Briefly

I’m working on Jade in a nice dark brown. It’s going slowly, since I have the month off and, strangely, I do a lot of my “big knits” at work. Do please note the bought knit markers, as opposed to scrap yarn being used to mark where my increases go. I’m largely meh about them, but I bought them as part of a kit that included stitch holders that will come in handy if I ever finish this f&^king yoke.  Ugh. I need caffeine.

 

 

 

 

 

In the meantime, I’ve been working on washcloths: Secret pattern is secret on this particular one.

 

Vest/Socks

The Hilja, she is done.
Socks, too.

 

Things I have made over the summer

I’ve been doing a lot of sewing this summer. First, I polished up an old project that had a previous life as a set of XL-Twin sheets from my freshman year of college. Since I will never own a twin bed, much less an XL one, again, I sacrificed this set in the name of Science. No, not really, but I did try out a “pattern” from a pattern-less book that was published circa 1977. The resulting dress was shapeless and baggy, so I tried polishing it up with some darts (okay, a lot of darts). Regardless of my fitting efforts, the dress was still hideous (might have to do with orange stripe overload), and it was shoved into the back of my closet. Fast forward a few months, and I decide to try to give it new life. I cut it off at the top of the hips, added a band and some tying ribbons, and trimmed the collar back. Add some side slits, and voila, this cute little tunic was born.

While working on the tunic, I realized how dusty my sewing machine became while sitting around and doing nothing (which, admittedly, is most of the time). I tried out a measure-and-cut-it-yourself quilted sewing machine cover pattern from a book I checked out from the Library (Great Sewing Accessories to Sew by Carol Parks). My sewing is awful, but, for the moment, it serves.

To the right is the pride of my summer’s efforts of sewing–a simple empire waist dress made from a New Look pattern. Very nice, yes? There were a couple of things I had to modify– side darts were a requirement (really, what were they thinking, putting 4 and a half inches of ease into the bust of a strappy dress?!), and the straps had to be shortened (even now they’re too loose, but they serve). I do like the pattern, but I think the company should take it back to the drawing board. It’s a multi-dress pattern, and I am planning on making another one from it with a different bodice. We’ll see.

This is the first bag I’ve made from a pattern. It’s from Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. The first run on this one was okay, but I decided this bag was definitely meant for a heavier material than calico.

Enter the completely adorable denim version! It’s currently serving as my knitting bag. I did make a few modifications with this version after field testing version number one. I made the interior pockets bigger, to better accomodate my Blackberry and the metric ton of little things I carry around. I didn’t have twill tape handy for the key strap as called for in the pattern, so I just used a strip of the lining material. I use a carabiner, anyway, so that was simple and practical enough.

And check out the cute little pin on it! Found it in a box of paints that I’ve had since I was 11. Gonna add some more that have been languishing in my jewelry box.

In other news, I’m attempting to start a small-scale silk-screening operation. This is screen #1, as yet untested. It’s kind of sloppy because I attached it in a manner that would make the screen easy to rip off if it doesn’t work.

What with all the sewing, my knitting has not gone ignored. This is the halfway point of Hilja, by Niina Hakkarainen (linked project is in the original Finnish–English PDF available on Ravelry). I’m making it with Cascade 220 Heathers in green. It’s so sooooft. My craving for a nerd vest may very well be intensely satisfied by this pattern.

The Spiral Socks are going well (no pictures until they’re done). I set myself a due date for them since I put them off for a bit to work on Hilja, but they should be done by Saturday. Other projects are currently napping.

In other news, here are the kids, snoozing in the office.

 

Pardon My Dust While I Shake Out This Project

I’ve been thinking, and I’m more than about playing with yarn. I still draw. I sew. I even cook a little (that is not a guffaw you hear from DH). I dabble in dollhouse decorating, complete with handmade occupants. I’m considering picking up embroidery again. This is why I like this blog site–this blog can be more about playing with yarn, and it will be. I still love yarn, and always will, but there’s more to my craftyness than that. So, a little revamp there, some stitches there (wipe off the cake frosting, would you please?), and let’s see what I can do.

 

girlish SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE

All hail my grown-up job, which enabled me to buy this today:

The Boye interchangable Master Needle set, sizes 2 through 15. Drool. Worth every penny.

I finished a sweater. It’s a little too small:

Don’t let the fact that I knit it with a needle size one too small stop you from knitting it yourself–the Mrs Darcy Cardigan by Mary Weaver is a beautiful pattern.

Casting on for either the Gilmore sweater or a Stephanie Japel pattern next. Which one? Also, socks. Monkey broke my heart, but I’m willing to try again with something more suited to a beginner. I’m thinking the Twisted Rib Kroy Socks by Patons. Progress updates later. Now, I’m off to play with my new toys.

 

Sneaky

Joined the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup on Ravelry and made this last night:

Which looks like a mild mannered coaster for your sweaty summer drink (Mojito, anyone?), but I made it with a specific purpose in mind:As you may know from reading previous posts, my first creative love was drawing. The problem with making the pencil drawings that I so love is the incredible amount of smudging that goes on, both on my hand and on the paper (particularly the parts that are supposed to stay white). So, when the prompt for the Defense Against Dark Arts assignment was Protego (something protective), this popped into my head.

I also made a sweater vest for my drawing manikin, Dr Frank Morris.

Made from recycled cotton yarn ripped from a poorly fitting store-bought sweater. There’s oodles of this stuff. I’m also using it to make the Ribbed Lace Bolero for myself. Dr Morris and I will make quite a cute couple, huh? And, as for that little blue thing in the background… Zen cosy! Made using a pattern meant for the iPod Nano. If I made it again, I would make it a little longer, because the flap won’t close when the headphones are plugged in. I made the button from an ancient play penny I found in a box of toys in Mom’s basement.

