Psyche Knits

Bigger and Better :)

2011-11-12T17:00:00.001-08:00

It's been too long but I have decided that this blog really isn't working out for me... I want to focus on other things so I have created a new and exciting blog, still named Psycheknits. You can check my newest projects and designs out here. Hope to see you there!

FO Friday

2011-02-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about this sweater but I don't have time to give it its dues as far as a proper post. I will just leave you with this slightly blurry, overexposed image. And guess what? It's a size small!

FO Friday and my First Painting

2011-01-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

Tada! I made another wurm hat! And, do you recognize the yarn? Yep, its one of my recycling projects. Because I couldn't keep my other wurm hat, I decided to make another one for myself AND stashbust at the same time.
Sorry about the pictures, by the time I got around to taking them, it was well past daylight hours and I had to use the kitchen. I just love the way my hair looks in this picture!
Pattern: Wurm hat
Needles: US size 4 and 6. I used sport weight yarn so I went down a couple of sizes in order to get the size right.
Yarn: Joann's Stellina. This yarn is now discontinued but it is so bumpy and shiny that I just can't get enough of it. The yarn did take some time to figure out what it wanted to be. I have made three hats out of this yarn and none of them worked out until now! I even have yarn left over to make an identical one to give away
Notes: One thing that I have noticed is that when the going gets tough, meaning my school life intrudes on my knitting life, I revert back to really simple patterns. I am trying to break free of that and I have another pattern in the works right now that will hopefully blow your mind, but it's the way life works sometimes. I promise this blog won't turn into the easy hat blog. It's just been one of those weeks.
Oh, I also made this hat a bit less slouchy than the original wurm hat because I didn't know how far the yarn would go. I wanted to have extra and I made it!
Last but not least, this is the reason why I have been away this week. I am taking a painting class for my major and it is SOOO HARD if you are new at painting. I have never used acrylic paint before and I am so proud of myself. I made every inch of this canvas! I sawed the wood down to size, I wood glued and nail gunned the corners together, I built in supports and corner pieces, I stretched and stapled the canvas over the stretcher and I painted this painting all in the space of a week. It took me about 15 hours from start to finish. Ahh, it feels good to be done. I know it's not the best painting in the world, but it's mine!

Faux Friday

2011-01-24T08:42:00.001-08:00

Obviously today isn't Friday and to be honest, I have been too busy to have a decent FO to show, therefore today is now dubbed Faux Friday. This week, instead of diligently working on a project that I could show you all, I decided to honestly go through my old finished objects and figure out which ones I would keep as is and which ones I do not wear or use so that I can salvage the yarn. In my stash right now, I have mainly sweater quantities of yarn. Since I am in the art program, I don't have time to go embarking on a new sweater at the moment, so I will be content tweaking old pieces.

Saturday happened to be a beautiful day here in Washington, so I snapped up a couple of pictures. Above is my slouchy purple hat. Flaws: too big, too plain, don't wear it. Pros: I love this yarn! It's also been the hardest yarn to figure out what to do with it. I have made a different hat previously and unravelled that to make this one. Not exactly the easiest yarn to find a home for. This is my Snapdragon hat I made last year. For some reason, I felt the need to block an otherwise perfect hat and it stretched out too far. Also, it was the only knit that was incredibly hard to capture on camera. You also get a lovely sneak at my kitchen.

Next, we have a pair of fingerless gloves made of this beautiful yarn in turquoise. I don't think I ever blogged about them. They were one of my first knits when I came to college. I didn't notice in the picture of the project, but the end closest to the fingers is flared out. When I finished the gloves, I was disappointed to find that they weren't tight fitting at the fingers and so never wore them. They have been sitting in my sock drawer ever since.
Last but not least is my aspen cowl, one of the most popular projects I ever made on Ravelry. Its actually quite shocking that I don't wear this because it is such a homerun in every other way. I wear a lot of strange colors in my wardrobe and this color is definitely one of them. That's exactly problem number one, I have nothing to wear it with. The aspen cowl is also not long enough. For some reason I think it looks like a necklace on me so I never wear it. It's soft, shiny, warm and was an easy pattern but it's still a no go.

There are more forgotten projects in my arsenal that I want to rework but they will have to wait until another time. I plan to tackle the purple hats first and them move on. Oh the wonders... I'm actually really excited because I get to be even more creative with these projects because I've already made them into something (I have no idea how much yarn is in each and I don't own a scale). Anyway, have a great day!

FO Friday Wurm

2011-01-14T14:04:00.001-08:00

I've been really busy this week but I have a blast from the past pattern to share with you. This hat is one of my favorites and until I gave it to a friend, I wore it almost everyday!

Pattern: Wurm (It's a pdf so if you don't have ravelry, you should sign up!)
Needles: I believe I used size 6's but I'm not positive. Whatever the pattern says!
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool in a beautiful turquoise color
Notes: I loved every second of this pattern! I don't know what it is about these purl bump rows but I love everything about it! I have already made two more for friends for Christmas and they love them too. Also, because I loved this hat so much, I am going to buy some more yarn after this year and make myself another one. Or, try and figure out an equal yarn in my stash. I do love stashbusting!
Here's a few pictures of me wearing said hat. I miss you hat but I'm sure you are well loved in your new home!
Quick, the hats are escaping!
PS. I have been knitting for real but the only FO I have to show is a duplicate of last weeks hat (exactly a duplicate, even down to the colors!) so I thought a little repetition would be boring. Stay tuned though because I've got two wips that I've been working on and hopefully *crosses fingers* one of them will be done next week. Tata!

Busy as a Beaver

2011-01-10T21:37:00.001-08:00

I've been getting more and more busy as the quarter progresses and its only the second week! I have been stashbusting for this little project, another pair of Endpaper mitts for my roommate for her birthday. Am I the only one who feels less stressed out when I have less stuff? Anywho, I've been plugging along on this little guy for a day or two and although the color combination isn't my favorite, she loves it. Hope your week is as busy and productive as mine!

FO Friday Week 1

2011-01-07T11:25:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking for about a week that I would like to start a FO Fridays post where I talk about my most recent FO but I don't have one for this week. Then I remembered that I have a couple creations that I never blogged about. So, I hearby proclaim that Fridays shall be FO Friday and I will talk about my latest finished object or something that I never blogged about. Here's one that is from this summer that I probably wear every other day:

Pattern: Opus Spicatum by Kate Gagnon Osbourne
Needles: US size 6 and 9 (I'm pretty sure, I just followed what the pattern said)
Yarn: Good old Patons Classic Wool! It's kind of funny, I bought a bunch of that yarn about a year ago thinking that I would make a stripey cardigan but I never did. Now, I've started using it up on other things. I just don't think I'll wear something that has to be handwashed after each wear. I am in college after all :)
Notes: One change I made was to increase the number of stitches. I made this same pattern before but with different yarn. The problem I had with the pattern was that it was too small to be a beret. I looked up on Ravelry (my favorite!) to see if others had the same problems and I discovered that many had increased the number of stitches from 70 to 90 and increased after the initial ribbing to 130. I did the same thing and now I wear this all the time!
Here's a close up of the detail. It's really pretty how the decreases are incorporated into the chevron pattern.
As you can probably see, I'm not the best at taking pictures of myself, but I do my best.
And as proof that I wear this all the time, this picture is from this summer of me rocking my long hair. Again, not good at taking pictures of myself!
Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend!

FO Endpaper Mitts and Resolutions

2011-01-04T23:03:00.001-08:00

So, if you didn't notice, I said on my last post that I had completed a resolution that I didn't show proof of... well, I wasn't lying, I just couldn't show you these without having completed them. My successful fair isle attempt, which I admit I didn't finish until after New Years, still counts as a completed resolution because I finished one glove successfully before the fireworks went off at the Needle. Without further ado, I present the Endpaper Mitts!

Pattern: Endpaper Mitts
Needles: US size 1 and 2. I used the size one for the ribbing and the 2's for everything else.
Yarn: Reynolds Soft Sea Wool Fingering Weight yarn. I don't remember what colors but the top picture is pretty accurate.
Notes: I LOVE this pattern! I am going to make all my roommates a pair out of some old sock yarn that I don't want. It will be great doing some stashbusting, doing this pattern again, and making something that I get to see all the time! I also changed the ribbing. I didn't feel it was necessary to do the tubular bind off and cast on. I'm not good at it yet and I need practice, but not after knitting nothing but gifts for a month and I want something for myself! Also, I changed the purl bumps on the sides to knit stitches because I don't like the look of fake seams.

I got some action shots of the gloves as well. Here I am eating frozen yogurt after returning to school...
And while the girls and I were out and about, we found this cage full of chickens and roosters for sale. I love the ugly fluffy one! He looks like he needs a home!

So, now for my knitting resolutions... I have decided this year to keep it simple. I want to try new techniques without overwhelming myself. I've got lots of art projects this quarter because I am taking two studio classes so I don't want to make any goals I don't think I can handle. Here goes:
1. Knit a pair of socks that will go into full rotation
2. Knit a sweater that I wear all the time
3. Knit only from my stash until I either a) run out of yarn or b) end the year. This resolution will be the hardest to keep and I will talk more about it later. College is getting more expensive for me so it is economical as well as challenging. Also, I'm not lacking in the yarn department so for the time being, I am going to try and go as long as I possibly can without buying yarn. The only two exceptions I will make, however, are for gifts and for projects that I have started and ran out of yarn. I also have a backup gift card that I can use for emergencies (ahem... don't laugh!). Other than that, no buying yarn.
4. Blog more. This seems simple but I am a procrastinator and I tend to put off posting things until its too late.

Other than that, its just knitting as usual! Have a good night crafters!

New Year and Beyond

2010-12-31T16:32:00.000-08:00

So it's resolution time my friends. I know you're probably thinking mine should be to post more often and you would be correct. I have this blog for over a year now and for the first half, from May to December in 2009, I posted 50ish times. In the whole year of 2010, I posted less than 30 times. Pathetic right?! Well, in all fairness, life gets in the way sometimes and that is exactly what happened.

To sum up the year, I will just briefly go over all the new things:
-I got a tattoo
-I got a nose stud
-I cut my hair short twice, once too short
-I went to a John Mayer concert, my favorite singer
-I went to a Backstreet Boys concert
-I had a really bad breakup
-I lost 30 pounds (so far)
-I spent 3 weeks in California
-Oh yeah, probably the most important, I got into the Education program and the Art program!
-I knitted a lot (most of which went undocumented unfortunately)

I did make some resolutions last year, knitting-wise of course, which follow here:
1. Learn how to entrelac.
2. Knit a sweater/vest using the steeking method
3. Knit a matching hat and gloves set
4. Succeed at fair isle.
5. Knit something that will be felted on purpose.
6. Reduce my stash by at least 1/2.
7. Knit something using intarsia.

I didn't quite make my goals but I did learn a lot from the goals I did accomplish. I photographed some of my accomplishments below.
Didn't knit a sweater using steeking but I did make a sweater.
Proof of my attempt at entrelac. This scarf was completed but I like my scarves long so it was frogged and used for something else.
Felted something on purpose. These were so much fun and now I'm not as afraid to try something felted.
And... drumroll please... matching hat and gloves! Well, fingerless gloves to be more accurate.
Some other successes that I didn't make a resolution for were that I designed my own pattern and I also cut down on the majority of my stash! It has since been replenished but I'm slowly on my way! The green fingerless gloves in this picture are my own design and once I test knit them and really iron out all the kinks, they will be up as a free pattern.
And I also had some culinary successes. This is me a couple of weeks ago making my first yeast bread! It was fantastic and now I could probably make that recipe in my sleep.
Well folks, I haven't finalized my knitting resolutions yet so I will upload that in the next few days with a final sweep of Christmas gifts that I made. Happy New Years everyone and be safe tonight!

