I did lots of crafty stuff over the weekend. I finished up Mr. Stegs and Pasha for my neice and nephew. I'll try to take some pictures tonight--I think they came out really cute. I made them both with stash yarn--Mr. Stegs out of dark green acrylic (I think it was Utopia in Dark Teal) and Pasha out of some of the Woolease that I won in elizabeth's Wool Ease Essay Contest. It's a pink penguin!
My boyfriend was so enamored of Mr. Stegs that he now wants his own brontosaurus and triceratops. *sigh*
I also started making some beaded stitch markers. I need to get some needlenose pliers, because I was having a heck of a time twisting the wire around using just round nose pliers and a wire cutter. But the three I made turned out really pretty. Now I just need some more beads...
I haven't decided what I should start on next. I'm almost finished one toe-up sock. I also have the supplies for a hoodie for my neice and the cocktail kitty bag. I suppose I could start both...
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
And the Knitter said "Let there be pictures!" And there were pictures. And it was good.
My boss finally left for the evening, so I can actually post those pictures I took the other day of the Ribbed Ribbon Tank.
Sorry about the flash in that second one. Anyway, like I said, I'm not sure about this tank. It's a little shorter than I expected (considering I thought it looked too long when I was knitting it) and it seems to stretch in weird ways. I'm going to try wearing it this weekend and see how I feel in it. If I frog it, though, I have no idea what I'll do with that yarn. :/
Sorry about the flash in that second one. Anyway, like I said, I'm not sure about this tank. It's a little shorter than I expected (considering I thought it looked too long when I was knitting it) and it seems to stretch in weird ways. I'm going to try wearing it this weekend and see how I feel in it. If I frog it, though, I have no idea what I'll do with that yarn. :/
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Still no pictures! I did take some yesterday of the Ribbed Ribbon Tank, which is finally finished. But, I'm lazy and didn't upload them yet. Maybe tonight, after my Solstice celebration (which is really just me sitting in the backyard drinking wine and soaking up the summer air).
I'm not too happy about the way the tank ended up. I'm thinking I should have chosen a different yarn, as the Schachenmayr Aurora wasn't really the "ribbon yarn" I envisioned. It's a little too thin, which makes the tank somewhat see-through. And it seems to be stretching, too. Hrm. Plus, I think it makes me look fat. I'll give it a few weeks and see if I can stand to wear it. If not, I'll frog it and make something else with the yarn, though what I don't know. It's quite heavy, even just being a tank. I can't imagine what something like a cardigan would feel like.
My major project over the weekend was making a stuffed stegosaurus for my nephew, who I'll be seeing over July 4th weekend. He's almost three, and his tastes are a little fickle, so I'm not sure whether he'll like it, be bored, or run screaming to his mother. I think it'll be cute, though. It was super fast to knit up, and now I'm just waiting for the fiber fill so that I can finish it. I'm going to make something for my niece also, probably Pasha, but in non-traditional penguin colors. I'm thinking pink? Then again, I think everything looks better in pink.
I'm not too happy about the way the tank ended up. I'm thinking I should have chosen a different yarn, as the Schachenmayr Aurora wasn't really the "ribbon yarn" I envisioned. It's a little too thin, which makes the tank somewhat see-through. And it seems to be stretching, too. Hrm. Plus, I think it makes me look fat. I'll give it a few weeks and see if I can stand to wear it. If not, I'll frog it and make something else with the yarn, though what I don't know. It's quite heavy, even just being a tank. I can't imagine what something like a cardigan would feel like.
My major project over the weekend was making a stuffed stegosaurus for my nephew, who I'll be seeing over July 4th weekend. He's almost three, and his tastes are a little fickle, so I'm not sure whether he'll like it, be bored, or run screaming to his mother. I think it'll be cute, though. It was super fast to knit up, and now I'm just waiting for the fiber fill so that I can finish it. I'm going to make something for my niece also, probably Pasha, but in non-traditional penguin colors. I'm thinking pink? Then again, I think everything looks better in pink.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Just let me finish this row...
