knitting and a puppy!

November 27, 2016 by 2 Comments

Zero finally has a little brother and I’m super excited!

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They look like they could actually be related, don’t they?  But he’s actually a half beagle, half pit mix that we found at a no-kill shelter thanks to my boss, who brought in a girl from the litter to work on Monday and told me that there were still boys left.  He’s 12 weeks now, and his name is Roll (keeping with the Megaman theme Chris started with Zero).  It’s hard to get a picture of him awake because he’s in constant motion, but here’s my best shot:

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Only thing is, he’s not housebroken yet, so that’s been frustrating.  He’s starting to figure it out though & he makes up for it with cuteness and cuddles.  He even helps me with knitting (although he’s already mangled one of my wooden cable needles that I foolishly had just sitting on the daybed beside me):

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As seen in the photo, I finally got started on the bulky weight version of the cowl I’m writing up a pattern for.  Really I just have to finish this one, block it, & take photos for the downloadable version that will be available… well… whenever I get it done.

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The yarn is The Meri Wool from We Are Knitters and it is SO soft.  Can’t wait to wear it!  And I didn’t know how much yarn I’d need for the cowl so I’m going to have a fair amount of leftovers for other toasty items!  Maybe I’ll make a set — I don’t usually do that.

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I’m loving all the colors, and I don’t think it takes away from the texture at all.  The colorway is called Sprinkle Fantasy, I believe.  Mmmm… makes me want ice cream with sprinkles.  Only it’s too cold for that right now.  Boo.  But I’m actually happy that I’m finally getting to wear some of the new items I’ve made since last winter.  My fave to wear so far is my Arlequin Shawl — the yarn just makes it.

OK, I’m done for the night, gotta get back to knitting!  Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

 

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Aspen blanket: ta-da!

November 12, 2016 by 12 Comments

First I want to say a brief thank you to everyone across the world who commented on my last post.  I no longer feel so alone and afraid and have been brainstorming about things I can do to make a difference.  Your support and kindness are so much appreciated.

In knitting news, I finally finished my Aspen blanket and I LOVE it!  I started it in January but due to a yarn shortage I had to put it on hold for a while, but I got it back out a couple of weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed finishing it.

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It’s a great size and is nice and stretchy (which also makes it hard to take a good measurement).  I do kind of wish I’d just made up a similar pattern on my own because to me it turned out to be a very simple pattern for $6, but oh well.

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I used 24 skeins (2520 yds) of Garnstudio DROPS Andes (super bulky, 65% wool, 35% alpaca) in 0100 Ecru.  The pattern actually calls for 2 strands of bulky weight held together but 2 strands of the super bulky held together was fine.  Actually, even with the recommended needle size (US 50/25 mm) it still looked pretty loose, so I went down 2 needle sizes to US 19 (15 mm) and added 2 pattern repeats to make up for the change, and I like it much better.  I used the long-tail cast-on & Elizabeth Zimmerman’s sewn bind-off to keep things nice and elastic, and I slipped the first stitch of each row purl-wise to make a neater edge.

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One thing I really love about my blanket is that there are no knots in the entire thing.  I used the spit-splicing method to join new balls of yarn so that there wouldn’t be messy sections of sewn in ends.  Basically you just cut a couple of inches off of half of the plies (in my case, 1 ply, since the yarn itself was just 2 ply) on both the tail end of the current ball and the beginning of the new one you’re joining.  Then you dampen the ends with spit, wind the plies together, and rub it quickly between your hands or on a sturdy fabric.  It sounds gross (and kind of tastes gross and fuzzy), but there’s something about spit that works better than just plain water.  Essentially you’re felting the ends together (making an undetectable but very strong join), meaning that this method only works with yarn that has a high content of animal fiber.  Because it’s feltable, though, it has to be laid out to dry after washing, which will be fun (I have no idea where I will do that).  It will also be heavy, and it’s heavy already without being wet!

