Lystessa

What Am I Eating??

2011-02-21T12:57:00.004-05:00

Haha, so this is a post that should be enjoyed with music. Here is Weird Al's "Living in the Fridge" (I used the one set to Ice Age, because those movies are hilarious). :^)

So... I popped into one of my single-serve Viili yogurts today. I last made them with just a spoon of honey on the bottom of each one. It's probably been, oh, a week or two since I made them. I stir it up with my granola and take a bite after my customary sniff test.

What? Too acidic! Wait, no...

Too carbonated! It felt like little zaps all around the edges of my tongue. Truly strange. I had another bite (purely in the name of science. And maybe hunger). I tried to analyze the flavor the entire time I was eating it. It was full of bubbles that I hadn't really noticed before, or assumed they were incorporated from stirring. The flavor was very similar to a combination of viili and slightly sweetened soda water. I couldn't taste any alcohol but I feel like I drank an entire fizzy drink!

I still can't believe that I accidentally carbonated my yogurt. Heh.

Zoom!

2011-02-13T22:02:00.003-05:00

Maybe I should name this post "random yammerings from this week." Nah... Anyhow!

I convinced my friends to try Lydia's pants on their daughter Emma, age 2. Super cute. We both agreed that they should work well to at least age 5, with adjustments needed only in the elastics. I asked Emma if she would like her own pair and she seemed quite taken with the notion. I'm going to try to bang out a pair for her once they pick out fabric, and finish any refining to the pattern. It really only needs a bit wider casings so I can do proper french seams on the whole thing.

My half a vanilla bean frozen yogurt was probably one of my most successful ones yet. I wanted to taste the yogurts (especially the Viili) underneath the vanilla. It ended up with an extremely subtle vanilla flavor since it blended in quite well, and the yogurt flavor was definitely prominent. Look at my lush vanilla bean specks!

Do you have a freezer canister type ice cream maker too? Does it annoy you to pieces because you hate wrapping the stupid thing in plastic wrap so carefully to store it in the freezer, and it still gets weird little frozen specks that make it act weird while it's running? I have a little secret that might help you love it again.

I love mine now. As soon as I'm done putting away my frozen goodies, I wash out the canister very thoroughly and dry it with a clean kitchen towel. And then I stuff the towel just a little bit into the canister (like the picture above), and I stick it in the freezer. It doesn't just work "as well" as plastic wrap. It works much, much better. I'm not sure about long-term storage because I've been using it every single week now.... ;^)

I made some more Sweet Herman bread today. It was even more awesome than my last batch. I ate nearly an entire (small) loaf all by myself today! {:^O
I forgot to try subbing honey for the sugar, but I continued to sub in 1 cup of wheat flour for bread flour. I also used half of the salt called for (I used 1.5 tsp and I've seen other recipes that called for this amount - but the bread did seem slightly poofier this time). I cut it when it was still warm, and it had the sensation of almost melting when I bit into it. I want to try it as rolls soon too. And maybe some Sweet Herman donut recipes after that... I am going to get poofy.

The other thing I made today was cultured butter. I would have taken some cool pictures of the action, but
1. I was too excited,
2. I was also sharing this event with Sebastian, while simultaneously trying to prevent him from coughing too near the bowl, &
3. It was really messy!
I followed the instructions from the Butter Badge blog, pretty much to the letter. My culture slid around more in the stainless mixer bowl than it normally does in a glass jar, so I was afraid I had let it go too long and it had separated. Instead I was happy to find that it was just right. The end product tastes... like butter, but different. Slight cream cheese undertones, but not exactly. Different mouth-feel. I like it a lot. The cost of cream is higher to make half as much butter as you can just buy, so it feels like kind of a waste to make normal butter. This is different and unusual enough that I feel like I can justify it for table butter (ie, not for baking, although I am curious).

I made Sebastian some new pajama pants (finally!) before Lydia's pants, but I just took pictures this week. French seams through the legs, the elastic at top is encased and folded over twice, and the bottom selvedge is turned in before top-stitching. Absolutely no exposed seams anywhere. They fit him well, but with plenty of room to grow. :^D

Look, a kitty!

And guess who had her first taste of "solids" on Saturday the 12th? She's giving the camera her serious look because my dad was holding it... and she's currently afraid of him. Hahaha, she cries so pitifully when we try to hand her to him. I think it's the mustache. ;^)

Mama's Making Mead!

2011-02-07T13:47:00.002-05:00

Mama's making mead in the kitchen!

I have everything I need to make mead! I'm following this website:
StormTheCastle's Fast Cheap Mead Making.

But I'm making something closer to the full version of the recipe (with the spices) near the bottom of this page (Orange Clove Mead):
StormTheCastle's Mead Recipes.

