"free" knitting

i will apologize up front for my photo quality of late. leopard print means indoor pictures. indoor pictures mean i have worked away all the daylight. sorry folks.

ahem...

sometimes knitting doesn't cost money, and two of my projects fit into that group right now. most of us do a needlecraft for the pleasure of the activity. it is nice to have the final product, but it is the activity we enjoy, or we would just go out and buy scarves and sweaters.

right now i am getting to knit on a beautiful luxury fiber--Plymouth's Royal Llama Silk. (60% llama, 40% silk) it is an absolute delight to knit with. you see it worked up in the grey scarf... it is a store model for the shop. we need more models of "manly" scarves, and this yarn is perfect for men's knits.

it is warm and soft, but the fabric is remarkably light and feels very strong wearing despite the lovely hand. the tweedy texture is beautiful and makes this yarn eye catching while remaining subtle. it looks best in either a plain fabric or knitted up into a bigger texture or cables. that is why i think it would be great for men's knits... nice plain or in a masculine texture or combination of rich colors. the particular color i am knitting up is called "Agate".


obviously because i won't be keeping this scarf, i didn't pay for the yarn, and i will be financially rewarded for my efforts. what a treat to be compensated for knitting with such lovely stuff!

my second unfunded project is a garter stitch loop-through scarf. you pull the little tails through the loops created in the ribbed section and it looks like a flirty version of an ascot.... sorta.

this is the Blue Sky Alpaca Sportweight that i frogged last week. who knew it would find love so soon? me! because i like to give a nice holiday gift, and if i spent that money more than a year ago, it feels practically free. i need to pick this little project up again because time slows for no one.

can you believe i don't actually like knitting scarves? yeah. that's me. a hater. but i will soon have more exciting things on the horizon. pictured bellow we have the swatch/1st sleeve for my Gathered Pullover knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca (the yummy color is pea soup mix. i love pea soup!) and two skeins of 50% off Mountaincolors Bearfoot in the Goldrush colorway that will one day be sportweight knee socks.


the goldrush color kills me. i love it. it reminds me of my grandparents' living room from my childhood. every single color was in that room. from the crazy couch and amber glass hanging lamp to the pea green carpet and the strange ripple stitch 70s afghan... all of them are represented, and i will get to wear those colors as sock. awesome!

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.

crisis averted

i am pleased to report that my downstream swap pal did in fact get her package. and she liked it! yay!

that being said, i don't know if i will do more swaps. this is not because of the ladies involved (they were great) but because the mailing and worrying and finger crossing involved. i also don't think i can devote the proper time to really using the swaps to full advantage for making new pals and such. i am all about my 2 new pals, but i really only had the time to get to know 2 people out of the more than 50 people involved in this swap.

i'm lame.
i mean, i am this way about ravelry too. it is neat and all, but i log on maybe every 10 days. i'm even worse with my crochet me account.

all this being said... i have a "casual" swap to introduce soon. stay tuned.

and just to show i really am making progress on the holiday gifts....

my father's second sock! yes, that is a turned heel you see. very much so. it is just begging for a gusset. i plan to give it one tonight at my stitch'n'bitch.

happy days are here again

so Nanda pointed out in the comments....

the TSA page now says that knitting needles and crochet hooks are permitted on flights.

woo!hoo!

just to be safe, the next time i travel with serious needles, i am brining a print out of the page saying they are a go.

not really, but sometimes.

every so often i sit and wish i was a man. never for any good reason, and i certainly am happy to be a gal (even with everything that comes along with that).

this week i found 3 reasons why it is great to be a guy.... or at least a woman who is bigger than me (i'm around 5'5" and almost a buck 25).

1. wingtips with skull design in the toe. i love! sadly, with this one i would need to be both a man and a rich one at that if i wanted to wear these babies.

2. Jodi Greene's sweater design Durrow.... entirely drool worthy and an impossible (well, more like just improbable) dream since the smallest size is almost 8 inches bigger than me. i may need to work on converting my father to sweater wearing. but look at those cabled sleeves! ah, me!

3. Rowan's newest beautiful offering... Knitting for Him: 27 Classic Projects to Keep Him Warm. there is argyle in this book that breaks my heart and cardigans that makes me want to cry with jealously. when BossLady asked me if the book is really that good, i told her it is good enough to make me reconsider my anti-marriage position. (or again with the retraining of my father to be a sweater wearer.)

these things plus the ability to open jars and not get cat-called on the street... ahh, perchance to dream!

things i love, and not so much....

we'll start with the love.

1. 101 Designer One Skein Wonders.
not to be confused with the lame book One Skein Wonders. i am talking about the sequel. i love it. first book... meh. this one, yeah! i am already 1/3 of the way through the first project i am making from it, and let me say that it is an excellent use of my frogged Blue Sky Alpaca.

my only negative remark on this book is that the art direction makes me sad. it is designed to be very cutesy, which limits the audience, i think. it looks like a teenybopper book, but in reality it has good projects for many tastes.... even if the colors are garish. use your imagination and you too will love.

both of these one skein-ers are by Judith Durant, who also put together Never Knit Your Man a Sweater... maybe she is my hero of the week. well, my sorta hero. maybe.