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All in all I’m very happy with this plush, toasty blanket!  I just have to be careful not to leave it lying around when I’m not using it, or the dog will likely lay on it and snag the yarn with her claws.  Maybe felting it in the wash just a little teensy bit might not be a bad idea.

Also, I got a haircut yesterday.  This week has been so terrible (on top of the election, I also immediately got sick afterward, and I was so despondent that I’m not sure the two aren’t unrelated), so I figured I’d pamper myself just a tad.  I love it.

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OK, that’s all for today.  Thanks for stopping by everyone, see you soon!

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November WIPs

November 8, 2016 by 7 Comments

On this very scary Election Day I’ve GOT to focus on something else until the polls close.  Enter ALL THE WIPS!  (Actually, I’m just going to talk about 2 of the 10 I’ve got laying around.)

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This is my version of the Aerie cowl that I posted about (that post has since been removed since I was using their photo to ask your opinion on what stitches were used).  I figured out what the stitches are thanks to everyone here and on Instagram.

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I didn’t have a single ply chunky yarn like the original but I had a single ply worsted yarn so I just used that (KnitPicks Preciosa Tonal Worsted in colorway Stormy — 100% merino).  Since this test run is turning out nicely I’ll probably get a chunky yarn and write up a pattern for it, but let me ask you a question…

Is it OK for me to write up a pattern & distribute it?  I figured out the stitch pattern through reverse engineering almost exactly (it may even be exact), but of course there’s not a pattern already available for it, nor will there be.  The way I started and will end my project are slightly different than the original, but is that enough for me to be able to ethically distribute a pattern for what’s basically a copy of a large clothing chain’s item?  Please let me know what you think — I don’t know what to do!

I’m also working on my Aspen blanket again (fondly dubbed “the blanket everyone wants” due to the current popularity of chunky cable knit throws).  It took forever but I was finally able to get the rest of the yarn I needed and bring it out of hibernation.  It’s great to work on now that it’s cooling off some.

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That was a few days ago, actually, so I’m farther than that — I only have 2 balls of yarn left to attach to the ends of the 2 balls I’m working with now.  Because I’m using the spit-splicing method (yes, it’s what it sounds like) I’ll only have the beginning and end tails to weave in, which is REALLY nice, and no giant knots in the blanket, which is also REALLY nice.

Not Your Average Crochet's Aspen Blanket

Hopefully I’ll have it completed by the end of the week because like I said in my last post on my recently finished projects I still have about 5 Christmas presents to make, and it also just feels great to get projects done, doesn’t it?

OK, I’m off to work on those things to distract myself.  Maybe I’ll watch some nice whimsical anime movies while I work, or binge watch a TV show.  Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

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hats & the arlequin shawl: ta-da!

November 7, 2016 by 9 Comments

I know I’ve been slack about posting lately, but I haven’t been slack with my crafting!  Admittedly it’s tapered off from my hat-every-other-day rate and I still have at least 5 Christmas gifts to make, but whatever.  I want to share with you my completed Arlequin Shawl!

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So first, I want to talk up this pattern.  Not only is it free, it’s easy to memorize but not too boring.  The asymmetrical shape was off-putting to me at first but it’s actually kind of fun to play with.

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Now I have to talk up this yarn.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  I’ve never worked with a fingering/sock weight yarn this soft before.  It’s Lily Neige Single Fingering Alpaga & Soie (alpaca & silk) in colorway Bonbon Harlequin.  This is the same colorway that the pattern calls for only I got the variegated version instead of the long gradient, and it is SO GORGEOUS.  It’s hard to capture just how pretty this yarn is worked up in the garter & stockinette stitches.  Oh and did I mention zero knots?

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I used 1.95 skeins (about 907 yds) and the wingspan was over 8′ during blocking.  I’m glad I made it slightly larger than recommended; it’s a good size for me and it’s actually pretty warm!  The drape is really nice too.  I can’t say how happy I am with this.  I’d definitely recommend the pattern & the yarn!

I also made myself a Sockhead Slouch hat; I felt out of the loop because it seems like everyone has made one of these!  I used exactly half a skein of Julie Asselin Fino (75% merino, 15% cashmere, 10% silk) — which is great because I definitely have enough yarn leftover for another hat — in the limited edition colorway Gina’s Dance Off.