I ganked the clove and pieces of cinnamon bark from a mulling spice mix that I bought a while back. Ah yeah. The only stop I had to make was the farmer's market which conveniently had both the honey and navel orange that I used.

I used an airlock instead of the balloon (thanks Heather!). It is almost as fun to watch as a lava lamp. At the beginning the proto-mead smelled a bit like orange cleaner (not alcoholic), just very potently orange. It has continued to mellow until it smells like a light orange wine just since yesterday afternoon. I love watching the tiny bubbles climb the sides of the jug, like one of those moving light pictures in a chinese restaurant. :^)

It looks like total cost for one gallon of finished mead runs just under $20 if you use very good honey. I could probably have brought it closer to $15 if I hadn't bought a small container of sourwood honey to mix in with it. The big jars are only 44 oz so I needed a little more to finish out the 3.5 pounds (I am going for a sweet mead).

Doesn't it just look horribly redneck? I dream of getting nice equipment, and nifty bottles to put it in when it's done. For now, though... 20 dollars feels dear enough.

I made more of my awesome chicken soup last night. It is still awesome. However, for those using split green peas or brown lentils it needs at least the full hour for cooking. ;^)

Frozen Yogurt Flavor of the Week

2011-02-04T23:02:00.005-05:00

And the frozen yogurt flavor of the week is...

Chocolate pudding! And it is tasty. I didn't get a picture because I was so panicked trying to clean up the crazy mess that happened when my frozen yogurt overflowed my 1.5 quart freezer canister ice cream maker... I even dropped a ceramic bowl while trying to get the frozen yogurt scooped quickly. It broke. :^(

Luckily it was one of a set and I still have three other bowls.

I do have pictures of the yogurt getting ready to drain, and draining. I made a reusable cheesecloth from cotton gauze so I could stop draping coffee filters in my enormous colander.

I got impatient with the draining process, so I tried out the bungee I had set up in preparation for my husband's next cheese-making experiment. (He hasn't set a date yet, but I hunted down the bungee so I was excited about it). It was pretty cool. :^)

Chocolate Pudding Frozen Yogurt

2 cups Drained Yogurt
2 cups Chocolate Pudding
2-3 tsp Sugar (or to taste)

Mix it all up and put it in the ice cream maker. :^)

(When I made it, I had about 3 cups yogurt to 1.5 cups pudding. It is very good, but I would have liked it a bit more chocolatey and also - it overflowed my ice cream maker! Four cups is the absolute maximum fo' real).

I made chocolate pudding from our family recipe just for this. And also, because I knew there would be extra pudding and I would get to eat it. :^D

In other news, the Sweet Herman starter and recipe I got from Heather has yielded results. I actually finished baking that bread at midnight last night and I was so excited I didn't get pictures. It came out awesome! I think I might have found it. The "one." The sourdough I have been hunting since my youth (well, usually I hunted it by buying it from others, but you know). The only change I made was to use 1 cup of wheat flour. I have a couple more small tweaks I want to try, but it is close enough to my memory right now to keep me happy. The first loaf is gone already so maybe it would be better for my body mass index if I didn't get it exactly perfect... I really want to get the last loaf out of the freezer. :^]

And now, check out some of my sewing. I made these balloon pants out of an entire yard of fabric (the ankle casings are actually just under her knees). I think I might be able to make these work until she's 5, haha!

Splayed toe cuteness!

And about 5 minutes later, she managed to get poop on them. It's okay, it wasn't much and I can take care of it.

More picture fun! When my boys crash, they crash hard. Really hard. My husband said "I didn't know you took a picture of me when I was asleep!" when he was pulling some other pictures off the memory card. ;^)

Actually not faking. And he chose to nap, weirdly enough.

Look at my sweet babies! :^D

He probably is faking it a bit here. ;^)

The Path to Sourdough Recipe

2011-01-30T16:35:00.006-05:00

I have been on a journey for what I consider to be the true, traditional Sourdough bread... Actually, it is the sourdough that my cousin's best friend's mom Cindy used to make (seriously!). It was so good, and definitely not a "San Francisco Sourdough." It was light, soft, and a bit sweet and rich, and of course tangy. I can't remember if she kept the recipe as a family secret or not, but I haven't seen any of her family in probably a decade or more. Occasionally I run across local bakers at Farmer's Markets or some such that make the same bread. I'm beginning to suspect that it is actually bread made from the Sweet Herman variant... and soon I will be able to test this theory since my friend Heather gave me some Sweet Herman starter from her family! :^D

But this loaf is easily my best Sourdough experiment yet! This came out dense and a little moist, with a lightly crunchy crust. Most of its rise seemed to happen in the oven, and mine didn't rise all that much even then. The top layer flaked up and partly separated (I kind of liked it!). It has just the right amount of sourdough tang to my taste. It is not the sweet, soft bread I have been seeking, but it is a wonderful bread to enjoy for its own sake. Its mellow tang works equally well with sweet or savory foods and it's good enough to eat straight.

