Showing posts with label rambling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rambling. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
GAHHHH
I'm on the last 2 rows of my Sahara sweater, and I ran out of yarn. I thought I had more skeins, but I couldn't find any in the box!!! In a fit of exasperation, I bought a skein from Lavendar & Peonies. The O-Wool Balance was on sale for $4.74 but shipping was $6.00. I was just thinking I may have enough in scraps that I can spit slice together for the last 2 rows...but I really don't know if I'll have enough!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Japanese Cat Zakka Knitting Book
I saw pictures of this book several months ago, and I've been looking for it since! It's out of print and the only sources seem to be directly from Japan. Amazingly, Lacis is carrying it! I definitely want to buy it, but it will cost at least $30 what with s/h and tax since Lacis is in California. I'm going to look up the patterns first to make sure I want it, but there is a good chance I'll be placing an order tonight. :)
Meanwhile...ever since I realized that there is an *active* ISO/Destash board on Ravelry, I've been lurking there, reading ever FS (For Sale) post and update! I seriously refresh the page every few minutes. I've already spent...$450...buying magazines, books, and yarns. I've also been buying elsewhere too....eBay, Mochimochi Land, Interweave Knits, Lacis, Amazon, StitchDiva, KnitPicks, and Kinokuniya.
Lucky for me, I've got a new weekend job as a receptionist. It pays surprisingly well at $15/hr for doing practically nothing. >_> I should be able to make back the money I spent on knitting the last 2 months by the end of July, assuming I don't buy any more. That prospect does not look good as only today I've spent $45, potentially becoming $75 tonight. The good news is that once the yarn starts arriving, I will be actively matching the yarn to prospective projects (which I have also been browsing through). I will also be digging through all my pre-existing stash to weed out all the stuff I want to get rid of. Some yarns I may be able to use after I think about it and come up with something (NOTE: consider for potential gifts, aka babies, birthdays, Christmas). Then perhaps I will be too preoccupied - by actually knitting - to buy more yarn.
Meanwhile...ever since I realized that there is an *active* ISO/Destash board on Ravelry, I've been lurking there, reading ever FS (For Sale) post and update! I seriously refresh the page every few minutes. I've already spent...$450...buying magazines, books, and yarns. I've also been buying elsewhere too....eBay, Mochimochi Land, Interweave Knits, Lacis, Amazon, StitchDiva, KnitPicks, and Kinokuniya.
Lucky for me, I've got a new weekend job as a receptionist. It pays surprisingly well at $15/hr for doing practically nothing. >_> I should be able to make back the money I spent on knitting the last 2 months by the end of July, assuming I don't buy any more. That prospect does not look good as only today I've spent $45, potentially becoming $75 tonight. The good news is that once the yarn starts arriving, I will be actively matching the yarn to prospective projects (which I have also been browsing through). I will also be digging through all my pre-existing stash to weed out all the stuff I want to get rid of. Some yarns I may be able to use after I think about it and come up with something (NOTE: consider for potential gifts, aka babies, birthdays, Christmas). Then perhaps I will be too preoccupied - by actually knitting - to buy more yarn.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Time for another Reorganization
I already went through and organized all my yarn by taking pictures and entering the data into my Ravelry stash. In the process I found a bunch of UFOs (un-finished objects) that I had forgotten about. I took the time to frog a few of them as well as work on some of them.
Frogged -
There was a crochet lace scarf from a Japanese pattern book that I was making out of Red Heart Symphony in Moss Green, a brushed acrylic yarn that looks like a very soft fuzzy mohair. That was a real pain to take apart because it was so easy to crochet through the fuzziness of the yarn.
I also frogged the bulky Clapotis, for which I used some Moda Dea Tweedle Dee in Cinnamon Twist. The pattern was made for a much thinner yarn and I didn't properly adjust the number of repeats for the bulky yarn. I also didn't remember where in the pattern I was because it had been so long since I last worked on it...so I just saved myself the trouble and frogged it.
Another item that got frogged was a pair of Endpaper Mitts. Well, actually it was only one of the mitts, but it was already half done. I decided I couldn't really live with the yellow yarn. It was too bright of a contrast with the red. I don't know if I'd ever make anything out of yellow yarn seeing as I don't look good in bright yellows. Maybe I'd use it for toys, but I don't really have any coordinating colors. I'm thinking of maybe over-dyeing it with some Kool-Aid.
In Progress -
I have an amigurumi elephant I never finished. I sewed the front legs on in the wrong place, so I never touched it. I was able to find the yarn ends and take the legs off, but I actually ended up unraveling part of a leg. I'll need to look at the instructions again before I re-sew it on. OH, and I just remembered another reason I never finished it. At the time I didn't have snap-on eyes. I thought I would just glue them on, so I sewed the head to the body. I'm going to have to take that apart to put eyes in.
