Scrappy Make-Up Bag

I made this following Anna's tutorial. It was so easy! Sewing is awesome! I made this in an hour and a half! EEE! I love the way it turned out. I may have forced my boyfriend to look at it several times telling him intelligent things like "You can put stuff in it!"

Inside of this one is some bronzing face powder, a bronzer stick, and some lip gloss for my step sister. I think she'll like it a lot.

I don't know why it looks all neony here. It's not neon, promise.

The bottom is great because it really does help it stand up! It also has a nice body to it from the batting (I used fusible fleece because it's what I have). It's made with some quilting cotton, although the polka dot fabric is corduroy which is why the fuzzies were sticking to it.

It's more like this!

I fully intend to make another one (Or 1,000,000).

Thanks for the great tutorial Anna!

A Tale of Two (Slouchy) Hats

There once was a spinner who made some great yarn.

That spinner had a great boyfriend who really loved said yarn and told her "I want you to make me something out of this."

The spinner (also a knitter) said "Okay, what do you want?"

The boyfriend said "I don't know, a hat?"

The spinner said "But that will take a long time and I spent a lot of time making the yarn so there was a lot of yardage so I could make something interesting!"

The boyfriend said "Pleeeeease?"

And so the spinner agreed, although they didn't agree on a time frame or anything. So, in secret she knit (And knit and knit!). Keeping it a secret was no mean feat! For the boyfriend and the spinner dwell in the same place. And when she finished the requested object she almost burst at the seams, for this was exactly perfect. She wanted to give it to her boyfriend immediately, but soon the green eyed monster reared its head.

Alas, being one to keep her promises, she wrapped the hat and put it under their tiny Christmas tree to be opened on Christmas and received with much glee! On Christmas morning the boyfriend was glad to have the hat that he requested not so long ago.

 He smiled and thanked the spinner, and in return she said, "Finally! Now I can make one for myself!" And she did. And they both were really happy. The end.

Pattern Specs:
Yarn: Hat 1- Handspun BFL Hat 2-Noro Silk Garden Sock (Seen also here)
Needles: Sizes 3 & 4 (Size 3 for the ribbing)
Pattern: Felicity by Wanett Clyde [Rav only], the sock yarn version [Rav only] Mods by Bluebutton
Mods: I knit about 2" of ribbing instead of a rolled brim. I used larger needles than the sock yarn version. I started the increases sooner, and I increased less with more rows inbetween the increases. 1st increase: *k12, m1*, to the last one which was *k18, m1*. I knit 4 or 5 rows inbetween increases. I also knit straight for a few rows before the decreases which I started out with at *k8, k2tog*.
Thoughts: I really like the end results! If I were to make another hat, I think I would start the increases sooner, as now it kind of just folds in the back instead of slouching. I would also do more rows inbetween the increases to make up for the length. I would maybe also try some less slouchy decreases, just for fun.

Lex

***Please see the erratum before starting the pattern.

Finally a pattern to share with you all! I knit these fingerless mitts for my brother. Initially, they were meant to be convertible mittens for my step dad but they ended up being too small. I started them the week my family was out here so my younger brother saw me making them. After I decided they were too small he asked if he could have them. How can  you say no to that when he's not wanted me to knit him anything before? =) My BF took all of the pictures and I love all of them, especially this one:

 

Lex is a pattern for fingerless mitts, with some cable detail. These were knit with guys in mind so this is great for a gift for any guy, but they'd be great for a quick knit with some leftover Mal for yourself or anything. Since these are fairly simple they'd look great in a range of yarns, kettle dyed, variegated, self striping, and solid. As long as it's soft enough for next to skin contact it would probably be great for these mitts! 

 The instructions are for a Women's L/Men's M. Since the ribbing is a 10 st repeat I'd suggest sizing with smaller needles, or a different yarn/needle combination. These are knit with Cascade 220 which I found to be a light worsted weight. For a Women's S you could probably use a DK weight, and for a Women's M I'd recommend going down a needle size. Upsizing should be easier as this is knit at a fairly sturdy gauge, just use a larger needle.

Pattern Specs:

Yarn: I used Cascade 220 Superwash, but any worsted should do
Needles: Size 5
Gauge: 5.5 sts per inch

Notions:
Tapestry needle
Scrap yarn
Stitch markers
Cable needle (optional)

Get the Pattern: Ravel it! Not on Ravlery? Get it here.

