i have readers?

hi. i know you are still out there. well, at least i do now!

yesterday i saw 3 of my favourite knitters when i dropped into the shop to buy some wool wash. i got the mini-catch-up and they sent me home with wool wash that somehow one of them bought me (i am still trying to determine to which friend i owe a coffee!).

in honor of knitters and knitting friends, this post is all recently completed work. i was on a roll of creating things that have to live in a vacuum until they go to their new owners. after a bit of that, i turned selfish and began to make a few things for me.

first, some crochet!

Autumn Triangle
aka "Floaty Fall Scarf"
designed by Susan Jeffers
published in Crochet Today! Sept/Oct 2009

crocheted in 2 skeins of Koigu PPPM (100% merino wool, color P337) bought at K+S=B, with a size F hook.

started: 08.08.09
finished: 08.10.09

i never buy this magazine. never. i always hate the projects, or i like... one. maybe. this month i bought it for four projects. wow. go Crochet Today! i barely changed the pattern either! i just worked 15 fewer rows to make a smaller scarf with the quantity of yarn i had on hand.

i am on a stash yarn project kick, and i have enough stashed sock yarn to make about 12 pairs of socks. i am not as prolific when it comes to sock knitting as i am when it comes to sock yarn loving. now i am on a mission to find projects in fingering weight yarn to use my sock stash.

this is trickier than it sounds because i like hand painted sock yarns, but i am typically opposed to variegated garments and accessories. this scarf really fit the bill for something that looked good in a variegated yarn, used fingering weight, and is wearable.

i have already worn it! AC in meetings is brutal to me, so this is the perfect. can't wait until fall when i can wear it with my vintage brooch collection.

Licorice Allsorts Cowl
aka "Dragonfly Fire Cowl"
designed by Mia Valcarcel
published at her blog

knit in 2 skeins of Claudia Handpaints Fingering (100% merino wool, color: John B.) on size US 7 needles.

started: 08.11.09
finished: 08.12.09

i have been told that this does not look like red licorice allsorts, and in the picture i would tend to agree. in person that is what the colors remind me of. maybe i am just hungry!

this is incredibly fun. the Claudia's is bouncy and sproingy and doubled up and knit on a larger needle, the yarn is even more yummy. and soft! and it is a cowl! what more can one desire in life?

this was another project for stashed sock yarn. i like the doubling of this yarn because it blends the colors more than the yarn worked single. big bonus in my non-variegated book.

Eyelet Spiral Socks
aka Anastasia Socks
designed by MintyFresh
published at pepperknit.com

knit in 2 skeins of ShibuiKnits Sock (100% merino, color "Orchid")purchased at K+S=B, on size US 0 (zero) addi tubro circular needles.

started: Christmas 2007
finished 08.18.09

this is officially my longest running WIP. i have completed 98 other projects since i started this pair of socks. among those other projects are another pair of socks, two pairs of slippers, and two pairs of bootees. obviously it was not that i opposed knitting for feet. these just got off track.

i put them down (1st sock done, 2nd sock being imagined) when my cousin announced her pregnancy. i then knit a lot of her little boy, christmas gifts, blah blah blah. it gets harder to pick up a 2nd sock when you have had too many reasons to knit gifts instead.

last quarter i knit a different pair of socks on the train to the school. i decided this quarter i had to knit the 2nd of this pair, and my work commute is perfect. because the Red Line has had so many issues and delays, the 2nd sock was my saving grace. it proved a fine companion when i was in a day-long professional development session last week.

now the question becomes, more commuter socks? i am considering these.

coming soon: more sedately colored projects.

finishing--i can still do it!

believe it or not, i can still finish my yarn craft projects. it take a lot to get me going, but when i just bite the bullet, accomplishments abound!

these are a pair of bunny slippers that i have wanted to make ever since i bought the pattern in September of 2006. i scoped out the yarn at the shop in March of 2008 when started working there, and i started them in April 2009 because we finally put that yarn on clearance and i had to buy it before it was gone. the crocheting took about 3 days. obviously the sewing up took a bit longer. ahem.

but they are done! next!

i finished this baby blanket yesterday. no baby to give it to right now, but i am sure the perfect one will present itself to the world and demand to be kept warm. this is a small one--about the size of a receiving blanket. i have doubts that i could have made it much bigger because it was worked in mostly fingering weight yarns with a little sport and dk thrown in here or there.

i love all the colors. for some reason i just cannot exactly capture them in a picture. ah, well!

garden...

