I’m not avoiding the vest…

I just needed to make a test swatch for my next project because I bought two different kinds of yarn and I needed to see if they would felt the same… and I didn’t feel like working on the vest.  Alright, there, I admit it, I was avoiding the vest.

I intend to make this purse* next (after the vest) and the test swatch I procrastinated with actually did teach me a lot.  Since I haven’t purchased the pattern, I wanted to see if I could figure out how to make a hexagon.  That was actually easy.  I did discover, however, that I can’t use the two yarns together because they definitely will not felt the same, hence the more tightly felted curled up edges. 

Good to know, so really not wasted knitting time. The yarn in the center is Patons SWS Natural Earth.  I will probably just use it alone and not edge it in a solid colour.  I think if I plan it properly I should end up with the same colour at the edges of the front and back hexagon.  All this after I finish my vest, of course!

I did do a bit more work on the vest this weekend, but not much, if truth be told.

*Yes,  I know I have previously posted that I don’t carry purses but the NOT purse I made may have worked its charms on me, in the way NOT purses are want to do.  Also, the polygon bag  appeals to me in an obsessively crazy way.  I will probably make it and never carry it though.

Scarves and procrastination

So... the vest... not much progress happening because... well... I suck!! Since I have nothing much to report on the vest front, and because the guilt of that incomplete project won't allow me to start the purse I want to make next, I will instead talk about my scarves of last winter.

I adore making scarves! It is mindless comfort knitting. More importantly, having lots of scarves to wear over a long winter cheers me up no end. It alleviates the monotony of wearing the same coat all winter.

I used to love big wide scarves that were really more like shawls than scarves, but last winter I fell in love with looooong skinny scarves. These are fun because you can wrap them around your neck two or three times and still have loads of scarf left to tie off. My favorite scarf is 11cm (about 4.5 inches) wide and over 9 ft long not including the fringe! You can see it on the left in the picture below. The yarn, which I picked up in a discount bin, was not labled but is incredibly soft and silky.

These three scarves are all super basic. They were done in garter stitch - can't get any easier than that! While I usually don't find garter stitch to be attractive, I think it works particularly well with scarves done in textured yarn.

Vest and frustration

So... I've been posting about the knitting I did earlier this summer and spring but what about that vest I first blogged about?

I'm making slow progess, I'm nearly done the back. I think it will be quite beautiful. The design on the bottom is particularly pretty.

Once again I'm using a Sirdar yarn: Country Style DK. The colour is Highland Burn. I really need to get my ass in gear on this because it will be a great Fall vest - so - maybe finishing it before Fall starts would be a good idea!


I must say, I find the pattern difficult to follow. I've had to scribble all over it to make it make sense to me... and it's basically a simple thing!!! I haven't been this frustrated with a pattern in quite a while, as you can see from the next picture.

One last picture...

Fowler just shows up from nowhere whenever I get out the camera. Here he is getting fur on my vest. It's sad how much cat fur is woven in to all my knitting projects. I'll never be able to knit something for someone who is allergic to cats.

A monkey with crabs

Earlier this spring I had a weird and sudden urge to knit stuffed toys. They just seemed like fun. I've made three recently: the lamb I blogged about earlier, a monkey and a crab.

The monkey was the first toy I ever knit. I essentially followed a pattern called Mr. Dangly. As you can see, I changed him a little bit, especially the ears. I also adapted the pattern so I could knit him in the round - I love me some dpns!! Personally, I think my monkey is much cuter. He sits next to my computer monitor and makes me absurdly happy!

The crab pattern I got from the summer edition of Knitty. If you are not familiar with Knitty, run over HERE and explore, there are many great free patterns.

Because I can't ever seem to knit a pattern as it is written, I did change it - but only very slightly. I made the front claws a little differently, I wanted them to be a bit more substantial. I also knit the eyes instead of attaching plastic ones. He was surprisingly simple and quick to make and the pattern was very easy to follow.

Socks

I love socks! I love wearing them and I love knitting them. I especially love stripey socks! There is nothing more fun than wearing something basically conservative with crazy striped socks.

