Kaino

I guess you can tell what happened to the orange dress from long ago.... My stash of closeout Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK has finally found the right pattern - this is the Kaino vest from Norah Gaughan Vol.1, by Berroco. I used the yarn doubled up so the vest is so so warm. Very comfy too, and looks good over long or short sleeves (I can't wait to try it with a dress). Norah Gaughan is my hero; my Ravelry queue is mostly her stuff, and I'd make all of it tomorrow if I could. I *did* have to break my yarn-buying diet when I realized 2/3 of the way through that I'd run out of yarn. Luckily for me this yarn is discontinued but pretty readily available, so I was able to get some at a great discount. Still, I feel bad about breaking my resolution, so I'm adding another two weeks to the end of my diet - July 14 is the new end date.

Dino

Here is a nice little dinosaur from the book Knitted Toys by Zoe Mellor - such a great book. I used the same recycled yarn that I made the EZ baby sweater with, plus some of the remnants of the $2 wool (that one skein is still going!). He's going to live with a baby boy.

And just for fun, here's what I got at my public library branch's book sale a couple of weekends ago. A Brief History of Time (!), a film book for my husband, a fun historical costume book, a catalog of beautiful paintings by an artist I hadn't heard of before, and this cool kids' book about fibers of all kinds, even Kevlar! I gave that to a coworker for her kid. I do love my library.

Not really a refashion...

So I shouldn't be posting about this, but *did* use my sewing machine.
In my pursuit of this cute Gap dress, I found this shirt in the clearance section:


It was an XL and looked like a giant mumu on me, so I hemmed the side seams. I know it's not much of a refashion, but I am so excited that it worked. I'm a big fan of Wiksten Made, and while her designs are much better, I thought I did a pretty good job finding a similar design.

Now I just don't know if I should wear the dress or the shirt to work tomorrow!

Works in progress

With all the snow (and snow days!) I've had this week, I've been able to work on a couple things.
I started the first item a couple of weeks ago, but it's going to take me a while. Tippi may recognize it as a suggestion for a new knit-along, but I just couldn't wait! (Not to mention, knit-alongs shouldn't take months on end, so this wasn't a good choice anyway).



It's the Tangled Yolk Cardigan from the Interweave Knits, Fall 2007 issue. I'm using the yarn it called for, Rowan Felted Tweed in ginger. My gauge was way off so instead of knitting with marginally usable size 5 needles, I had to go down to a size 3 needle! It's taking a while and the gauge is still a little wonky but I'm fine with that since the new gauge will fit me better anyway. I'm just starting the second sleeve, but after that, I get to work on the actual cabling, and maybe I can wear it in the fall!




And the second item is the "Baby's First Ball"
pattern from Knitting For Baby. Who can resist felted balls in bright colors? I'm using scrap Paton's wool--I tend to stock up on that stuff. It's somewhat cheap and great for felting small little projects.

Slow Down

Note to self: Never make a resolution! I just never have anything to post anymore. Now that school has started again, my free time has evaporated...and I'm lazy :O)
So here are some socks I knit up a couple weeks ago for my mom's birthday.




They look kind of lame in the picture (my mom does not have monster feet). I used the "On-Your-Toes" Socks pattern by Ann Budd from the Interweave Knits Summer 2007 issue. I used Lang Yarns Aktion Jawoll. The yarn came with extra thread for the heel and toe, which was nice. I LOVE knitting from the toe up! I had no idea it would work so much faster. I struggled a little to finish the second one, but I finished--that's the key! I also really liked how the short row heel was worked; much thicker and stronger than the other pattern I've used in the past. This pattern also has directions for knee-highs, so I'm going to attempt that next!

Refashioned top

This is a bit of a stretch in terms of post worthiness, but here it goes anyway. I bought this top months ago at H&M - tried on one size, it was too small, so I bought the next size up without trying it on...and the sleeves were still too tight. So it sat in my closet until I finally cut off the sleeves and hemmed the armholes. I did the sewing by hand because the fabric is very light and I'm not confident enough with my sewing machine on delicate material. I still love this top, I'm excited to finally be able to wear it, and now I have these awesome sleeve pieces, which I think will make adorable pockets on some future project of undetermined nature.

Leg Warmers

I had a special request for leg warmers for a potty-training toddler who likes to wear dresses but whose mom hated the hassle of dealing with tights at potty time. I forgot to photograph the first pair I made; they were made with crazy bright yarn and were just 2x2 ribs tubes. For these, I used Berroco Comfort Yarn, which is very soft & machine washable, and made it up as I went along. I started at the bottom with 40 stitches, then gradually increased to 48. I used my forearm as a rough approximation of a toddler's leg. I didn't make them a perfect match because the request stated explicitly that the leg warmers should be "funky," and this was the only way I knew to make pastels funky.