I've still got an argyle golf club cozy to finish. There are wayyy too many ends on the thing. I kind of feel like frogging it and redoing it without the small lengths of yarn and just using the yarn while attached to the skeins. I could use the small frogged lengths on some sort of scrap blanket project.
Ela's scarf is still not done. By the time I finish it, he'll be back in Hawaii and will have no need for a scarf until next winter.
I started working on my Demeter Camisole again. I've just barely started the waist-to-bust increases, but this may go on hold because I want to put in bust shaping.
The Athenian scarf is waiting for me to feel in the mood for broomstick crochet again. I wish I didn't make it so wide.
The "My So-Called Scarf" made with Paton SWS needs more yarn. I don't know if I'll keep it in this scarf. It's a little too thick and spongy feeling. I was thinking about doing some felting with it. I have some SWS in a solid color that would match. I've also got 2 more balls in pinks/greens. Maybe that would make for some interesting contrasting stripes. My only problem with felting is that you have to knit a lot bigger than the actual size because it can shrink a lot!
On Hold -
The aran braid socks I'm working on using the KnitPicks Gossamer in Red Hat are currently on hold until I dig out another hank and wind it into a ball. I ran out of the first ball while working on the heel flap of the 2nd sock. That's pretty good for what amounts to about 220 yards of yarn. That means a pair of socks probably takes just a little bit more than 300 yards of fingering weight yarn.
The original aran braid socks I started several years ago will probably be frogged. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I don't have a plan for the sock I'll make with the self-striping yarn either.
I finished crocheting a pinwheel doily, but it needs to be starched and blocked.
The Butterfly Wrap needs to be washed & blocked before I can tie the ribbons.
I'm waiting on the purse handles before I finish up the Hawaiian Motif Purse. I also need to find a button to use for the closure, and some "purse bottom" material to keep the bottom stiff.
Frogged -
There was a crochet lace scarf from a Japanese pattern book that I was making out of Red Heart Symphony in Moss Green, a brushed acrylic yarn that looks like a very soft fuzzy mohair. That was a real pain to take apart because it was so easy to crochet through the fuzziness of the yarn.
I also frogged the bulky Clapotis, for which I used some Moda Dea Tweedle Dee in Cinnamon Twist. The pattern was made for a much thinner yarn and I didn't properly adjust the number of repeats for the bulky yarn. I also didn't remember where in the pattern I was because it had been so long since I last worked on it...so I just saved myself the trouble and frogged it.
Another item that got frogged was a pair of Endpaper Mitts. Well, actually it was only one of the mitts, but it was already half done. I decided I couldn't really live with the yellow yarn. It was too bright of a contrast with the red. I don't know if I'd ever make anything out of yellow yarn seeing as I don't look good in bright yellows. Maybe I'd use it for toys, but I don't really have any coordinating colors. I'm thinking of maybe over-dyeing it with some Kool-Aid.
In Progress -
I have an amigurumi elephant I never finished. I sewed the front legs on in the wrong place, so I never touched it. I was able to find the yarn ends and take the legs off, but I actually ended up unraveling part of a leg. I'll need to look at the instructions again before I re-sew it on. OH, and I just remembered another reason I never finished it. At the time I didn't have snap-on eyes. I thought I would just glue them on, so I sewed the head to the body. I'm going to have to take that apart to put eyes in.
I've still got an argyle golf club cozy to finish. There are wayyy too many ends on the thing. I kind of feel like frogging it and redoing it without the small lengths of yarn and just using the yarn while attached to the skeins. I could use the small frogged lengths on some sort of scrap blanket project.
Ela's scarf is still not done. By the time I finish it, he'll be back in Hawaii and will have no need for a scarf until next winter.
I started working on my Demeter Camisole again. I've just barely started the waist-to-bust increases, but this may go on hold because I want to put in bust shaping.
The Athenian scarf is waiting for me to feel in the mood for broomstick crochet again. I wish I didn't make it so wide.
The "My So-Called Scarf" made with Paton SWS needs more yarn. I don't know if I'll keep it in this scarf. It's a little too thick and spongy feeling. I was thinking about doing some felting with it. I have some SWS in a solid color that would match. I've also got 2 more balls in pinks/greens. Maybe that would make for some interesting contrasting stripes. My only problem with felting is that you have to knit a lot bigger than the actual size because it can shrink a lot!
On Hold -
The aran braid socks I'm working on using the KnitPicks Gossamer in Red Hat are currently on hold until I dig out another hank and wind it into a ball. I ran out of the first ball while working on the heel flap of the 2nd sock. That's pretty good for what amounts to about 220 yards of yarn. That means a pair of socks probably takes just a little bit more than 300 yards of fingering weight yarn.