And it is quite delicious in my awesome chicken soup from last night. ;^D

Basic Sourdough Bread Recipe
(No kneading necessary)

On the night before baking, combine and mix:

135g Sourdough Starter straight from the fridge
135g Water
135g Bread Flour (Use about a third or ~45g Wheat Flour in this for flavor & texture)

Cover and let rise ~12 hours (overnight).

Next morning, add the following ingredients and mix thoroughly:

1.5 tbsp Sugar
1.5 tbsp Salted Butter
3/4 cup Milk

(Bread Flour and Olive Oil - See below)

Then add just enough bread flour to make a sticky dough (or add enough flour to handle and knead as you normally would, if you prefer).

Cover and let rise 3 hours. My dough didn't look all that excited, but it smelled right. Grease a bread pan thoroughly with olive oil. Throw your dough into the pan and roll it a little to make sure it's coated.

Cover and let rise 3 hours again. My dough actually looked flatter when I came back to it...

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until pale brown and crusty. Turn out onto a rack to cool and enjoy! I burned my fingers a little bit while enjoying mine. ;^)

Awesome Chicken Soup Recipe

2011-01-29T21:00:00.009-05:00

How awesome is it? It's way awesome. Also, Harris Teeter's rosemary-olive oil bread is awesome...

Anyway, the really awesome thing is that I was able to sneak the whey from my frozen yogurt into it, and even our slightly sub-standard cream cheese. (I think the cream cheese will be better when we get the right culture for it - apparently fil mjolk is not the ideal choice).

The whey really brought the flavor, and man did the cream cheese elevate an already tasty broth! A subtle addition of ginger and curry round out the broth seasonings without being completely in-your-face. :^)

Try it and see for yourself!

Awesome Chicken Soup

Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Onion (half, chopped)
Celery (up to a cup, chopped)
2 Carrots (chopped)
Chicken (up to 1/2 pound small cubes) optional
4 cups Whey and/or Water
3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes (I used Reduced Sodium)
Bay Leaf
2-3 generous dashes Ginger Powder
2-3 generous dashes Curry Powder
2-3 handfuls of Brown Rice, Lentils, Barley, etc.
1/2 to 1 cup of that less-than-perfect Cream Cheese you tried to make.... Substitute Drained Yogurt or Cream Cheese

Start by pouring in just enough olive oil to almost coat the bottom of your big pot. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper, and heat to medium or medium-high. Throw in the chopped onions. Saute briefly, or until translucent if desired. Add celery, carrots, and chicken.

Pour in your whey and bring the total volume up to 4 cups with water. Add the 3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes and increase the heat to high to get things going. Throw in the Bay leaf and add Ginger and Curry to taste. Cover with the lid.

After the water is boiling add your grains/beans. I like to throw in a couple handfuls of red lentils and brown rice. Reduce heat to a simmer and keep covered. Cook 40 minutes to an hour (or longer if you prefer). Taste test periodically for your preference on mushiness/tenderness.

Once the soup is properly done add the cream cheese that didn't quite make the grade for bagels. ;^) Add by heavy spoonfuls and mix in thoroughly until it reaches the proper richness. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Vegetarian Notes: This would be fairly easy to convert to a fully vegetarian recipe. Omit the chicken of course, and substitute a seasoned vegetable soup stock based on mushrooms. If you're making your own I suggest using a combination of dried mushrooms that includes Shitake (because they're awesome).

Were you wondering if I had made the lemon curd frozen yogurt experiment?

Oh yes. I didn't even feel bad that I had to finish off all of the chocolate frozen yogurt in the freezer to make room. Sebastian didn't complain at helping me either, hehe.

And how was it? Delicious, but I think it will be even better the next time I make it. (Because I won't try to get pudding consistency in the pot while making the lemon curd! My lemon curd has very faint egg undertones that I expect were caused by me taking the temp a little too hot and too long. Despite this it is still fantastic).

Lemon Curd Frozen Yogurt

3 cups Drained Yogurt (I used half Viili and half Fil Mjolk)
3/4 cup to 1 cup Lemon Curd (fully chilled)

Combine ingredients (use the full cup of Lemon Curd if you want it be really lemony). Freeze in your ice cream maker and enjoy! I know I'm enjoying mine. :^D

If you like to sauce up your frozen treats milkshake style, I highly suggest using half-&-half for homemade frozen yogurt. I tried just using milk with my chocolate frozen yogurt and it really fell flat for me.