Day Sixteen
monday. the sun doth shineth.

finally. sun. my plants are happy because their soil is drying out nicely. everyone is looking a little perkier.

today i cut the bottoms off of some 2L bottles i emptied. after removing the labels, i placed them around my two pickiest plants--cantaloupe and honeydew. they were probably not hardened enough when i put them out and the intense force of the rain has been tearing their leaves. my hope is that the bottles will limit insects and keep out "angry rain".

Day Seventeen.
tuesday. i am tired all day.

at 6am a huge crack of thunder simultaneously woke up 90% of the DC metro area's population. we were all grumpy for the rest of this wet wet day.

i checked my plants briefly. if they could have given a planty finger, thy would have. at least i put those bottles over the two melons. they were not damaged by the storm. the 2nd round of pepper blossoms has fallen off, however. peppers are picky, and they are not getting their way.

good news: one pumpkin blossom has pulled ahead in the race and is bigger than all of its siblings.


Day Eighteen
wednesday. mixed bag.

when i trotted out to see the garden this morning, i was greeted but a pumpkin blossom that is getting orange! and bigger! i think it may open this weekend. speaking of blossoms, they are opening on the cherry tomato plant.

also, my Early Girl is rallying for the cause and the new growth has doubled in height since i took the last photo on sunday.

right now as i sit here typing this, thunder is rumbling outside. sigh!!!!

indoor gardening
allsorts.

all of rW's herbs have sprouted. mint is very tiny, but basil is forming a second tier if leaves and cilantro wants to be very tall. i think he is getting a little impatient for finished herb products, however.

i transplanted arugula over the weekend to thin it.... i think i did more harm than good. lots of sprouts around transplant sites are dying off, but the other guys are forming a second set of leaves. time will tell.

muffins are tops

i made whole wheat muffins with raspberry jam centers. fast and delicious!

these are real muffins. not cupcakes masquerading as muffins. dense. very little sugar. satisfying.

and small!
i hate those oily otis spunkmeyer muffins the size of my face. these are two bites each. yum. yum.

let's see... and now something i crocheted. yes! crocheted!

Crochet Circle Mat
aka "quick! it is cold down here!"
designed by kittything

crocheted in 850 yards of various worsted weight cottons held six strands together with a size S crochet hook.

started: january 28, 2009.
finished: 2 hours later.

i made this to go with the bathmat i knit for rW when he moved into his new place. i picked up some more colors in the shower curtain i sewed for him and made this as the mat to step out of the shower onto. the knit guy has been transferred to the space in front of the sink .

this was super fast. literally 2 hours from digging the yarn and hook out of my stash to uploading the photos on ravelry. and it is cozy too! six strands thick and cushy, and it has held up well in the first washing.

more old projects to be reveled over time!

goodbye sidebar

regular readers may note that in my sidebar i give myself a pat on the back and list the projects i complete in the given year. it is that time of year, and the sidebar needs to be reset because soon i will have a completed project in 2009.

so what did i make?

54 total projects.
5 were crochet projects.
49 were knitting projects.

i made..
11 pairs of mittens or gloves.
2 pairs of booties.
13 hats.
7 scarves/cowls.
4 items for the home.
7 adult size sweaters/tanks/shrugs
4 baby sweaters.
1 pair of baby pants.
2 neckties.
2 toys.
and 1 lace christening shawl.

and here they are....

(you can see photos for most of these projects on either flickr or ravelry and in the archives of this blog.)

completed 2008

• crochet


• the littlest browns hat (original)


• piggy (lion brand)


• froggy (lion brand)


• baby starghan (diva crochets)


• jessie's birthday cloths (x4)




• knit


• baby aran sweater (chic knits)


• baby aran pants (chic knits)


• baby aran mittens (chic knits)


• baby aran scarf (chic knits)


• baby aran hat (chic knits)


• OSU Slip stitch hat (original)


• OSU Center Square hat (knitty)


• beer gloves (son of SnB)


• floppy toque (vogue)


• spiral cowl (knitty gritty thoughts)


• expression scarf (yarn over manhattan)


• celtic knot christening shawl (improvised)


• cabled tam (vogue)


• angora booties (LMKG)


