, got some yarn and started knitting. When you felt something, the original has to be so big, so the booties were huge as I was making them The ankle bit doesn't get felted, so its a little strange. I felted them in the washing machine and they turned out great! they actually fit. Next time, i'll double knit the bottoms so that it will be thicker.

As I wore them, I noticed that i'd slip all over the floor. It was fun...until someone got hurt. So, i just took some puffy paint and made little spots on the bottom, that took care of the problem!

Sunset Cross stitch for Dad

2010-05-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

As i've mentioned before, my dad encourages my cross-stitch projects, and sometimes, he likes to "commission" me to do projects, and this is the biggest one i've undertaken. The pattern comes in a booklet and is 16 pages long, no color, just black and white letters as symbols. I opted for 16 gauge because I prefer to work with smaller squares, I think it blends better. The pattern is 20 inches x 22 inches.

I first went and bought all the colors using DMC floss...all brown, some white and plenty of black. How they came up with so many names for brown, I'll never know.

Next, because I knew the design wouldn't really come together until the end, I knew I would need some markers to go off of to make sure I was in the right place and to differentiate the colors from one another, I gridded the fabric in a bright blue, each square is 10x10 sts.

After that took me 2 evenings, I began stitching in the top lefthand corner, just like they instructed. The first page didn't look like much, just a bunch of brown colors fading into one another; not a very interesting picture, but the second page you can start to see some of the branches. The first few pages are very time consuming because you may only have a few stitches in each color, but you can start to see some of the branches coming along, so here's the picture so far:

More updates as it comes along - I think it'll be a while.

Knitted Dog Toy

2010-03-07T19:55:00.001-08:00

I found myself with extra cotton yarn after a project and tried to think of uses for it. It occurred to me that since it is so washable, it would make a great dog toy, so instead of planning something out, i just went for it, making it up as I went along. I decided to make it in one big piece and just fold it in half to sew it together because I dislike sewing pieces together! I slowly increased it to make arms then decreased for shoulders, and made a little square head, then cast off half the stitches, divided the remaining stitches and made ears. I stuffed it and put a little bell inside, sewed in soem seams to make some "arms," and it was finished! It only took me an afternoon to make it, and my dog now has a lovely toy.

After Augie, my dog, enjoyed the new toy, I made one for my friend's dog, who is pictured. Samus is the one with the blue toy, Augie with the yellow toy. I made some for the dogs in my neighborhood too.

Here's the pattern if you're interested:

you will need one skein of cotton yarn in the desired color (I use Lily & Cream) and size 8 needles.

Gauge: its a dog toy, doesn't matter.

With size 8 needles, CO 21 sts

k 16 rows even

17: K 1, M1, K9, M1, k1, m1, k9, m1, k1

Row 16 and all even rows: Knit

19: k1, m1, k11, m1, k1, m1, k11, m1, k1

21: k1, m1, k13, m1, k1, m1, k13, m1, k1

23: k1, m1, k15, m1, k1, m1, k15, m1, k1

25: k1, m1, k17, m1, k1, m1, k17, m1, k1

27: k1, m1, k19, m1, k1, m1, k19, m1, k1

k 3 rows even

31: k1, k2tog, k17, k2tog, k1, ssk, k17, ssk, k1

33: k1, k2tog, k15, k2tog, k1, ssk, k15, ssk, k1

35: k1, k2tog, k13, k2tog, k1, ssk, k13, ssk, k1

37: k1, k2tog, k11, k2tog, k1, ssk, k11, ssk, k1

39: k1, k2tog, k9, k2tog, k1, ssk, k9, ssk, k1

41: k1, k2tog, k7, k2tog, k1, ssk, k7, ssk, k1

43: k1, k2tog, k5, k2tog, k1, ssk, k5, ssk, k1

k 3 rows even

47: k1, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k1, ssk, k3, ssk, k1

k 10 rows even

58: cast off 7 sts. Divide remaining sts to make ears: (3 sts each ear) for each ear: K 5 rows even, sl 1 st, k2tog, psso.

sew in ends, turning right sides together, sew up top and side seams (be sure to have the ears tucked into the right side!) turn the toy inside out and stuff it, placing a bell in the middle. sew up the bottom. optional: Sew the leg portion in halves, and sew the arms as shown. If you want a taller toy, do the decrease row once every third row instead of every other, its better for bigger dogs.

Twin Windowpane Baby Blankets

2010-03-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

One of my friends from high school had twins! She and one of my other friends from high school are married and already have a 4 year old daughter, and their twin daughters were born on my brother's birthday. They found out shortly after I returned home and I found I had nothing to knit because its too warm here. Well lucky me, what an excuse to knit something. I started playing around with some colors and came up with what I call a Windowpane pattern. When I bought the yarn, we didn't know what sex the babies were, so I just got green and yellow and went to town (after all, it takes a while to make two baby blankets). I used size 8 needles and Bernat's Baby Sport in the 10.5 oz size; one in soft yellow and one in mint. I started when I found out, and now they're 7 mos old and i'm just finishing. Well, hopefully it was worth the wait.

