New class!

I have no handspun for you. It was a busy weekend and I had no spinning time. What I have instead is a bit of an announcement.

The first Saturday in March (whatever day that is) from 9-11 I will be teaching a class on Double Knitting at Charlotte Yarn! We will be learning two different ways to start your project, knitting, purling, increasing, decreasing and casting off. There will be a swatch and a project!

This is a quick knit project. I CO and finished it while hanging out on Sunday.

Pattern: Learn to Double Knit Washcloth by me
Yarn: Misson Falls 1894 Cotton - 2 colors about a half ball each
Needles: Size 7

(uh, I have some other FOs to post...it seems like I haven't been knitting or something based on the number of finished items I have posted this year - NONE until now!)

Elizabeth Bennet Cabled Cardigan

Ta-da!

This yarn cables like a dream!

Great stitch definition despite being all sorts of fuzziness due to the angora content.

Pattern: Elizabeth Bennet Cabled Cardigan by Stefanie Japel
Size: 44" (in theory)
needles: Knit picks options 4 and 6
buttons: 9 of them. vintage pearly ones
yarn: Cascade Cloud 9 - I bought 22 balls as instructed. I have 8.5 left. *grumbles*
modifications: ok - I wanted this a little big for layering and I am a 42" bust. but I didn't need that large of a neck, so I knit 2 down for that and then increased.

Things I love:

The collar and button band in seed stitch and of course the cables.

Things I hate:

IT IS HUGE ON ME! And I have lost 2 buttons. I need to buy slightly bigger buttons anyway, but I love the look of these - so if you have a line on some similar - lemme know!!!

grrr....argh

I wanna wish you a merry Christmas!

Well, Christmas is almost over on the Eastern coast of the US. Hope you all had a nice one. I spent the day napping and watching bad tv. WOOHOO! Oh - and talking to my family.

My gift to myself (ok - there were a few) but my knitted gift to me was Sursa!

Pattern Details: Sursa by Cornelia Tuttle for Noro.
Yarns: Fleece Artist Scotian Silk (1 skein) and Malabrigo worsted in Applewood held double (1.5 skeins - I could have shortened the ruffle and only used one, but instead i added a couple rows when I broke into the second skein)
Neeldes: Denise Size 15
Mods: None
Notes: This was a fast and easy knit.

Its nice and warm and while these are typical colors for me, I love this shawl!

Could I look LESS happy??

Oh - and I jammed a metal rod into my tongue this week - so podcast will be happening LATER - like next weekend. cause I sound all tongue-swollen-y.

A fair trade

I don't have much in the handspun department today. I spun a little, but then I realized CRAP CHRISTMAS KNITTING!

So I stopped spinning and focused on finishing my mom's socks.

Mom wanted ankle socks. Plain Ankle Socks. See how that worked?

This yarn didn't want to be plain socks. So they are No So Plain Ankle Socks.

Started: ummm...I CO the toe a few weeks ago, but really didn't work on them until last Sunday

Finished: Sunday, December 16

Needles: Size 2 - magic loop

Yarn: Rio de la Plata

I will publish the pattern soon (Yeah, I know I keep saying that about my patterns, but I swear it is coming...)

Hmmm...I just realized there isn't a good pic of the toe... but here is another shot of the pretty cables. Which I am insanely proud of since I did them without a cable needle! The varigation of yarn doesn't always lend itself to cables, but this tonal yarn - even with the very different greens - looks fantastic!!!

Pretty in Pink

Sweet baby niece needs Christmas. And while I am bah humbugging my way through the season, she is only 2 and needs prezzies! So....

I knit her the Make Believe Crown from Interweave Knits. Its available for free from Knitting Daily now.

This is a super quick and easy knit. But it wasn't what I started on. Nope.

These are Twinkle Toes from Knitty. Little tiny ballet slippers complete with knitted ties!

The pattern is written in sizes from Toddler to adult, so you can knit your own ballet slippers if you would like. These took no time at all!

Patterns: Make Believe Crown from Interweave Knits and Twinkle Toes from Knitty.
Yarn: Patons Katrina in Blossom. Less than 1 ball. (Thank you to Jane Prater for gifting this yarn to me awhile back!)
Needles: Twinkle Toes: Knit Picks Options in size 5. Crown: Knit Picks Options 5s and Clover DPNs also in 5s.
Sizes made: Toddler and 15"
Started: December 8
Finished: December 9
Thanks to my special model. A doll made by my great-grandmother on my mom's side!

I think my niece will be adorable in these!

Pretty lights!

Cristi and I had a little KAL for the December Lights Tam!

See our pretty tams!

We have pretty pretty tams!