• aspen beret (pam allen)


• puffy vest (knitscene)


• unoriginal hat (yarn harlot)


• unshaped shrug (just call me ruby)


• harvest mittens (vogue knitting)


• foliage hat (knitty.com)


• super mittens (weekend knitting)


• beaded cable mittens (cabin fever)


• baby mittens (sassy stitches)


• eyelet cowl (sour cherries)


• FIN beanie (tikru)


• sweet girls hat (original)


• cabled shell (lion brand)


• silk seed stitch tie (lion brand)


• berkshire pullover (weekend knitting)


• unisex knock around sweater (weekend knitting)


• sock tie (koigu wool designs)


• rockabilly bathmat (improvised)


• ribbed tank (stacy charles)


• oh my! cardigan (plymouth)


• gathered pullover (interweave knits)


• rainbow hat (last-minute knitted gifts)


• sideways scarf (last-minute knitted gifts)


• cashmere scarf (last-minute knitted gifts)


• cabled mittens II (101 1-skein wonders)


• orangini vest (minnowknits)


• cabled mittens I (101 1-skein wonders)


• felted bowl (plymouth)


• classic cashmere bootees (erika knight)


• baby squash hat (101 1-skein wonders)


• store model toddler pullover (plymouth)


• jen's fingerless mitts (weekend knitting)


• purl beret (purl bee)


• deb's fingerless mitts (weekend knitting)




• knit + crochet


• luscious collar #2 (interweave)

put a lid on it: hats, part I

while i have been primarily devoting myself to complex gift projects that are running on deadlines, i have managed to squeeze in some other projects. almost all of these have been hats because they are very fast to make, and some of these have been skill builders to boot.

hats! hats! hats!


Foliage
design by Emilee Mooney
published at knitty.com

knit in 1 skein of Malabrigo Chunky (#98 "tuareg", 100% kettle dyed merino wool) purchased at Now and Then on size US 10 DPNs.

started: october 31, 2008.
finished: october 31, 2008.

i originally bought this yarn to knit an ear flap hat with a pom pom top and ties. as i started the hat, i discovered it looked awful in this yarn because it is too springy (texture, not season). i bought all of this color at the shop, so i couldn't get more to make something bigger than a hat, so i was on a search. i don't knit a lot of lace, so i decided to try this hat and see how lace in a chunky yarn looks. i like it. this is going to be a holiday gift to match the blue mittens i posted about a few weeks ago.

the construction was really cool for Foliage. you knit the hat from the top down increasing in the leaf lace repeat. fun.

FIN beanie
designed by Mari Muinonen
published in Made by Myself

knit in 1 ball of Jo Sharp Silkroad DK tweed (#409 "night" 85% wool, 10% silk, 5% cashmere) purchased at K+S=B on size US 5 DPNs.

started: october 21, 2008
finished: october 22, 2008.

i love this yarn, and i am a big fan of this hat because it has an awesome star decrease pattern on top. pretty straightforward hat that really shows off the tweed yarn.

yum!


Sweet Girl
design by kittything
available free with yarn purchase at K+S=B

knit in 1 skein of Schoeller + Stahl "Sweet Girls" (100% acrylic with silly ruffles!) on size US 10.5 needles.

started: october 4, 2008.
finished: october 21, 2008.

this is a store model to show this funny yarn we are carrying this fall. i am not into novelty yarns, so this is not my thing, but the hat design itself is cute. the top has an eyelet row and ribbon drawstring to close it up so a little girl can wear her ponytail through the top of the hat.

i know, adorable. speaking of adorable...


The Littlest Brown
designed by kittything
unpublished improvisation

crocheted in scraps of Frog Tree Merino (100% merino wool) with a size I hook.

started: november 6, 2008.
finished: november 6, 2008.

this is a hat for Collin to match the browns hat i gave his father last year for christmas. i made it from the scraps of the bigger hat. you can see father and son sporting their tasteful sports themed hats together on Collin's blog. this kid is amazing. he is cute, quiet, and already a prolific blogger!

blargh!

there is something seriously screwed about the pattern from which i am knitting my father's sweater. it was smooth sailing until i hit the final 25% of the knitting. then the pattern numbers stopped matching up in the book, and all sorts of chaos ensued.

the collar was in the wrong place, and then the backs of my sleeves and the back of the body suddenly became too long well before they should have been "done". i think i need a break from oddly constructed sweaters that are made all in one piece.