I have a problem with how stockinette stitch curls along the edging, so I did a crab stitch border on each of them using cotton yarn for durability.

The windowpane pattern is made by slipping the background stitches and knitting rows in the additional color.

Tree of Life Baby Blanket

2010-03-05T21:17:00.005-08:00

I saw the tree of life afghan on the lion brand yarn website and in the catalog and thought it was so pretty with the intertwined trees and leave edging, but it seemed so big, and when would I use it? Then they came out with the baby blanket smaller version and it looked so soft, and only needed one skein! It only took me about a week and a half or so of evenings to make it, and the result looks so complex and intricate, i'm very pleased with it. I'm just not sure what i'm going to do with it now!

Window box cross stitch

2010-02-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

Incorporated into this project was both my love of beautiful flowers and my fear of hummingbirds. They're pretty and fascinating, but if they get too close, I get scared of them. Weird, I know.

Anyways, I started this project for my paternal grandparents. My dad is so proud of the projects I complete and he keeps telling me I have to show his parents, well, why not make one just for them? I picked out one I thought was pretty and showed off some skills.

It turned out just like the picture, I was remiss in not getting a picture of it before I packed it up and sent it on its way. The grandparents love it by the way. Hopefully when I see them next I'll sneak a photo.

And here's the pattern if you're interested:

Beaded Ornaments

2009-11-14T15:18:00.008-08:00

I started making these ornaments just for gifts, but I got such a positive reaction, my mom suggested I sell them, so I went and bought a bunch more yarn and I'm selling them! I make them in several different colors including Burgundy, Cream, Purple, Gold, White and Green. I only just put them on etsy and ebay. Please check out my shops and see if you'd like to order one, or feel free to email me. They

make great gifts ;)

Eco Friendly Shrug

2009-06-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

I like wearing shirts with longer sleeves than usual. Thus, we must find a knitted solution. I went through just about every shrug pattern out there to find one I liked. Soon enough, I figured out that I would have to find one that kind of worked, and figure out how they're made, then make my own pattern. This is the result: I found a pattern that worked pretty well. Go figure, the pattern, like my sense of fashion, is 50 years old: I found the picture and the pattern at www.freevintageknitting.com.
When I went looking for what yarn I was going to use to make it, I came across the Caron Simply Soft Eco in Black. This yarn is soft, mostly acrylic, and is 20% made from recycled plastic bottles! I'm wearing plastic bottles! Now the more I recycle plastic bottles, the more recycled yarn I'll get - its a win-win. Now onto designing my own; I already have it in my head, just need to find the time to make it.

Market bag

2009-06-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

I like using the eco-friendly market bag I made a while back and wanted to make another, so I found a new pattern on Knitty, and starting going. The pattern called for hemp yarn, but I didn't want to spend the extra money, so I went with cotton again this time. Wal-mart stopped carrying the Lily n' Cream cotton yarn, so I went with "Peaches n' Cream" (why is there always the abbreviation of "n" in cotton yarn names?). I thought the most appropriate color would be "earthtone." Because the cotton yarn was a bit different in gauge than the hemp, I changed the needle sizes around a bit. I started the cast-on and knitted the bottom using size 8's, and upped it to size 9's to do the netting. The initial cast on was 44 sts, picked up 14 on the sides and ended up with a total of 118.

When I finished, I used a piece of ribbon, just like the pattern told me to and started to use the bag. I started to make one for my friend, Louann. For her bag, I used Lily n' Cream in Taupe Twist, just like she requesteI decided that I wouldn't use the ribbon because of the way it pulled on the bag and the tenuous way you have to sew it on, so I knitted into the side of each and created two straps. Hopefully this will work better, we'll see when Louann gets the bag in the mail!

Sea Shells

2009-05-05T17:59:00.003-07:00

I have apparently abandoned knitting for the time being and have gone back into cross stitch. I originally bought this one in Michigan because I was lonely for the Ocean. I also tend to like the Dimensions patterns because they work well with blending and shading. This pattern has "blending filament" in it, which is basically shiny opal floss. Its hard to tell from the picture, but it sure is pretty in the sunlight. I havne't been able to find a suitable frame yet, and will probably pack this one away until I get a place of my own. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, perhaps it will improve when put into a frame, and actually iron it.

Here's the pattern I used:

Travel Memories Cross Stitch

2009-03-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

I must be going through a butterfly phase lately. I just finished this one, and the latest one I bought is a butterfly. This one had a lot of shading as well, something Dimensions does pretty well. It was a lot of blended colors and half cross stitch, and even some gold, but I bought this one for the travel motif. I, of course, love to travel and would love to go to Europe someday soon. Plus, who doesn't like sepia-tone postcards and fancy pens? Apparently my Mom, because she says it needs more color.

