WIP: Zephyr Cove begins

I am about halfway to the stripe part.  I have knitted and undone about three times as many rows as have survived. I want it nice and neat!

I am using a new set of size 5 Yarnology acrylic circulars I got at Hobby Lobby for a couple of bucks. The needles are connected by hollow plastic tubing.  It is flexible, but already, the tubing is bent and pinched at the connection to the needle and often snags up as I am moving the stitches down. Otherwise, I like them.  I have used acrylic needles before and they squeaked, but I like the way these handle and they are silent.

WIP: Zephyr Cove Scarf

I thought maybe my knitting days were behind me. My knitting group, which should be celebrating its ten year anniversary, barely meets up anymore. Rather than finishing WIPs, I have been putting most of my free hours towards organising photos and family history. 

But, it is autumn. The needles have been calling. This pattern found me.

This is Romi's Zephyr Cove Scarf.  I decided to make it with the Madelinetosh Pashmina yarn in Jade and Cousteau. Spendy, yes, but the colours are so rich and intense! I determined that if I was ever going to cast on a new project, I'd better splurge to work up some excitement.

 

Let me assure you, these pics do NOT do the colours justice!  

back on granny square train

After a good long year and change, I pulled out this project this week and finished the last 3 squares. I am connecting them up and considering how much of a border the blanket needs to pull it all together. 

WIP: 23/36 done

the baby has already beat me to the finish line!  d'oh!

i did get a bunch more squares done on my trip this weekend, where it occurred to me that this baby will have a blanket created in my office, at my home, late at night, at knitlunch, and while in the backseat of a rental car while traveling cross country. i even did one square in the dark, checking my stitches by holding up the square to the light of oncoming cars!

he may have beat me, but i'm still determined to come in a close second!

WIP: a quick dotdotdot blanket update

 

 13 of 36 squares finished so far.

i only get 3 squares from each little ball of white

so i ordered 10 more balls--just in case.

weedle wants me to change the colours to orange/black/white...and add rolly eyes.

WIP: final square design x 4

i redesigned my square pattern a little bit:  the circle is now about 3.5 inches in diameter and the the finished square is 5 inches. i deleted the large holes in the corner,  added diagonal ridges like the ridges in the circle. they are coming out more reliably now.

WIP: yarn arrives!

i am using knitpicks shine (60% cotton and 40% modal fiber) in dandelion, robot and white to coordinate with the baby's room. so soft! i tried it out and decided to use a j hook instead of the little g hook i started with.  less definition in the pattern that way, but it will be a much softer blanket in the end.


weedle was convinced it is a box of kittens and that each ball must be gently carried to safety. i had to pack the whole box up and take it in to work to keep her from bothering those sleeping balls!

WIP: baby blanket - sample square #4

this is the fourth square sample i've crocheted working out a baby blanket pattern.  the yarn has not arrived yet, so keep in mind, these are not the final colours.

after i sewed two of these together as just to see what they would look like, i decided this large dot would be overwhelming on a baby blanket. in the final piece, i will keep the circle down to 4 inches and add another row on the outside border to keep the square the same size.

another concern i had was for the holes in the corners.  i'll be eliminating those in the finish. i don't want baby fingers or toes getting stuck!

yarnin' time!

it's autumn and autumn is yarnin' time!

i have a project mapped out, a deadline and yarns being shipped to me from knitpicks.  i even spent the evening working up a sample square. the piece is a baby shower gift, but, unfortunately, the shower is tomorrow afternoon. i hope to get it done before the baby arrives! 

i whipped a few fleece projects this summer. here is one of a pair of long fingerless gloves in dark orange. i built my own pattern by measuring my hand and arm.  they are wonderfully snug and toasty.

earlier, i tried my hand at quilting to design this minecraft-inspired pillow.  one side is a "creeper" and the other is a "slime".

i'll get a picture of that sample square up as soon as i can.  it's good to be back on the needles...or hook, in this case!

WIP: teensy sweater #2

i closed the placket before blocking teensy sweater #2 so i could open up the lacy areas down the front, then i used a spray bottle to wet it.  the sleeves were not exactly the same size, so i worked on stretching out one of them to match.  someone told me recently that it might have behooved me to create both sleeves together the way socks can be made simultaneously.

WIP: blocking teensy sweater #1

i finally blocked the corners of the placket on this doll sweater.  the rest of it didn't need blocking at all. 