***Erratum: You will need to decrease the 2 stitches you cast on after putting the thumb on waste yarn before starting the ribbing around the top.
More Pictures!

I hope you enjoy, and please don't hesitates to contact me if you have any trouble. =)

Hump Day!

Oooh, it's hump day! And 3 days to Christmas! I am actually very excited even though I ill be far from home. I even am planning an extravagant menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. (Not Christmas dinner, though because we are going to a friend's house and we are all bringing appetizers/snacky things). We're having Steak au Poivre, Potatoes Gratin, and some kind of salad that I haven't decided on for Christmas Eve dinner, with some kind of appetizer to snack on while I cook. Christmas breakfast will be a parmesan frittata with roasted tomatoes and probably some kind of fruit salad.

In the mean time I wanted to share with you my sewing FO! I have a few knitting ones, but I need to draft the patterns before they will be ready to share!

The table runner I just kind of winged. I made it 1/3 the width of the table and made the ends pointed like that. The buttons were my mom's idea. She also wanted tassels but I didn't think that was a good idea so I didn't add them... if she really wants them she can do it herself (she knows more about sewing than I do anyway! lol).

I didn't get a very good shot of it, but I backed everything in a blue denim. This is supposed to be summery and I thought denim suited it very well! After making the table runner there was a ton of fabric left over so I made a coaster set based on the one I saw on Anna's blog (blog post here). I just kind of winged these too, going from memory of her blog post. I think everything turned out really well! It's definitely not perfect, but it's at least not embarrassing. ;-)

And a parting shot of our adorable little Christmas tree (it's fiber optic, not that you can see that in the daylight!):

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

Can you believe it's less than a week to Christmas?

It's so crazy to think that Christmas is 6 days away. Tomorrow I'll be mailing out several Christmas gifts, although not all of them. Luckily my dad is coming out in January and we'll be exchanging gifts then. This week I'll be working (in secret) on BF's gifts and afterwards on my dad's.

Last weekend the BF and I drove up to South Mountain in part for a photo shoot and I got some great shots of my FOs. I'll start out with one that's long overdue, my Whisper Cardigan finished back in... October! Talk about lag.

 

Specs:
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in "Oceanos" generously gifted by Sara
Needles: Sizes 4, 6, and 7
Pattern: Whisper [Ravel it!] by Hannah Fettig
Mods: I used a smaller needle on the arms & body. I also knit the sleeves shorter and added ribbing to them to eliminate curling. I put ribbing along the bottom but not quite enough. I have enough yarn, I probably just should have continued knitting until I ran out but I was ready to be done!
Thoughts: Easy pattern, interesting construction.

As you can see in the last photo there I was also modeling the scarf I made for my aunt. The last time you saw it it looked like this...

 

However I wasn't overly fond of that patterns and I really feel that there shouldn't be a "wrong side" to scarves since you're going to be seeing both sides, so I ripped it out and started Reversible Lace Ladders (Which I knit once before, also as a gift! Last time it was a worsted weight yarn, though). It's a remarkably quick and easy knit, perfect for a gift. And it wasn't too much of a struggle to knit it long enough, which is saying something because I have knitting ADD. This time I added fringe for extra length!

 

Specs:
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Heritage Solids (fingering weight)
Needles: Size 5
Pattern: Reversible Lace Ladders [Ravel it!] by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer
Mods: I added fringe, but that's it!
Thoughts: As I said earlier it's easy and quite quick to knit. Even with the fringe I didn't use an entire skein of yarn and this scarf is as tall as I am (5' 7" w/o the fringe). Highly recommended!

I have some more FOs to show you. One is even a sewing FO! Hopefully I can talk about ti sooner rather than later, but my internet connection continues to be spotty. I'm actually kind of amazed that it's stayed connected while I've been writing this.

Until next time!