If you are a fellow fan of sepia-tone, this is the kit I used:

Butterfly Cross Stitch

2009-03-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

When I saw this one in the store, I knew I had to do it. The way the colors blend in the butterfly just struck me, its so seamless. I finished it in High School, and when I was done, my Dad liked it so much, he wanted to put it up in his room, and of course I assented (where was I going to put it? I was amassing quite a collection, besides, its nice to have your work displayed where someone will appreciate it.) He bought me another one to do for myself, but its at the bottom of a big pile of kits I still have to do, and in the meantime, I'll admire the one I already did. I bought another one that's needlepoint with brilliant greens that I can't wait to do. If you admire this one, and want one for yourself, here's a good price on it:

Birdhouses cross stitch

2009-03-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

In case you couldn't tell, I like to do cross-stitches that have specific little parts that I can finish one at a time. In the cups, I could do and finish each cup, this one I could finish a birdhouse at a time. I'm getting more into doing the one color at a time and letting the picture slowly develop, but I finished all these in high school. Right now its in my Mom's room, she really loves gardening stuff, and it fits into her room (you can see she's got a little fake bird sitting on it).

Cups Cross stitch

2009-03-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

Quite an odd shaped project, and this one was my first of this size. Its always hard to pick my favorite cup out, and it changes all the time. That's why I make other people pick their favorites when they see it. Any takers?

This one is probably my favorite..or maybe the green one in the middle....its so hard to choose:

Bookmark cross-stitch

2009-03-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

I read a lot and always lose my bookmarks. I saw this in the store and thought I'd never lose something I put so much work into. So far it's worked. I chose my own colors from the stash that I already have, and it turned out remarkably well.

Here's the "kit" that I used, and this price is better than what I paid for it:

Fishy towel

2009-03-09T21:10:00.005-07:00

I know you've been dying to know why there are so many cross-stitch and embroidery projects on what I've labeled my knitting blog, but here's the answer! I ran into a friend, Susan, at a local Mexican food restaurant in town, and we decided to get together. Several years ago, I had gotten her a small cross-stitch kit because she wanted to learn. Three years, later, she's still working on it, and she likes to have stitch n' bitches, so I got out some of my old kits and am going through finishing them in the evenings (no more homework with the internship!). She and I had an evening out - that's where we go out and get something to eat, then spend some time walking around the cross-stitch section of the local craft store. While we were there, she found several kits that i pressured her into buying, while I didn't find anything, until I saw the fishies. I thought they were so cute, so I begrudgingly bought a new one (with the boxes of the ones at home, eek!). I changed some of the colors ; like the coral fish was supposed to be red, but it seems I think I have better taste than the designer, but it looks better, so i guess I do. It only took me about a week to finish, and now i'm nearly done with the next one. Time for Susan to catch up!

Paisley Embroidered Pillowcase

2009-03-09T21:03:00.005-07:00

Here's another project that I started a few months ago, put away when finals and everything came around, and am now just getting around to finishing. So I've only done the one pillowcase, but I'll get to the second - its on my list. Until then, I have plenty of half-finished projects to get to. I love paisley and polka-dots and loved doing this one. I changed the colors from the suggested ones to make it match my comforter. I tried a cording-type stitch instead of regular backstitching and it turned out really well. With projects that are on regular cloth, the cording really works.

Rose Embroidered Pillowcase

2009-03-09T20:55:00.007-07:00

I did this pillowcase a long time ago, and its even initialed in 2004. I used to be really into cross-stitching, and am getting back into it, but this was one of my first projects that wasn't on aida cloth, so it didn't turn out perfectly, but I still enjoy it, in fact, I gave it to my mom when I finished it, and shes been using it since, and gave it back to me when I moved back in.

Intarsia Sweater

2009-01-18T11:04:00.002-08:00

I recently bought myself "Not Your Mama's Knitting" and found a very cute intarsia sweater pattern that I thought I would make for myself. I wanted to make changes to it, so I made it a little longer, and obviously picked out the designs I wanted on the front. For my first foray into Intarsia, I think it went pretty well. I had just moved, so I didnt' have a great selection of other colored yarns to use, but I still think its cute. Instead of using the Fisherman's wool the pattern called for, I used woolease in Fisherman so I could wash it easily. Using size 8 needles got me to the same gauge as the pattern, so it worked out remarkably well. It is designed to be seamless, so it was knit in the round, and the sleeves were knit separately and then joined in, and the underarms were grafted in - thank goodness no seams! It only took me a few short weeks, and now I have a soft, sweet little sweater to wear around, too bad its too hot!

Here are the items I used if you are interested:

Mom's Cotton Sweater is Finally Done!

2008-12-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

If you keep up with my blog, you know I started a cotton sweater for my mom several months ago. Mixed with other projects, I steadily have been working on it ever since, knitting, blocking, sewing etc. Well, its finally done, and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.