 

First Wash Cloth, and First Fiber Fan Art

It was only a matter of time. Besides being nutty for knitting and crochet, I love to draw. How I got my start in drawing was like how many kids these days do–by drawing fan art. My poison was Dragonball (go ahead and laugh, I don’t blame you, but while you’re laughing, I’ll be over here playing with my Piccolo action figure). My love for Dragonball eventually became a love for all things Akira Toriyama, creator of not just Dragonball, but the Dragon Quest series of games. I fell in love with the Slimes enemy when I played Dragon Quest VIII (I’m somewhat of a latecomer to video games). Just look at that beguiling smile! Go ahead and chuckle, but when I found the Slime dish cloth pattern on Ravelry by arpelia, I squeed. [[Here is where the rest of the story would go if WordPress hadn’t eaten it. Argh!]]

 

If only I were this organized with the rest of my life

Within the past few weeks, I’ve gotten very anal retentive about how I organize my knitting and crochet patterns–to the point that I busted one of my old school binders out of hibernation.

I have plenty of blank notebooks lying around from when I went wild early last semester when W*****t had them for sale at five cents apiece (yowza!). Having a dedicated project log for keeping track of what rows I’m on or what changes I’ve made to the pattern is a vast improvement over using the back page of my sketchbook (and vastly cheaper, too). The pencil bag is leftover from my school days and holds the obvious–a sharpie for big labels, a pen for taking notes, and a stack of index cards to use for whatever I think of using them for.

A hole punch with a combined ruler is good for the obvious and for when I’m being forgetful (again? Noooo) and leave my tape measure in my sewing room. Again, this is a leftover from my school days and a lucky find in Mom’s basement, at that. The chart indexes my needles and hooks (thanks, Ravelry!). D= I am not so resourceful as to come up with a chart like this on my own steam, so I’m glad everyone’s favorite knitting/crochet/social networking site provides this.

Most of what  I have printed out is on the back of old assignments from way back in high school. Reusing before recycling–and I’m a cheap bastard.

The pattern inventory is divided according to section–knitting is in the front, and crochet is behind the tab. They’re listed in the order they’re archived in, and I’ve listed the needle sizes for easy reference. I do this mostly because a lot of the patterns on my “wish list” call for needles I don’t have, and I like to be able to see what I can make at a glance.

The pockets I use for patterns I can’t or don’t want to put holes in, like this vintage crochet compilation my mom gave me. Also, I put in a bunch of patterns that I printed willy-nilly when I first started printing patterns–and boy, they are a mess. I like to save paper because I am a tree-hugging dorkasaurus, and when I use fresh paper, I print double-sided. Unfortunately, my printer doesn’t have a function for this, and I have to do it manually. So, in the case of the patterns hiding in this pocket, I’ve got crochet patterns on the back of knitting patterns, different knitting patterns back-to-back, etc. Sillyness abides.

Meanwhile, as always, my projects are putting along slowly.

 

Updates, can you say UPDATES

Finished the “Prayer Shawl.” Since this was basically thrown together from scrap yarn, it came out short, and the “shawl” became the “cat place mat because Emma likes to chew over the carpet instead of the bowl.” It looks like the universe has a sense of humor. At least, I hope it does. Anywho, it actually looks kind of cute underneath the cat dining service.

Haven’t touched my sweater since my appalling epiphany about my knitting technique–not really out of shame or reluctance, but because I was finishing up the placemat and getting used to the “proper” way of doing things. Also, I restarted Monkey–twice. I think I’m getting better at knitting in general, since the DPNs feel less gummy to me. Plus, there might be something about correcting my technique that’s improving the experience. I’ve cast on again twice for it because, well, I’m a naughty knitter that doesn’t knit swatches. I finally sat down and looked at the pattern and the ball band for the yarn I’m using and figured that the suggested gauge combined with the size larger of needles that I’m using (don’t have the money for a new set in the correct size) in further combination with the fact that my yummy, delicious yarn is a cotton silk blend (can you say SAG) meant that I should probably cast on with few less stitches. I hope it works–I’d hate to frog it again. Maybe next time I’ll have the good sense to knit a swatch. Oh, well. I don’t mind if this or any other project takes a long time–I’m not going to have money for more yarn for quite a while.

However, I still have some of that green acrylic crap I found in my old garage and a very very very small amount of the gray, both of which I used twisted together in the prayer-shawl-come-placemat. I think when I get bored and/or done with the socks and/or the sweater, I’ll try my first cable project in the form of a cozy for my travel tea press. Eee. ❤ I’ve been wanting to do cables for a while now–my new(ish) cable needles are still waiting to be busted out, and have been since December. I’m still mulling over whether or not I want to do it in the round–I’d have to wait for the socks to be done if I want to do it in the round. There are some okay patterns out there, but I was thinking about winging it and using a cable pattern I’ve seen in a cable pattern book. Well, no need to rush a decision now. I still have plenty of knitting to do elsewhere.

 

I have officially lost my mind for fiber

I have had not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR dreams about the same mysterious, only exists-in-my-subconscious yarn store. Possibly even five, if you count the exterior of the store exclusively. And it has yarn I’ve only seen in my dreams; impossibly soft, but strong. And what has been my principal activity inside this dream store, aside from joining a knitting group?

STEALING YARN. Please, please understand I would never, NEVER steal, ESPECIALLY from an independently owned shop like the one in my dream. If anything, it’s my rabid desire for new fiber manifesting subconsciously (haha).