Single Serve Yogurts

2011-01-28T12:19:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the local Target's extensive selection of plasticware, I was able to find me some neat little 4-oz containers. So yeah, I now have the power to make my own single-serve yogurts. :^)

I made a few sugar-and-spice with Viili yogurt the other day, but after making the lemon curd I knew I had to try out some fruit-on-the-bottom. Okay, some fruit curd-on-the-bottom.

Cute, aren't they? Wait... what's that there?

Lemon Curd! Get me a spoon! ;^)

Also, for your viewing pleasure... What happens when a 5-yr-old has unrestricted access to your house until about 10:00am (and you've already taken away his laptop and TV privileges)?

You get pictures taken through the barrel of a packing tape dispenser. Also, you get pictures of fingers, computer, the random toy that happened to be on the desk, and the cat. I'm honestly surprised there was only one "photo shoot" during his track-out.

Lemon Curd

2011-01-27T14:50:00.002-05:00

I ran across a reference to lemon curd when I was looking up information on yogurt, and flavors. Apparently it's hard to get a proper lemon flavor in yogurt, but using lemon curd really helps with that. And... it sounded like everyone loves this stuff. I'm a fan of apple butter and pear butter (although I haven't tried making them yet). So I gave the lemon curd a try.

I used the recipe from Barefoot Contessa. I omitted the salt and used salted butter instead.

In case you were wondering how it tastes, this is a picture of the pot I used to make it:

It tastes awesome. It's this delicious tangy sour-sweet-rich-custard yumminess, and I can guarantee you that it will be involved in my next frozen yogurt experiment. I just have to finish off the chocolate frozen yogurt first. And it is quite fantastic in un-frozen yogurt. Much better than any lemon or lemon pie flavored yogurt from the store!

It wasn't as hard as I thought it might be. I've made puddings before (this didn't thicken as much as they do in the pot - I hope that's normal), and zesting the lemons turned out to be easiest with a cheese grater. I used the actual grating side.

Also, I'm going to attempt to boil my naked lemon halves and see if I can get something lemony for cleaning solution. Lemon juice and lemon oil are supposed to be quite good at cleaning, and even decent at bleaching. I guess that's why so many cleaning products are lemon-scented.

Trying To Go a Little Greener

2011-01-26T23:49:00.003-05:00

I have confession to make. I'm a late-evening ice cream snacker. (And not just some nights. I look forward to getting the boy to bed because I know it's not much longer before I hit the freezer). It's more ritualistic than coffee and I love it. The problem is... no, not what you think. The problem is that I'm also an ice cream snob and this means my habit is a little pricey. Money is super tight right now and it's hard to justify my carton-a-week Breyer's habit.

But there actually is something I love just as much if not more than ice cream. Frozen yogurt (mmm, droooool....). Which is as expensive or more than ice cream, assuming you can find it at all in the grocery. And then it has weird crap in it like guar gum to try to imitate ice cream, but all that does is give it a super annoying texture that makes you annoyed when you're trying to scoop it. So...

My friend recently discovered mesophilic yogurts - yogurts that culture at room temp and don't require any special equipment or close monitoring. Matsoni, Piima, Viili, and Fil Mjolk. She gave me some, and I've been having fun with them. I like them best when I've drained them. It makes them thicker and richer. But best of all, I like to make frozen yogurt with them. And making it from scratch with yogurt that I made from scratch makes me feel empowered! I don't know if I'm really saving any money, but I know exactly what's in it, and exactly how long it's been in the freezer.

But what's the green? I guess in my mind self-sufficiency walks hand in hand with "going green." My same friend also loaned me a book that has helped me realize that I've been on the brink, but hadn't quite taken the plunge toward green. I took inspiration and started making my own cleaning spray since I had everything on hand already (basically just vinegar-water and tea tree essential oil). I bought a set of 10 cloths to try using less paper towels. Seriously, what did people do before paper towels? My dependence is becoming an embarrassment! Little bit and little bit, I'm trying to save a little money, eat a little more healthy (or at least a little more interesting, hehe) foods, use more basic and natural food and hygiene ingredients, and overall to waste less.

I know it sounds strange, but I haven't really felt like I needed coffee since I started eating yogurt more. I read somewhere that we develop a dependence on caffeine partly from an insufficiency of specific proteins. Who knows?

I hope I've inspired you a little. I would love to hear your thoughts on food, ways to be a little more earth-friendly, and ways to be less dependent on the system. And maybe I'll even update my blog once in a while.

Next on the list of fun things to try: honey mead! But first I need to find (and afford) some good local honey.