It took mom a while to choose the pattern, the yarn and everything. She chose the Peacock Plumes Cardigan and Berroco's Cotton Twist, variegated in Tie Die. I don't typically work with high end yarns, but this yarn was very nice to work with, it slid along the needles quite well and feels very nice for being a cotton yarn. The variegated strand in it makes it shinier, though the strand sometimes gets separated or gets caught on my nails as i'm knitting, but is well worth the special care.

Mom wanted 3/4 sleeves, so I just started the sleeves as usual and finished when they were about 17 inches long when slightly stretched. This way the ends of the loose sleeves wont get in the way. Its all knit flat on size 8 circular needles. Its a pretty easy pattern once you get the hang of the lace, and pretty forgiving.

Poseidon Socks

2008-12-23T11:00:00.001-08:00

I always thought that knitting socks was a little pointless, no one ever sees them, and you're more likely to wear through them quicker, then I found a sale on fingering yarn at knitpicks.com and bought some! My stitch n' bitch calendar has "sock of the month" patterns and one pattern was too pretty to pass up, then I lost a page of it and didn't know how to make socks, so I found a pattern online for Poseidon socks. I used purple instead, and I really liked the way they turned out. The pattern calls for a block of stockinette stitches at the beginning of the round, but I just added a few stitches and made it so that the patter continued all the way around. Lucky for me, I ordered enough yarn and can now make another pair in burgundy, and now that I know how to "wrap & turn" for the toe and heel, I'll be able to figure out my own pattern!

I'm moving!

2008-12-15T21:18:00.000-08:00

To all my loyal readers (all 3 of you) I wanted to let you know that I'm moving! (residence, not website) I am getting out of the snow and heading back to San Diego, CA to do my externship and learn the ways of family law so that I can start practicing law, and hopefully pass the bar. Therefore, I will be taking a brief hiatus from knitting and posting as I drive across the country and move in, probably with limited access to my knitting, and even more limited access to a computer and internet. Stay tuned for more posts soon!
-Ariel

Matching Hat for Shree

2008-12-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

I've been slowly getting rid of stuff and packing up to move, and that includes using up the excess yarn I have around. When I got home from visiting Shree, I realized I might have enough yarn leftover to make a hat similar to the life aquatic hat I had just finished, so I figured I'd try it and see how far I got. Well, it turns out I had plenty leftover, and was able to finish the hat without a problem. I didn't want to add the same stoplight design, but the hat needed some flourish, so after I did the crab stitch around the edge, I figured a little flower would look cute, so I used some extra yarn I had to make pink and purple flowers, and I think it turned out pretty well. I mailed it to Shree, and hopefully she likes it, though I told her she could take the flowers off if she wanted. It was meant to match the scarf I had already made for her.

To make the flowers, just cast on 42 sts,
R1: k
R2: k2, *k1, transfer the stitch to the left needle and pass the next 5 sts over the stitch, then knit the stitch again, k2* repeat from * to end.
R3 & 5: P
R4 & 6: k1, *k2tog to end
R7: break yarn and run tail through remaining sts, and sew up the side of the flower.

Warm up America Afghan

2008-12-03T21:00:00.001-08:00

I'm republishing an earlier post after some edits:

I got the idea from my Stitch and Bitch calendar earlier in the year, so I started knitting some squares for an afghan, I also used some random stitches I found in some of my stitch books, so they didn't all turn out uniform. The brown square used the pinecone lace stitch, the blue one is the kitten paw, and the dark green is braided cables. I figure there's enough of a variety that the people who assemble them can pick and choose.I never did get friends to work on the squares with me, but I'm mailing them off anyways, hopefully they'll be warming someone up really soon!

If you're interested in contributing, here's the website: http://www.warmupamerica.com/home.html

Another Life Aquatic hat

2008-11-30T12:50:00.001-08:00

As I posted earlier, I made my brother a hat modeled after the hats in the Life Aquatic. He wears his around a lot and one of his buddies, who is a diver himself, got a little jealous, and my brother asked me to make him a hat too, and me being the too-altruistic-for-my-own-good type, I of course did. This one was made with "I love this yarn" on size 8 needles. Luckily I already had the felt and the buttons leftover from Evan's hat. Who knows, maybe I'll get a free diving lesson for making this hat!

Shree's Purple Antler Cable Scarf

2008-11-22T13:55:00.006-08:00

I stayed with Shree while I interviewed in DC, and since its getting cold and shes being such a gracious host and friend (and 'cuz i just plain love her) I made her a classy scarf. She requested dark purple, and I chose Vanna's Choice in Purple:
and used size 10 needles. The cable pattern is an antler cable that I found in my Super Stitches Knitting
book. I used a little over one skein and then I bordered it using the crab stitch and Bernat's Boa
in Parrot that I bought years ago with no particular project in mind. I never really like how the selvages on the ends turn out, so I typically like to add a crab stitch or garter stitch border. Its all machine wash and dryable. I'm hoping Shree gets plenty of use out of it!