Nessie

I have another FO to share with you! This one was knitted over the weekend, with one flipper and the finishing done last night. I'd like to introduce Nessie, the Lochness Monster! I don't know if I've mentioned this on my blog, but I have mentioned it here and there; I signed up for a sewing class at a local sewing shop. I'm so excited about it! I've wanted to learn how to sew for years, I've always been interested in making my own clothes. So, what finally tipped my hand? Groupon. If you're not familiar with it, Groupon has different specials every day. They have deals like buy a $40 gift card to a restaurant for $20. This is what they had for the Bernina Connection in Scottsdale, AZ. The groupon
was for any of the classes offered at the Bernina Connection, so I decided to go all in and take the beginner's series, Sew Fundamental. I actually signed up in about the middle of August, and the class was supposed to start on September 13th. However, probably b/c of the groupon, the class was full up and they had to add another class starting on October 4th. That's the one that I made it into. So I've been impatiently waiting for the past 6 or so weeks for this class to start. You may have noticed that I've added many sewing blogs to my blog roll over there. I particularly love Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing and QuirkyPrettyCute. They both have fantastic tips that I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of. So, the class is finally here (even though fall refuses to start)! It starts in 6 days! I am pumped!

Okay, so you're thinking "What does that have to do with Nessie!?" One of the class materials that I need is a pin cushion. I didn't want just anything as a pin cushion and I knew that I'd rather make one than buy one. This was a perfect opportunity to use Amigurumi Knits! This book is amazing. Even if you don't have any kids to knit for, I'd recommend it. The details on the animals are amazing, so well thought out and executed. Even the increases and decreases are perfect. At least go have a look at the book. If you don't fall in love with at least a couple of the creatures in it then, well, I don't know how much hope there is for you.

I made this with malabrigo leftover from my Vine Yoke Cardigan (In Simply Taupe) and Clapotis scarf (in Stone Chat) projects. I decided to use size 3 needles because I wanted it to be night and tight, and also smaller than it was supposed to be. Picking up stitches was a pain in my butt! But that was probably mostly because of the tight gauge. I also added some weight to Nessie by putting some decorative rocks in her tummy. I figure if I'm going to be pulling pins in and out of it, I want it to have a bit of stability.

Doesn't she have the cutest flippers??


Also, I got a request from Amy to see a picture of my spinning wheel. I'm lazy, so I'm just going to recycle pictures I took of it back in October after I bought it at Rhinebeck (Sigh, Rhinebeck!)

 

 

My wheel is a Kromski Sonata, and I love it! It's a traveling wheel, so it folds up and has its own case.

Olympian!

As I'm sure most of you are aware, there was some furious knitting going on all over the world the past few weeks for the Knitting Olympics, found in different degrees on The Yarn Harlot's Blog and Ravelry. I happened to be one of the, although I feel like I could have set the bar a little higher, given the Yarn Harlot's long and dangerous tiny-needle-colorwork-sweater journey. I knit my Aeolian Shawl for the wedding that I went to on the 26th, finishing it at the last possible minute. I was beading and knitting like a fool on the last day, finally binding off around midnight. I breathed a big sigh of relief and gave the thing a bath so it could be pinned out and displayed proudly the next night.

Well.. when I took it upstairs to pin it out I remember thinking "Hmm, that's strange, I didn't think that I left that long of a tail." Well, folks. Infact, I did not. I, however, discovered this:

Horror of horrors! My tired self did not secure that last stitch and it became unraveled! Well there was hardly a lot that I could do at midnight so I pinned it out, making sure to pin the last bound off stitch so it wouldn't unravel any further. The next day before I went to the wedding (After an icy mishap on the road I was already running late) I decided to do a sewn bind off on the rest of the stitches, and even though the edge was considerably messier it got the job done and I'm certain no one noticed the difference.

So, Without further ado, I give you the Aeolian Shawl:

I even have an action shot:

(That's the side with the original bind off)

Specs:
Yarn: Silky Sock by Squoosh Fibers in "Depth" (Really lovely stuff!)
Needles: Size 6 and a very tiny crochet hook for beading
Beads: 50(?) grams of size 6 seed beads in aquamarine
Pattern: Aeolian Shawl [Ravel it!] By Elizabeth Freeman
Mods: I used a bigger needle size and did a slightly different bind off. I also only did 1 strand of yarn for the bind off instead of doubled because A) I was worried about having enough yarn (I had 2 grams left over!) and B) It would have been complicated/taken more time to unwind the ball and bind off with 2 strands
Thoughts: Lovely pattern, fun to knit, although a bit complicated and fiddly. The Agave chart gave me a run for my money when the BOLDED "/" and "\" meant k3tog and sssk (double decreases) instead of k2tog and ssk (single decreases). Ravelry forums to the rescue. ;-)


I also entered myself in another event, Aerial Unwind. For frogging projects. I frogged my Damson. *sigh* Even though I just loved the way it came out, I never wear it. And I love the yarn (Malabrigo Sock in "Rayon Vert") too much to never wear it. So rrrrip it was!