FO Percival

2010-12-30T13:37:00.000-08:00

Meet Percival! Just a quick little post before going to see Black Swan!!!!

Pattern: Crochet Amigurumi Owl found here
Hook: I or 5.5 mm
Yarn: I used two different shades of acrylic scrap yarn. This picture is a little difficult to tell because I'm having a hard time getting good pictures with this weather. Used buttons for the eyes and scrap orange for the feet and beak.
Notes: This pattern ends up looking cute and didn't take very long but it is very hard to figure out without having done it before or seeing what it should look like in the end. The pattern has you crochet in the round for the body and then change to crocheting back and forth to produce this flap thing that folds over to make a point. I didn't like how the point looked at the end so I unravelled a few rows and just whip stitched the flap shut. Percival is so cute but I probably wouldn't use this pattern again. I think it would be easier to just increase the rounds and then whip stitch the tube shut. I'll try that next time I need to make an owl for a gift in an hour!

FO and Some Preparation

2010-12-29T22:59:00.000-08:00

See! I told you I'd be back soon! Not that anyone is reading this except me but whatevs :) So before I go into the actual knitting detail, I thought I would explain a little bit about why I've been away for so long. Among the many reasons, I have found a new obsession, or should I say punishment...

Running! Meet Hansel and Gretel, my new running mates. I just got them today but I have been running more consistently since February. Also because of the running, I have lost a lot of weight and am much leaner.

(Wow! Looks like I had some issues with lighting today. These are pictures taken using the same carpet!)
Anyway, I'm back for a while so no need to fret! Even though I have been gone for a while, I have been busy knitting.

Pattern: Fetching from Knitty (rav link here)
Needles: US 4
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in this green shade.
Notes: I have noticed that this wool close to the skin is a bit itchy in these but I've knitted hats with it before that don't bother me. I hope that goes away but I'm not really sure. These were a really fast knit and if it wasn't a gift, to be perfectly honest I probably wouldn't have made them at all. I have accomplished so many challenging techniques in my knitting (I'm not trying to brag but there's no way to make that sound less vain) that I like to knit things a bit more challenging. This pattern was so mindless that I really couldn't enjoy the simplicity.

These on the other hand were SOOOOO much fun to knit!
Pattern: Octopus and Sea Star from Amigurumi Knits
Needles: One of my favorite things about these patterns is that they all require the same size needles! US 5. I have these sweet bamboos that are my go to. No matter what yarn I use, they always turn out awesome!
Yarn: Some acrylic I had on hand. I stuffed them with left over yarn since I am sort of on a stashbusting rampage
Notes: As previously mentioned before, I like to be challenged when I am knitting. One of the perks about these patterns is that they are all so different that I don't know how to do one just because I have done the other. I have made several octopus friends in the past (this was my first one that wasn't using bulky yarn though) but making the star was such a new adventure. Can you tell I'm thrilled? I would make any one of these patterns anytime. Unfortunately, a girl cannot live on toy knitting alone. Or can she?

Which brings me to my last order of business. I just finished organizing my yarn stash from the parents' house. Most of this is acrylic and will be toys. The rest of it will either be sweaters (see that yummy red at the top) or stuffing for the toys. Polyfill is expensive and I don't really like knitting with acrylic but I LOVE!!! knitting toys. You'll probably see more in the future.

One last thing before I head to bed.... I have some knitting resolutions that I want to share (I'm the type of person that if I share a goal, I often feel obligated to fulfill it so hopefully this will help) and some knitting plans for the future. Suspense suspense suspense! Ta!

I'm Back!

2010-12-26T23:16:00.001-08:00

Hello Again! I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long. So much has happened in the three or so months that I haven't posted anything. I haven't stopped knitting, just haven't had the time to post anything unfortunately. Well, that is about to change! This next year, I am committed to my blog and I will update regularly. I have some big plans underway as far as my knitting career goes and I will be keeping you all (if anyone is still reading this) updated!

If these cute little goat babies haven't distracted you from my absence, maybe these elbow length fingerless gloves will! Since it is after Christmas, I can safely post without ruining the surprise (does anyone else love surprises as much as me?).

Pattern: Vogue Knitting Fall 2010 #22 (ravelry link)
Needles: TINY! US size 2 and 1. The pattern calls for sizes 0,1, and 2 but I thought I would get the most mileage out of the size 1 and 2 so i didn't use 0's. I'm glad I didn't because the gloves turned out a little bit snug on me. They fit the lovely recipient beautifully so no problems there.
Yarn: Patons Kroy in a grayish brown color.
Mods: The pattern calls for these gloves to be over the elbow but I thought that any person with upper arms bigger than toothpicks would look like a muffin. I made them shorter and I also did an extra repeat on the palm. I did only 23 repeats total for the glove before the thumb section.
Notes: Overall, I think this pattern was amazing! I usually am not a glove person, I tend to prefer hats instead, but I absolutely love these! The lace really opens up because they are a tight fit. I was worried about them being too small but even on my arms, which are a bit bigger than hers, they looked fine. The yarn was really nice too, slightly fuzzy but not itchy as some wool will be. I would love to try using the same yarn for a pair of knee high socks or leg warmers, maybe some cables would be nice!

Never fear, I have lots more to catch you up on, if you're still looking out for my blog of course. I've been knitting away for Christmas and since my apartment mates aren't celebrating until after the New Year, I've still got a few things in the works. Lets just say I've been very busy this year! Merry Christmas!

My New Friend

2010-08-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hello again blogland! It's been far too long since my last post and a lot has happened... for starters I spent the month of July in California! I was worried that my needles would be taken away on the airplane that I didn't bring ANY KNITTING! I know right... my hands were itching to dig back into some yarn again. The only thing that I did bring was a plastic bag made out of plastic bag yarn. I haven't finished it but I am working on it. I have a few other projects to show but this little guy is the cutest so far and is 100% stash!

Project: Blue Totoro
Hook: US F
Yarn: Some Lion Brand Cotton Ease I've been meaning to get rid of. Its' blue I swear but sometimes it photographs as a dusty purple color
Mods: I did trim down the size of the ears a bit, the pattern called for some ginormous ones that I thought would be ridiculous. The tummy is also A LOT smaller than the pattern called for. I crocheted the right size and it didn't end up fitting the body of my precious friend so I ripped back until I thought it would be small enough then I crocheted another two rounds in plain sc.
Overall: I absolutely love this pattern and the movie he came from. If I had gray yarn I would have made the large Totoro with a leaf. I just love the movie. I might go stash-digging tomorrow to see if I have any white to make his buddy to go along with him.

I promise I will be back soon with more pictures of projects I am behind on... pinky swear!

Post Finals Ennui

2010-06-15T17:13:00.001-07:00

I am so ready for summer that I can't seem to finish anything bigger than this...

Pop Heart

2010-06-02T14:14:00.001-07:00

The lovely Kayla is modeling the heart that I made today. Finals and sickness are bogging me down right now so in my usual procrastination fashion, I started a new project. It ate through a good portion of two skeins of Red Heart Super Saver yarn, the enormous ones that I got from my aunt last summer. When I get home for the summer I will update my yarn collection as it stands today (much smaller Woohoo!). I also bought two skeins of sock weight yarn to make a pair of socks. I haven't bought anything yet for the Challenge, so it's okay :) I still don't know what socks I'm going to make but I'll have to think about it once this quarter is done... just four more school days left and I'm free!

Happy Blogiversary!

2010-05-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

I feel bad that I completely missed my one year anniversary of Psycheknits but I guess that's what you get when you go to college! I did end up finishing my scrappy blanket and I have decided to stay in the art program for the time being so to celebrate, I decided to make myself a cute little toque! I knit this baby up in one day, my own pattern, and I will be posting it on this blog soon as a little present to my readers (okay the one or two of you...)

I actually started out looking on Ravelry for toque patterns but I seriously couldn't find one that I wanted. I also didn't want to do a gauge swatch for this yarn. I bought it about a year ago as a mid-quarter pick me up and it has gone through many phases. I am almost 100% positive this yarn is Misti Alpaca Chunky, so it is nice and warm for Bellingham weather. It can be pretty flaky sometimes so its good to have layering options.
I also love how it covers my ears and can cover all of my hair. If it wasn't almost 9 I would get some outside pictures but for now these will have to do. It also works well with a folded brim, but this styling is my favorite! Hope you enjoy!

PS If you were wondering how the stash busting is going, I am still going strong using up all the yarn in my stash. Progress on Anise has halted for now but I will continue with it soon. I just want to clear out some of the wee bits of stash that linger. Also, being so close to finals week, I am in great demand of mindless knits. Huzzah for ribbed hats!

On Frustration and Indecision

2010-05-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since I last blogged and I have much to tell. I am going through a lot of changes right now, first of which is that I have decided to become a vegetarian, or maybe to aim to be such. At first, I wanted to try to eat more vegetables so I gave myself a little personal challenge to see if I could stop eating meat until I worked veggies into my diet. On my quest to become healthier, I realized that I didn't really need meat to feel full and satisfied and have actually learned a lot from my little challenge. I haven't really eaten meat for a month except a few small exceptions. I also still have some meat that I refuse to waste (after all, I am a poor college student). However, once it is gone, I am going to try and live meat free. This may pose a challenge because I do in fact love it. I'm doing really well so far!

Also, I have had some doubts about wanting to teach art. Throughout my whole college career, I have changed my mind about what I want to do consistently, the only constant being that I wanted to teach. But recently, I have thought about my goals as a teacher. Although I am passionate about art, my passion for the environment is starting to trump that. Many of my close friends tease me for picking up cans as I walk along the sidewalk, which is frequent since I don't have a car. I also have a compost bin and try to lower my energy consumption as much as possible. Right now, I am really starting to want to major in environmental studies, or something along those lines. Last but not least, the knitting content. Well, crochet. Progress on the Anise jacket has halted because I haven't felt the energy to work two sleeve caps at the same time in bulky yarn in front of a computer. I am leaning more toward mindless exercises so that I can daydream about the summer. I guess its a good thing too because it gives me a chance to think about my future and actually commit to a decision. I absolutely love the education program, but the art program right now doesn't seem to be a very good fit. On the other hand, this scrappy granny square blanket seems to be exactly what I need; a time to think while removing some of the clutter from my stash. In the coming days this blanket might get fairly large!

UGGH!!!

2010-04-21T10:03:00.001-07:00

Well, dear blog, I don't have any knitting news as of today because I have recently hit a My-Knitting-Is-Not-Cooperating-With-Me phase and I need to take a little break. I have finished the increases of the sleeves for my Anise sweater, but that's about all I've been able to accomplish. I did end up finishing the entrelac scarf, which is also one of my New Years Resolutions, but I don't like the way it turned out. It's too short and the bumpiness of the pattern makes the yarn rather itchy. It would be better in a softer yarn or this yarn with a different pattern. I will show you next post, but for now you'll just have to trust me that its done.
I have been spending a bit of time with nature recently though. Today, unfortunately, is awful rainy in Bellingham but the past few days have been gorgeous. This picture of my little guardian is right outside my back door. I could have reached out and touched her if she wasn't so skittish.
I also went on a little extreme biking adventure with one of my roommates. We rode for about 15 miles in one day and explored some uncharted parts of Bellingham.
There was a little creek too that provided some nice relaxation and a soundtrack to our little adventure. If it had been warm enough, I would have jumped right in but the water was colder than ice... okay not really but it was really freaking cold.
And just because I love his craziness so much, it is my good friend's birthday so much. We made portobello mushroom burgers last weekend or the weekend before. I guess the onions were too powerful for him! Happy Birthday!