2. etsy.who doesn't love etsy?
i am in such yarn lust right now. sock yarns from etsy will be my undoing. because i am a hopeless romantic. and i love pink flamingos.

3. the crocheted cupcake pattern pictured above. it is by lionbrand. the pattern is adorable. the yarn it is associated with directly....

now the "not so much".

1. Cupcake. this is the latest yarn coming out of The House That Fun Fur Built. i have come to know my yarns and my good substitutes in the last few months. this one is clearly a knock off of Mission Falls 1824 Cotton and Sweaterkits CottonLicious

2. seaming. none of us like it, and we all have to do it. tonight i seamed my Manos Project. well, 1/2 to 3/4 of it. it is blocking out right now, and the rest gets seamed maybe tomorrow night if the wool is dry.

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.

poor charming billy

Oh, where have you been,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Oh, where have you been,
Charming Billy?
I have been to seek a wife,
She's the joy of my life,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.
...
Can she make a cherry pie,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a cherry pie,
Charming Billy?
She can make a cherry pie,
Quick as a cat can wink an eye,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.

it looks like i'll never catch a husband. (ha.) i tried to make the treats i posted about from the AntiCraft.... and had only marginal success. there is something about me and pie-crust-like-things that doesn't agree. i think the crust knows i hate it. or that i am not a huge fan of eating pie to begin with.

no one tell my grandmother. she'll be very disappointed and i will have to hear the story all over again about how my cousin baked a blueberry pie for her father-in-law on his birthday and what a great success that was.

and then i will have to explain to her why i have not made a pie success story out of myself.

again.

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.

static transmission

kitty is off trying to make some bank. this is accomplished by helping a friend get her beast of a show through tech. there will be very little knitting and even less of an update, i am sad to say. we all have to make sacrifices.

but for now, know that there is a new AntiCraft edition out. as i have said in the past, there isn't much crafty i want to make... even though i am glad to know these things are being made by someone, somewhere. i do however, want these delicious treats featured in the current issue.

no time to make them at this moment, damnitall. i will marry the person who presents them to me in my hour of tech-related need. failing that... i would at least be their friend forever.

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!

sigh

and people wonder why i am so over halloween costumes. deep down, i love them, i really do. at least i want to. and then there is crap like this.

the quote that got me....

But Gabby did like the Aqua Fairy, a vampy get-up with a black ripped-up skirt, black fishnet tights and blue bustier that comes in medium, large and preteen. A medium fits a child of 8.

plus, costumes are my job the other 364 days out of the year, you know.

mail call!

yesterday i was dashing out the door when i was stopped in my tracks--my Fall Into Autumn package arrived! i didn't have a set in stone schedule, so i opened it up on the spot. wow, talk about goodies.
my spoiler spoiled me a lot.

as you see from the picture....

• 5 (yes, 5!) dishcloths. including two diagonal garter stitch, and two picture ones (a bug and a bat) as well as a round one. i love round cloths! yay!
• a pattern book
• sock shaped point protectors. cutest thing in the world. we all know how i feel about socks.
• handmade vanilla oatmeal soap that smells amazing.
  
• size 7 bamboo needles (i have been using my 7 a lot lately. now i have bamboo and not just aluminium)
• a halloween kitty with googley eyes that came in her own halloween bag.
• pumpkin stationary.
• a batty halloween bracelet
• halloween buttons
• a skein of black Cotton Ease, which i have never tried but have been wanting to.
• and a pretty Monet print card.
  

the whole thing came packaged up dappled in halloween confetti. i point this out because this is the first time i ever successfully opened a package with confetti and didn't have it go all over the place. this is very good because i get cards from Certain Nameless Friends that contain confetti and i get fooled every time. confetti everywhere. i still find little teal sparkle dots from a birthday card i opened two years ago..... in a different apartment.

i'm not sure how that is possible.

thank you Donna! i love my package. i now have to chuckle because you said you were worried you couldn't surprise the yarn store gal. you did more than an admirable job. i love it. i hope your spoiler was as sweet to you as you were to me!

now i need to cool down my use of exclamation points a bit.

treat

i've been pretty busy, so real knitting content has suffered. i can throw you a bone, however! quick little update.

i have a mystery project shaping up nicely in Manos del Uruguay. the colorway is called "Bramble". i am about 45-50% done with the knitting portion of this one.

the second project that is coming off the sticks tonight is yet another hat. i say "yet another", but you have only seen two i made. i have one more finished and two at various stages of completion. must. finish. gifts.

i'm going to be so over hats by december. then it will be time to knit a sweater for myself!

we all need a little support

thank you to all the concerned citizens of the Fall Into Autumn Swap. my pal's address was rescued from the abyss.

and another form of support....