Showing Off

2010-12-02T12:16:00.002-05:00

I felt like sharing some of the things I've been making for Lydia. :^)

And... a video of Sebastian entertaining Lydia. :^)

Fall Fresh

2010-10-28T10:47:00.002-04:00

As you can see, I've been quite busy this summer. Meet our newest, Lydia Almira Thomas. Born Aug. 15, 2010 at 6.5 lbs. Here we are at the birth center just after her birth.

I had made some clothes for her, and they actually fit! Here she is in a dress and diaper cover I made.

She's growing like a weed. I can't believe how much bigger she has gotten in just a couple of months!

She's even bigger now, but I don't have any more current pictures uploaded yet. I made her some stockings that she outgrew before the weather cooperated. (Yes, it was cold enough to wear them when I was making them, but our weather can go from cold to hot in one day).

And lastly, I have made some Hibiscus flower charts for your knitting pleasure! Check the sidebar to find them. :^)

My Son Can Knit!

2010-05-05T08:30:00.003-04:00

I taught the boy to cast on and knit yesterday. I was honestly surprised at how quickly he picked it up (lucky thing too, because I'm not a good teacher and I have ZERO patience).

Summer in One Post

2009-10-11T20:30:00.003-04:00

Haha, I finally cleaned the pictures off of the camera. I think it's been a while...

We went to a lovely wedding early in the summer.

Mary and Dan make a beautiful couple.

I was there of course, and our friend Dave.

And my husband Tim (you might note that once I got the camera I switched the light setting... hehe).

Our boy was the life of the party. ;^) At one point he walked up to the table full of young ladies, propped his elbow on the table and said "Hi, my name is Sebastian. It starts with S!" Quite the charmer.

Of course, Sebastian also has to make time for work. Here he is getting in some real number-crunching with our friend Chris.

More recently, I added a border to his bedroom. I thought it came out pretty well.

My husband got old in September. I baked a cake!

He enjoyed his party. A lot... I guess it got hard to stand up after a while.

Sebastian enjoyed a free music lesson from Cheng during the party.

But mostly we just hung out whenever we had some free time over the last few months.

Some Hats

2009-07-19T12:12:00.002-04:00

I'm now working full-time, an hour away from where I live. Despite my change in status I do have a few things to show you. Mostly hats. :^)

I finally got a pic of the pirate hat!

And I came up with a little something for my son, using bright multi-colored handspun and blue malabrigo.

I made a variant of the "slingshot" pattern to help me manage all of my stuff for work. Having a handle on my coffee is surprisingly, uh, handy!

It's hard working full time. It only takes one cat to put me completely out these days (it used to require at least 2 of them!)

I bet you can almost hear the snore-purring.

We're renting a house with a big (as in 2+ acre) yard now. I love having more room for plants but it was a huge mess when we moved in, and it still requires a fair bit of maintenance to keep from going back to the wild. Not to mention that it was absolutely full of poison ivy. Seriously, imagine a poison ivy field. Surprisingly beautiful, but thoroughly annoying. I have managed to get most of the poison under control and I just deal with it if I get some on me. We have several really beautiful, huge trees including the pecan tree in the picture. I hope we're able to buy a house with some lovely old trees when the time is right.

Bye for now!

Neckwarmer...?

2009-03-17T17:11:00.002-04:00

I made a neckwarmer using some merino/silk that I dyed and then spun. But I love using it to hold back my hair too! I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of it, especially when I'm working.

Oh, and here's another dishrag/handtowel. I really love all of my finished objects from this pattern.

My Big Baby

2009-03-17T17:10:00.001-04:00

Lightweight Hat

2009-03-17T16:59:00.002-04:00

I made a wonderful, lightweight hat in Sanguine Gryphon's lovely Sappho yarn (laceweight merino singles). And I have lots and lots of the yarn left. It might take longer to knit thinner yarn, but you really can't complain about the mileage for your money!

(I cast on 180 stitches on US #2 needles, and knitted for a couple of weeks before starting the decreases....)

I took a few quick photos last night when I finished it. This will become the hat that I live in. I barely notice it on at all.

Now to figure out what to do with the abundant amount left. I'm going to probably make some sort of gloves...

Not Just Any Plant

2009-02-17T16:38:00.002-05:00

I germinated a honey tangerine plant. It might be the most exciting seed I have ever managed to get to come up. I don't think they get too huge (as far as citrus goes), but I'm sure it won't be a dwarf either. I really hope it lives long enough for me to find out.

I especially hope it lives long enough to give me sweet flowers and tasty tangerines!

Marguerite Hat Is Available

2009-01-27T15:59:00.002-05:00

The hat is up! Please visit Sanguine Gryphon's etsy site if you would like to purchase a copy of the pattern. :^)

Her Gaia DK (cashmere/silk) yarn is easily the most decadent yarn I have ever knitted.