WIP: teensy sweater #1 - further along

haven't updated in a while, so I thought i would show you how the dolls sweater is going.  i am close to finishing the bottom of the body.  the last bits will be joining the sleeves closed and adding a placket finish with buttons.

a fairly easy pattern--once i figured it how it was supposed to look in the end.  i think i crochet like i drive; i need to see the city in my head and then proceed.  i cannot just rely on GPS to guide me step by step!  having the the finished object in my head helps me sort out poorly written patterns and catch mistakes.  (there were a few things in this pattern that i caught and was able to work around.)  so, for a visual person like me, detail photos in a pattern help tremendously.

it also helped to have some experience behind me.  this pattern has shells and back and front post double crochet.  it actually has a lot in common with the amazing hat i did earlier, although that one was worked in a circle.

back later with the finish!

WIP: teensy sweater #1

my friend robyn asked if i could whip up two sweaters for her daughter's american doll.  i am using a crochet pattern she found and after trying out a couple of locally purchased yarns (one acrylic lace weight and one cotton sport weight), i ordered some knitpicks "comfy" (75% cotton/25%acrylic) in fingering weight.  the cotton blend gives really nice stitch definition on this lacy pattern and is such a pleasure to handle!  the yarn tests really helped me sort out the pattern and i think this will roll along nicely now.

i found a few more amazing little sweater patterns on ravelry that are knitted with cables.  i might try one of those, too!

WIP: teenyweeny top hat is blocking

So far, so good.  I finished the crochet work on this teeny top hat and discovered we had the perfect tin in the pantry for blocking.  Here it is lightly stretched over the plastic-covered tin:

The brim does not sport its proper curve yet, but when it is dry, I will thread a thin wire through the outer edge to help keep the final shape. I have read some people have used starch to set similar pieces, but noted that it darkened the colour of the wool.  I think I will bolster the sideband and tip with sewn-in fabric-covered cardboard instead.  (I do hope that works!)

Even still, it will not be an FO until I am through with the EMBELLISHMENT!

WIP: teenyweeny top hat

this is my latest WIP, a teenweeny burlesque-style top hat done in slytherin colours!  I am winging the pattern, since it is pretty much basic amigurumi. 

it will be stripey and have all sorts of fascinating fascinators on it by the time i am done.  if it works out well, i will try another and felt it.

i must say, it feels good to crochet again.  life has been a bit demanding lately, and i haven't had time to sit with some yarn and poke, poke, poke.  i forgot how instantly calming it is!

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eta:  after researching premade top hats, i see that there is a cuter shape out there than the straight sided ones i have seen crocheted.  maybe i can force mine into this shape:
 

WIP: nautie-alien!

still working on this one.

i followed the pattern, however, my "client" has requested a few changes:  a smaller head, a tighter curl, many more tentacles and big eyes on the sides.


if you take a look at the real deal, his suggestions are very good.

he should know!  the nautilus has long been near the top of his "favorite animal" list!

WIP: noah-keet

the "client" gave me feedback tonight and so far he likes the shape of first one on the left. i personally would like to add stripes, but since i am going for cute-cute, i might just keep it super simple.

i'll just save the back-of-the-head stripes for my own personal 'keet!

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noah looks like this dilute blue budgie.

WIP: colourwork halfway mark

this is coming out really nice! the resulting fabric is pretty thick and stiff, partly because i am a tight knitter and partly because it is acrylic. the inside of the tube is full of floaty stitches right now, but it might be a cute little purse if i line it! :)

First Forays into Stranded Knitting

trying out stranded colourwork by doing continental style knitting with the green yarn and english with the blue! actually, it is not hard at all. i watched eunny's demo and just had at it.

to keep my eye focused on one line of the pattern grid at a time, i cut a skinny window in a 3x5 note card and slide it down as i go . "crimson and clover" is the name of this pattern and i found it in vogue knitting stitchionary 3.

next time, i will try steeking to see how that works. :)

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also on the needles:

i accidentally cut a hole in some of my yarn while struggling to sew my nautie's head on his shell. argh. i'll need to tear out about 2 inches and re-knit, but i am really quite close to finishing him. (he has lots of tickly tentacles!)

i am also working on an amigurumi version of noah, our parakeet. unfortunately, the pattern i bought offline has not worked out to my satisfaction so far. i will need to tweak it--tweak it good!

i also learned how to do the tubular cast-on required by the fingerless glove pattern i mentioned a few posts ago. i used this video by interweave. i think i will start them tonight!

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look, ma! cables!

my first cable effort!
this a bit of the cabled neck warmer by tidewaterK.

my other practice piece is this is the easy cabled dishcloth pattern by ginabean (aka dishcloth #3). little front and back cables, switching this way and that. i am trying out different cable needles to see which is easiest. so far, i don't like any of them terribly much. i would like to track down a wooden one and give that a go.