Bye Damson! Hello possibilities!

I also started frogging my Hey, Teach! Because the fit is wonky and since I've gained a bit of weight I can't wear it anymore. Rrrrip!

I realized...

...that I haven't posted this week! I kept thinking about the Shalom sweater post and how it was "Just on Tuesday" but that was over a week ago! Alright, so on that same snow day I got the BF to take some FO pictures of my Vine Yoke Cardigan that I finished way back when.

Vine Yoke Cardigan

Specs:
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in "Simply Taupe"
Needles: Size 9
Pattern: Vine Yoke Cardigan [Ravel it!] by Ysolda Teagues
Mods: My gauge was smaller so I followed the directions for one size larger. If I were to do that again in this same yarn, then I would cast on the number of stitches for 2 sizes larger but follow the directions for 1 size larger, so the sweater would be longer. It blocked to be a lot longer than it was on the needles but i would still like it to be longer than it is.
Thoughts: Really great pattern, as usual. I love the side to side construction, although that does make it a bit difficult to add elements for a custom fit. As you can see the Malabrigo has held up pretty well in this loose gauge sweater. There has been pilling, but you'll have that with almost any wool sweater, especially a fine wool like merino. I love the color of this sweater and I wore it fairly often when it was a little warmer out. Now the half sleeves aren't long enough and they bunch up under my winter coat.

Shalom!

It's been snowing like crazy here and we've gotten at least 10" in the past day or so. Soooo the BF and I took a snow day today. It's irresponsible and I'll be getting an occurrence at job #2 but it feels so right! ;-) I'm getting pretty burnt out on the 2 job thing and I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to be doing it.

Anywho, I took advantage of the both of us being together in the daylight and had the BF take some FO pictures of my Shalom! Complete with Buttons!

Specs:
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool
Needles: US Size 10
Pattern: Shalom Cardigan [Ravel it!] by Meghan McFarlane
Mods: Lots...

• Different Gauge so I had to account for that. I cast on 97 sts for the neckline and I changed the increases to: 1st round of increases [kfb, k1, kfb] all the way around on the WS. 2nd round of increases [kfb, k2] all the way around on the WS. 3rd round of increades [kfb, k6] all the way around. If they didn't line up exactly so the ribbing ended on a ktbl I used a m1 at the end of the round.
• I also ended up thinking that the neck line was too big/it felt like it was sliding off my shoulders so I crocheted a chain around the neckline for some added stability.
  
• After the last tier of the yoke I knit 3 rows of garter and then 3 rows of stockinette before splitting for the sleeves. Sleeves go as follows: 42 sts on each front and 40 sts on waste yarn for the sleeves. I cast on 10 sts after putting the 40 sleeve stitches on waste yarn for the under arms.*
• I did short row shaping for the bust.**
• I added button holes on every 14th garter ridge. (I would put them closer together it I knit this again.)
• For the long sleeves I did 14 rows of twisted rib for the cuffs and then bound off knit wise to give it a ridge similar to the yoke.
• I slipped the stitches on the garter button band as follows: slip the last st of the row p wise with yarn in front. Knit this stitch on the next row.
  

Thoughts: Lovely pattern, ingenious really. I would definitely recommend it!

Things I would do differently if I knit it again:
1) I would cast on fewer stitches, which would mean I would need more increases so for the 3rd tier I would probably do [kfb, k5] all the way around.
2) Knit 2 more rows of garter stitch at the neckline (I only did 6 before the 1st increase)
3) For the ribbing on the sleeves I would purl one round, knit one round before the ribbing and then maybe knit one round, purl one round, and bind off to make it match the yoke a more.
4) Make the button bands maybe 1 stitch bigger so the button holes would have 3 stitches to the end of the row instead of 2.

*When I went to knit the sleeves I picked up a total of 14 stitches for the underarms. 2 before the 10 cast on stitches and 2 after.
**For the Short row shaping I did the same shaping on both of the fronts:
1) Knit 40 sts, wrap and turn
2) All even rows purl to last 6 sts, knit 5 sts, bring yarn to the front, slip last st
3) Knit 38 sts, wrap and turn
5) Knit 36 sts, wrap and turn
7) Knit to button band, picking up wrapped stitches

For the left front you have to wrap on the purl side. You pick up these wraps and then ptbl to get rid of the holes.