The original aran braid socks I started several years ago will probably be frogged. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I don't have a plan for the sock I'll make with the self-striping yarn either.
I finished crocheting a pinwheel doily, but it needs to be starched and blocked.
The Butterfly Wrap needs to be washed & blocked before I can tie the ribbons.
I'm waiting on the purse handles before I finish up the Hawaiian Motif Purse. I also need to find a button to use for the closure, and some "purse bottom" material to keep the bottom stiff.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Spring Cleaning
Lawrence and I are moving to a new apartment in the middle of May. This time we want to get everything packed well before moving day. I'm taking this opportunity to finally photograph and catalog all my yarns. I've got two giant trash bags full photographed, uploaded to Flickr, and entered into my Ravelry stash.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Foot Fetishists
There have been a few threads on Ravelry warning about the foot fetishists on Flickr who will favorite knitters' photos of their socks. Sometimes they will get invites to post their pictures to 'sock groups'. Apparently there is also an eBay market for used socks. I just did a search, and sure enough...they are all identified as "well worn" and come with plenty of pictures.
Hilarious to be sure, but what I wonder is how disturbed should I be? I mean, do these people just like to look at these pictures because they think they're pretty? Do they actually get off on this stuff, or is it merely a visual aid to stimulate their imagination? WTH do they do with used socks and hose?
Hilarious to be sure, but what I wonder is how disturbed should I be? I mean, do these people just like to look at these pictures because they think they're pretty? Do they actually get off on this stuff, or is it merely a visual aid to stimulate their imagination? WTH do they do with used socks and hose?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Stash busting project ideas
I didn't want to make any clothing items because most of the yarn I have stashed is not so great for wearing. It's cheap big box store stuff, and I don't have enough of any one nicer yarn to make a garment. So, the alternative then is to make home decorative items. I don't know why but I've been feeling big on home decor lately. A while ago I bought the book, Simple Sewing (by Lotta Jansdotter) because I liked the simplistic, contemporary style of the designs and fabrics in it. Even if I don't specifically use the patterns, it's a good source of inspiration. I'm actually planning to make the wall hanging pocket organizer. However, that means I need to actually buy some cloth, so it won't really be conducive to reducing my stash.
While using the Ravelry pattern browser, I came up with a few good ideas for potential projects. The problem is that it needs to be something on the large side, but should not be in only 1-2 colors. First of all, because I probably don't have enough of any one color to make a large project with, second some of the yarns I have would not look good by themselves. For example, I have several skeins of Lion Brand Homespun in a solid forest green. I have a couple skeins in a heathered teal. I think there's more in a lighter heathered color too.
While the yarns in my stash come in many colors, I did not consider coordination when choosing colors. Thus, a lot of the yarns would not really go together well in many instances. Luckily, while looking at patterns I saw some creative color solutions.
In terms of project types, I looked mostly at blankets/afghans, rugs, & pillows. Quilt-inspired patterns seem to provide the best color combination solutions. Examples would be log cabin-style blankets, modern deco-style blankets, and various geometric pattern repetitions. Although I did not specifically find a plaid design I liked, I saw one that inspired me to use the Tartan Designer web tool to design my own plaid considering my color and yardage limitations. I would get a rough idea of how the resulting color combinations would look before I even cast on!
While using the Ravelry pattern browser, I came up with a few good ideas for potential projects. The problem is that it needs to be something on the large side, but should not be in only 1-2 colors. First of all, because I probably don't have enough of any one color to make a large project with, second some of the yarns I have would not look good by themselves. For example, I have several skeins of Lion Brand Homespun in a solid forest green. I have a couple skeins in a heathered teal. I think there's more in a lighter heathered color too.
While the yarns in my stash come in many colors, I did not consider coordination when choosing colors. Thus, a lot of the yarns would not really go together well in many instances. Luckily, while looking at patterns I saw some creative color solutions.
In terms of project types, I looked mostly at blankets/afghans, rugs, & pillows. Quilt-inspired patterns seem to provide the best color combination solutions. Examples would be log cabin-style blankets, modern deco-style blankets, and various geometric pattern repetitions. Although I did not specifically find a plaid design I liked, I saw one that inspired me to use the Tartan Designer web tool to design my own plaid considering my color and yardage limitations. I would get a rough idea of how the resulting color combinations would look before I even cast on!