A Hat & An Ornament

2009-01-13T13:49:00.004-05:00

(Just a quick note - I have added a chart with Autobots & Decepticons, in matched size, on one page. It's in the sidebar).

I am collaborating with Sanguine Gryphon again, and I have designed a hat. I think you will love it (I know I had a hard time sending the sample back, as usual, haha!)

The hat was knit in Gaia DK in the color Nematocyst. Gaia is a lush cashmere/silk blend, and it is pure bliss to knit with it. The pattern should be available on Sanguine Gryphon's etsy shop in a few weeks. I will keep you posted!

I couldn't get the color quite right with my camera. It's closer to the non-yellow one but I think I look a little better in the yellow.

I made an ornament just before the holiday break. It turned out quite cute but it was a pain to make. I switched to a much thinner yarn and needle than the pattern called for.

I've been kind of slow on the knitting front in the last couple of months. I made a couple of very satisfying ribbed scarves but I don't have pictures yet (and I forgot to take a pic before giving one away. Dur). I have several long-term projects on the needles but I've been pretty distracted.

And I have become plant-obsessed at the wrong time of year. Every time I move house I have to pare down my houseplants, but sure as the seasons... if I live in one place long enough the obsession eventually returns and I end up with every good windowsill packed. I even have a few on my table right now. Obviously I fill up the yard at the first chance but that's less of a commitment than houseplants.

Just Because

2008-11-10T14:33:00.002-05:00

Just because I can.

ARRRRRRRRRRR!

I love this kid. He cracks me up so much.

Whirlwind Tour

2008-11-10T13:26:00.002-05:00

I'm going to take you on a whirlwind tour of the stuff I've been making (and not blogging, heh). This might take a while....

Let's go in reverse order.

A friend of mine is due in December, and better yet she's having a girl and planning to cloth diaper. So, I dyed some yarn and made her a diaper cover. I couldn't decide whether to add a skirt or not until just a couple days ago. I happened to browse some of the baby patterns and it seemed like every other picture was a cute little skirty soaker! One in particular was especially cute and pleated. I had already given the soaker pleated ruffly cuffs, so I added a skirt with a similar style. It definitely improved the look. (I had made it a bit long too, and finally had the sense to fold down the waistband). I used up all my yarn.

Front:

Front under skirty:

Back:

Before the skirt:

Close look at the leg ruffles:

I always have projects to work on. But sometimes, I start feeling bogged down if I don't have one close to being done, and then I don't really want to work on them at all. Instead, I want to cast on something new! And fast! Or maybe just make swatches with different yarn. I happened across some really cute catnip toy patterns on one such day, and cranked out three before I was done. There is something extra satisfying about using up that last little bit of leftover yarn.

We had the NC State Fair here in Raleigh recently. I submitted a small Swallowtail Shawl that I had made with jaggerspun, and some colorgrown cotton/tussah silk blend yarn with seashells spun in. I don't have a picture of the yarn though. It didn't really photograph that well - I think it will look a lot better knitted, if I can ever figure out what to make with it. So here is the swallowtail shawl (knitted on size 2 needles).

I like to wear it as a headscarf:

I started working on a beautiful sock "Scheherazade's Slippers." I ignored the recommendations for size/gauge because I like my socks a certain gauge/tension, and I also like them tight-fitted. Well, I finished the main part of the pattern and I couldn't get the heel over my foot. Grrrrr. It is currently sitting, ripped back to the heel, waiting for me to decide if I really think I can remember or write down all my heel alterations and get them right for the next sock. Assuming I come up with a heel alteration that would work within the pattern. I might just frog the whole thing and use this yarn for a more basic sock, and re-visit the slippers when I have a thicker yarn.

I also made a winter hat for my boy, with some yarn I dyed. It never pooled in any of my swatches, or even my first go at a hat (it was a bit too loose and open, so I went down a needle size or two). But in the right number of stitches and a better gauge, it made this spiral effect. I'm not really sure whether I like it better as random spreckles or ordered spirals. ;^)

I started a pair of Kanoko Pants with the intention of giving them away as a baby present... but they took me too long to make and I like them a lot, so they're going in the "hope chest" for the next one. Hehe.

Of course, I tell myself that I'm done with stripes every time I do a project that has them. These pants took me two months to finish working up the motivation and weaving in all the ends. Bleh.

I knitted a prosthetic breast. I need to knit a matching one, and maybe some more, and donate them.

(I kind of want to make a couple for me, for stuffies. Hehehe).