when you have to rip back, you have to rip back a lot.

let's look at a few things that were not headache.

froggy
designed by Lion Brand

crocheted in Berroco Touche (3/4 of a skein of green tea and scraps of bleach, 50% cotton, 50% rayon) with a tahki cotton classic embellishments with a size H hook.

started and finished: august 4, 2008.

this guy is super goofy. he takes very little skill to create, and he is a very fast way to get the crochet fix. he has other friends from the same set on the lion website, and i plan to give him some company. i may gift the frog and his future friends as a whole menagerie or parse them out to people over time. we shall see, but i am pretty sure he will not be mine forever.


piggy
designed by Lion Brand

crocheted in Mission Falls 1824 cotton (3/4 of a skein of #408 Foxglove 100% cotton)and mystery pink stash cotton and tahki cotton classic embellishments with a size H hook.

started and finished: august 5, 2008.

the pig was designed as a buddy to the frog, but i did a lot of modifications to the pattern to make him cuter (in my opinion). he has a real snout and a tail in my version. he also looks more like pig and less like a ball.... his body instructions are actually identical to the frog.

now you can see how much i modified him.

whew.
i feel better now. i think i may have it in me to put the stitches back on the needle and then... suck it up and deal.

arrrrrrtissssst

not for a lack of material

i have several finished objects that i completed while i was not knit blogging. i squeezed in time to knit, but getting the pictures taken and projects detailed was a little above and beyond.

starting with the oldest...

Classic Cashmere Bootees
designed by Erika Knight
published in Simple Knits for Cherished Babies

knit in Karabella "Cashmere Elite" (#13340 Olive, 100% cashmere) purchased at K+S=B on size US 4 bamboo DPNs.

started/finished: 02.27.08

i was given 5 balls of this cashmere, and i am not a fan of very long scarves, so i used 2/3rds of a ball to knit these. super cute! i knit them before i knew of any babies on the way. now they may have little feet to adorn very soon!

Orangini
designed by Jil Eaton
from Minnowknits

knit in Schulana "Merino Cotton 90" (2 skeins lime, 1 skein electric blue, 53% cotton, 47% wool) on size US 8 needles.

started: March 18, 2008
finished: April 16, 2008

i finished this as a store model. someone else started it in March of 2007 and let it sit after knitting 80% of the back piece. i picked it up out of the back room and finished it up in a few afternoons at work.

love knitting with this yarn!

Luscious Collar
designed by Annette Petavy
published in Interweave Crochet, fall 2006

knit and crocheted in Debbie Bliss "Alpaca Silk" (3 skeins gold, 80% Baby Alpaca 20% Silk) on size US 7 needles and size US I crochet hook.

started: april 22, 2008
finished: april 30, 2008

i whipped up this little number for my mum's birthday. i was in tech at the time for a show with a near 3 hour run time, and i needed something i could knit in the dark. it turned out very well, and she loved it because it is knit in one of her favourite types of yarn--alpaca! good color for my mum too.

finally...

Elegant and Easy Cable Mittens
designed by Marci Richardson
published in 101 Designer One Skein Wonders

knit in Dream in Color "Classy" (1/2 skein "Spring Tickle" 100% superwash merino) on size US 4 & 5 DPNs.

started: february 29, 2008
finished: may 18, 2008

this is my second pair of mittens from this pattern. this time i used seed stitch instead of stockinette for the non-cabled portions of the mitten. i love love love knitting with this yarn. colors are fab!

lizard ridge #6

just a quick little update. i finished the the 6th panel on the lizard ridge. i laid the 5 that were not drying from being blocked across my floor last night and decided that i may need the blanket to be 6 panels wide instead of 5.

that means i need to decide if i want to make it 5 tall by 6 wide... or go ahead and knit 36 instead of 30 panels. (i have already mentally upsized from the 24 panels called for in the pattern). i could also d a larger crochet border since, well... i like crocheting. =)

speaking of... i am now off to being the process of crocheting together a 180 panel afghan for a customer at the store. yes, i am being paid.

more birthday pressies

happy birthday to my cousin jess. it was last weekend, but now i can reveal the pressies i made for her because they have arrived.

i know dishcloths seem kinda lame, but they work. jess likes the handmade kind, and she doesn't like when i spend money on her so this is a good compromise. all four were made from the book The Big Book of Dishcloths: 99 Designs to Crochet. published by Leisure Arts. they are made from 2 partial skeins of Lion Cotton from my stash.

i got lucky stash-wise and cousin-money-annoyed-wise because i had navy and lavender in my stash already. they are an interesting color combination, but her kitchen has navy accents and she likes purple so i will say that it works.

girl power weekend?

i didn't plan a theme for my weekend, but it sort of worked out that way. we have both a project and an event.

first, the project.