Busting through the Stash
Using up the yarn in my stash is something I need to do before I can seriously justify buying more things. I'm looking for ideas on Ravelry. I would do something like use extra large needles and knit a bulky blanket with multiple strands....but I think the end result would drive Lawrence batty. He'd toss it out before I'd get a chance to use it. I'm not sure I want to do a project where I'm not sure I'd have enough yarn...but that may be my only opportunity to create something worth keeping.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Knitting Rewards as Incentives
I just read about the idea on Ravelry. You set a goal for yourself, and every time you get a step further to that goal, you reward yourself with some yarn. I think that's an awesome idea! I've got so many projects I want to start up, but I already have so much yarn. In the mean time I can bust what I have. Right now I'm trying to lose weight, so maybe at each milestone (10 lbs lost?) I can reward myself with enough yarn for a big project!
I started at 170 lbs....ugh. I am currently hovering around 166 lbs since starting the "Biggest Loser" contest at my work. When I reach 160 lbs. I can invest in a swift & winder system, be that an actual swift & winder or a K'Nex/TinkerToys set. At 150 lbs., I'll go all out and indulge myself in some nice yarn for a sweater. I don't know if I can bring myself to spend over $100 on one sweater, but it will be tempting. Oh, what the hell. What kind of reward would it be if I limit myself?? Some Tilli Tomas for the Silken Cowl Tank, or the Hourglass Jacket would be absolutely gorgeous. Since I've got so much stuff, I could make it also an alternative goal to sell it. Once I sell $100's worth, I'll let myself spend money on yarn for a sweater.
I started at 170 lbs....ugh. I am currently hovering around 166 lbs since starting the "Biggest Loser" contest at my work. When I reach 160 lbs. I can invest in a swift & winder system, be that an actual swift & winder or a K'Nex/TinkerToys set. At 150 lbs., I'll go all out and indulge myself in some nice yarn for a sweater. I don't know if I can bring myself to spend over $100 on one sweater, but it will be tempting. Oh, what the hell. What kind of reward would it be if I limit myself?? Some Tilli Tomas for the Silken Cowl Tank, or the Hourglass Jacket would be absolutely gorgeous. Since I've got so much stuff, I could make it also an alternative goal to sell it. Once I sell $100's worth, I'll let myself spend money on yarn for a sweater.
Queue
With so many things in my queue, so many different yarns I need to make these, and so many yarns already in my stash...I think I need to write up some software to match the 2 together. Lawrence was saying I should probably get rid of some of my yarn before I go out and buy a whole bunch more. He's right, I know. So much of the yarn I have was impulsively bought and there isn't enough of any one of them to do a large project. I need some stash busting ideas too. I think Ravelry has some groups where I can look for stash busting projects! Eh, that means I'll need to probably go buy another set of large knitting needles.
- Deep V Argyle Vest
- Endpaper Mitts
- Giselle
- Hourglass Jacket
- DNA model
- FSM plush
- WoW-themed, horde symbol? BElf swirls?
- Dahlia
- Celestine
- Rambling Rose Jacket
- Lace
-- Scheherazade
-- Hanami Stole
-- Heere be Dragone
- from Sensual Knits
-- Vixen Camisole
-- Demeter Camisole
-- Pink Sundae Camisole
-- Silken Cowl Tank
-- Lace Panel Twin Set
-- Sayuri Sweater
-- Transparency Sweater
-- Multicplicity Sweater
-- Silky Neglige
- Deep V Argyle Vest
- Endpaper Mitts
- Giselle
- Hourglass Jacket
- DNA model
- FSM plush
- WoW-themed, horde symbol? BElf swirls?
- Dahlia
- Celestine
- Rambling Rose Jacket
- Lace
-- Scheherazade
-- Hanami Stole
-- Heere be Dragone
- from Sensual Knits
-- Vixen Camisole
-- Demeter Camisole
-- Pink Sundae Camisole
-- Silken Cowl Tank
-- Lace Panel Twin Set
-- Sayuri Sweater
-- Transparency Sweater
-- Multicplicity Sweater
-- Silky Neglige
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
project hearts
There was a thread on Ravelry about feeling sad when one of the little hearts next to the projects (signifying someone marked your project as a "favorite") disappeared. I was really happy when I got my first heart, and I just checked today to see that I had several more on several different projects! That gives me the warm fuzzies inside, especially seeing that they're all from different people, heeheeeee. :D
Thursday, January 10, 2008
I've got a cameraaa!
Lawrence got me a Canon PowerShot digital camera for Christmas! :D Yay! I can now take pictures of my projects without having to go to him for his Nikon! I still have a problem...the default memory card that comes with the camera is way too small. It only fits like...8 pictures.
