Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Ooh, this is fun

From And She Knits Too!:

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch

Socks: top-down

Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater

Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)

Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool

Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO

Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers

Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Booyah!

Monday, May 14, 2007

Give her money, prove him wrong

Dorothy is raising money for the upcoming Relay for Life, and her husband laughed when she said she wanted to raise $2,000. Not only do you get to help prove him wrong, you get entered into a raffle to win yarn. Oh, and the donations are in $CDN, so when you donate $20, you're really only donating $18.55!

Go, Dorothy!

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

FO, for a reason

I'm on the 13th repeat of Backyard Leaves, but left off to finish the Tigger sweater for my son (knit and attach ears--that's all that was left).

The occasion? He finally lost his first tooth! He was so proud. Unfortunately, his belief in the tooth fairy has already fled, so he asked me to put something under his pillow. "Or if it's a toy or something, Mom, put it right here by my bed, OK?"

He has a Sacagawea dollar under his pillow and a finished Tigger sweater next to it.

(The ears turned out cute. I cast on 5 stitches, kfb at each RS row end for 2 rows, then started short-row shaping on the next WS row: I purled across 5 [of 9] stitches, wrapped the next stitch and turned, repeating for maybe 4 rows. k2tog at each end of RS rows twice, then bound off all. They're nicely cupped.)

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Discount cashmere sweater, meet your un-maker

Went to Goodwill, hoping against hope to find a cheap, great condition spinning wheel today. No such luck (that would be, as my son says, hecka luck).

But I did find a 100% cashmere sweater in a charming brown color. Didn't realize till I spread it out for photographing that it's a size XXL! I may be able to make an entire me-sized sweater with this. The photo has the sleeve pointing toward the one moth hole I found. With the last sweater I took apart that had moth holes, I only lost a bit to them. Yippee!










I've already started to take apart one seam. It really is easy-peasy, and rather addictive once you get the ball winder fired up and the unraveling item thumbtacked to the bulletin board.









I also am working on the 6th repeat (of prescribed 11) for the Backyard Leaves scarf. It is not a mindless knit for me, as I have to keep my eyes on the pattern quite a lot. I may do a couple extra repeats, since I technically have extra yardage, and won't have to estimate for the "other half" since I'm doing both at once. It really is sensational.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Pretty-much FO and (you're not surprised) new UFO

Keeping G home yesterday enabled me to finish his Tigger sweater, all ends woven in, except for the ears. Turns out he doesn't want very big ears (held his fingers 1" apart), so that won't take long. He didn't like my idea of attaching them with buttons so they could be easily removed. Still wants to wear the sweater for Halloween. Not fixated with the matching pants (phew). Photo up soon now.


My pouty model.










And... because I have two skeins of Cascade 220 in a gorgeous green, I just had to start Backyard Leaves, which I've wanted to make forever. IK put the pattern in their Holiday 2006 issue so I didn't have to buy the back issue it first appeared in. The pattern calls for Malabrigo, about 400 yds, so the 220 should be fine. I think I started it 5 times, though. It is confusing that the startup row is a wrongside row, and the pattern is on every row, so you don't just purl back on the wrong side. The directions have you do two halves, then sew them together. I've changed that to casting-on with a provisional crochet chain, which I hope to do a 3-needle bind-off or some such for a better seam, and I'm doing the two at once on straight needles. I've done 2 of 11 repeats and it really is entrancing the way the leaves leap out at you.









I also felted the next 4 coasters. I only have a smidge of the first ball left and want to do some potholders next. It is so fun!

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Now I get how this is addictive

I felted the first coasters last night and was over the moon about them. This is so cool!

Then I knitted two more last night. So fun!

Found the pattern online.
Photos: Both together (cool how different they are!), kinda blurry, sorry.









Close-up on one:









And the other:

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

UFO Challenge: April

I just realized the ONLY thing I finished in April were the feltable coasters. How funny that I finished two of them last night! I did get some done on the sand-colored Tahki scarf, got the Swallowtail Shawl well started, new socks started... but nothing else. I think I finished my sister's hat & scarf in March and finally mailed them in April. (She's probably wearing them in France right now!)

I'll put up photos of the coasters soon. They're just lovely and the one ball will probably make 8. I think I'll go ahead and make myself some hot pads from the same directions sheet. Hm, and maybe a soda/beer cozie too. (what fun!)

I do likes finishing things.

Update: here's a pic! Straw Into Gold Crystal Palace's Taos yarn in the Painted Desert Colourway.