Baby Starghan
designed by Beth Espina-Cole
published on The Diva Crochets
finished size: approx. 43" diameter. if stars really have diameter....

crocheted in Caron Simply Soft Shadows (approx 5-6 skeins of "Fuchsia Flare", 100% acrylic) with a size "I" crochet hook.

started: february 18, 2008.
finished: february 23, 2008.

this was a project devoted to 3 specific purposes it could serve in my life.

1. stash busting. 5.5 skeins of stash yarn down! and now i have a reserve project for the next girly kiddo that comes along.

2. crochet, baby. i had been knitting so much that my hooks were getting rusty. this was a nice way to shake off the rust and re-earn my happy hooker certification.

3. give knitting the finger. you know which finger i am talking about. knitting more than 6 inches of the body of the gathered pullover and then having to tear it back out was a disheartening experience. that sweater is not a fan of me. ever-obedient crochet plucked up my little crafter spirits.

this pattern calls for a DK weight yarn, but yu can do it in anything, really. mine is worsted weight, but i also bet it would look great in a fingering weights handpaint like koigu. on the other extreme, i want to make another one of these blankies in super-chunky yarn so it can be an "on the floor" type of blankie you sit a baby on to play. i think it would look really cute in something like lion's wool-ease thick & quick.

now that i have the blankie done, the sweater is calling to me again, but i am forgoing project monogamy for the time being. i have a mittens and gloves class to teach on tuesday and i am knitting up my sample project. i think it is easier to share how a technique is accomplished when you are working on the project as well. picture after the first mitten is finished.

i went out yesterday and took the metro, so i did get some work done on the gathered pullover. i had to take the metro all the way out to Stadium-Armory so i probably managed an inch of progress.

why did i venture all the out into the depths of southeast DC, you might ask.....

DC Rollergirls.
yes, roller derby. they had a bout at the armory yesterday and my friend Price and i took it in. he had bought the tickets for he and his girlfriend, but she couldn't go at the last minute so he brought me along. it was fun.

it was the kind of fun that makes you want to put on a pair of skates and kick some ass until you remember you lack both free time and health insurance. well.... at least that is how i felt. ha.

it was a double header, but Price could only stay for the first bout. so we saw the DC DemonCats defeat the Secretaries of Hate. he was disappointed because he wanted to see Scare Force One (the current league champs) who are said to be a bunch of tough chicks any way you slice it. they were up against the Cherry Blossom Bombshells.

as you can see, clever naming goes with the territory.... and it extends to the skaters. some of their names are DC related like the teams.... (i.e Demonica Lewinsky and Beltway Betty.) others are clever plays on famous names... (Lois Slain and Camilla the Hun) and still others are just amusing. (Six5onSkates... she really is 6'5" on skates. taaaaall chick. stay out of her way.)

now the questions remains... would i go to another bout? yes, i would. i wouldn't rearrange my schedule for it, but i would go on a non-tech weekend. it was fun. who wouldn't have a good time in a place where you can drink beer while watching girls in small outfits beat the crap out of each other?

i also like a good pun, you know.

truly outrageous

with the sweater giving me fits, i said "up yours knitting!" and decided to crochet something. so i started an afghan with stash yarn. i had about 825 yards of this hot pink stuff still left in my stash box. it should make a nice kid sized throw.

i am further along than the picture. i was in the middle of the 2nd ball (the 1st was a partial) and now i am about to join the fourth. the problem with things worked in the round is that the progress looks like it slows waaaaay down. it is beginning to take 15-20 minutes to get around the blanket. whew!


other things....

the Lion Brand Fashion Show. there are a lot of ugly things, but there are also a few neat things. i think some of the crocheted throws are pretty swell.

also, who knew lucid dreaming was a goal people were willing to pay for?

happy blog-iversary!