Since I still haven't bothered to take pictures of my WIPs (this weekend, I promise!), I bring you another knitting rant. And guess what? This one also stars my wonderful BF!
My darling boyfriend has the habit of asking me to do things while I'm in the middle of knitting a row. The more intricate the knitting, the more insistent. There's probably a mathematical equation that would explain this phenomenon, but I'm a lawyer not a mathmagician. These "things" I'm asked to do can range from the inane ("Could you get me another beer?") to the sweet ("I want a hug!") to the just plain annoying ("I'm going to bed, and you have to come to bed too or at least come into the bedroom and entertain me for 15 minutes.").
What BF seemingly fails to understand is the concept that knitting cannot be simply stopped at a moments notice. That's part of what I like about it. When you sit down to knit, you're making a commitment. Even if you only have time for one row, you know that once you start you'll keep going until the end of that row. Nothing short of a catastrophe shall dissuade you.
This insistence on interrupting me in the middle of a row is, I think, closely related to my boyfriend's inability to understand why I can't carry on deep conversations if I'm knitting. Okay, if I'm doing stockinette or ribbing or anything that's fairly basic I can have a conversation. But when you see me looking at a pattern with my brow furrowed, it's a sign that I should not be bothered until I've figured out this latest direction. And if I'm staring at my knitting intently it means I've probably made a mistake somewhere and you should retreat silently to another room until I've either fixed it or decided it's not worth fixing. For Goddess' sake don't ask me about something you read in the NY Times that morning!
I think I shall make up some hats to wear while knitting. They'll have little messages on them such as "Heel turning in progress, do not disturb," and "Leave me alone, I'm shaping a neckline."
My darling boyfriend has the habit of asking me to do things while I'm in the middle of knitting a row. The more intricate the knitting, the more insistent. There's probably a mathematical equation that would explain this phenomenon, but I'm a lawyer not a mathmagician. These "things" I'm asked to do can range from the inane ("Could you get me another beer?") to the sweet ("I want a hug!") to the just plain annoying ("I'm going to bed, and you have to come to bed too or at least come into the bedroom and entertain me for 15 minutes.").
What BF seemingly fails to understand is the concept that knitting cannot be simply stopped at a moments notice. That's part of what I like about it. When you sit down to knit, you're making a commitment. Even if you only have time for one row, you know that once you start you'll keep going until the end of that row. Nothing short of a catastrophe shall dissuade you.
This insistence on interrupting me in the middle of a row is, I think, closely related to my boyfriend's inability to understand why I can't carry on deep conversations if I'm knitting. Okay, if I'm doing stockinette or ribbing or anything that's fairly basic I can have a conversation. But when you see me looking at a pattern with my brow furrowed, it's a sign that I should not be bothered until I've figured out this latest direction. And if I'm staring at my knitting intently it means I've probably made a mistake somewhere and you should retreat silently to another room until I've either fixed it or decided it's not worth fixing. For Goddess' sake don't ask me about something you read in the NY Times that morning!
I think I shall make up some hats to wear while knitting. They'll have little messages on them such as "Heel turning in progress, do not disturb," and "Leave me alone, I'm shaping a neckline."
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Knitting ADD
Why can't non-knitters understand the concept of WIPs? Last night, I was sitting on the couch, knitting merrily away on my toe-up socks. I was turning the heel, which I find ridiculously fun for some reason (it's like magic!). BF looks over and says "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be knitting socks for me?"
Now, here's some background. BF loves hand-knit socks and has since I made my first pair (which he insisted on trying on his big man-feet). So, I made him a pair of his own in a nice neutral beige color. Then I made a second pair for me in blue. Since I had enough beige and blue left over for another pair of socks, I told BF I'd make him some striped socks in those colors. I cast on, and got to working the foot of the first sock (these are top-down socks, not toe-up). This was about 4 months ago.