Rose Cross stitch

2008-11-22T13:53:00.003-08:00

I'm always looking for weekend projects I know I can finish soon and not leave lying around in their bags half finished as I -- and many other crafters I know -- have a tendency to do. I found this Rose Crosstitch complete with the mat board on sale and thought it would be perfect, and it was. It only took me 2 nights to complete, and it looks pretty nice in my apartment. I'm starting to pack up to move and while I was taking the art off of my walls realized I hadn't ever posted it, so here it is. Even though its relatively small, its still one of my favorites.

DNA Scarf for Evan

2008-11-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

I was flipping through my stitchionary, and found a pattern that looked a bit like DNA. I changed it so it looked more like DNA, and made it into a scarf for my brother. He is getting his masters in some biological-type engineering-esque major, last I heard it was Tissue Engineering. He's working near San Fransisco and needed a classy scarf to battle the NorCal fog. I used 1 skein of Hobby Lobby's "I Love this Yarn" in Royal.

I added a selvage stitch to each end and when the scarf was done, went through and made a garter stitch border because the cable pattern tends to roll. When it was all done, I blocked it so it would stay flat, it still doesn't lay completely flat.
I have a PDF of the pattern if you'd like a copy, just email me!

Grape Long Scarf

2008-10-28T14:37:00.006-07:00

I saw this yarn in a craft store and just bought it without knowing what to do with it. It was my first winter in Michigan and I thought i'd want a long scarf, so I started knitting and didn't stop until the yarn was gone, and this scarf is the result. I used 1 skein of Homespun, i think in Grape and some large needles. Its about 6 inches wide and 10 feet long. I usually fold it in half and stick the two ends through the loop around my neck and stuff the ends into my coat. If its a really cold day, I can wrap part of the scarf around my head once or twice then around my neck. Its very versatile.
Thank you to Andrew who suffered through the cold for me and took these pictures in the beautiful woods near MSU.

Cowl neck sweater

2008-10-28T14:36:00.002-07:00

I started this sweater the summer before I moved to Michigan because I knew I'd need some cool-weather clothes. I also made it before I knew about ease, so the sleeves are a bit longer and the whole thing a bit bigger than I expected, but its quite soft and warm. I found the pattern in Knitted Sweaters for Her, and used Lion Brand Homespun in Wedgewood. I can tell how far I've come as a knitter when I wear this sweater.

"Denim" Newsies hat

2008-10-28T14:34:00.002-07:00

This was my second try on the Newsies hat, I wanted a hat that went with my darker clothes, and thought this "denim" yarn would do the trick. It being the second time I made the pattern, I knew where to change the pattern to make it look the way I wanted. You can't see the cables as much with this yarn, so I didn't bother putting any sort of design on the stockinette panels. I again used the pattern from Stitch n Bitch Nation Bernat's denimstyle yarn in Jordache. The brim is made with plastic mesh, and since I happened to have a whole sheet leftover from an embroidery type project from long ago, I went ahead and cut it into brims, so now I seem to have committed myself to making about 5 more. I made one for Genie, one for Louann, and now Andrew and Kara want one, I'm running out fast!

Newsies Hat for Louann

2008-10-27T20:43:00.001-07:00

My friend Louann recently moved to Vancouver, Canada, where it can get cold, so of course I offered to make her something. When I asked her if she would like a newsies hat, she didn't know what it was, and googled it, and guess what she found? My blog and my picture of my newsies hat! She was so excited how well that worked out, she let me make her a newsies hat, and here it is. She doesn't like cables, so I left them out and made it in stockinette stitch. I used "I love this yarn" in white and size 9 needles. When I finished it in white, it looked too plain, so I added the black stripes to punch it up a bit, and I think it turned out well. She claims she wears it all the time, what a compliment!

Chevron Scarf for Evan

2008-10-17T19:46:00.008-07:00

My mom bought me Vogue Knitting: Scarves Two, and in it I found a chevron scarf. The original was knit with size 3 needles and some expensive-sounding yarn. I adapted the pattern so it was thinner and knit in larger needles. I used Lion Brand WoolEase again, (seemingly my favorite, i know) and made it in Cal Poly colors for my brother, Evan. He doesn't go there, he just really wishes he could... just kidding, he's close to graduating!

For those who have read other posts, its the same pattern as the scarf for the "Ohio State Winter Coordinates for Kenny."

He even put in a little blue steel for me:

Evan's Steve Zissou hat

2008-10-17T19:40:00.006-07:00

This was one of the earlier things I made, its a hat for my little brother, Evan. It was modeled after the hats worn in the Life Aquatic. It was made with Lion Brand Wool-Ease in simple 1x1 rib, and the stoplight is just buttons sewn on black felt sewn onto the hat. Apparently, he likes it, and actually wears it!