I've ignored my blog for the past month because of the holiday season. It's nice to not be in so much of a rush anymore, and even though so many people say that they learned to not craft Christmas gifts....I guess it takes living through the hell to really learn the lesson. I stayed up (almost) all night and worked all day to finish gifts. Even then, I have some that I haven't completely finished:
I also have a bunch of projects that are not gifts, but are still works in progress:
Lawrence said he wouldn't mind giving me $200 for me to buy yarn. I don't remember the context that caused him to say it and I hope he means he would give me $200 to buy $200-worth of yarn if I wanted to. Actually I'm thinking I should buy a swift & ball winder.
I've ignored my blog for the past month because of the holiday season. It's nice to not be in so much of a rush anymore, and even though so many people say that they learned to not craft Christmas gifts....I guess it takes living through the hell to really learn the lesson. I stayed up (almost) all night and worked all day to finish gifts. Even then, I have some that I haven't completely finished:
- 1 baby duck and a mommy duck (lily's sugar'n cream)
- crochet striped scarf (vanna's choice)
- bunny slippers (bernat cashmere/moda dea dream)
- argyle golf cozy (red heart)
- scarf for philip
I also have a bunch of projects that are not gifts, but are still works in progress:
- hemlock ring blanket
- clapotis
- amigurumi elephant
- womb
- lace party scarf
- butterfly wrap
Lawrence said he wouldn't mind giving me $200 for me to buy yarn. I don't remember the context that caused him to say it and I hope he means he would give me $200 to buy $200-worth of yarn if I wanted to. Actually I'm thinking I should buy a swift & ball winder.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Attempts at Argyle
So, the argyle golf club cozies I'm making...yeah...um, they may take a little longer than I thought. I thought the 6.5 inches of 1x1 ribbing on size 5 needles would be the tough part! The colorwork is harder than I originally thought it would be, and I think that's particularly because it's argyle. There are places with several color switches, there are big blocks of color. Plus, it's in the round. The instructions specified to knit it flat and then seam up the side. I don't like seeming, I have all these nice shiny new circulars, so I thought I'd be clever and knit it in the round.
Fast forward to the argyle. I didn't realize color working technique would be an issue, and I certainly didn't think it would be that much more difficult in the round. I figured...well ok I'll just carry the yarn in the back and use it when I come to a color I need it for. I think that's called stranding, and is usually used with fair isle where you are constantly alternating between 2 colors. Problem is I was working with 3 colors, and some places I use one color every 15 spaces or so. That leaves a long loose strand hanging in the back. You have to leave enough slack to not distort the fabric. Even if you do that, your fabric can't stretch beyond the length of that strand, and you can't make it too loose or else the stitches will be loose on the front side, and the loops on the back may get caught on things. I did this for 2 rounds before I realized this was a problem. Maybe it's not so bad flat, but doing this using Magic Loop for a round item, I wasn't leaving enough slack at the turn, and my cozy was going to be permanently nipped in on 2 sides.
Okay, so that doesn't work and I tink back. I look up information and they say you usually use intarsia for argyle color work. No problem, I'll cut up my yarn and make bobbins even though I was trying to avoid doing that. I go for another 2 rounds and I'm all proud of myself for understanding the yarn twist at the color changes before I realize I'm running into a problem similar to the fair isle where the yarn is being stranded in the back. I finish series of stitches in a color, and since I'm working in the round, the next time I get to that section the yarn is on the far end and I need to pull it across the back so I can use the color on the beginning. That didn't seem right. I research some more and apparently intarsia is not meant for things worked in the round! When you knit flat, the yarn is in the correct place when you go backwards on the flip side.
Luckily there are a lot of websites and blogs that have dealt with this issue. They usually involve wrapping the yarn when you reach the beginning of the round, and then reversing your knitting and knitting along the back side. Apparently learning to knit backwards is awesome for this purpose (Knitty has an article on this).
Fast forward to the argyle. I didn't realize color working technique would be an issue, and I certainly didn't think it would be that much more difficult in the round. I figured...well ok I'll just carry the yarn in the back and use it when I come to a color I need it for. I think that's called stranding, and is usually used with fair isle where you are constantly alternating between 2 colors. Problem is I was working with 3 colors, and some places I use one color every 15 spaces or so. That leaves a long loose strand hanging in the back. You have to leave enough slack to not distort the fabric. Even if you do that, your fabric can't stretch beyond the length of that strand, and you can't make it too loose or else the stitches will be loose on the front side, and the loops on the back may get caught on things. I did this for 2 rounds before I realized this was a problem. Maybe it's not so bad flat, but doing this using Magic Loop for a round item, I wasn't leaving enough slack at the turn, and my cozy was going to be permanently nipped in on 2 sides.