i started this blog one year ago today. i know. i can't believe it either. who thought i would ever stick with this?

since this is ostensibly a knitting and crochet blog, i should point out that a year ago i didn't know how to knit. i taught myself while watching the Superbowl last year. i like to think that one of the reasons i have come so far with my knitting is this blog. when you have people to be accountable to, you make progress.

so what have i created in one year?

blog posts: 213

finished objects: 63

39 of those FOs were knit, 23 were crocheted, and 1 project used both knit and crochet equally. 13 of these projects were designed by me or otherwise pulled from my imagination (hard to call a seed stitch scarf "designed").

what were those items?

scarves/mufflers
8 knit, 1 crocheted

hats
7 crocheted, 5 knit

shawls/wraps/capelets
2 knit, 2 crocheted

sweaters/vest
2 crocheted vest, 2 crocheted sweaters
2 knit baby sweaters, 1 knit adult sweater

toys/whimsies
5 knit, 5 crocheted

(but to be honest on myself i counted all 12 thread crocheted snowflakes as one project. i wouldn't want to be accused of numbers inflation. ha.)

socks
6 knit pairs
no unfinished pairs or singles.

mittens/gloves
3 knit

bags/purses
2 knit

afghans/throws
1 crocheted

washcloths
5 knit and 3 crocheted

and in case you wonder how i have the time for all of this.... i make it happen. thatisall. i have been working a lot too, so it has been no small task. i have...

opened 14 shows, and i have 2 more designed and just waiting to be put up. i also got a part time job at my local yarn shop, and there was some alterations and stitching work in there here or there.

not too shabby.

4 things

1. my current show is a little stressful for a variety of reasons. not the least of which could be that i am heading into day 13 of Tech-o-Rama 2007. um. and i keep forgetting to eat.

2. i officially struck the citrine skirt from my languishing list. i looked at it on ravelry and other parts of the WWW, and it looks like butt crocheted up. i'm not going to take that gamble. instead the 9 unused balls of yarn will go into the stash until i decide their fate.

3. i cast on and began knitting the second hand basket sock for myself. it was abandoned in june when i moved on to the other pair (in the correct size) for my then-boyfriend. i keep admiring the finished big-foot pair that sadly live in a drawer rarely seeing the light of day.... and now i will finish the pair that fits me.

4. pasha is done. he has eyes thanks to Miss Mar who gave me the best button eyes ever. thanks, pretty lady! you rock my hand knit socks!

ennui bunny gets a friend

several months ago a little friend came to live with me, and his big floppy pink ears and glassy little eyes have been making me smile ever since. i was thinking he looked a little sadder as the months passed--like he may be suffering from bunny ennui.

we had a little chat.
i offered him a pal, but there is a condition... we have to let the pal go make someone else happy after he perked us up a bit. bunny agreed.


at first he was skeptical, wondering if i meant to keep my word and where on earth i would find him a friend.


but then.... !!!!!


oh, hi! you looking for me?


hurry off you two, the holidays are almost here and your new friend has an important date!


the new bunny is for my nephew, and the photo series is for hannah. she is having a contest, and while i don't expect to win, i hope the bunnies make her smile because she is a genius when it comes to making little crocheted friends!

so i won't do a full project run down on the green bunny.
he is exactly the same as ennui bunny with two minor exceptions. he is made entirely out of Berroco Touche (the pink yarn was Tahki Cotton Classic) and because he is going to live with my nephew soon, he has embroidered eyes instead of boot button eyes. i love how little details entirely change the personality of a stuffed friend.

one gift to go....

hat-o-rama part three

you weren't expecting a hat-o-rama part three were you?

neither was i, but then again no one ever expects to be homeless one day, so it really does make sense. charity needle work, that is.... i dug into my "stash" last night and became the Andy Warhol of crochet to make hats for a charitable giving project my knitting BFF (the lovely CG!) is leading that will provide handmade warm accessories to women at a local homeless shelter this holiday season.

i started by going through my scarf pile. i have made more scarves than god ever intended one woman not to wear. those that i made and never wore (4!!) went in the bag. next went two hats, including the Center Square hat i knit in a silk/wool blend and know i won't wear because i can point out too many minor mistakes in the stranding.