Anise and Challenge

2010-04-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

After a three day weekend and much time indoors, I have completed this much of my Anise jacket...
I started this sweater from yarn that I had in my stash, knowing full well that I didn't have enough to finish it, and decided that because my current coat now is in dire need of replacing, I am putting this knit into the necessity pile instead of the want to make pile. Of course, I WANT to knit everything that I make, but my coat now has so many holes that last weekend I lost my cell phone in the lining somewhere around the right sleeve cuff. It took a good amount of fenagling (is that a real word?) to get it out again, so I'm going to knit my own.

Staying true to the challenge though, I have made some thrifty decisions about how to finish off the coat. Before I realized that the pattern requires four press snaps to close and six accessory buttons that don't do anything, I worked my happy way through the double moss stitch section without any changes or button holes. That means I am going to have to make some secret buttons on the inside in order to help close this beast. I have several smaller buttons, but I didn't know if I would have enough for six large accessory buttons. My creativity lead me to a knitted button, or a button that was slightly bigger than most I have that will be covered by a piece of knitting. I want red buttons and since I have some red sock yarn already in my stash and 6 biggish buttons, I'm ready to go!

Also, a knitting blog wouldn't be any good if it were only about success stories. A few days ago, I decided that the Short n Sweet cardigan would have to go to the frog pond because it is just too darn big in the shoulder. The yarn is super stretchy so I think I can get away with down sizing. I'm also going to go up a hook size so that the fabric won't be as dense. This will have to be picked back up when I have finished my jacket though because it is going to get warmer and negate the need for a wool coat. I'm off to sew up the seams!

New Sweater

2010-04-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

I meant to post earlier about my sweater but I have somehow gotten a cold. I have running on low all day today but luckily I made some black bean soup to help make it better. I've never tried it but it was in my vegetarian cookbook that mom bought a few years ago and never used. I'm going to make the tofu "egg" fried rice next. It's super good and dairy free so my sinuses won't burst!
Anyway, this sweater took a little bit more than three skeins. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out and I have never crocheted a sweater before. I had it on the backburner when I started the entrelac scarf but I couldn't resist wearing it since the weather has been pleasant. I'm getting to be more adventurous with each new garment! Woohoo! Next I'm going to make the Short n' Sweet sweater from The Happy Hooker book (it's not what you think!). The Short and Sweet cardigan is shorter than I like but I'm using only yarn I've had already. I'll write an update about my challenge later this week if I'm feeling up to it :)

Knitting Therapy

2010-04-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

So, as promised I have started using materials that I already had to craft. On the left is a scarf that I started out of some other projects that either didn't make the grade (get it... cause I'm going to be a teacher!) or didn't fit. The particular project that I am unravelling is a pair of mittens I started a while ago. It's very therapeutic unraveling something that doesn't belong in your life. I don't have a use for mittens because I use my fingers too often and the yarn would have gone to waste. Unfortunately, I'm also going to have to unravel my Gretel hat, but I don't wear it all that often because it is too small for my liking. If when the challenge is over and I want to make another Gretel, I will using the next size up to get the drape that I am after.

And, something I have been waiting for since December, I went to the John Mayer concert in Seattle on Wednesday! It's really funny to see his mouth move. When I showed my music major buddies, they said it is a technique you can use to sing high and low notes. He moves his mouth away from the microphone so that it doesn't blast the speakers but it also has good sound quality. If you've ever seen someone singing holding the mic in their hand, they will pull it away from their mouth during high notes. For obvious reasons, Johnny here can't move the mic away when he sings high notes so he improvises. Nifty!

Excess Challenge 2010

2010-03-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

After completing my beach wrap, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the craft supplies I have already that have yet to be used. I have loads of yarn (although I have made a considerable dent with the Superduperstashbustingmonster and other various projects throughout the summer) and more back at my apartment at school. I also have beads, paint, scrapbooking supplies, googly eyes, metal washers, wine bottle corks, and hundreds of plastic bags destined to be grocery bags. So, I hereby declare the Excess Challenge 2010 begins!

Inspired by futuregirl's 2009 Challenge, I have decided to Challenge myself, starting April 1st 2010 til April 1 2011. However, I have extended the challenge to include craft supplies, books, new clothes, and electronics.

Rules:
1. No spending money on craft supplies unless it is for a commission and my stash is insufficient.
2. Something may only be replaced if it is broken (ie. If my phone breaks, my computer crashes...)
3. If I want to read a book that I do not have, I will go to the plentiful library on campus
4. Goal: To spend no money on "Extra's" for a year
5. I will be allowed a small pocket of money, $5 a month or $60 for the year just in case.
6. Art supplies for specific classes (I am an art major after all) are not included. Additional supplies outside of my education are applicable

My reasoning behind the challenge is first and foremost because I am a college student. I plan to go to school for at least 6 years to get my Master's and teaching certificate. In such a down economy, I can't afford to be flippant with my money. However, I am not starting my goal with no ammunition. I've got plenty of supplies to last me through the winter or so to speak. I just need to test my creativity and use what I have. Also, it will help clear out some closet space!

If anyone would like to join me, feel free to email me your progress as well. I would love to hear about it! Wish me luck!

First Sweater!

2010-03-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of going to the beach and being cold after you get out of the water? Do you always seem to forget the towel when you need it most? Are you inconvenienced by putting clothes back on after you swim?
THEN I'VE GOT A SOLUTION FOR YOU!
The New and Improved Beach Sweater! It's made out of cotton for those windless days but it's warm enough to use after a dip in the pool. With it's aerodynamic pattern, you can do just about anything. Nothing will stop you now with the New and Improved Beach Sweater!
All jokes aside, this sweater is freaking cool! The pattern is from Vogue Knitting's new issue here. I used size US 9 needles and the yarn was Lily Sugar n Creme Solid that I was given by my grandma's cousin a while back. This sweater was completely free and it was my first! Yeah! I made a few modifications as I went. The band around the waist has an eyelet row to thread a tie through. I just k6, yo, k2tog around. I also made the front piece about 6 rows sooner than the back for a bigger neck hole. It's much better and the original would have been constricting. The only other mod I would have made if I did it over would be the bottom edge. It curled pretty badly so I would have done 4 or 5 rows of seed stitch before starting the lace pattern. I would highly recommend this pattern!
Here's a close up of the tie. It's just a simple wrapped cord. You can find a great tutorial here. I've already started my next sweater, but no peeks until it's all done! Have a great weekend!

Do you want to know a secret?

2010-03-24T15:20:00.001-07:00

I've got quite a bit to share today... I'm on my spring break and have been keeping myself busy with a few things. These are some drawings I did a while ago that I didn't have a chance to share. Because I got into the art program, I am going to have to strengthen my drawing skills so I figured I would continue with the bit of inspiration I've been having. The first is "Striped Bear Stripped Bare". It's hard to tell in the image but he's blushing!
The next is "Sunset" washing over the darkness of the city. I really wanted to play with colors and I love the high energy of the pens. I need to get better at shading with pens though. And... I got my hair cut! There's probably about six inches of my hair gone and I feel so much lighter. I've been wanting to change it for a long time but haven't been brave enough.
Last but not least, I have started a new sweater! I got my new Vogue Knitting and couldn't wait to cast on for this. I added my own band of eyelets around the center of the seed stitch strip (wow, say that three times fast) which I will add a ribbon or icord to cinch up the waist. It's going to be a beach cover up for when I go out on the boat with my parents. After I tried it on, I realized just how warm it would be! Yeah for free sweaters!
The yarn was given to me by my grandmother's cousin. It's Lily Sugar n' Cream. Once it's all done, I will be sure to record my first completed sweater! Yeah!

AAAHHHHHHH!!!!

2010-03-12T16:45:00.001-08:00

I GOT INTO THE ART PROGRAM!!!

My Other Lover

2010-03-07T15:07:00.001-08:00

I've been dipping into drawing a little bit lately. I am actually loving it, although I'm not the best right now. I'm practicing and I keep getting good ideas for different drawings. I'm still knitting, of course, but drawing seems to tickle my fancy a little bit more these days. I need to get a new set of pens so I can keep rolling along.
This one is inspired by Twilight. I was forced to read Twilight last year in my Women's Literature class so I am not all that thrilled with it. I made this spoof this morning on Twilight's Breaking Dawn.
This one is a little bit more morbid but I was inspired by some of the songs on The Marriage of Figaro which one of my roommates was in. The octopus is the Countess!

Back in the Game

2010-02-28T21:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I spoke too soon about being okay with not celebrating Valentine's day. A few days later, my boyfriend broke up with me and started dating someone else a few days later. After feeling pretty much worthless, I have made great bounds because of my great support system of friends and family who love and care about me. I have since realized that my relationship was doomed anyway and no matter how hard I tried (which was way too much), I couldn't have saved it. I deserve better and am feeling very good considering.

Anyway, enough about my long absence. I have been working on my art portfolio for my application and am finalizing the disc as I type this up. The application is due tomorrow and I am really nervous/ excited. I'm hoping to start this new chapter in my life with a bang and get things on the right foot. Here are two of the knitted pieces that I used for my portfolio. Oh, and tada for my first felted piece ever!!!!!!

Cozy slippers for me! I love them so much and can't seem to pry them off my weary feet (when did my writing become underlined... make it stop!).

Another octopus for myself! I decided to send the other burgundy one to one of my mom's friends who was in need of a smile. She loved it and I loved the pattern so much I decided to make a new one for myself!
Hopefully your week has been full of fuzzy little knits that brighten up the dark moments!

February 14th

2010-02-14T17:31:00.001-08:00

I have never really enjoyed Valentine's Day because of it's commercial appeal, or lack thereof. I have a boyfriend and we are not celebrating. Happy day to everyone that is but I am protesting. Here's what I did today instead of buying into the gimmick:

Hung out with my brother; he came up this weekend to visit me and we are having a great time watching scary movies and failing at bowling (okay I was the one that failed)Went grocery shopping. We picked up some essential pantry goods and stuff to make pizzas.
Went swimming at the gym... always fun and the first time I've gone to the gym all year.
And... picked up trash, or I should say recycling. Happy Fourteenth of February to all of you

Out of Hiding

2010-02-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

I am finally ready to show off my new pieces. As you may or may not know, I have been working on my art portfolio for my application to the art program this March. I have taken a little bit of time to work on nonknitting things (gasp I know!), but I do have some lovely new additions for my portfolio. First up is the Snapdragon Tam from Ysolda's Whimsical Little Knits 2 book. I initially bought white yarn but as you can tell this isn't white. I dyed it with KOOLAID! As a little experiment, I thought I would try making a bluish purple hat since I don't have any blue hats. The blue in the koolaid didn't stick, obviously, but instead I am left with a lovely purple hat that smells like grape.... yum!

Next up, I finished this little beauty last night... her name is Sophie the Octopus from the Amigurumi Knits book I bought after Christmas. I decided to use up the left overs from my earflap hat and bulky freestyled beret to make her. I also stuffed her with the leftovers of the fluffy scarf that I unraveled and some polyfill.
I went a little picture crazy but I think she's super cute!
What a nice day too for a photoshoot!
I hope you're having as good a day as me!

Broken Record

2010-01-23T10:53:00.001-08:00

I have been working on some knitting over the past couple of weeks, I just didn't want to ruin the surprise. Here is a picture of my new earflap hat! I got the pattern from here. It's a great little pattern and it feeds my need to knit cables. I swear, I'll end up going crazy one day and my whole house will be covered in cabled cozies! This hat was made from yarn I got for Christmas from one of my roommates (remember I live with three other girls). You can't see in the picture, but I've got tassles at the bottom of the earflaps, but you can guess what they look like. Just simple braids really. I really wanted an earflap hat after I
tried making a thorpe hat a while ago and it didn't work out. Mine is made from Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick. Even with my incredibly busy schedule in the education program, I still ecked this one out in under two days. I could have made it one day but I was watching too much House! It's a super warm hat and I would suggest everyone makes one. I've got another cable project underway that will be unveiled when I successfully hit the half way point but for now I don't want to jinx it. I promise, after that, I'll start on something non cabled so I won't bore you! Have a great weekend and get outside!