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I LOVE this colorway.  The specked yarn trend is awesome, and this colorway really reminds me of the gorgeous yarns from We Love Knitting (only I didn’t have to pay crazy shipping prices).

The hat itself is a good fit, which I was really pleased with.  I didn’t have the required needle sizes at the time so I made this with US sizes 3 & 5, casting on 128 with the smaller needles & using them throughout the ribbing, then switching to the larger ones.  I was a little worried the size would be off but it’s a comfy fit!  It IS really slouchy but the brim can be rolled double or just once really far if I want to wear it as a regular beanie.  Best part of all, it matches my favorite comfy plaid shirt.

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Finally, here’s some crochet.  We were told we HAD to dress up for Halloween for work; I thought about doing something snarky, like writing in Sharpie on a white shirt “404: costume can not be found” or “Costume loading: approximately 8 hours remaining” (that last one was Dad’s idea).  In the end though I thought it might be best to actually put some effort into it so as not to antagonize my boss, but I didn’t have money to buy anything fancy, so what did I do?  Why, crocheted a cat hat, of course!

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I just used a little over 1 skein of Bernat Softee Chunky Solids in black from my local JoAnn’s along with this free Black Cat Slouch Hat pattern.  I didn’t make it a slouch — I did start with the 11″ foundation row as suggested but I didn’t add the border.  I think it looks good; the edge is neat & I like the beanie fit.  This was easy to make & worked up really quickly.  I added a handbell necklace (from my Dad) and attempted wing liner for a cat eye (and for my first try I think I did pretty well) and just wore black clothes.  I actually really love that sweater — it’s oversized & has cables & a silver thread running throughout, and I got it for free from the donations bin there at work (I don’t think it would fit any of the clients).  Actually that’s where I got that mint plaid shirt, too, funnily enough.

And I’ve also made 1 more Ribbed Waffle Hat (my 6th one) as a Christmas gift (yarn: KnitPicks Brava worsted in Fig):

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I really do love these — they’re easy, fast, and they’re stretchy enough to fit everyone comfortably.  Perfect gift, really.

I do have some WIPs that I’m really excited about but this post is already super long so I’ll save them for another time!  If you follow me on Instagram you’ve gotten peeks already!

Thanks so much for stopping by, see you soon!

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Christmas gifts ctd.: more hats?!

October 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Hope you guys are liking the doorknob cozy pattern I posted a couple of weeks ago!  I knew I’d get to some crochet after those knitted Christmas hats.  Well, I maaaaay have gone on a hat making spree… Here’s what I’ve done since then:

Ribbed Waffle Hat #2

Ribbed Waffle Hat #2 – 153 yds of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Cranberry

 

Ribbed Waffle Hat #3

Ribbed Waffle Hat #3 – 153 yds of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Avocado (will make a yellow pom-pom so it’s John Deere colors, for my husband’s younger brother)

 

Lace Rib Hat

Lace Rib Hat – 105 yds of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Gold, will probably add a furry pompom

 

Ribbed Waffle Hat #4

Ribbed Waffle Hat #4 – 153 yds of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Ranch Red

 

Ribbed Waffle Hat #5

Ribbed Waffle Hat #5 – 154 yds of Berroco Vintage in 5176

pattern links:

Ribbed Waffle Hat (free)

Lace Rib Hat (free)

Well, as you can tell I’ve been not only on a knitted hat kick but more specifically a Ribbed Waffle Hat kick.  I did go up a needle size for those just to make extra sure they’d fit the heads of all of the men they’re going to for Christmas, and they fit my husband so they should be fine.  I went up a needle size for the Lace Rib Hat too but even so the cast-on was a little tight even for my smallish head — I’d definitely go up 2 needle sizes just for the cast-on if I make this again.

That’s all of the knitted gifts for now.  There are some crocheted ones coming up and a couple of things I’m keeping!  😉  Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

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