Cable Crazy for Genie

2008-09-30T00:34:00.011-07:00

Congrats to Genie who moved to Oregon to start grad school! To celebrate the move and the need for warmer clothes, Genie commissioned me to make a set of winter accessories using cables and green wool; I used Lion Brand Wool Ease in Forest Green Heather (which is now discontinued, though I have several skeins left from other projects.
I used my Newsies hat pattern from the Stitch N' Bitch book, but put a diamond stitch on the panels.
Next, I chose a fun Celtic cable pattern and made it into a scarf and put a simple garter stitch edge on it. I used size 9 needles for the main part and size 8 for the edges.
Then, I chose another cable pattern and made some gloves, using size 3 needles for the cuffs and size 4 for the main glove.

I always feel a little like Edward Scissorhands when I knit gloves:

New skill: Twisting cables

Willow's Backpack

2008-09-29T11:56:00.011-07:00

I'm moving soon, and so I've been going through my yarn stash to try and make use of it all before I leave, and I came across a few skeins of Lion Jiffy, and so I looked it up on their website to see what I could make. I'd also been looking for something to make for my high school friends' daughter. When she was a baby, I made a baby sweater that she soon grew out of, and I figured this was something that would take longer to grow out of. Plus, its machine wash- and dry-able, and that's helpful when you have kids. I found the free pattern online, and made it with Lion Brand Jiffy in Light Pink in garter stitch, and I added a crab stitch around the opening in a darker pink, along with the button. It turned out to be about 11 inches high. But beware, I couldn't match my gauge to theirs, even changing needles, so I used 10.5 needles and the ratio technique:
I knitted a gauge swatch, and divided how many rows it took me by their rows = row ratio,
divided how many stitches it took me by their stitches = stitch ratio, and then multiplied my ratio by how many stitches or rows they said to do.

New skills learned: I-cord

Cotton Grocery Bag

2008-09-11T10:37:00.006-07:00

This was so simple, it only took me 2 days to do it. I made it so I could ride the bus to the grocery store in winter time and bring back plenty of groceries without accumulating plastic bags. I used a free pattern from the lion brand website. The craft store near me didn't sell the organic cotton required by the pattern, so I used Sugar 'N Cream in Ecru for the body and Natural for the sides, and just changed the number of stitches for the changed gauge, and it turned out pretty well, and only cost me about $4. It was knitted as one big piece, then the edges were sewn up, so the handle is continuous around the bottom of the bag. Its quite stretchy and holds plenty of law books too!

Aramascarf

2008-09-07T17:09:00.003-07:00

A few years ago when I first started knitting, I made my friend, Aram, a hat; an "Aramahat" and now that I'm cleaning out my yarn stash, I found a remainder of yarn I used to make my brother a hat, and made Aram a manly scarf; an "Aramascarf." I thought the zigzags would make it kind of classier, and used another remainder. Though he probably wont have much use for it in Orange County,CA, at least when he does need it, he'll look classy.

I used homespun for the body of the scarf, and black woolease and a crochet hook for the zig zags.

Honeycomb Afghan for Andrew

2008-09-06T13:44:00.007-07:00

Andrew moved into his own place, and what better way to celebrate than a new afghan? This is also his birthday present because it took a lot of work. It was also an opportunity for me to try some new stitches; the honeycomb stitch and the picot edge, both deceptively simple.
I used Caron's one pound each of lace and azure, and size 10 needles. I just started knitting and didn't stop until I thought it was long enough, then added width with the polka dot type stitch and picot edges.

Steering Wheel Cover

2008-07-22T13:09:00.002-07:00

I bought these 2 skeins of 'Allure' a long time ago and figured i'd find something to do with them, well, I finally did! I made a steering wheel cover. This one is a bit big and doesn't stay on when I drive so I'll pull it apart and redo it, maybe putting elastic up the edges and knitting with larger needles. I used the no-slip drawer lining on the inside, but it doesn't seem to hold well enough. Back to the drawing board!

A Cotton sweater for Mom

2008-07-21T14:29:00.007-07:00

I'm always looking for new projects, as if I didn't have enough to do. So my mom and I went on an epic search for the right pattern and the right yarn to make her a cotton cardigan that was lacy enough. After searching many website, knitting books and yarn stores, we decided on the Peacock plumes cardigan from Elann.com and using Berroco's cotton twist yarn.
Here's the blocked gauge swatch on cardboard and the yarn used:

I've started work on the body of it (the back and two front panels are knit as one piece) and I have done 6.5 inches, and used 2 skeins already. Here's the progress so far:

And here is the project blocked, the bottom will be a lot less 'spikey' when the pins are taken out:

Kara's Earrings

2008-07-21T14:25:00.003-07:00

Knitting with wire! what a novel idea. So far I've only done the one, but i think it looks pretty neat. I threaded the seed beads onto the wire before I started, then just winged it. As I knit, I stretched the wire out then decreased to make it into a circle, then added the leaf at the end. I used 34 gauge wire and size 0 needles. I'll update when they're both done and Kara's wearing them!