Then, I got distracted. I wanted to make my first real garment, so I started a ribbed tank-top for myself. Another distraction came along in the form of Knitty's spring issue. I had to make the ribbon x-back. Luckily, I finished up the pieces of the ribbed tank just as the ribbon yarn for the x-back was arriving. All that was left was seaming, which I hate, and which could of course be put aside until the x-back was completed.
The x-back took a while (or maybe it just seemed that way because of the damn seed stitch). Conveniently enough, just as I was getting bored with x-back, I had to go on a business trip, and a plane is the perfect place to start a new sock project (especially because DPNs impress the non-knitters sitting nearby and convince them it's a bad idea to distract you with inane conversation). I had purchased some lovely self-striping sock yarn for myself, and I was dying to try it out. So, I started the toe-up socks.
When I got home, I put aside the socks to finish up my tanks. I also managed to purchase hemp and cocktail kitties so that I could make my own version of the cocktail monkey bag. I did eventually finish both tanks (well...I still have to weave in the ends of the ribbed one, but it's all seamed up, I promise!).
Fast forward to earlier this week. I decided that I shouldn't start a new project until I had finished at least one more WIP. So, I set to work on the toe-up socks again because they have a fun eyelet pattern on the instep, and are a lot less boring than the striped socks. They're just what I want to work on now. Doesn't BF get that I can't just do one project until it's finished? I need variety in my knitting!
In any case, I guess once I finish this one sock I should at least finish the first sock of his pair. Then maybe he'll let me start the cocktail kitty bag...
ETA: Cocktail kitties, monkeys, mermaids, etc. can be purchased online at Archie McPhee.
Now, here's some background. BF loves hand-knit socks and has since I made my first pair (which he insisted on trying on his big man-feet). So, I made him a pair of his own in a nice neutral beige color. Then I made a second pair for me in blue. Since I had enough beige and blue left over for another pair of socks, I told BF I'd make him some striped socks in those colors. I cast on, and got to working the foot of the first sock (these are top-down socks, not toe-up). This was about 4 months ago.
Then, I got distracted. I wanted to make my first real garment, so I started a ribbed tank-top for myself. Another distraction came along in the form of Knitty's spring issue. I had to make the ribbon x-back. Luckily, I finished up the pieces of the ribbed tank just as the ribbon yarn for the x-back was arriving. All that was left was seaming, which I hate, and which could of course be put aside until the x-back was completed.
The x-back took a while (or maybe it just seemed that way because of the damn seed stitch). Conveniently enough, just as I was getting bored with x-back, I had to go on a business trip, and a plane is the perfect place to start a new sock project (especially because DPNs impress the non-knitters sitting nearby and convince them it's a bad idea to distract you with inane conversation). I had purchased some lovely self-striping sock yarn for myself, and I was dying to try it out. So, I started the toe-up socks.
When I got home, I put aside the socks to finish up my tanks. I also managed to purchase hemp and cocktail kitties so that I could make my own version of the cocktail monkey bag. I did eventually finish both tanks (well...I still have to weave in the ends of the ribbed one, but it's all seamed up, I promise!).
Fast forward to earlier this week. I decided that I shouldn't start a new project until I had finished at least one more WIP. So, I set to work on the toe-up socks again because they have a fun eyelet pattern on the instep, and are a lot less boring than the striped socks. They're just what I want to work on now. Doesn't BF get that I can't just do one project until it's finished? I need variety in my knitting!
In any case, I guess once I finish this one sock I should at least finish the first sock of his pair. Then maybe he'll let me start the cocktail kitty bag...
ETA: Cocktail kitties, monkeys, mermaids, etc. can be purchased online at Archie McPhee.
Friday, June 10, 2005
First Post
Well, I finally got around to making my own knitting blog. This will help clear up the clutter of my LiveJournal. There will be a lot of changes coming soon, as I'm hoping to spruce up the template a bit and add some things. Enjoy!
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