Okay, so that doesn't work and I tink back. I look up information and they say you usually use intarsia for argyle color work. No problem, I'll cut up my yarn and make bobbins even though I was trying to avoid doing that. I go for another 2 rounds and I'm all proud of myself for understanding the yarn twist at the color changes before I realize I'm running into a problem similar to the fair isle where the yarn is being stranded in the back. I finish series of stitches in a color, and since I'm working in the round, the next time I get to that section the yarn is on the far end and I need to pull it across the back so I can use the color on the beginning. That didn't seem right. I research some more and apparently intarsia is not meant for things worked in the round! When you knit flat, the yarn is in the correct place when you go backwards on the flip side.
Luckily there are a lot of websites and blogs that have dealt with this issue. They usually involve wrapping the yarn when you reach the beginning of the round, and then reversing your knitting and knitting along the back side. Apparently learning to knit backwards is awesome for this purpose (Knitty has an article on this).
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Like an overexcited puppy
That's what I feel like whenever I go into a yarn store, or even the yarn section of a craft store. My heart rate goes up, my eyes get big, and my mind goes blank. I can't for the life of me remember what I need to buy. I can only recall a few things at a time and then hope that I covered all the bases.
When I was a kid, this used to happen every time I walked into the library.
Last night I went to Michael's before heading over to Zephyr. I bought 5 skeins of Red Heart (ok, one of them was Caron) acrylic yarn. Plain ol' Red Heart Super Saver - stuff that I swore to myself I'd never touch again. I'm using it to make the golf cozies. Even though the pattern calls for Malabrigo wool, I can't bring myself to use wool. Since the golf cozies go over the part of the golf club that contacts the grass, I assume the golf cozy will get dirty and need to be washed. Now who wants to hand wash golf cozies?
I may need to buy some more Tweedle Dee for various projects. I also still need to buy yarn suitable for Fetchings for my brother and maybe my cousin. I may also pick up some nice yarn for my aunts.
When I was a kid, this used to happen every time I walked into the library.
Last night I went to Michael's before heading over to Zephyr. I bought 5 skeins of Red Heart (ok, one of them was Caron) acrylic yarn. Plain ol' Red Heart Super Saver - stuff that I swore to myself I'd never touch again. I'm using it to make the golf cozies. Even though the pattern calls for Malabrigo wool, I can't bring myself to use wool. Since the golf cozies go over the part of the golf club that contacts the grass, I assume the golf cozy will get dirty and need to be washed. Now who wants to hand wash golf cozies?
I may need to buy some more Tweedle Dee for various projects. I also still need to buy yarn suitable for Fetchings for my brother and maybe my cousin. I may also pick up some nice yarn for my aunts.
Friday, November 30, 2007
knitting marathon
I find myself not really getting my knitting done on weekends because I've started playing WoW more. Well, December is now upon us and I've still got gifts to finish. It's crunch time and I was considering going to Starbucks, Borders, or some other cozy place with coffee and pastries for a Christmas knitting marathon! The Urban Craft Center is having a crafting event tonight, but Santa Monica is a bit far for me at night.
Then again it may be nicer to sit at home. I'll sit myself down in front of the computer and watch some TV series or movies (www.youtube.com/www.crunchyroll.com), and practice the skill of knitting without looking. At least it'll be warm. My fingers are freezing right now.
Then again it may be nicer to sit at home. I'll sit myself down in front of the computer and watch some TV series or movies (www.youtube.com/www.crunchyroll.com), and practice the skill of knitting without looking. At least it'll be warm. My fingers are freezing right now.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
ack, NO!
I missed it again! When I got to the leasing office, it was closed and there was no one inside. It was about 5 minutes past 6pm! If I got on the train just one train earlier I would have got my package...now I have to wait for tomorrow... That means no cool new projects for me tonight. :( I might finish a few though.
Amigurumi make for quick cute presents indeed
The first mommy duck needs to be stuffed & sewn together. The first baby duck just needs its head and then it's ready for stuffing & sewing. That'll be 2 down and 3 more to go! ;) I could have this finished by the end of the week! Or maybe not. I need to leave work earlier today so I can pick up my KnitPicks package. That means I can start knitting more things!
A few items from my Ravelry queue and Christmas gift list that I want to start on:
BTW, yesterday night I stopped by Vons on my way home and picked up several packets of Kool-Aid in cherry, strawberry, grape, lemonade, mango, lemon-lime, orange, and I think pina-pineapple. Unfortunately, there were no blue flavors. :(
A few items from my Ravelry queue and Christmas gift list that I want to start on:
BTW, yesterday night I stopped by Vons on my way home and picked up several packets of Kool-Aid in cherry, strawberry, grape, lemonade, mango, lemon-lime, orange, and I think pina-pineapple. Unfortunately, there were no blue flavors. :(
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
murgurglurglurgle
>_< I've been waiting for my KnitPicks order to arrive...I've got so many patterns using circular needles that I want to start!!! I was afraid they forgot to leave a package notification slip in my mailbox so I went directly to the leasing office after work.