Newsies hat

2008-07-14T14:39:00.007-07:00

I wanted a Newsies hat!
And at first I found a pattern online, and got a yarn with the same gauge, knitted the whole hat, tried it on, and the yarn was apparently too thick because it turned out looking more like a fez, or more likely, a dunce cap. I found a post on someones blog where they used the Stitch and Bitch Nation pattern, and it turned out rather cute. So I bought the book, and found a yarn among my collection that could work, and this hat turned out a lot better. Instead of the stockinette stitch panels that run up the hat, i decided I'd use my stitch library, and found a lace pattern so I could wear it in summertime. Its not perfect, but it turned out pretty well. I made it with Red Heart Soft Yarn (which actually is soft) in Off White. I'll probably end up making more in other colors.

Ohio State winter coordinates for Kenny

2008-06-30T14:40:00.007-07:00

My friend Kenny just moved from Florida to Ohio, and what better way to prepare him for a Midwest winter than a set of knitted goodies? He requested silver and scarlet for his Ohio State colors, and so I made them using a chevron theme. I'm not done with the gloves yet; they will be red with silver trim and black chevrons on the back of the hand. I'll get some pictures of him wearing them soon enough.
The scarf is made using size 7 needles and Lion brand wool ease using a simple chevron pattern:
knit first 4 rows (garter stitch) then start pattern:
odd rows: k2, k2tog, k6, yo, k1, yo, k6, sl1, k2tog, psso, k6, yo, k1, yo, k6, sl2 and knit together, k2.
even rows: Purl
The color stripes are just 2 rows of the color, and they naturally zig zag in the pattern.

The hat is knit in the round with with circular needles. I used the interchangeable needle system, and i really like it, i only had to unscrew the needles and left the knitting on the cord. The single rib on the bottom is made with size 6 and the body of the hat is size 7, with a simple 4 row repeat:
R1: P1, k3
R2: k1, p1, k5, p1
R3: k2, p1, k3, p1, k1
R4: k3, p1, k1, p1, k2
I just kept knitting until the hat was long enough (about 8") then bound off loosely. I left the tail long and sewed it together in a plus-sign shape.
I finished the gloves when I was down in Columbus with Kenny, and here they are. Hopefully i'll get some good pictures to add when he actually wears everything in winter!

Moss Stitch Baby Sweater

2008-06-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

I made this a while ago when my friends had a baby, but by the time I finished it, she had outgrown it. Its one of my earlier pieces, so there are some mistakes. I'm not quite sure what to do with it now except wait for someone to have a baby!

Enterlac blanket

2008-06-11T16:57:00.004-07:00

I finally finished the Enterlac blanket. This was the first time I tried this kind of pattern, and just kept knitting until I ran out of yarn. I used baby yarn and size seven needles. The border is lion wool with a glitter strand throughout. I had to modify the enterlac a bit so I wouldn't get so many holes along the edges of some of the squares by knitting until the end before i passed the stitch over instead of slipping it.
I'll upload some better pictures soon!

Concentric Square Afghan

2008-04-26T05:35:00.009-07:00

I started this when it was still a little cold, but with finals, it took me until now to finish it, when i wont be using it for a while. I get the e-mailings from Lion brand yarns, and this pattern was in one, and I thought it was neat looking, so i bought the pattern. Turns out, its pretty simple, just laborious.
It was knit in the round from the center with wool-ease, and took 4 size 8 circular needles to fit all the stitches in the end. It did give me an opportunity to try out the interchangeable circular needle system, which was pretty handy. It started with 8 stitches, and ended with over 700.
It's not perfectly square, so its hard to block, and thus hasn't stretched out completely, as I use it, i'm stretching it a bit.
I of course used Wool Ease as it called for in the pattern, but at the time I made it I didn't like the colors they used, so I chose instead to use:
Dark Grey, Forest Heather, Seaspray, Gray, Mink, Mushroom, Dusty Rose, Blush, Denim, and Wheat.

Suede Baby Booties

2008-03-29T23:20:00.006-07:00

I've been studying for finals a lot recently, and though its productive, I don't feel like I'm doing much, just sitting and looking at books and notes and code sections. So, with my restlessness, I decided to do something constructive. After cleaning my apartment a little, I saw these on one of the design pages in my stitch and bitch calendar, and thought I'd try it out with some extra yarn i happened to have. I think they turned out cute. One skein ended up making 8 1/2 booties. Good thing for whoever has the next 4 babies!