next i pulled out all my super-chunky yarn and a big old crochet hook and went to town. the rust yarn was free to me. the grass green was left from a gift. the lemongrass green was something i was having buyers remorse on, but then this project came up! i still have a full skein of rust and a full skein of lemongrass, so i hope i can either whip up three more hats or maybe dive into some speed stix scarves.

i also have a cabled scarf going in the rust that is 37" long. my goal is to get it to 55" so i can include it as well. when it was just one more scarf for me... the girl with way too many... i had little motivation to keep it going. now that it is for someone else who will really need it this winter, i think those nice thick warm cables are a worthwhile use of my time.

you will also notice in the side bar that i finished the mittens from the class i was teaching. i will try to get a picture.

free at last, free at last

five hats in four weeks and i need a little break from headgear.

i stayed up later than i should have last night finishing this baby for my friend R. can't you tell by the picture? i am tired, not tragic. although i do have a tempting caption on the tragique side...

My beanie is black, and so is my soul.

funny.

anyway.
i'm not doing the full project breakdown on this darling because....

1. it is a black beanie. it doesn't have a name.
2. i made it up as i went.
3. it is crocheted in stash yarn from a mysterious time and place without a tag. it is a wool/acrylic blend by feel.
4. i can't get too attached because i am thinking it is 50/50 as to whether of not R. will wear it. for a man with limited fashion sense, he sure is picky. i think he will have wished i knit a hat instead of crocheted it. but why knit? his wife knits, so i should make him something she can't.

now.
i love R. so don't give me that look. i just am being realistic about the fact that if there is anyone on my list that i didn't match the perfect project to the person... it is R.

this year even my father's projects are perfect! this rarely happens. he loves that i make him things, but he doesn't wear them all the time. i think he's going to really dig what i made (am making!!! eeek!!) for him.

now that i am down one, i am trying to decide what to do next in the holiday game plan. regarding my sidebar fondly i see mittens that i will be finishing in class next tuesday. the staggered rib scarf doesn't have a due date. manos project is at the finishing stage. log cabin socks... long way to go.

so socks.
and do i start my last crochet project? or my last scarf? tough call.

froggin' and dreamin'

see that Unfinished Object?

yep. that one.

no more. i decided to frog it. it has been sitting in the space between my wall and my bookcase for over a year. now i am back to pretty yarn

i knew when i started it with the pretty new yarn that it was never meant to be, but i kept working on it right through the tech rehearsals i was crocheting it in.

i was talked into buying the yarn by someone who really didn't know anything about crochet gauge. they sold me 4 skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca's 100% alpaca, sport weight yarn. i knew it was too lightweight, but i let myself be convinced. $40 later, i have 4 skeins of yarn that aren't really me, and i still have no crocheted skully bag to show for it.

oh, well.
i don't even really like making bags all that much.
and i think 440 yards of really pretty sport weight yarn (that just isn't me) could finds its way into some gifts for people. for now it will ruminate in my stash.

i am starting to have a stash.
a lot of skein ends, yarns people have given me, extra balls left after a project, etc. and sock yarn, which doesn't count as "stash" per se. because, you know... i am 100% sure it will one day be made into socks (or gifted away to other sock knitters). and i only really have about 4-5 pair ahead right now.

i need to clean out or use up.
that is my plan after the 1st of the year. i go on a yarn diet AND clean out what i have. i am allowing myself to buy yarn for one sweater to knit myself after the holidays, however. it is tight fitting, short sleeved, and will only cost about $50. not bad.

i have thrown in the towel on another project as well. i was crocheting a pair of socks this summer. i decided i don't like them. they feel funny on. the work hurts my hands, and i would rather knit mini socks or a pair of ankle socks out of the remaining yarn. i'm not frogging the crocheted sock. it will serve as a reminder so i don't get a wild hair and try to make them again.

this bring my number of UFOs to 3. my Rowan Calmer socks (50%). my Gedifra Fashion Trend Fino Stripe crochet skirt (start over). and my chunky cabled scarf (55%). UFOs are different than my WIP--which are all holiday gifts and one store model.

on a tangential note....
tonight i was gifted a book i have been coveting. someone knows how much i love argyle socks, and now i desperately want to knit myself a pair. this does not bode well for my stash getting smaller or my other sock yarns getting knit.

a day of rest

i was released from the show for today. my brave and fearless leader hopes she won't be in need of any more of my services. as much as i enjoy hanging with my pal K-G, i am tired, and this day off has done me good.