I got there at 6:20pm....apparently they closed at 6. For some stupid reason I thought they closed at 6:30. Of course, on my way back to the apartment I check my mail and there is a package slip, so my package DID arrive today. And I DID miss picking it up because I left work too late! That means can't start all these cool new projects at the knitting night tonight! That means I'm stuck with my boring old projects that I've been working on for weeks! :( booooooo
Ok, maybe not. I've got a bunch of cotton that I've been meaning to make amigurumi out of for Christmas presents. Or there's the scarf I've been meaning to knit for my cousin....haha, but that's boring! Who wants to bring plain ol' boring projects to knitting night? It's the perfect time to show off things to other knitters who will actually get excited with you!
I got there at 6:20pm....apparently they closed at 6. For some stupid reason I thought they closed at 6:30. Of course, on my way back to the apartment I check my mail and there is a package slip, so my package DID arrive today. And I DID miss picking it up because I left work too late! That means can't start all these cool new projects at the knitting night tonight! That means I'm stuck with my boring old projects that I've been working on for weeks! :( booooooo
Ok, maybe not. I've got a bunch of cotton that I've been meaning to make amigurumi out of for Christmas presents. Or there's the scarf I've been meaning to knit for my cousin....haha, but that's boring! Who wants to bring plain ol' boring projects to knitting night? It's the perfect time to show off things to other knitters who will actually get excited with you!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Growing Exponentially
I've bought SO much yarn in the past 2 months, it's seriously scary. At least they've been cheap. Except for one $24 skein of cashmere. Everything else has been $6 per ball or under. I don't know how I'm ever going to use it all up. Every time I come up with a project I want to start, I need to buy the yarn for it. Either I don't have the right type yarn, don't have the correct color, or don't have enough. I can't even begin to list all the yarn here. If you're on Ravelry you can check it out (username: matikin9), otherwise tough luck. :)
Silly Boyfriends
I wasn't able to make it to the knitting meeting yesterday night because my boyfriend asked me to stay home with him. At first I was annoyed....because I was really looking forward to hanging out with other knitters for a few hours....and just knit. But then, he has been working at the LA Auto Show this past week and he doesn't come home until 10-11pm at night. He hasn't even had a day off because there's only 2 salespeople and him and his boss switch around between manning the dealership and the auto show. Yesterday was his only day off because he had to go to the dentist, and drive his mom all the way out to Santa Monica to her dentist. Oh yes, and he needs like $4,000-worth of dental work over the next year to replace all his fillings and get his wisdom teeth out.
He usually has a good reason to request things from me, and I figured these were pretty good reasons for me to skip the knitting and spend time with him. We watched Law & Order, House, and then played WoW a bit together. It was nice, and I still got some knitting done! :)
He usually has a good reason to request things from me, and I figured these were pretty good reasons for me to skip the knitting and spend time with him. We watched Law & Order, House, and then played WoW a bit together. It was nice, and I still got some knitting done! :)
Friday, November 16, 2007
Yarn-made Stitch Markers and the Clap
The other day on Ravelry there was a thread on why the Clapotis was so popular (from the latest figures on Ravelry: 2,240 finished and 576 in progress). I didn't like it when I first saw it and I too wondered why it was so popular. But, after a while it really grew on me - especially after seeing other peoples' claps. I think it has to do with the way it's worn in the photos on Knitty. Someone in the thread mentioned that the model is wearing it purl-side out. That makes the dropped stitches bump out and thus you get the weird (to me at least) lumpy silhouette. In the photos on Ravelry however, it seems that most people are wearing it knit-side out, making the dropped stitches dip and the fabric drape more flatly.
Fast forward to 2 nights ago when I went to Michael's and saw the Moda Dea Tweedle Dee yarn. It was on sale, it's SO soft, and the colors are SO beautiful I wanted to buy balls in every color (see the pretty shades on Yarndex here)! But...I couldn't justify it to myself when I already had 2 balls sitting at home with absolutely no project in mind for them and tons of other projects on the needles/hooks. At some point I made the connection: Clapotis....Tweedle Dee. Tweedle Dee...Clapotis! Soft, fuzzy, reddish-orangey-brown variegated bulky yarn...dropped stitch and thus not too heavy scarf knit in bias! I've wanted to try drop stitch. Apparently Clapotis is good for showing off variegated yarns. I need to go back to Michael's tonight to buy all their Tweedle Dee. Good thing Lawrence isn't coming home till late tonight. Bleh, unfortunately that also means I might not get pictures up today. The camera is in his car.