Saving the Planet

2010-01-16T13:37:00.001-08:00

After far too long, I have finally finished my reusable bags! Actually, it has been quite some time since I finished these, I just saved the pictures for a time when I was too busy to blog about the non knitting that has been going on (I'm a smart cookie!). Here's the first bag I pictured a while back. This beast took several months because I kept running out of yarn and it was a different thickness than I am used to. It is ridiculously thick and sturdy with an over the shoulder strap.

Next is my favorite, the Neopolitan bag. The grocery store that I live by used pink bags to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness month in October so I collected them from roommates, my own shopping, and pretty much anyone I could find for more bags. Just to give you an idea of how much recycling these little beauts do, each bag uses about 100 bags! Wowza!

I've also been doing a lot of cooking lately. So far I have made Coconut dinner rolls, oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, turkey meatballs, quiche and onion garlic bagels. All of them could use a little tweeking except for the meatballs, so I won't post the recipes. I want to get better at cooking and there's only one way to do that.... by COOKING! Have a great weekend!

First FO of the Year!

2010-01-01T19:21:00.001-08:00

Of course, the day before I leave to return to school, Mom decides she needs a new hat. I'm grateful for the chance to use up some scrap yarn, but really Mom? :)
Here's a little hat I whipped up tonight. I used this hat pattern to make two other hats for Christmas, one looked like a watermelon and the other was white with a green border and a giant red rose. I made this pattern up myself so if anyone would like it, I would be happy to write something up!Yeah for 2010!

I'm a Dummy

2009-12-31T10:51:00.000-08:00

Here's why... I forgot to take pictures of the hats that I made for Christmas this year :( I was in such a rush to pump out hats that the majority of my knitted goods, and there were a lot, went undocumented this year. Anyway, I did however manage to squeeze in a small gift to myself after the gift items were completed. Pattern: My own

Needles: US 15

Yarn: Lion Brand Thick and Quick, less than one skein

Notes: This hat took me about an hour and a half to make. I blocked it over a plate by soaking it in water and letting it dry on the plate. It took about two days to dry completely. The yarn was a gift from a friend. I still have a skein and a half left over for some matching mittens!

From the back this thing is gargantuan, although I don't look stupid it on. It's just hard to tell how big my head is with that little tiny car in the background for perspective :) I've got some more finished objects to show you as well but for now I'll just save them for when I am swamped with school work and can't manage to knit anything.

This year, I decided to make a knitting resolution list... Here goes

1. Learn how to entrelac. Maybe a scarf or hat would be nice.

2. Knit a sweater/vest using the steeking method

3. Knit a matching hat and gloves set... does it still count if I already finished the hat that I want the set to go with?

4. Succeed at fair isle. I had to frog the black and white scarf because it just wasn't working. Now that I have a new set of needles, which I will discuss in my next post, I think my plan will work better.

5. Knit something that will be felted on purpose. Again, I've already started this one, but the pieces aren't finished and the felting process hasn't been started yet.

6. Reduce my stash by at least 1/2. I have been gaining lots of pretty yarns for my collection lately, but I would like to use up the yarn that is oldest, including all of the acrylic yarn that has been lounging in my stash for at least 3 years. It was given to me by a family member and I haven't found good uses for it yet. I'm thinking lots of knitted toys!

7. Knit something using intarsia. I've tried this before and was able to do it sucessfully, however, I never finished the pillow I started because my threads kept getting tangled. I have an idea about how I'm going to accomplish a neater pillow, I just need to find the enthusiasm to complete it.

And so concludes my year 2009. This is my sixtieth post and I look forward to more blogging in the coming year. Have a Happy New Year everyone!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2009-12-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

Although it is Christmas, I still haven't finished my Christmas knitting. I have two more hats and a scarf to do before the end of the new year. I finished this little treat up this morning for my boyfriend's uncle. I really recommend the pattern, however, next time I would have gone up a size because the cabling is awfully tight on the widest part of the head. Here's pops helping me model this little beaut before the recipient receives it tomorrow (or the next day!). The pattern is here

I can't share any more of my holiday knitting for fear that someone might discover it, but I definetly commited to making my gifts this year. In total, I made a blanket, 5 hats, 2 scarves, 1 pair of fingerless gloves, and some rose ornaments yet to be photographed. Happy Christmas everyone!

Bandwagon Knitting

2009-12-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

It is so freakin hard to take pictures of knitted hats. My Gretel is not as tight fitting as it looks, promise, but it's hardly left my head since I made it. I don't know if you noticed, but... I LOVE CABLES!!! It's my favorite thing to knit and I am starting to embrace it completely. I am knitting a pair of gloves next that are covered in cables! My desire is satisfied... if only for a moment.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!

2009-12-08T12:56:00.000-08:00

In order to get through finals week, I seem to gravitate towards harder projects to focus my energy on the job at hand versus the stress. Last night, I decided to try out some crocheted snowflakes to give as gifts to some of my friends. I started this little fellow spent probably an hour trying to figure out how the pattern worked and then actually making it once I'd figured it out. I stiffened it with glue water and let him dry overnight. He is on his way to a friend as I am typing this out :) Not only is this little guy a way to calm my finals nerves, he was also the only decoration on our "tree" this morning before I sent him away. (The vine in the picture is one of the only plants that I have ever managed to keep living. I'm not exactly a green thumb but I am very proud of my little sprout!).

I think my favorite part about the pattern is that there are only four rows! It was quick to work up once I had figured it all out. I will definetly be making more snowflake ornaments in the future! Happy Tuesday!

My heart of hearts

2009-12-07T13:43:00.000-08:00

Of course, since I've got so much Christmas knitting going on now, I'm procrastinating by making something cute! Even though it's not what I'm supposed to be working on, however, it's still a last minute Christmas gift (I say last minute because I am have the opportunity to see the recipient for another week and on Saturday it's back to the launching pad!).

A mini crocheted heart! It was initially supposed to be a heart that could be hung on the tree, however, as you can see, it's far too big. Hang in there... finals week is almost over!

Hrmmm....

2009-12-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

Just to be clear, there are no pictures today. I don't have a camera and it's currently black as pitch outside. However, I have a little secret. Can you keep a secret? Okay, well, here goes...

I've been watching movies lately, something I rarely have time for with work, school and trying to keep food in the fridge. The last movie I watched, not counting half of Pan's Labyrinth with the girls, was Elf. I don't know if all of you have seen it or not but I am obsessed. It's an adorable movie and freaking hilarious. In the last few scenes when Elf is saving Christmas (oh, don't act all surprised, if you've seen Rudolph you know how it goes), his girlie friend Jovie sings a Christmas song to spread the spirit of Christmas. I kinda like this scene, it's not my favorite, but what I really love...............HER KNITTED HAT! I looked on Ravelry for a pattern and found a hit by someone who had made a pattern for herself, but nothing I could make without putting in extra effort. So, in an effort to finish up my Christmas knitting, I decided to make my own Jovie hat (I'm being completely sarcastic here... procrastination is my middle name). I will write up a pattern for it once I've done a gauge swatch, done a couple of test knits, and made it using bulky yarn as well as the dk weight I'm using now. Hopefully I will be finished by New Years but if not, you can make yourself a Jovie hat for next Christmas... Yeah for my first design! Okay, so I'm really just copying what someone else did but it totally counts right? Right?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T20:17:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! I am home after a long drive yesterday back to my home town. It feels good to be home and I've been soaking up the relaxation time. This morning, I drank chamomile tea in my new tea cup and I worked on Kayla's Christmas scarf that I started yesterday. Did I mention that I painted this cup myself? It's Cinderella themed, hence the broom. I'll get a better close up later so you can see all of it. (Don't tell anybody but I'm making a set of four of these cups in fairy tale themed). And just a few minutes ago, I finished the first half of the tassles on the scarf! It's really long, double stranded, just some plain garter stitch in a soft, fuzzy yarn that I've had FOR EVER! It's nice to get rid of some of this yarn, although I have enough to make another :)

I'm thankful for the usual gambot of family, friends, food, a roof over my head, etc. so I think I'll be original...

I'm thankful for my creativity and my craftiness, curved tests, the mute button, hot cocoa, knee high socks, soap that smells like apple pie, benadryl, and q tips... What are you thankful for?

FO Show!

2009-11-19T11:24:00.001-08:00

For lack of a better reason, I am going to blame my absence on poor lighting for not blogging. Bellingham has been seriously hit by a wind storm over the past week and there seems to be little sign of it ending. As some strange coincidence, the wind is worst at night when all the little college children are snug in their beds, except me who works :( I was actually stuck walking home in probably the worst of it last night and I heard a tree falling down. I'm not sure if you heard me... a tree... FALLING DOWN! It was a terrifying experience but I'm safe and sound at home. We did have a power outage and because of all the grayness, I haven't had a good chance to capture my knitting, and there is plenty of it.
First, I'll start with what is most recent. After our recent chilly weather (and by chilly I mean blistering cold teeth chattering weather), I decided to make a BIG warm scarf. All I have on hand right now is this white sport (?) weight yarn. I know they still sell it so if by any chance I run out of it, I'll just run my happy self down to get some more. White is extremely difficult to photograph on a gray day because I had to use flash so don't take the blurriness for bad work. It's actually really pretty and I'm looking forward to wearing it in ten years when I manage to finish it.

This is how bad the lighting is. It's the middle of the day, I had all the lights on in my apartment, and I still can't manage to shed some light on the lacy leaf pattern I'm using. Next up is an FO! I have fallen in love with how simple these bed socks are. I have been reading Wicked lately (actually I just finished Wicked and am reading the sequel Son of a Witch) and thought that a pair of shiny socks would be good. I had some left over yarn from the gloves I made last post so I decided to make some socks. I like how the socks turned out way better than the gloves, so if I ever need a quick knitting fix, I'm going to tear them back and make some cute socks out of them. Isn't it weird how you can buy yarn for a specific project and use it for something completely different? I initially bought this yarn intending to make a pair of opera gloves of my own design. I have been too busy with school to even consider my own design work, so socks it is!

Last time I made these socks, I couldn't get the join right for the tips of the socks, so this time I sewed them shut like you would a hat and it worked way better.

Another WIP I've been meaning to share is this fair isle scarf I started on for a while but I'm slightly embarrassed about it. After seeing Elinor's beautiful set of fair isle pieces, I decided that I would try and design my own scarf with the same idea. Yes, I know it's a total rip off of her idea, but I'm not selling the pattern or anything, I just wanted to get some more practice with fair isle. I think I bit off a little more than I could chew because I started with some of the hardest peeries available in the book I bought specifically for this project and I have set it aside in frustration. I can't seem to achieve even tension no matter what methods I try, and I don't want to make something that I spent so much money on that will just turn into crap. I've read that blocking will help fix most tension problems, so I am going to block what I have and see how it fares. If it's any good, I'll continue. If not, I've got some ripping to do. Maybe there's another technique out there that can fix my problems but not at the moment.

You can see from the picture the book I bought for the project. It's a small, spiral bound book without any instructions or patterns of fair isle projects. It is simply a library of different stitch peeries. It's a great reference tool for anyone looking for more advanced fair isle, but since I've only ever attempted fair isle once (and was successful leading to the silly thought that I was actually good at it :P), I might need to make something smaller first.