i crocheted a whole holiday gift, finished 80% of another knitted gift, and had the first read of a new project this evening.

i am tired, i may be catching the evil cold that has been floating around, and the pal ale at my side makes me want to crawl into bed.

don't be too impressed with the speed at which i crocheted said gift. i was using a super bulky yarn and a size "Q" hook. the swatch pictured is all you will get to see of it for another month because this is a present for one of my girlfriends who is a blog reader. (now that i have all of your attention.... ha!)

i am a little stressed about getting all of my gifts finished. i have assigned myself 16 projects for a total of 10 people. i have completed 9 items. i am in progress on 3. i have bought the yarn and planned out another 3, and i have 1 that i know what class of item it will be, but the pattern and yarn have not been selected.

of these outstanding items, 2 are crochet projects. 4 are knits. and 1 is... well... still, undecided.

there is a distinct possibility that 2 projects may fall off the list, which is good because i would be closer to my goal (and i would cut out both a colorwork and a cabled project) but it is also bad because it would mean i am still cranky with that person.

boo on people making me cranky. don't do it--you will get a store purchased gift.

speaking of gifty things.... my swap pal is yet to inform me that she has received her package. i am getting worried. if i don't hear anything by tomorrow evening, i will email my hostess.

hat-o-rama part two

i can now reveal the hats in their full glory with details, as the blue one has been gifted away to the rightful (blog reading) owner.

this will also give you some idea why i am tired of making hats right now. we can bring our count up to four for the month of october with these two darlings.

a sicko part of me wants to stay up tonight and finish number 5 so i can set some sort of silly personal goal. i'm not going to--too much other art must be finished before tomorrow evening.

the details....

Birthday Blues Hat
designed by kittything
pattern available soon (i hope.)

knit in Frog Tree Merino (1 skein #910, 1 skein #916, 100% merino wool) purchased at K+S=B on size US 7 Plymouth bamboo needles.

started: october 27, 2007
finished: october 29, 2007

i knit this for someone who is officially going to be old on saturday. (i am allowed to say it because he said it first. ha. and, you know.... my time will come soon enough.) that along with the color gave the design its name. but how can you be sad when you have such a delightful hat?!

when i wanted to start this project, i was a little annoyed. i bought the yarn because i fell in love with the dark blue and i had to knit something from it. i don't really wear blue. perfect for something one is to gift. okay... now tell me when it became a law of knitting that all men's hat patterns must be knit in chunky yarn?

i searched high and low, and finally in disgust i made my own pattern. remember how i questioned why anyone would ever knit a hat flat instead of in the round? yeah, well i knit it flat.

two reasons. 1. i would rather sew a seam than do fancy pants stuff to eliminate the "jog" in the color of the stripes. 2. my circular US7 was too big (24") and my double points were too small (5"). it was an hour of night well after any sort of purveyor of knitting needles would be open, so i bit the bullet and knit flat. i think it turned out pretty darn well.

ps- i am in love with my decreases.


on to friend number 2....

Tasteful Sports Themed Beanie
designed by kittything

crocheted in Frog Tree Merino (1 skein #905, 1 skein... um... brown, 100% merino wool) purchased at K+S=B on size "J" palm wood crochet hook.

started: october 11, 2007
finished: october 14, 2007

first, i apologize for the Freaky Anime Eyes picture. i have freaky eyes, and i try to minimize their strangeness in photos, but after taking 10 pictures of myself in this hat, i gave up. but this is an excellent illustration of why my ID says i have grey eyes and not blue. i don't like to fight at the DMV.

this is a husband-of-a-friend (he is also my friend) holiday gift. he likes sports. i like things that are tasteful, hence the tasteful sports themed hat. no loud and garish stadium colors here, folks! class and sophistication all the way, baby!

as you can see from the fact that i have now made three hats in the Frog Tree Merino.... i think it is spectacular! everyone should rush out and get some right now. i. love. it.

it is great for both knitting and crochet. it is soft, but it doesn't get too fuzzy. zero itch here, people. i also hear a nasty rumour that it felts well. i would never do such a thing to this lovely yarn, but i thought i should put it out there. oh, yeah... and have i mentioned that the colors rock?

alright, one more hat and then the holiday hat season will be done. i tend to make hats when i am home with my folks during the holidays--not this year. this year i think i will be back on my socks!