I made a double-knit dishcloth to keep the bright colors of this very happy yarn in order. (I know, you wouldn't think I would ever buy such bright stuff. What can I say, I must have needed cheering up when I was in the store). I was liking how the colors lined up together every other row and was trying to figure out how to do a slip stitch pattern to really make it do what I wanted. I kind of figured it out in my head, but then realized "Hey, that would make it double knit. Not really what I wanted... wait, that would be neat!" So there ya go. The top and bottom edges are ribbing, and the edge 3 stitches are garter stitch. The middle is double knit.

It's kind of hard to show the double knit aspect in a picture, but I tried:

I made a ruffly shawl from the book "Greetings from Knit Cafe." I used some of the black mohair blend left over from the Transparent Cardigan. It looks nice as a headwrap, and makes me look like a gypsy. Well, maybe a gypsy in mourning, heh.

Whew, I'm tired! Now I know why I've been putting off the blogging, hehe. That was a lot of stuff! And I still feel like I must be forgetting something. Oh well. :^)

Quick Halloween Post

2008-11-10T11:38:00.002-05:00

First, the pumpkins:

And next, the Nibbler:

That costume took an entire week for me to make. He wore the mask for oh, maybe 10 minutes. Heh.

My Boy Winds Yarn!

2008-08-23T14:43:00.002-04:00

That's right, my boy winds yarn. And lately he's taken to watching me knit. I might have to try teaching him again soon.

I made him a simple little washcloth out of that yarn. He loves it. He also wouldn't leave me alone while I was knitting it, and he would insist on holding the yarn and pulling it out of the skein for me while I was working on it.

Monorail Kitty!

2008-08-08T22:13:00.001-04:00

Now with headlights!

More Dishtowels and Washcloths

2008-08-08T22:01:00.002-04:00

Well, the title really says it all. I'm still having fun with the basket rib pattern, and I sort of invented a pattern of my own too. Unfortunately the washcloths are so variegated that you can't really see my pattern very well, but I mainly invented it so I could get to the end faster than garter stitch. ;^)

But first, the dishtowels:

The green was from a recycled cotton sweater, and the brown was elann Sonata (mercerized cotton).

And here are the washcloths. One of them is in the basket rib stitch, and the other is my own invention.

CO 30 stitches in long tail cast-on (baby washcloth size).
Knit back and forth for three rows.
Rows 1 & 4: *K2, P2* across, end K2.
Rows 2 & 3: *P2, K2* across, end P2.
Rows 5-8: K across.

Work rows 1-8 to total 5 pattern repeats. Then repeat rows 1-7. Bind off in knit stitch.

Here's the pic of both:

My Pattern (it's reversible):

Basket Rib:

Warm Ankles

2008-08-08T21:52:00.002-04:00

I know I've told you all before, but man do I hate having cold ankles. Well, not all of the time. But when they're being quirky even my knees will hurt unless I manage to keep my ankles warm and snug.

I made myself some yoga socks in sock yarn ages ago, and finally realized that I had just enough of my own shetland/angora handspun to make a second pair. (And they are wonderful. Very soft, and warm without being too warm).

You know the pattern - Yoga Socks from Just Jussi. I altered them from all-over ribbing to be mostly stockinette.

Blue Jeans!

2008-07-20T16:03:00.003-04:00

I just had to post here and brag. Oh yeah, this was a lot of work and took me four solid days, and boy am I proud of it! :^)

I started by drafting a pattern from a pair of jeans that I love... and which are falling apart. I didn't cut them or take them apart, I just pinned the part I was measuring to some old cream-colored twill fabric I had in my stash (and I pinned through it to the measuring board). I traced the finished sewn shape. When I cut it out of my jean fabric I eyeballed it and cut between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch more fabric to each side of the pattern piece.

And then I tried as hard as I could to mimic the construction of the original pair of jeans. It was pretty neat actually. Most of the seams that have double stitching are folded together so that the cut edges are completely enclosed inside the seam. One side is ironed to the wrong side and the other is ironed to the right side, and they're dovetailed together. This seam is fun to make.

I got it to fit pretty closely to the old pair, although it was a bit roomy. Luckily I waited until after sewing to wash it for the first time and it shrank to an almost perfect fit. The waistband is still a bit on the loose side, but it's not too bad since the hips fit really well. (Oh, and I was the idiot who was too lazy to put that last little detail on mine - belt loops. And of course I could have used them).

The only thing I was really unhappy with were the front pockets. They needed to be deeper, and sewn into the fly better. Oh well, I guess they're just for sticking my hands in since they're too shallow for anything else.

Front

Back

Back Pocket Detail

My Butt

Jaunty Butt

Belly

Incidentally, that is the only belly picture I was willing to post because I look like I have a serious beer gut in the side view pictures! My husband needs to hurry up and procure a DDR pad. :^)

Dishtowel Love

2008-06-30T17:11:00.002-04:00

Well, I forgot to mention in the last post that the undies only really looked that good for a brief while. They started stretching and sagging really quickly so I'm going to have to work on figuring out some sizing and construction issues before trying to share a pattern.