Last but not least is one of my favorite FO's so far this winter. I found a hat by rosedale9 on Ravelry (sorry for those of you who don't have it. It's not posted anywhere else). Last year I made a purple beret that was my first attempt at a pattern hat. It didn't turn out as good as I wanted it to because of the pattern. I didn't have the heart to let go of the hat because I love the yarn so it ended up sitting in the bottom of my sock drawer for the longest time. Then, about a week ago, I found the hat on Ravelry and decided to make a second attempt at a cute hat. I still need to add some cute buttons or beads on the side, but so far I've already worn it more times than the purple beret. Yeah for recycling!

It's a simple rolled brim hat made from a skinny purple yarn wrapped with a sparkly white strand. Double stranded, this hat used up three donut skeins of this yarn, the name of which is escaping me. Just for fun, I added a poof ball like the original hat. I really like how slouchy and loose the hat looks and feels. The bigger needles made the softness of the yarn come out better and I used up all the yarn, including what was left over from the beret during my last attempt.

This is me wishing that the weather was better so I could be outside. Oh well ;)

Hopefully your knitting is going more fluidly than mine right about now! Ta!

Sparkly things!

2009-11-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

In order to make up for my failure as a blogger, I have decided to distract you with some shiny things! I made this pattern up for myself. I'm sure other people have made them before but I am going to write it up eventually. They are warm, slightly itchy because of the sparkles, but I'm sure will soften up in no time! My hands will finally be warm! On a bit of a side note, one of my professors asked me a few days ago if I was a hat person. I was puzzled by his question, which clearly showed on my face. He said since I hadn't taken off my hood (it had been raining outside but inside I had neglected to remove my hood) and he had seen me previous days wearing several different knitted hats. I said that I hadn't really thought about it, and that I was only wearing my hood because I hadn't taken it off yet. I pulled the hood off and he laughed at me. I realized that underneath my brown hood, I was wearing a white hat. I am officially a hat person :)

Bling Bling

2009-10-02T20:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog,
I am a horrible blogger. I have been putting you off, neglecting you, and making you feel unwanted. So, here's some eye candy to get your pallette (?) salivating... something like that.
I've started knitting some charity washcloths with left over cotton yarn from stash enhancement adventures. I ran out of melon, so I had to do stripes at the top. I have ten in various colors, mostly creams.

And, I got my nose pierced! I've been wanting to for a while and today I actually did it. The grossest part was the first cleaning, but I won't scare you away with the gory details (if you really want to know, shoot me an email and I'll fill you in).

I love it but am not looking forward to my first night with a hole in my face... besides the ones that should be there :) Ta!

PS... How did I let my 50th blog post slip by without any recognition? I think the one year anniversary will have to have some sort of giveaway...

Fresh Start

2009-09-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, dear blog, after a rough night, I am ready for the sunshine! With that, because I have been a bad blogger lately, I have a special surprise. Because I am working on my art portfolio right now, I thought I would share some of my life outside of yarn... although this barely stretches past knitting. Recently, my grandma asked me if I could make her a reusable bag. Not just any old bag, my grandma gave me some recycled plastic bag yarn she had made from her forages into the bins at grocery stores. Cut into tubes and threaded together, several bags makes one large bag when crocheted. Killing two birds with one stone, I have been working on this madly because 1) it's mindless single crochet and 2) is part of my portfolio and once I finish it I can work on the other eleven pieces and 3) because it is a gift for my grandma. I'm up to the third stripe and plan to add a flower on the corner. I have stalled with my work with my sweaters because classes have just started and increasing for the bust sounds much less appealing than doing homework so I don't flunk out of college :) Anyway, I can't spend all day inside today because it is gorgeous. I will leave you with the reason why I love Washington... not too hot, not too cold!

Have a great day! And enjoy the sunshine or the sunshine police will kidnap you out of your house and force some much needed vitamin D down into your pores...

Dear Blog

2009-09-20T14:46:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog,
I have been neglectful. I have made you wait and wait and wait without word of me. I'm sure you were worried sick. I'm okay, but I'm going to be out for a while. I know... I know I just got back but I am going to be very busy with school and I don't need to explain myself. You are going to have to be patient, blog, because mommy has some stuff to do. Before I go again, I will leave you with some hints as to what I've been doing.

Scrap blanket behind the dolphin pillow was inspired by a blanket by http://kgirlknits.blogspot.com/ Check it out. Also, I've cast on for my Apres Surf hoodie. Yes, sweet blog, I am making my first sweater (or at least my first sweater that might actually turn out). It's orange and delicious and I love it. I'm also making another sweater but I haven't got any photos to show you. This is my new apartment (or at least my desk in my new apartment). I have finally moved to Bellingham again, dearest blog. I know you will miss the old house, and it is so much colder here, but it will become your home as well.

And finally, my first home cooked meal inside my brand spankin' new apartment. I'm sorry you couldn't be there to share, dear blog, but it was delicious and the left overs are going to be amazing. Until next time, bloggie, I am going to have to bid you adieu!

New Stuff!

2009-09-11T22:41:00.001-07:00

I can't really describe why I have been avoiding blogging, probably because I don't want to admit failure, but I will finally crawl back out of the whole I have dug myself into. First, here's my first attempt at grafting. The sock on the right is the first sock I did... AMAZING right? Left sock... horrid.

But, as the first blue item I have made in probably over a year (which is weird because I wear blue and consider it one of my favorite colors). Next on the list, the ever popular Robin's Egg hat in grey. I LOVE this hat and am wearing it at the moment (don't ask me why I wear hats so late at night.. let's just say I'm weird and leave it at that). This picture is what ten minutes before bed time looks like.

I even found a button from my stash to dress it up. I've probably had this button for a couple of years and finally found a good use for it *squeal*

Sorry about the bad pictures, this tends to happen when I am frustrated about previous knitting projects.

Which leads me to this grey abomination. I love cables and I really like this yarn but the hat was really non-fun to knit because I made the mistake of knitting it too tight and twisting the stitches.

I decided to knit for charity a few weeks ago and since this doesn't fit me, I am going to give it to someone in need (and with a wee head!)

That's all the knitting news for now. I also wanted to let you know that I am applying for the education program at my school so I am going to be getting busier. I am going to try not to neglect the blog, but I can't say what the future will bring. Wish me luck yall!

PS. I will set up the links and such later but right now I am too tired. Good night and sweet dreams!

I've Lost my Mojo!

2009-09-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't been watching Austin Powers lately, I am talking about my crochet mojo. After finishing the melon Mermaid scarf, I started the Clouds scarf (can you believe there are only two other projects for this?!)

Okay, so this picture is a little bit blue but that's because I was standing in the shade. Here's a better one...

Let me just say, this yarn is the softest yarn in the entire universe. If I wasn't going clothes shopping later (okay I'm still in my pajamas and it would clash), I would totally be wearing it.

Pattern: Clouds on Ravelry

Hook: US H and US J

Yarn: JoAnn Sensations Beautiful, three skeins

Mods: I only did rows 1-5 because I ran out of yarn. I literally had about a yard left. Although, I kinda like how small it is. I don't have many scarves that I just let sit around my neck and this one is soft and warm enough that it still works that way... The pictures were just of me playing around with different ways to wear it. I like it best not looped around my neck.

Then, immediately after finishing this scarf, I decided to make this little beanie!

Pattern: Lina by Joko knits

Needles: US size 6 double pointed needles (hint: if you want to use a slippery cotton like I did, go for a bamboo needle, it will make your life much better)

Yarn: Patons Grace in this lovely mocha color

Notes: Like I said before, mercerized cotton=bamboo needles. This would have been a fabulous yarn for my Phiaro, however it is very thin. In fact, the only socks I've ever made were out of Grace, probably why I have yet to make more than two pairs of socks... EVER.

And, it's kind of hard to tell in any of these pictures but I cut my bangs (about three inches!)!

Summer in the City

2009-09-02T15:20:00.001-07:00

I've been listening to a lot of Regina Spektor these past few days in preparation for her new album. I can't wait to hear it, although I've been playing it nonstop from youtube! Anyway, because it's summer, even though I don't live in the city, I've had loads of time to work on my unfinished objects. With that, I've got my Mermaid scarf done!
Pattern: Mermaid Scarf
Hook: US G. I noticed halfway, however, that I was using size H and somehow switched... wah-wah-waaaaaaaaahhhhhh
Yarn: Lion Brand Baby Soft in this corrally color. You may recognize it from the sweater I was working on a while ago. It completely failed in nearly every way so now I have to find something to use up the five skeins. This scarf used up about one skein, although I probably could have made it four or five repeats longer with the remains.
Modifications: Well, as a poor college student, I don't have the money to buy everything that I need to knit. I don't have any stitch markers that can be removed. Usually I just use a loop of a contrasting color but for this pattern, it needed to be easily removed. Lacking in the sm department, I decided to skip over this VERY IMPORTANT step of the pattern. It was a bit fiddly and I should have just gotten a few, but I think I did good work for what I have. Yeah for using up stash!
And since no one was home to help me mark the momentous birth of my scarf, I had to take my own pictures. These are the best two I had!

And, just because I love this picture and adore this girl (my bff), I thought I would add a bit of inspiration from my birthday. I just love the purple of the flower!

Bitchin' Bender

2009-09-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today has been a pretty productive day! I've done the laundry and most of the dishes... knitting wise I've got nothing but I seem to be on a crochet hike lately. My newest addition to the family is Bender He's for a friend who I am sharing an apartment with in the fall. I modified his eyes to make him lovesick (see the little hearts!) and I found him this morning oogling his love, Heidi Klum. He may recieve a beer and cigar later on, but for now he seems pretty content to surf the internet for porn... What a loser!

"It's My Party, I Will Cry if I Want To"

2009-08-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, I decided to make myself a few gifts! The first being this amazing little bath puff. I have made two so far and started a third in green (my favorite color) but ran out so I'm going to have to finish with a different color. They work really well, especially with liquid soap, and they are gentle on even the most sensitive skin, including the face.
Pattern: Bath Puff
Hook: US G
Yarn: Lily Sugar n' Cream Cotton in a buttery color.
Notes: This pattern is wonderful. It only took me about three hours to make one and I definetly encourage anyone making it to do all three rounds. The puff grows like the Hulk when it is drenched in water, so the handle needs to have that second layer for reinforcement. I would suggest a bathroom suction cup hook to keep it dry between showers.

Also, while I had a herd of friends over, we decided to go to the Capital in order to wander and take amazing pictures. These are just a few of the ones that inspired me. Maybe I can translate some of them into my knitting :)

The entire Capitol building is made out of marble, recently refurbished after the earthquake that tore everything down. The swirls are beautiful.

The outside fountain is really pretty and somber on an overcast day. I love the look of the little flowers bursting water out. And of course, some lovely flowers decorating all the memorials. I have some fingering weight yarn in this yellowy color. I had the idea to make a faux pearl necklace from this picture, resembling the lovely Lisa Simpson's pearls.

And although I'm not quite a girly girl, these gorgeous pinks and purples cried out to become a fuzzy winter hat!

Update: Hope I haven't lost you yet!

2009-08-26T00:04:00.001-07:00

So, I am making an update on my blogging agenda. I'm still going to use Psycheknits for knitting and other yarny good projects, because I am already bursting at the seams to show my knitted good. My other lover will mostly be about other projects and tutorials. So, since I don't like to include a post without fotogs, I will include my latest creations and explain later: small scrubbie for kitchen, Edward the Squid, Clifford the penguin, and Ernest the pirate bear with Chip the parrot. Have a happy week!

I hate to break it to you...

2009-08-20T07:25:00.001-07:00

Although I absolutely love talking about knitting, I have decided to broaden my medium range to include all crafts. I have overwhelming ideas about crafts in general and I don't want to let the creativity juices flow. I am moving over to craftingonabudget.blogspot.com, so I hope to see you all there! Happy knitting!