Frederick's of Hollywood and Clothes Off Our Back just had the 4th Annual Lingerie Art Auction. there is an auction of celebrity designed corsets for charity pruposes. check them out here.

they are pretty cool.... for the most part. and some were designed by men. now, i was suspicious that these were (as most this "star" designed) not at all designed by the people who sponsored them. but some make a lot of sense with the celebrity. and then there are one's like what Jeremy Piven and Debra Messing designed.... not only do they look like the stars designed them--they look like they made them too. Jeremy Piven clearly loves a Beadazzler.

no really, go look. Bradly Whitford will surprise you.

day three

i have been trying for three days to retrieve my swap pal's lost email address. the hostesses are not getting back to me. this is very frustrating. technical difficulties stink.

i think i am going to have to reveal myself to my pal to ask for the address directly. i really didn't want to ruin the fun.

on a different note.... raw meat should never be a prop an art director can select for a knitted project photo shoot.

sad panda

i am a sad panda for two reasons.

1. the Fall Into Autumn Swap is about to end. i guess that isn't too sad because my package from my swap pal will show up any second, but still.... no more topics. no more covert blog messages. ah, well. fun while it lasts.

2. i am thisclose to failing at my swap. you see, my email seems to have had a meltdown and eaten two weeks worth of mail. this mail includes my hostess with her email address. my swap pal's email address and mailing address. and all other information related to retrieving said items. ugh!

i mean, i don't even have an email address to send a message to my pal and say "this is who i am. sorry i ruined the anonymity of our swap, but can you send me your address so i can send you a package?" boo. it isn't like i can leave that message in her blog comments and expect a reply!

and with that venting of frustration.... our last Topic of the Week...

How was your experience in the exchange? Did you enjoy the folks you met? Did you just love the cloth and goodies you received? Please share any thoughts, criticism, and things you loved!

i have had a good time. until now when i have messed myself up.

my swap pal is great. always staying in touch and leaving me fun comments. i also feel lucky to have been given someone to spoil me that one day i may be able to thank in person! i was so excited that she came to my LYS (even if i wasn't working that day). there is a coffee shop in the same building it, so next time she hits our nation's capital hopefully we can have a coffee and pet the pretty yarn together.

related to that, i am glad that the hostesses didn't try to match people up based on age or interests (other than needlework!) because i like meeting different sorts of people. i do that a lot in both of my jobs, and i enjoy it. i think you miss out on different points of view if you don't have friends of all ages and with differing interests.

as for the pal i am spoiling... we have not communicated much. i write her blog comments every week (she posts about once per week) but i have not heard anything back since the first week. that's fine. i think she is really busy from the sound of her posts, and she has other swaps going. i just hope she likes the things i picked for her! i went all autumn colors, so we shall see!

[somone is getting crazy with the exclamation points today. time to wrap up.]

my package has not arrived yet, so i will do a follow up on its awesomeness (which is almost assured) once i have it here.

lovely little needle knits

as much as i like a quick project, i do love some sock-weight yarn. it makes a lovely fabric, and i seem to prefer my hand painted yarn in light weights. having ends of skeins hanging about after knitting socks, i wanted a project i could use these small yarn quantities to complete.

ta-da.
mini socks--dollar included in photo for scale. not entirely practical, but very cute. as set models and kittens prove--everything is cute when small. (well, not everything. teacup poodles. not so much.) in the future i hope to knit one of these after i finish each pair of socks. they are fun, fast, and a great way to hang on to a bit of wonderful sock yarn without simply leaving a scrap in the stash bin. these little darlings will probably also end up on my holiday tree.

in addition to tiny socks, i recently knit another small project out of koigu.

Heart Sachet
designed by Vicki Sever
published by Interweave Press
available for free on Knitting Daily

knit in Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino (1 skein, 100% hand painted merino wool) purchased at Knit+Stitch=Bliss on size US 2 Brittany Birch needles.

started: october 25, 2007
finished: october 23, 2007

this was my first miter square/domino/modular knitting project. they are very popular in the shop i work at, so i thought i would give it a go and see what all the fuss is about. it was... okay.

what i told BossLady at the shop today was that i probably should have picked a project with larger yarn. the technique was a little tricky to learn on small dark yarn. and while it should always be about the process, i have to admit that i do think about the fact that by the time i finished the 14 squares of this little heart on size 2 needles, i could have finished 1/3 of a Rambling Rows Afghan on 8 needles.

still. it is cute, and i have one more little trick in my knitting arsenal. plus...koigu is yummy to knit. i think i have enough left to be able to knit a mini sock out of my leftover koigu. yum.

oh, my eyes.

it is no wonder crochet gets such a bad name. people with absolutely no taste design things that are supposed to be whimsical, but in reality, they are just horrifying.

i barely have words.

i mean, a cow print scarf could be fun.... maybe. but only for an adorable child. who loves cows. and it under the age of 8.

but i have to know.... udders?!?! why, oh, why?

just looking at this scarf makes me feel sort of dirty. like i am violating a cow's privacy or something.
they aren't even very realistic looking, but there is something about the intent that gives me the heebeegeebees.

this is what i get for not being able to maintain a normal sleep schedule--my eyes burned out from late night browsing.

from What Not to Crochet.