Baby gear

Well, I think I already broke one of my New Year's resolutions by not posting all week. I guess crafting takes time. I have been busy crafting fun baby items lately. My pending auntiness didn't really kick in until a month ago, but now I just want to make baby things all time. My first project was a little hooded wrap. I knit this with Bernat organic cotton. Organic cotton is hard to come buy if you're not willing to order online, so I question how organic it really is. Hmm. I really liked how the little wrap knit up though.
Second, since the baby is going to be born in winter, I thought a little sweater and hat set was necessary. I used patterns from One Skein for both the hat and sweater. I thought I was getting the hang of seams, but this sweater was crap to sew up. I loved the yarn though. It's Classic Elite Yarns Lush, 50/50 wool/angora. It's super soft.
Finally, I made some baby bibs. I wasn't too sure if new babies use bibs but I've been assured that they do. They're so little that a little bit of fabric goes a long way. I really like the kitty/cat fabric. The more I look at fabric, the more I'm tempted to buy the super expensive stuff online. There are so many irresistible fabrics out there. I used the pattern from Chickpea Sewing Studio. They sewed up really fast, and they're so cute....

Babies are cute.

Warm things

Here are two quick warm things I've done - the first of the year! (So far I'm doing very well at not straying from my knitting plan. Which I'm proud of even though it's only weeks into the year.) Anyway, on the left is the Karn hat from Norah Gaughan vol.1 (can't wait to get vol.2 which just came out!). I used Lamb's Pride, of course. I love this hat. On the right is a pair of mittens for m husband, made with the famous $2 wool from Smiley's. I managed to get a hat & these mittens from one skein, with a little ball to spare - that's a lot of mileage for $2!

What a Surprise!

I spend my days opening mail for other people, so it was such a surprise to actually see something in the mail addressed to me today! And once I opened said package, I was floored to see what was inside!
Here is an action shot of me enjoying my new mittens Tippi knit for me! They are unbelievable (and with cute little squirrels-- and green trim that doesn't show on the picture). These mittens are amazing and so thoughtful a gift and I totally love them!

Beware the changing blog

For those who noticed, this little knitting site is going through some changes. It was time for a dusting off. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Christmas crafting round-up

I had great intentions of debuting all my crafting for the holidays slowly, but since it's practically mid-January, here ya go:

Item #1:
Here is the mysterious item I was hand felting. It is a big bag and it was a name-draw gift for Christmas. I was fairly pleased with the final product. I think it could have felted better in a machine but overall, I was able to keep the felting consistant. The handles were horrific to felt--I didn't think they would ever shrink! I will also confess to attaching the handles on wrong ends so I cut them and attached buttons for a cute little flair.






Item #2:
I decided that bags were going to be the gift of choice this year; they're always needed, super trendy, and customizable. So I made my mother and two sisters their own tote bags. I kind of winged it in terms of a pattern. I learned a lot about the process of adding a liner from the bags when I made the bags for my grandmothers, and I just adapted that pattern for new bags. I'm also starting to not forget to add pockets to the inside! I did, however, forget to make a bag for myself. I think they're so cute but I'm kind of burned out from sewing....maybe I'll make a couple when the outdoor farmer's market starts up again.


And for some non-present related Christmas crafting:

New Year's post

I don't think I really made a list of New Year's resolutions last year so I'll start with a clean slate this year.

First, I think my first new resolution should be to post more often! I always set out with the best intentions and something sidetracks me. I'm too busy creating and not documenting enough. One non-knitting goal I have for myself this year is to photograph the world around me more, and I'm sure my knitting will feature prominently in that endeavor.

Second, I will no longer buy yarn for imaginary projects, even charity baby items. I have a very small space to store yarn and most of it is taken up with bad yarn choices. I have reached a point where I need to bag all the yarn up and walk into a random knitting group, slip in beside someone else's chair, and walk away slowly. I have so many better creations to work on.

Third, I need to organize my queued projects and prioritize. I might work on Ravelry to make this happen, but at this point I'm not sure I want to fully jump into that community.

As for non-knitting resolutions...
I hope to dabble in embroidery a little this year.
I've made some progress with sewing and I want to keep that up. Limited time and space really are hard to work with though.

And finally (and I've been wishing for this for a while), I want a room of my own (but since I just renewed my crappy apartment lease, I don't think that'll happen this year).

Ridiculously long New Year's post

It's another new year! I went back to my "resolutions" post from a year ago and thought I would see how I did:

-Fewer impulse yarn buys - more conscious stash management!
Well...I did alright on this one. I tried to buy mostly sale yarns and to buy sweater quantities to encourage more garment knitting.
-Actually *finishing* more projects instead of ripping out 10 times before finally giving up.
I haven't gone back and counted my finished projects, and while I'm sure I was more productive than in the past I still had too many impulsive project starts and subsequent rejections.
-Knit more of my own clothes and knit more gifts for others.
Again, did better perhaps than in previous years but there's a lot of room for improvement.
-Do some charity knitting.
A community service group I belong to at my work did a hat knitting project in December - 26 hats for a men's shelter in our neighborhood!