New Stuff! Part Deux

2009-08-15T16:34:00.001-07:00

FO list is getting slightly longer as my START-itis rages on. I currently have on the needles a lamb for a friend in Czech Republic (long overdue), a loopy pillow for one of three roommates, and now a hexagon blanket. Although it's not posted yet, I finished a hopeless hand towel that is in every way cute but in every way NOT effective. Oh well. Here's what I've gotten finished in the last few days.
Pattern: Grr on ravelry
Needles:US size 7
Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream in Butter (?)
Mods: No face this time! I just wanted a simple washcloth that would use up some of my cotton stash. Mission Accomplished!

Pattern: Crochet Ripple blanket I learned when I first started knitting. There's probably a pattern out there somewhere I just am too lazy to look.
Hook: I believe J, although I don't know the mm. All I know is that it's red
Yarn: Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Solids in various colors.
Mods: At the ends, I used two half double crochet so that the edges would be even. I didn't copy a pattern so I am claiming responsibility for it although someone probably came up with it before.
Here's my new WIP. It's a hexagon blanket I got from this tutorial. I didn't actually read the tutorial so much as look at the pictures to figure out what stitches to use. It is absolutely fantastic if you want to learn to make a hexagon blanket because it teaches you how to join the hexagons as you go instead of seaming them all together at the end. The downside is that you have to work as you go, but if the colors you're going for are random, it doesn't really matter. Mine is going to be a repeating pattern. Also, the colors are much more 70's than in the picture. I don't know how this turned muted but it is several shades of green, yellow, orange, pink and gray.

AAAAAHHHHH

2009-08-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

Oh goodness, my hands need a rest because I just finished my blanket!!! An FO post tomorrow when it is not dark outside!

Another week, another project

2009-08-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

As I was reading through some of the blogs I follow, I found a post by Julia about unfinished projects. This seems to be my current state of incompletion as well as I have steered away from yarn in the past week. You may or may not know that I am trying to downsize for my upcoming move into an apartment near my school. I will be sharing a room with Lolo and I am much more disorganized than she is. I'm trying to start the year off right by cutting back on the things I am taking with me:

UFO'S Stand and Be Counted!

1. My neverending stashbusting blanket. I'm on the bright yellow color and have one more stripe to go after that. 95% completion

2. I have a box of notes (shown in the left hand corner) that I am turning into three different masks. The mask on the left has about three coats of paint and is the closest to being done.

35% completion

3. The newest addition to the UFO parade is an Andy Warhol inspired wall hanging I designed to eliminate the tub of plastic crystal beads floating around my closet. As you can see, the clear beads are going on the background. The ones shown are all I have left.... I'm going to have to buy some more. 50% Completion

FO Aspen Cowl 2

2009-08-02T14:10:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know it's been a while but I have been busy trying to stay cool in this heat! Although, making a cowl is not exactly how most people would accomplish this feat. I had some extra yarn from the lace blanket so I decided to make another Aspen Cowl because they are great and I've already worn my other one several times. I even have enough yarn to make some hobo gloves to match, although I'm having difficulty finding a pattern that I like and that coordinates with the cowl.

Pattern: Aspen Cowl
Needles: US 8 circulars
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease in a bluish purple color
Mods: I didn't check my gauge for this project because it was just one of those mindless hand moving projects that are needed for watching movies and traveling. I cast on 96 stitches and made 8 repeats of the pattern instead of 10. It's a bit smaller than my other one but more useful. Next up on the agenda, I'm making more washcloths to eat up stash and because I'm going to need more than two in the apartment!

New Stuff!

2009-07-27T13:03:00.001-07:00

I discovered while trying to finish my huge blanket that I lose interest in projects when I know they won't turn out how I want them to. I've pushed myself to get past the fourth repeat, but now it is lounging on my bed while I decide to finish now and call it a day or push through the final repeat. Ugh!

In my impatience, I decided to try a jogless striping technique I learned about some time ago. I seem to have forgotten where I found it but I think I want to make my own tutorial for it sometime in the near future.

It's going to be a small drawstring bag of my own design, featuring the jogless stripe technique, out of a few small balls of this strange chenille yarn I was given along with my other stash. I don't have all that much and after starting what was supposed to be a scarf, I discovered I would soon run out. That's all for now. Ta!

Stuck in a Rut

2009-07-26T09:54:00.001-07:00

Well, it was bound to happen sometime... I seem to have lost my desire to finish the huge-o blanket and am forcing myself to work on it. My finish hungry attitude wavered a few days ago after I threw my work in progress onto my bed and lo... it was too big *sad face*. Now, I seem to be straying from my monogamous knitting background and am dreaming about winter; warm and fuzzy legwarmers, soft and squishy cowls, fingerless gloves with little birds on the backside of the palm. Le sigh! I guess I just need to suck it up and finish so I can start on some new and exciting (smaller) projects.

PS. This is what happens when you forget to wear the brand new knee pads that you bought specifically because you are new at rollerblading and you fall down.
PPS. My legs aren't that blue.

We're Back!

2009-07-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from camping at Ike Kinswa State Park in Washington. It was very warm and comforting sitting by the fire, knowing that the bugs were kept back by the smoke. Overall, I'm a bug magnet so it is a miracle that I escaped with only one!

Who says you can't crochet while camping? I am on the last stripe of the third repeat! Woohoo!

I also learned how to drive the boat (fearfully however, because I had to drive really fast to get the boat on plane. It's terrible before I get to that point when I can't see a single thing)

I also tried water skiing and am now mending the bruises from all the tumbles. That's me trying to waddle my way into the water with the hugungous skii's

On the lake itself, there were beautiful little nooks with waterfalls and tumbling trees! it was wonderful!

Overall, very relaxing and great to get away! Now, I've just got to finish this stinkin' blanket so I can move onto something else!

Monogamy

2009-07-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well, as you may have realized, I am an extremely monogamous knitter. There have been flings, of course, where I knit things that end up in the bottom of a drawer, etc. These items never recover if I shun them. Almost never I should say. Right now, as you also know, I am working on the monstrous stashbusting blanket and cannot be bothered to knit anything else. I am extremely determined to work through my stash and this blanket should cut my stash down by about a quarter. I'm also planning on a second secret blanket that will comprise of another quarter of the stash (with much louder colors I'm afraid). Stay tuned, though, because I am a faithful blogger and will be back with news of my crochet progress. I'm almost finished with the second repeat and plan to knit five repeats total. In the words of the famous Govenator, "I'll be back" Ta!

Wip it Good!

2009-07-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't finished the blanket yet, duh!, but I am trucking along. I am working on the last stripe in the repeat, however I will have about five or six repeats. I think the colors are a little bit seventies but that's okay :) Ta!

Super-Ultra-Mega-Mondo-Fantabulous Stashbusting Extravaganzaa!

2009-07-13T10:05:00.001-07:00

Well, my friends, I am embarrassed to finally reveal my yarn stash (except for the medium sized tub hiding underneath my bed!). Here she is, out in the open for all to see. Last year, I believe, I was given the opportunity to browse through my grandmother's cousin's stash of yarn and choose what I please. Hold your breath now... this is not all of the yarn I was given but the four bins on the left and more represent the booty I collected. She has hand problems and just moved into a beautiful new, and small, house. Knitting no more.

So, in an attempt to reclaim my room from the knitting monster, I have decided to make the ultimate stash busting blanket (even bigger than Frankenblanket, which will appear in the next few days or so). This mega yarn heap will include the yarns below, all of which are yucky acrylic yarn but oh-so-machine-washable. The yarn I plan to use in the blanket fills up an entire bin, and will be big enough for a full size bedspread. I'm crocheting it so that it goes faster, and so I don't shoot myself in the face. Also, because my hands hurt frequently after crocheting, I will probably be working on this monster for a while. A long while!

I have already started on the first row in the forest green color. It will be a ripple blanket pattern I learned how to make when I was learning to crochet for the very first time. The pattern is my standby for all homemade gifts for friends that I truly care about but don't have enough time to knit them something. All in all, this blanket will hopefully use up 32, yes 32 skeins of Red Heart uck. I only say uck though with the utmost respect because Red Heart is machine washable and becomes fairly soft and warm after a few washes but when first using the yarn, as in project mode, it tears up my hands.

Thankfully, I have plenty of summer time to work on it! Oh, and by the way, new projects and new hobbies are running rampant here. I just bought new rollerblades and pads yesterday! I will post pictures later but I am just starting out and I figured it would be safer if I protected my wee little bones from breakage (I forsee many falls in the future before I join the X Games!). Have a great Monday! Ta!

FO Skull cap for Daddy

2009-07-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I couldn't help but pick my needles up again... I'm a sucker for a new skein of yarn :) Well, dad wanted a wool skull cap and I don't have black or wool yarn in my enormous stash so I took a trip to Michaels. I found some wonderful Patons Classic Wool in black and almost immediately cast on. What can I say, I'm a softy for yarn.

Pattern: Twisted Rib Watch Cap

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool in black

Needles: US 6

Mods: None, surprisingly. I didn't make a fold over brim, per request. Used the 108 stitch size.

I am going to make a second one with the left over yarn. Hopefully Dad and the bro will be able to settle who gets them. Ta!

FO Jon + Kate plus 8 cowl

2009-07-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of in a hurry so this will be a little bit rushed. The Jon + Kate plus 8 cowl was named because for every 8 knit rows, there were two purl rows (purl-parents, knit-kids hehe). I ended up making this 9 repeats instead of ten because I was running out of yarn.

Pattern: Aspen Cowl on Ravelry
Needles: US 7
Yarn: Lion Brand Microspun in a melony color
Mods: As I said before, knit 9 repeats. I also knit this inside out so that the majority would be knitting instead of purling. My purls are a lot bigger than my knit stitches and I wanted to make the tension even. The yarn is super splitty (blast!) but I love the color and the softness of the yarn so I make sure the tension was even to make up for the splittyness. I can't think of anything else to say, other than I might be taking a break from knitting for a couple of days because of my hands. I knit this up too quickly and now my hands are a little bit sore. Oh well... happy knitting! Ta!

It's a Major Award!

2009-07-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON I WON!!!!!!!

I follow the blog Make+Do and found out today that I won a Backcountry Craft book! I have never seen the book so I am excited to see it in the mail. Also, I have been working on this today:

The Aspen Cowl I found on Ravelry. Again, I'm using stash yarn, a little bit of Melon Lion Brand Micro Spun. It's super soft and extremely splitty (blast!) but I think I am going to get a lot of wear out of it. I probably spent close to 5-6 hours knitting this today. A modification I did was to knit it in reverse because my purl stitches are much looser than my knit stitches. I've read on Ravelry that many people become frustrated with the endless stockinette stitch but surprisingly, my hands can't get enough of it!!!! I'm about half way through and I can't wait for it to be done so I can wear it. Ta!

Late into the Night...zzzzzzzz

2009-07-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I should have been sleeping last night but I had just bound off the second section of my pillow when everyone else was going to bed so I decided to finish the Green Monster Apartment pillows. My camera battery died so I only have one good shot of it, and the pic is mostly of Felix enjoying my handiwork. I have a couple ideas for some cowls I would like to try, although I have yet to make a successful one that I actually wore. Enjoy!

P.S. You can hardly see the diagonal line cutting through the pillow where I stitched them up. I like it but I am definetly not going to repeat the method I used here. Overall, it's pretty comfy so I'm not complaining!

P.P.S. I have been wanting to try intarsia again and last night I came up with a great idea for homemade bobbins. I'm going to try it out first but if it works, I will definetly post the instructions! Ta!