Since I'm using a bulky yarn I didn't want to make this full-sized. The pattern only calls for a worsted weight yarn. The directions on Knitty include instructions for adapting the pattern to accommodate size preferences. After the Set-up rows, I did the increase rows once instead of the 6 times required by the pattern. So far I've done the one repeat of the straight row section. It was very satisfying to drop those stitches! :) I didn't realize how much the dropped stitches would cause the fabric to open up! It's going to turn out larger than I first thought, but it's okay because the dropped stitches scrunchy up nicely too.
I almost forgot my original idea for this post...the stitch markers! The pattern calls for 18 stitch markers. I've never even used 1 in my knitting before, but I have several from an eBay purchase a few years ago. Since I'm using size 11 needles, I need larger stitch markers. I originally bought these cheap wire jewelry findings that bend open. I was thinking I could use my wire beads to decorate them and make my own cool stitch markers. Well, they're not big enough for the size 11 needles. Ok, no cool stitch markers...so I go to the regular round plastic things. Luckily the largest ones fit. BUT, I only have 4 of them and I need 6 total even with just 1 pattern increase. This is where those little yarn bits I've been saving come in handy! I keep them in a little baggy on my desk. So, I took a couple strands, tied one end together, and twisted it in until it twisted back onto itself. This is the way the ties inside the Butterfly Wrap are made. The part where the yarn twists back onto itself leaves me with a loop of potentially large sizes. Because of the twist, it will naturally twist itself down as much as it can so it's not prone to falling off the needles. Eh, it's hard to explain but it's intuitive awesomeness will be apparent once I get a picture up!
Tomorrow is the Spinning class, 10am-4pm, at the Urban Craft Center! w00t! I have a feeling I will need to go buy myself a drop spindle afterwards.
I'm starting to get confused over whether I've already posted on something here or in my Ravelry project pages. Eeps!
Fast forward to 2 nights ago when I went to Michael's and saw the Moda Dea Tweedle Dee yarn. It was on sale, it's SO soft, and the colors are SO beautiful I wanted to buy balls in every color (see the pretty shades on Yarndex here)! But...I couldn't justify it to myself when I already had 2 balls sitting at home with absolutely no project in mind for them and tons of other projects on the needles/hooks. At some point I made the connection: Clapotis....Tweedle Dee. Tweedle Dee...Clapotis! Soft, fuzzy, reddish-orangey-brown variegated bulky yarn...dropped stitch and thus not too heavy scarf knit in bias! I've wanted to try drop stitch. Apparently Clapotis is good for showing off variegated yarns. I need to go back to Michael's tonight to buy all their Tweedle Dee. Good thing Lawrence isn't coming home till late tonight. Bleh, unfortunately that also means I might not get pictures up today. The camera is in his car.
Since I'm using a bulky yarn I didn't want to make this full-sized. The pattern only calls for a worsted weight yarn. The directions on Knitty include instructions for adapting the pattern to accommodate size preferences. After the Set-up rows, I did the increase rows once instead of the 6 times required by the pattern. So far I've done the one repeat of the straight row section. It was very satisfying to drop those stitches! :) I didn't realize how much the dropped stitches would cause the fabric to open up! It's going to turn out larger than I first thought, but it's okay because the dropped stitches scrunchy up nicely too.
I almost forgot my original idea for this post...the stitch markers! The pattern calls for 18 stitch markers. I've never even used 1 in my knitting before, but I have several from an eBay purchase a few years ago. Since I'm using size 11 needles, I need larger stitch markers. I originally bought these cheap wire jewelry findings that bend open. I was thinking I could use my wire beads to decorate them and make my own cool stitch markers. Well, they're not big enough for the size 11 needles. Ok, no cool stitch markers...so I go to the regular round plastic things. Luckily the largest ones fit. BUT, I only have 4 of them and I need 6 total even with just 1 pattern increase. This is where those little yarn bits I've been saving come in handy! I keep them in a little baggy on my desk. So, I took a couple strands, tied one end together, and twisted it in until it twisted back onto itself. This is the way the ties inside the Butterfly Wrap are made. The part where the yarn twists back onto itself leaves me with a loop of potentially large sizes. Because of the twist, it will naturally twist itself down as much as it can so it's not prone to falling off the needles. Eh, it's hard to explain but it's intuitive awesomeness will be apparent once I get a picture up!
Tomorrow is the Spinning class, 10am-4pm, at the Urban Craft Center! w00t! I have a feeling I will need to go buy myself a drop spindle afterwards.
I'm starting to get confused over whether I've already posted on something here or in my Ravelry project pages. Eeps!
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