My hopes for 2008 are high, and my project list is long, including lots more than just knitting. In general, this is my challenge: this year, how can I be more creative, more productive, and less wasteful? I want to think about these questions in all areas of life - crafting, eating, work, shopping & spending, etc. With regard to knitting in particular, I have begun to develop a list of specific project goals and sketch out a timeline for getting them done. I've resolved to buy no new yarn or clothes for 6 months in an effort not only to economize but also to focus on working with the materials I already have to create new clothes (or refashion old ones). And charity knitting is still a goal, both with the group at work and on my own.

Here is my last project of 2007 - the 6-stitch-per-inch Basic Socks from Getting Started Knitting Socks. I used one strand each of gray Wool-Ease Sportweight and brown sock yarn, and they turned out warm & well-fitting. They were very fast to knit, too.

Gifts & gifts

Here are a bunch of scarves I made for my coworkers and our student workers. I think I actually have another one to do, but since they only take about 2 hours to do on size 15 needles, I'm sure I can find time to finish just one more. I hadn't planned on making gifts for my work friends, but this Wool Ease Thick & Quick yarn was on sale and the colors were so pretty, I caved in.


And here are the two-circular socks - not much progress! I've already had to scrap 2 other gift projects due to an overly ambitious knitting program...it's down to these socks and a mystery project (hmmm...), and I'm hoping to mail them both out early next week so I have to pick up my pace!

Something for Myself

As a small bonus for semi-finishing my final project in school, I thought I'd make a little something:

I made a little needle holder for all my double pointed needles. They were getting out of control at the bottom of my knitting bag. I had originally envisioned a large needle holder for all my needles, but I have way too many to do that and still make the holder a reasonable size. This way I can make three different holders. I got the idea from the Multicrafty: Knitting Needle Case tutorial, which I found via the Sew, Mama, Sew blog. I think it'll really help, but I wish I would have made the pockets a little more custom for each needle set. Some of the smaller needles move around a bit.

And I love the inside fabric!

Guess the insanity!

Here's a picture of what I've been slowly working on this week:


Yes, I am hand felting! It is quite the chore but it's actually working. I couldn't do it all in one shot; my arms got a little tired (eep!). This is another Christmas present and I needed it felted and dried before then but I don't have easy access to a top-loading washer so I'm resorting to this old-fashioned work. Where's the Wonder Washer when I need it? I will most likely have another post when it's all finished so I'll save the details for then.

I'm about to do something really irresponsible

It's the one year anniversary of our blog! I should have knit a little cupcake to celebrate, but is it really that big of a deal? I had to mark the milestone though.

On to projects:

I made myself a Christmas tree this year because my little tree I usually have is located at my parent's house and I won't be making a trip there until after Christmas. I found these wonderful little softy trees from little birds handmade and decided to expand on that idea.


I sewed little circles of Christmas fabric on it for bulbs. I still have to put lights up and the star on top but kitty is having some issues with it right now so I'm waiting for her to settle down a bit. Apparently it's a giant toy!

Good Grief!

I had high hopes of posting something every day of December this year. I seem to have plenty of projects, but not enough time I guess. To kind of catch up, here are three recently finished projects:


First, I made another green A-line skirt. This time, I added pockets, which was fun to think about and plan for. I didn't use a pattern again and I still like the skirt, but I think it flares out a little more than I wanted but I can never tell what it'll look like until I have it all sewed up and by then I'm not tearing it out again. Also, I added a liner but didn't take a picture of it.






Next, I had a request from a friend to knit a Charlie Brown sweater. I didn't think I had to time or desire to knit a whole yellow and black sweater so I compromised and knit a hat instead. I made the pattern all by myself (not too hard, thankfully!) I used my favorite Cascade 220 yarn and followed the Hats that Fit by Nancy Lindberg pattern.




And finally I started my holiday crafting. I feel fairly safe posting what I've worked on so far. I'm making bags for both my grandmas and here's one bag all finished up. I used the Curved Gusset Bag from U-handblog. It sewed up really fast and it was easy even for me. It turned out really well and it's huge! I think it's almost too big.




More tomorrow!

I need a Room of My Own!

Here's a picture of what I've been working on:It's a sweater for my mom and right now it's laid out all over my bedroom floor. :( It's a good thing she never looks at this site because I'm sure she wouldn't like my cat walking all over her new sweater.
I'm still in the ideas phase for everything Christmas-themed. I have yarn for one project that I probably will start as my mom's sweater blocks. A lot of my presents this year involve fabric and not yarn. I'm excited to forget about school and start crafting!