WIP-ping along

2009-07-05T18:47:00.001-07:00

In order to accomplish the ultimate feat of knitting through my stash, I must keep plowing along on my ucky acrylic yarn. My solution? Four matching loopy pillows for the apartment! They eat up yarn and are super quick to knit. I'm basing this pattern off of the Chill Pillows from the Stitch n' Bitch handbook, which I do not own. I do, however, own the Knitter's Bible by Debbie MacComber(?) which includes instructions on the loopy stitch to make a sheep. I raveled about it here for more information. Anyway, here's a sneak peek!

FO's up the ying yang!

2009-07-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Although my summer is starting to pick up (including a fabulous night swing dancing yesterday! I can't believe I still remember after almost a year off!), I have been knitting again. Let's not waste time on idle chit chat:

Pattern: Grr by Alice Bell Needles: US size 7 Yarn: Lily 'n Sugar 100% Cotton from the stash Mods: I decided to try making one into a sheep (the white one). I know I'm terrible at sewing so the face looks a little bit deranged. If I really can't stand it, I'll fix it. Oh, and I also double stranded the larger size because I didn't want to be scrubbing with a tiny piece of fabric. I'm actually thinking it would make a great rug, just a "tad" bigger XD

Pattern: Opus Spicatum by Kate Gagnon Needles: US size 7,8,9 I had a bit of trouble with the sizing. First, I had a tighter gauge, which was fine but I'm a pretty loose knitter so I thought that would loosen up for my first fair isle project. Not the case. This hat fits snuggly on my head like a beanie. Second, I couldn't find size 9 double point needles for the very crown of the hat, so I had to lower my needle size to 8. Hmmm... Oh well. Success anyway. Yarn: Patons Canadiana in Gray and White from stash

Anyway, I just thought I would share some apartment knitting and a winter hat. Ta!

Yup... It's Fair Isle!

2009-06-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

So, my recent attempts to choose a pattern to make have been duds, and a very long time ago I said my next project would be a finnish lace shawl. Well, I'm not in the mood to make lace after my last few patterns have all included frequent decreasing. Also, my limited number of circular needles helps me decide which patterns I will use. Thus, I give you, Opus Spicatum

I decided, since I've already tried one of Kate Gagnon's patterns that I would attempt another. This beret is knit in two colors using fair isle and results in a warm winter hat (my timing has never been very good). I didn't intend for this to become a beanie, however I think I will get more wear out of it versus a beret that easily falls off of my head. I've thought a lot about designing my own patterns recently and if I do, I would like to make them available for free on this website, as does Kate Gagnon, because I think knitting should be easy and readily accessible by everyone. Although the extra money would be nice, I'd rather let everyone try out my designs (no matter how horrendous!). Now, I just need to figure out how to upload patterns on the side tool bar for easy download-ability! Ta!

Nothing New

2009-06-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well, if you're searching for knitting news, you can just skip this post. I have been distracting myself with a hat/scarf/mitten set in a pretty marigold color. No new pictures but I am leaving for California tomorrow morning and hope to have them done by the time I get back (if not the mittens, at least the hat and scarf). As far as life goes, I'm trying to keep busy in order to forget, although it's hard. I hate breakups.

FO: Snowflake potholder...Well, it's summer!

2009-06-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have been lagging a bit in the knitting department because of, well, summer. I think it's a pretty good excuse, although I have been finding time to squeeze in some knitting. Unfortunately, it's late and my camera battery is dying otherwise I would prove it. You'll just have to take my word for it so far. Anyway, I do have one lovely photo to show you of some *ahem* crocheting I have been doing. I don't typically like to crochet because it is harder on my hands but in an effort to make apartment knits and to use up stash (aka acrylic yarn that eats my soul) I decided to try some crochet potholder patterns on ravelry. Here is one of them

Again, the lighting isn't that great because it's nighttime and I don't want to put it off any longer.

Pattern: 10 point Hot pad found here. It's also on ravelry under the same name.

Hook: US size H

Yarn: Some bright white acrylic I had left over in my closet

Mods: I looked up other renditions of this pattern and decided that the striping idea was a bit too '70s for me. I decided on a solid hot pad and since the majority of my acrylic extras are white (excluding whole skeins) I went with it. I really like this pattern and have already started another. I plan on making a set of three for my apartment next year and possibly making some extras as random gifts.

I did make another pot holder that I found on ravelry but the pictures didn't turn out. I much prefer the second one but it will get some credit when the lighting is cooperative. Ta!

FO Lace Afghan (turned Shawl)

2009-06-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

YEAH!!! It's finally finished! I actually finished the shawl on my way home from college (this is me in front of my house and our new 19' boat in the background!). Of course, this pattern was started as a stashbusting adventure and it worked. The only hitch was I neglected to do my gauge since this project was from stash and it turned into a shawl instead of a cozy blanket. I don't really know how I feel about shawl's but I love this one and I might actually wear it. Do you have to be a grown up to wear a shawl?

Pattern: Lace Afghan from Vogue Knitting Spring 2009

Needles: US size 8

Yarn: Stash yarn, Cotton ease (?)

Mods: None, although if I had to do this pattern again, which I totally would, the only thing I would change is the needle size. Maybe it's because I haven't blocked it yet (do you really need to block a blanket?) but it's probably just the needles. And I mistakenly used size 8 instead of 9 which doesn't help.

And, now that I'm home, i finally got to meet our new kitten Felix! He's the cutest thing ever and is currently wonderstruck at me typing this post. Enough ado...

Home!

2009-06-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally finished the blanket formerly known as sweater, although no pictures yet. I just moved back home for the summer and can't seem to find my cable for the camera. Anyway, we went to a lake today with the new boat (awesome!) and will have pictures shortly. Now if only I could find a way to unpack without doing all the work... le sigh... on a different note, my wisdom teeth are growing in and I don't feel any smarter... Just in more pain :(
Ta!

Saturday Afternoons

2009-06-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

The greatest thing about Saturdays is that the afternoon somehow stretches into evening. My favorite Saturday pasttime is staying in pijamas all day, working on whatever needs to get done. In spite of my college finals next week, I am feeling relaxed and happy. I have three days left of my first year at university and the thought of summer has me really excited. In order to celebrate, my roommates and I decided face masks were in order. Despite my mime-esque look, I actually really like this picture. Maybe after a bit more studying, I will keep working on the blanket. It has 6 more repeats and I will be done so knitting pictures ARE on the way. Have a wonderful Saturday!

'ffecting Change

2009-06-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

I don't have any knitting news except that I have crossed the mid-way point in my blanket. I really like the pattern and although it is only an 8 row repeat, it is not getting boring. Since I have some free time today, I would like to clear up some lingering questions I have had about words and their absolute meanings. I was talking to Mr. Man about Spanish one day and he brought up a good point that Spanish doens't have nearly as many synonyms as English does. How many different ways can you say 'hello' in English? Is it just a question of slang that I am unaware of in the Spanish language, or is a simple greeting limited to "Hola"?

Anyway, his question got me thinking about several synonyms that I use on a daily basis and decided to figure out if they are really being used correctly. One of the biggest faults is A-ffect and E-ffect. By the way, I am looking all these words up here since I don't have a paperback version so if anyone has their own synonym questions. Here are the definitions:

Affect: used when describing an emotion, an emotional state, etc. ie. After being dumped, her social interactions were affected. Her friends began to see strange affects on her happiness and state of mind.

Effect:This one is a direct quote that I think best describes it: the power to bring about a result ie. The economic recession that our country is in has effected the national job availability. Numerous households are beginning to see the effects of economic decline.

Quagmire: think of this one like a swamp, which is another of its meanings, or the popular saying -between a rock and a hard place-. "a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position." ie. To solve the quagmire of the legalization of gay marriage, Federal Governments have granted State permission to make their own legislative rulings. (In my viewpoint, quagmire assumes that any outcome is less desirable than indecision).

Conundrum: direct quote- a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun. The only example I can think of is a bad blonde joke: Why was the blonde staring at the container of orange juice? Because it said concentrate. The question is a conundrum and the answer is a pun because concentrate in this sense means to stare but could also mean that the juice is from concentrate. (It's not as funny when it is explained!)

Dunce: direct quote- a slow witted or stupid person. I didn't know this but the word comes from a man named John Duns Scotus who was a popular theologan/philosopher in the early 14th century. His ideas were rejected by the Scotists and in the 16th century, coined the term to refer to anyone who was incapable of intelligent thought.

Simpleton: direct quote- a person lacking in common sense. In traditional folklore, the simpleton is the character who makes all the mistakes that are generally repeated. They lack common sense because they don't learn from their mistakes.

I found these ones to be fairly interesting. If anyone has others that they would like to be explained, just email me and I will do some research! Enjoy the sunshine!

Lost in Translation

2009-05-27T17:58:00.000-07:00

This is going to be my next project. Since the lace knitting for my Springtime Bandit was fairly easy, I decided I wanted to try more lace knitting. As far as I'm concerned, a language barrier won't stop me from attempting this pattern. It's called Amor by Pia Tuononen and the only version available is in Finnish. It shouldn't be too hard though because it comes with charts and the gauge and needle size are given (numbers are the same so it wasn't too difficult to understand). I'm not sure yet what I am going to make this for or what yarn I want to use but the issue is more about the challenge than the product. I think I can do it. I hope I can do it. We'll see. It is interesting to see the differences in the chart I used for the scarf and this one. I'm not big on symbols but I think I am a good enough knitter to attempt this. The only symbol I'm not too sure about is the ++ or something similar towards the end of the pattern. Even if you're a non-knitter, check out the chart and the Finnish. I know it should make sense to people that can read it but it just fascinates me. Ta!

Just Complaints

2009-05-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

No new knitting, unfortunately, however I am getting stressed out for the end of the school year. I have a five page paper to right as I am procrastinating right now. It is due on Thursday which sucks because I also have a quiz that day in the same class. I am terribly frustrated by exams I have taken where I mistakenly thought I performed excellently when I come to find out I suck. :( Geology is becoming a lot harder than I thought, while images of this summer keep me distracted from my impending doom (aka the end of the quarter finals). I'm hoping to pull out all B's or above this quarter just so that I can maintain my GPA. I wouldn't have thought it possible but if I don't kick it up a notch, I'm looking at dropping dangerously close to a C. I haven't gotten one yet nor do I wish to join the club (although next year's Chemistry is looking pretty good for the Class I'm Most Scared Of Award). In the words of a very intelligent lady, Ellen's character Dori, "Just keep Swimming!" Ta

Inching Closer

2009-05-25T14:38:00.001-07:00

I am slowly but surely inching closer on my Sweaterblanket. I am somewhat of a monogamous knitter and probably won't make anything else until I am finished with this. It says to knit 36 repeats and I think I'm on 9 so woohoo. Sorry if it gets a little boring from her but I knit pretty fast so it won't be too long before another project is in the works. I decided to scrap the pink bag because it wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to. The yellow bag also remains buttonless because I don't like the amount of sag when heavier items are carried.

However, my blanket is turning out really nice. I accidentally cast on using size 8's and didn't realize until yesterday when I found my size 9's still in the bag. Oh well. I also *ahem* forgot to check my gauge because how off can my blanket be. It doesn't look wide enough right now but I am thinking about blocking it and the lace should help it stretch some.

This is a terrible picture and the color is the same as the color above but I couldn't get a good detail shot. In case you were wondering, yes, this is almost exactly the same lace for the Springtime Bandit, which is yet to be blocked. I just love the way the daggers overlap. Anyway, have a happy Memorial Day and remember to remember those that have fought for our country!

The Blanket Formally Known as Sweater

2009-05-21T23:19:00.000-07:00

So, I am a big fan of recycling yarn from projects that I don't wear or use. This yarn, Cotton Ease something or other, I got as a graduation present from my parents. To make a long story short, I had to beg for yarn instead of something like a trunk or a rocking chair because they didn't think it appropriate to get me something that I wouldn't remember and appreciate when I am old. I thought the perfect project would be a sweater and started making this one from Vogue Knitting with the intention of making a knitted belt.