Look at those floats!

My only regret about this project is that I don't think I picked the colors wisely enough. I love the colors, but I think the pale pink and pale purple together loose the shape of the design a little. Though I love the way the brown pops against the green.

Obligatory stitch shot!

Pattern: December Lights Tam, Holiday 2007, IK
Yarn: Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino - 8 colors. yes, 8.
Needles: Addi Turbos size 3 and Yarn Pirate size 2 - both circs. I magic looped the hat as it decreased.
Gauge: 24 st = 4in (called for was 26 = 4in). Now that gauge is in the blocked top section, there is a portion between that and the ribbing that is 28/4 inches - so it varies. Who cares, it works and it is cute!
Started: Saturday, Nov 17
Finished: Friday, Nov 23
Mods: Oh - and there was a little issue with the number of stitches you end with at the end of the damn chart. There was a LOT of cussing and searching on the interwebs and NO ONE mentioned it anywhere. Cristi was sure I was crazy, though I SWEAR I was not crazy. To get to 5 I S1, K2tog, PSSO, k1 and repeated around somehow - I wanted to make sure the decrease lines stayed all nice and neat and happy. And they did!
Notes: I have a TON of yarn left. This was a quick knit and I really enjoyed it! The fair isle was really fun! This is my first fair isle project since I took that class with Jane Prater at Charlotte Yarn alllll those months ago!

We're so cool.

Thankful

In honor of the American Thanksgiving holiday, I am thankful today for the Earth we live on. (cheesy, yes, shut up!)

The Guilt-Free Shopping Bag! Take it along and use a little less in the plastic bag and paper bag department.

Yes, these can both be recycled, but the reality is, recycling these cause a lot of toxic chemicals, so I am trying to keep that down.

Now, I will still need plastic bags for kitty litter, so this won't replace all bags, but it will replace a lot. I don't get bags in most places anyway, just the grocery store. So this will replace one or two of those each visit.

Special bonus: It can double as an ice pack holder for those days when you have a wee bit of a hangover!

Pattern: Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty.com
Yarn: Organic Cotton and Recycled Soda Bottles from Little Barn (purchased at SAFF)
Notions: Chocolate brown ribbon, stringy thing, claspy thing
Cost: Yarn: $1.79, ribbon: free cause Cristi owned it, stringy thing and claspy thing: $1.00 purchased at the Dollar Store in the form of a laundry bag that I ripped it off of. Total: $2.79 (HELL YA!!!)
Modifications: None really. I placed the stringy thing a little lower than a handspan.
Notes: I will make this again. Mostly because it only took one skein and I have 2. someone is getting the gift of a reusable market bag from me! WEEEEE!
Time: Ummm...This was a FAST knit, but I didn't really keep track as I worked on it in between things. I think it was probably less than 4 hours. Really it was 2 nights I think.
Models: May and Cristi last night at knitting group. Thanks, ladies!!!

A special picture for Zonda...that is a bird ornament if you are wondering.

I have gotten a little bit of crap for my special Thanksgiving tradition of Wheat Thins and Diet Coke for dinner. I will have you know that will be lunch today. I am cooking dinner for me. Wanna know what is on the menu? Well...peppercorn crusted pork tenderloin, fresh asparagus with lemon, four cheese risotto, baby greens salad with blue cheese crumbles and pomegranite and blueberry salad dressing and fresh baked wheat dinner rolls. mmmmmm....yummy. And all for me. So yes, I will have lots of left overs for next week.

Cozy

When mom came to visit this summer she asked if I would make her something to hold her cell phone. Then before I could, she left.

Mom's phone fits in this sideways - so it is a little different

I mean, she left within an hour of asking for it, I didn't even Cast on. I didn't even think about it.

Anyway, she got one for her birthday...I delivered it when I was in Orlando in October, and yes, I realize that was a month ago.

I put in purl turning rows so that it holds its boxy shape nicely.

Pattern: from my head (I didn't want to felt anything and I didn't have time - I also didn't want plain SS)
start time: a Sunday evening
finished: Same night
yarn: Yarn Pirate Superwash BFL in Calamity
yards: like 10

Sparkly

Gems that is.



Pattern: Winter Gems, Cast On magazine Fall 2008
Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca - less than one skein
Needles: Knitpicks options size 6
Started: Thursday before SAFF
Finished: Sunday AFTER SAFF - so just over a week and I was NOT faithful


Thoughts: I love these and will probably knit them again, but maybe in a yarn that will show the cables better.
Notes: OK - so the first time I missed the thumb decrease instruction and it looked like a big penis on my thumb. On the second thumb, I did it perfectly and it looked not like a penis and more like a thumb, so I ripped out penis-thumb. And reknit it without looking at the destructions and decreased more than I should have. But ended up with the most perfectly fitting thumb EVER. No, I am not ripping out second thumb and reknitting it as it will probably result in a baby thumb at this rate.