Felted Purse

2008-03-15T17:09:00.009-07:00

This is my first attempt at felting. The yarn was on sale and I thought it would make a nice purse. Plus, i found these neat purse handles on sale too, so here it goes:

I just started knitting a square until i thought it was long enough, then started decreasing until the yarn ran out, and did one more panel, then sewed them together. Here are the materials before felting:

Here's a picture for scale:
Next I ran it through the washing machine, and stuffed it with grocery bags to form a shape:

Here's the finished project, the scale really changed. Its width isn't much smaller, but its shorter:

Basketweave scarf for Genie

2008-02-19T22:50:00.006-08:00

I made this scarf for my awesame friend Genie. She lives in San Fransisco, and a scarf is appropriate for the weather there. It was an experiment, trying to use the basketweave stitch. I'm glad she likes and wears it!
Thanks for the pictures, Genie!

Cable Sleeves

2008-02-15T21:09:00.003-08:00

I got this idea from someone's blog online, so its not my design. I had never seen cables like this and thought i'd try it out. I used "I love this Yarn" from hobby lobby, and both only took about half a skein, using size 7 double pointed needles. They're nice and warm too!

Shoes cross stitch

2008-02-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

I finished this one winter break in undergrad. I've been crosstitching since middle school, so there are lots I have yet to show n tell. This one is one i brought with me, I'll have mom take pictures of the others.

P.S. shoutout to my friend Pants!

Mohair Beret

2008-02-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

(I'm not blinking --it was just really bright outside!)

Mohair Beret Pattern

This hat is very comfortable, and very light. I made mine large enough to hold my hair and cover my ears, so its loose-fitting. This pattern will make a hat with the headband about 22 inches around.

I had some yarn leftover from when I made my mom’s scarf, and randomly saw someone’s beret, and thought it was a great idea. I couldn’t find any mohair beret patterns online, so I created my own, and thought I’d share; enjoy!

You will need:
Size 3, (3mm) needles, either circular or 2 sets of double-pointed needles.
Stitch markers
Tapestry needle
Yarn: I used Patons lacette, fine. My hat took one skein at 1.75 oz; 235 yds.
Gauge: 2 inch square = 15 sts, 20 rows in stockinette

Using size 3 needles, cast on 96 sts (I recommend the slingshot method for circular work) Work in K2, P2 rib for 7 rows.

Row 8: k1,M1 along the whole row

K every row for 3.5 inches (about 34 rows)

First decrease row: k2 tog, k 11 repeat to end, placing stitch markers at each decrease stitch

K5 rows evenly,

Second decrease row: k2tog, k 10 (you should be decreasing at the stitch markers)

K 5 rows evenly

Dec: k2tog, k 9

K4 rows evenly

Dec: k 2tog, k 8

K 4 rows evenly,

Dec: k2tog, k 7

K4 rows evenly

Dec: k2tog, k 6

Continue decreasing every 4^th row until 6 sts remain. Cut the yarn with at least a 6 inch tail. Use the tapestry needle to run the yarn tail through the 6 sts and draw sts together. Secure the yarn, and sew in ends.

Now where your new hat in style!

Please let me know if there are any errors or disparities, and I’ll try to clarify!

Enterlac Afghan

2008-02-10T21:07:00.001-08:00

I found the pattern for Enterlac in one of my knitting books and thought I'd try it with some leftover yarn I had from making baby clothes. Its become a monster; I bought more colors and more skeins, and its taking its shape as a small afghan. I can't wait to finish it and start using it.
When its done, I have some white glittery yarn to add an edge. More updates as it comes along!

Smittens

2008-02-10T20:56:00.000-08:00

Negative 3 degrees outside? whats a girl to do? I made these so that I could keep my hands and fingers warm, but still have the dexterity of my fingers if i needed. First I knit the fingerless gloves, then knit the mitten part right into the knuckles so I could flip the mitten part on and off. They're made with Lion brand wool - fisherman. I made them so my mom can go bike riding and keep her fingers warm, but when she stops, she can peel off the mitten and lock up her bike. I think I'll make some for myself -- It really is negative three outside!

Craft room crosstitch

2008-02-10T20:21:00.001-08:00

My latest large cross-stitch. Of course, I started it long ago, and only just completed it a few months ago, with lots of other projects in between. It has several more 3-D elements that make it awkward to frame. Its hanging up in a small hallway in my little apartment, lovely!

Mom's Scarf

2008-01-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

I made this for my mother, the mohair yarn was hard to find in regular craft stores, but I found something that worked; I think it turned out nicely.

Introduction

2008-01-23T14:30:00.000-08:00

I had always been crafty, and had done crosstitches since I was in middle school, but I had never really picked up knitting. I was visiting my mother and her friends one winter, and saw someone working with the trellis yarn. I remembered only the scratchy, 4-ply acrylic yarn from when I was a kid, and this new yarn intrigued me. I got some, started a project, and have been knitting ever since. I thought I was probably one of very few people my age who had an interest in knitting, but I went back to the dorms, and found more and more people I could talk to about it, learn from, and do projects with.

Now, I go to law school in Michigan and find knitting has several benefits in the cold winter weather, as well as the distraction from reading law books. Lately I’ve been teaching my fellow law school friends knitting, and it inspired me to share my projects with more people, including my friends back in California. Enjoy!