I was all the way complete with the back and the front pieces when I noticed that I had made the biggest beginners mistake of all: I FORGOT TO CHECK THE DYE LOT!!! Seeing as this was my first-ish sweater attempt, I can blame it on that, however, the color was too shocking a difference to remain. All is well though because I actually skipped over an entire cable on both fronts that I didn't notice so it would have been torn back anyway. In order to save the yarn, I decided to make a different cardigan and just use the color more than once in various smaller projects. I finished the cardigan and don't remember the pattern name but it looked atrocious and I couldn't keep it. Soooo, in order to keep the graduation yarn instead of making it a total waste AND to keep from disappointing my parents, I have decided to make a lace blanket in order to hide the differences in dye lot. I have started several times on this one from the newest Vogue knitting and am starting to get the hang of this whole chart thing. My first one was the Springtime Bandit but in all honesty, it's not as hard as you might think.

In other non-knitting news, when my parents were here last weekend, my brother dragged us to this low-rider show in Red Square. In my Geology class I learned that the building in the background is actually sinking because it was built on peat instead of bedrock. Washington is rather rainy and this building could also get hit by a mudslide if we have any more "Spring Showers". Anyway, enough with the trivia. I'm not exactly a huge car fan but there was some dancing to be had. Since I am a Spanish major (so far) I love every opportunity to see authentic dancing and I can't get enough of their dresses! You wouldn't know it but it was blistering hot outside on that day, but these girls rocked it anyway!

FO Bella Mittens and Springtime Bandit

2009-05-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

First up on today's agenda is a pair of Bella's mittens that I made for my bella suitemate. Funny story is that Washington of course is rainy, hence no good lighting. The pictures were taken in our laundry room, which is the brightest room in the dorms.

Pattern: Bella Mitten's from Twilight

Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky in Grey (?)

Needles: Size US 8 dpn

Mods: The recipient wanted fingerless gloves so I knit up to where they should lie and then bound off after four rows of knit two purl two ribbing

I liked this pattern and would make them again but I don't necessarily like the yarn for the stitch definition. The yarn is already pilling and turning into a fuzzy mess but oh well. They might last her until it's actually warm enough to wear them.

Pattern: Springtime Bandit
Yarn: Misti Alpaca something or other. It's a sportweight and due to the fact that I took these pictures a short while after dark, the color is horribly skewed. It is more of a dark teal highlighted with lighter shades of teal, blue and lilac. It is truly beautiful and this picture makes it look like vomit
Needles: US size 8 circulars
Notes: I did five repeats of the body part because I had a whole skein and didn't want to waste it on part of something else that would look out of place. I don't really know how big it is because my cramped dorm lacks adequate space for blocking. My grandma was a seamstress so I will use her blocking board sometime this summer. We shall see if this enters full rotation in my wardrobe. The thing about this pattern is that I don't usually wear shawl like things, and because I knit the extra repeat, it will be too big for a regular bandana. Hmmm...

This is a work in progress that I am not sure if I like. I am making a small drawstring bag, again with the skewed colors, and it is pink stripes. It is for a friend who is obsessed with pink and will probably like it for the sheer fact that I made her something but would probably not use it. I wanted a bag that would have minimal stretch and got what I asked for by using Lily and Cream Cotton on size 3 needles. This may be ripped out to make washcloths, I just wanted to avoid using about 40 skeins of cotton for washcloths alone. A girl can only have so many.

In other news, today was a tragic day not only because I sat on my phone and broke the screen, but because everything that could go wrong went wrong. It all started after my Geology test, which in light of the rest of my unfortunate evening, I probably bombed. I wish I hadn't gone to the mall and sat on my phone instead of going to the gym like I really wanted to. I don't get many days off from work and I sort of feel like this was a waste. Ahh... but tomorrow is another day off and some intensive knitting therapy should do me some good. Ta

Drat

2009-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

No new knitting pictures as of yet but I cast on for the Springtime Bandit scarf and it is nearly done. It's just a scrunchy mess and I don't exactly have room to block it in my house but this summer I will take it to my grandmother's house (she used to be a seamstress and has a sewing room equipped with huge blocking board). I used some Misti Alpaca yarn that I had lounging in the stash (of course, I don't have the money for new yarn). I didn't want to have any left over yarn so I did five body repeats instead of four. I don't know if I like this but we'll see after blocking.

Anyway, that's not my purpose for blogging. This weekend my parents came to visit me and we had so much fun. Yesterday we went to a planetarium show and saw all the constellations. Alas, the headband that I just knit like two days ago fell off of my head while I was gazing up at the fake stars. I didn't even feel it fall since it is made out of lightweight yarn and didn't realize it's absence until two hours later. I went back to see if it was there and it was not. Drat.

FO: Headband

2009-05-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Quick little post before class, I started and finished this yesterday after a bad test and am rockin' it today. It is three i cords knit with sport weight bamboo yarn, braided and tied together. I'll have the specks later but for now just enjoy my messy hair :) Ta! Oh, and the gloves are done I just couldn't get them off the recipient long enough to take a picture. Will have one tonight!

Travelling along the Bandwagon

2009-05-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

After the success of my Calorimetry, I decided to immediately cast on for another bandwagon knit, Bella's Mittens from the movie Twilight. Now, I haven't exactly been honest about my utter distaste for all things Twilight, especially since I was force-fed it in my Women's Literature class, however, these are not for me and I am having a lot of fun knitting them.

I actually stayed up late last night in order to finish the body of the piece, minus the thumb which is seen from the photo. The recipient requested fingerless gloves, which I am all too happy to provide because it means less yarn usage and less resemblance to the original pattern. I don't hate Twilight, however I see her all the time and do not wish to be constantly reminded of a
pop-ish vampire movie that is all the rage among college kids right now. I see enough of it, I will pass a-thank-you! Once these babies are done, I will be sure and get the gracious recipient to model them. Oh, and this is totally unrelated, but I just found a blister on my foot and am thinking that my favorite running shoes are going to have to visit Mr. Dumpster behind the dorm :( Sad day.

FO Calorimetry

2009-05-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

YEAH!!! First FO of the blog happened last night after work when all I wanted to do was knit ribbing. I have been wanting to knit this little number for a while. I knitted a dress for my bear in January out of this yarn, Cascade 220, and I used the left-overs to make this. Still have a tiny bit left but I'm slowly but surely decreasing on the stash.

This one is of me modeling it. As you can see, the headband is more of a mini hat. There isn't much of my hair that it doesn't cover. I might use this as earwarmers for winter when it is freezing cold in Bellingham.

Pattern: Calorimetry (you don't know?)

Needles: US size 8

Yarn: Cascade 220 Paints in Caribbean Sea

Mods: Nothing, actually, I just knit straight from the pattern. I didn't worry too much about gauge because it's a headband and is adjustable. I didn't, however, add buttons because it was a tad bit too long on me so I just tied the edges together. I like how this turned out and I can't wait to wear this in the winter (although I am probably going to wear this in the spring too when my hair is unruly!). There's nothing like a quick project to get you motivated to sew 50+ buttons... maybe another quickie is in store!

A Walk with Alice

2009-05-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

On my way to class yesterday, I spotted a rare and wild creature exploring the peripheries of Western's campus.

This dazzling specimen was climbing a tree when I spotted it. I call her Alice because of her curious nature. When I retreated into the nearest sanctuary, she followed me down the stairs. Luckily I was able to snag some pictures before she scurried away.

From the looks of that needle sticking out of her pocket, she is a voracious knitter like me, however it could be dangerous to approach further. Maybe when she is fully dressed (aka finished with all the buttons and handle attached), she will let me come closer.

Lounging

2009-05-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've had this project lounging in my closet/desk since I messed up on the collar and I don't know if i will continue with it. I have a sweater's worth of this orangey melon color yarn that I got for Christmas a few years ago...

This picture looks a little more orange than it really is but that's how it goes when there are very few lights in my dorm that aren't fluorescent or orange. Anyway, this orange blob was going to be the Deep V Sweater from Classic Knits by Erika Knight. I knit this in the round instead of flat because it uses less yarn and I'd never tried that technique before. I knit all the way up to the arm hole shaping and realized that the v opening started around my belly button and I hadn't knit enough on the main body. Grrr.... so I ripped back about 3/4 of all of my work (which, being a college student took me about a month to do) and I just haven'tbeen enthused to start it again. I really want this sweater and since it is still raining buckets it would be useful but I feel like I need a wise shaman to come and tell me the error of my ways. I'm kinda scared to continue working on it because I don't want to mess up again. Maybe the sun will help this little critter back out of the cave!

Bring on the Spring!

The Past is in the Past?

2009-05-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

So I'm very excited about having a blog because already I am more energized about getting my knitting done so that I can post my finished objects. Alice in Wonderland is coming along swimmingly and I can't wait to add the buttons and take some pictures. In order to keep myself from stalling, I decided on my next project. I made this stretchy bag a couple of months ago...

It's not a very good picture but my bedroom is tiny and I've got to work with what I've got. It's raveled here. I use this bag all the time and it's super stretchy (I wish my pants were this stretchy that way I'd never have to buy new ones). The only thing I am a little iffy about is how small it is when there aren't 6 bottles of juice in it, which by the way never happens. I am thinking about making this in another non stretch yarn, like the Sugar n' Cream Cotton stuff I have buttloads of. I will definetly use smaller needles and it might turn out more... durable than the previous attempt. Anyway... that's it for now

Alice in Wonderland

2009-05-04T20:25:00.000-07:00

So I'm back, already. I decided that an inaugural post without pictures is lame sauce so I will start with my current (one of many) wips. Before I unveil the *ahem* masterpiece, let me explain the title. One, I just started knitting this piece because I have a lot of yarn on hand and wanted something to keep my hands busy.

I chose my color, my easy to memorize pattern, and a rough outline in my head of what it would be like. Whether or not it will turn out or not is a different story. It's called Alice in Wonderland because it is sort of a jumble of a bunch of crazy s&%@ that I can do without a pattern and basketweave reminds me of Alice picking flowers. Plus the color is the same as her hair :)

Ta-da... okay it just looks like a blob of yellow mesh sitting on a wooden chair, but it's getting there. I am the type of knitter that loves starting projects and then drags her feet to finish them. This would be me pushing myself to get it done. Also, in order to relieve myself of this monstrous stash (mostly of acrylic) I must reward myself when using ucky acrylic yarn with the much more pleasing cotton sub-stash. Anyone care for dishcloths? So my initial idea was to knit plain stockinette stitch in the round so that I could work here and there between study sessions. That changed because stockinette was boring and I would never have used it.

With my mind set on basketweave, I also decided to use up some of my gold plastic buttons that have been lounging in my parents house for several years while I contemplated their future purpose. Purse fastener it is. Anyway, must make myself work on this purse otherwise it will never get done. Ta!

The Beginning

2009-05-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have seen many a knitter blog since I started crafting fresh out the womb. I'm in college and don't really have the time for a blog or even a computer to save my images on, but then again, I've never had good timing. I will probably a terrible blogger and one that will remain viewer-less because of my long absences but with my experience as a blog reader, I know how it goes waiting for the next entry in your fav blog for some inspiration. I hope many budding knitters can come to my blog and be inspired but for know, I just need a place to organize my knitting.

For the time being, I don't have any photogs, the best part about a blog, because my camera is in the next room and I'm too lazy/bored/busy/etc. to get up. There will be some soon with my first improvised project and maybe even an FO (did I use that right?) Anyway, be kind to me because I'm new at this blogging thing and hopefully you enjoy my ramblings as much as... well me I guess. Have a good day!