Flame On!

Yes, it is done. The Candleflame (please forgive the very bad Fantastic 4 reference there).

Pattern: Candleflame
Yarn: Elsebeth Levold Silky Wool (2.5 skeins)
Needles: Denise US Size 8

Start: April 2008

Finish: October 2008
Modifications: This pattern calls for lace weight. I made it in fingering weight and love it. I CO the number of stitches for the scarf and it is basically the dimensions of the shawl version. I did 10 repeats of the chart.
Thoughts: Yes, it took me awhile to finish this, but not because it was a hard knit or not interesting, but because I kept picking up OTHER things and not getting to this one. I would definitely knit this again as it goes REALLY fast! I mean really I only have a couple (maybe 5) evenings of knitting in this project.

Thank you, Olivia, for modeling for me!

She turned me into a zombie!!!

McDreamy

OK ... not really, but I do have a Dreamy FO for you.

Pattern: Dream Swatch from knitandtonic.
Yarn: Lime N Violet Sock Yarn in Lady Chameleon Colorway - 82 yards
Needles: Denise Interchangeable Size US 5
Time: About a week - but this was my around town mindless knitting, so really only a couple hours.
Mods: Well, I only had 82 yards since I was using the last of some sock yarn. So, I only CO 20 instead of 26 stitches and did 3 repeats across instead of 4. I really like it though and I am wearing it RIGHT NOW!

Kool!

I am WAY behind in posting FOs. So look for several over the next week or so!

I LOVE this hat! It is cute, but Tattoo Boyfriend could pull it off in a little more manly color!

Butterfly says, "There is a face on the other side of this head!"

My head isn't lopsided - I swear. Neither is the hat...but it sure looks like it here!!!

Project Details:

Pattern: Koolhaas - Interweave Knits Holiday 2007 Issue

Yarn: Cascade 220 The Heathers - Amethyst Heather (yes, I used the left overs from my Duster and I still have some left)

Needles: US Size 6 Denise and US Size 8 Knitpicks Options Nickle plated (I did not use the dpns instead I magic looped the decrease portion).

Size: Womens (if I had to do it again I would shorten the ribbing just a bit to better bit my head)

Notes: This was an easy, fast knit once I relearned how to read. Seriously. I don't mean I didn't read the chart correctly - that was fine. Well, then there is the whole read the key. Yeah. I didn't do that apparently and got a couple rows in- realized I was stupid - and ripped back and started over. Twice.

Mods: Well, it really isn't a mod, but I didn't use a cable needle, I cabled without one which made it faster, I think. This is why I used the Options needles - they are pointy enough to make this easy!

But it is a Zombie Face, "grrrr....argh!"

And here we have our zombie fairie picture.

Boyfriend Socks: Lucky Bamboo

Tattoo Boyfriend doesn't like lacey socks and I find it difficult to find manly enough patterns for him. Granted, I haven't been looking all that hard, but that isn't the point. These are part of his Christmas prezzies so shhhhh....he doesn't read this blog. Eh, he knows he is getting socks anyway.

These were a REALLY fast knit and I had a lot of time to knit them, so that was helpful.

Yarn: Brownsheep Wildfoote - 2 skeins
Needles: Addi Turbos Size 1
Pattern: My own


I will make this pattern available in the near future. As soon as I manage to move the blog and all that so that I have hosting abilities and stuff. And figure out how to do all that. Woo hoo.

Dustin' it up!

The Tilted Duster is finished. Cristi took the Tilted pictures for me on Saturday afternoon.

Because of the ribbing, this really is flattering - though you can't tell here...

Buttons...butterfly buttons pick up the blue in the heather and there is a perfect purple line in the butterfly as well. Plain black on the inside for a little more support (and they only had 2 of the butterfly buttons anyway.)


Pattern: Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughn - Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Size: 40"
Yarn: Cascade 220 The Heathers - Amethyst Heather - 6 balls
Needles: Size 9 Denise
Modifications: I knit the sleeves in the round - dropped the 2 seam stitches to do this. I also added a hook and eye at the bottom of the top and above where the skirt starts. When we took these we realized that I needed to move it a little further in since it gaps a bit the way it is. I added this for 2 reasons. 1- so that I can leave the collar open if I want. 2 - because it helps it lay a little better I think.

Thoughts: I really like this. It was a fast knit, its cute and it fits well!

I am zombie Aimee...