So imagine my joy in self striping and self patterning yarn, no stranding no fuss! It's brilliant. The purists may frown but it rocks my world.

Here is my most recent sock project, made earlier this summer. I forget the make of the yarn unfortunately, but I thought the colour combination would look great with jeans. My cat Fowler likes them as much as I do.



As I tend to do, I bought way more yarn than I needed so I'm currently making a second pair:


Typically, this sock has looked exactly like this for about a month and a half. I got distracted with some other projects. I'm choosing to justify it with the thought "who wears socks in the summer anyway?" I'll only be able to use that for about another month or so though.

Emma had a little lamb...

Earlier in the spring, I decided I needed to knit toys. I knew of no children who needed toys but I just really wanted to knit some. They looked like fun.

My second toy attempt was a lamb using this pattern. I changed the pattern a tiny bit so I could use double pointed needles, because I hate sewing things up and I love DPNs! He was crazy easy to make.

Here he is in that awkward, headless, dismembered phase, being tortured with needles:



Here he is all finished (and looking more like Yoda than a lamb). If I had to do him again, I would make his ears a little smaller! I was really pleased with the yarn choice (Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake Chunky), it's very soft and doesn't really show the stitches. It hardly looks like a knitted toy at all.



As luck would have it, my brother's friends had just had a baby girl so my brother asked if he could give them the lamb. Here is Emma with her lamb Bo who is not only a beloved companion but a convenient teething chew toy (which may explain his squished face):

Curse of the headphone cords!

So I made that NOT purse thing I previously blogged about and threw all my stuff in it, but, I hadn't build in any pockets... well guess what happens to ipod headphone cords when you put your ipod into your pur.. err... messenger bag-like thing?

They get tangled up in your keys and your wallet and wrapped around your cell phone, that's what!

I debated sewing in some pockets, but, ewwww sewing. Instead I knitted a standalone little pocket thing that matches my NOT purse. It took me less than an hour from beginning to end and it turned out weirdly cute:



Yes, I know, I have the world's most protected ipod nano. It's in a case and then in another. The ironic thing is I bought it because it was orange and cute and I hardly ever see it because it is all wrapped up.

I don't carry purses!

I don't, never have. They are kinda girlie. So's knitting, but nevermind.

Anyway... I don't do purses. For years I have carried some version of a messenger bag and refused to call it a purse. So I was looking for a knitting project and I thought: MESSENGER BAG! But then I thought: "I would like something a little smaller for summer". From these thoughts came this:


I made it from crafting cotton and made up the pattern as I went. I wanted the strap to be long enough to wear it across my body (like a messenger bag and NOT a purse). Stupidly, however, I did not account for the fact that when the bag was full of stuff the strap would stretch. I had to do some surgery on the strap to shorten it. I could have bought a buckle but lazily just covered up the seam with a sort of fake knitted buckle-like thing.



The bag (NOT purse) is lumpy because I photographed it after I put all my stuff in it (ipod, cell phone, keys, wallet).


I lined it with this beautiful fabric I bought ages ago, and never did anything with because sewing scares the crap out of me!


O.K. so it's more purse-like than messenger bag-like but it can't be a purse 'cause I don't carry those. Never have, never will.

First post

I've been on a knitting kick lately and, for some reason, I feel the need to blog about it. So, here it goes...

I'm currently working on this lovely vest from Rowan: Swaddle. I think the pattern has some mistakes in it but I caught them and fixed it and it is free so I really can't complain.

I'm changing it a little bit: I'm leaving out the pockets (mostly because if I put anything in them it would make the pockets ugly and lumpy and so why knit them if I'm not going to use them).

Here's my progress on the vest so far...

I'm thinking of using the beautiful fastener on the right instead of a button.

I bought the two wooden fasteners today at a great store in Coldwater, Ontario called The Purple Sock. I also bought some yarn for my next project. Having that yarn will encourage me to complete the vest to avoid the guilt of an unfinished project. I need incentive...