So not fun. So frustrating. Especially after so much work. And I didn't really have any easy projects to work on, nor did I want to start work on my next design after that de-motivation. I didn't knit for two days.

I was beginning to twitch.

I really needed a brainless, satisfying knit. So I picked up some linen/cotton yarn I had dyed a cheerful pale lavender, and hunted down a dishcloth pattern.

I knitted off that entire 50g of yarn in less than two days. It was VERY satisfying. And I had an FO that didn't require a good fit, and wouldn't matter much if it stretched or shrank a bit in use.

Yay!

I love this pattern. It is the Basket Rib Handtowel, only mine was washcloth sized because I ran out of yarn.

Spanky!

2008-06-30T13:41:00.003-04:00

I finished a design recently. It's lacy, and made from a silk/cotton blend that I recycled and dyed.

And I wear it on my butt! <8^o

So anyway, if you're at work, or you just don't want to see my butt, or whatever, you might not want to scroll down further...

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Ta-da!

I know, I know. Trust me, I left out all the pictures that made me look flabby, or misshapen, etc.

Some of the Cute

2008-06-04T14:07:00.002-04:00

I just had to throw a few pics of my little boy at you. :^)

He's rediscovered his hammer (and will probably have it taken away within the next couple of days, oh man it is SO LOUD!)

I caught him sticking it in the back of his pants! To my knowledge he has never seen a workman of any sort using a hammer. I'm wondering if it's in his genes somehow. Or maybe he has seen either Papa or GranDad do something similar. I doubt it, but it's possible.

Yesterday he wouldn't take a nap at the usual time. So I gave up and just cut his hair and gave him a bath instead. Then he falls asleep in the cabinet! (And, incidentally, totally hot-boxed himself. He's been doing really great with the potty training this week, but he must have had a poop right as he was almost asleep. Poor kid!) He actually had the doors closed. We discovered the stench and the cuteness when we opened the door to check on him. (Yes, of course we dragged him out and changed him just as soon as the pictures were taken).

It's been a really long time since I was able to fall asleep in a cabinet!

So, a couple of funny things he's said recently:

In response to "Why don't we go potty now?" he tells me "How about we don't?" just the other day. I'm cracking up so hard and he laughs with me. And even more recently he wakes up from a nap, sits up and leans back on the couch and looks over at me. "Soooooo....How's it going, Mommy?" In between flustered giggles I manage to respond "It's going well. How's it going for you?" And he just grins and grins while I laugh.

I sure hope he manages to hang onto some of his attitude through school.

Some of the Crafty

2008-06-04T13:54:00.002-04:00

I finally got some pictures of the baby hat I alluded to earlier. It was a ton of stitches to cast on for a baby hat, but it was very cute and enjoyable to knit. I ran across one of my neighbors the other day and was somewhat surprised to see that she is expecting. Due in September... yeah, we don't actually see our neighbors very often.

Anyhow, she was as cute as could be and expecting a girl, and I just had to give her something (since I've been on a baby-knitting kick lately). I really should have given her the miniature booties, I suppose. She's Asian and so is her fella (probably husband but I didn't look for rings and I try not to assume), so if anyone's baby would have tiny enough feet at full term, she would be a good candidate. :^)

But I'm pretty sure she will get good use of the hat. I really hope it fits the baby during a winter season, haha.

Anyway, here are pictures!

In other news, I'm attempting to knit an octopus for the big sister of the twins. I'm almost done, but now I feel the crazy need to make a piratey (or maybe mermaidy) doll to go along with it. I've never made dolls before... but the ones I like the most have at the least a sculpey-ed head. So I gave it a try. The cats have since taken her for a wild night ride, stupid cats. I do have an armature for her, but I can't quite figure out what to do for the rest of her body and my hand-sewing skills leave something to be desired...

Pretty cool for try #2, hey?

New Freebies

2008-05-26T01:00:00.001-04:00

I have charts for the card suits up, if anyone wants them. :^)

Bags

2008-05-26T00:43:00.002-04:00

I've been playing around with a sewn bag idea I had. It started with placemats. My sister-in-law gave me a cute bag, and in discussion I found out she made it from a placemat by sewing up the sides and then sewing in a triangle at the bottom two corners.

I had the idea to make a square zipper bag that way, and so I did. And it was fun. I keep tweaking the way I do it, and it keeps getting better-looking AND easier to do. Kind of amazing, really. Check out a few:

This was the first one. It took forever. I measured for everything, but after this one I made a triangle pattern for the corners and it saved a LOT of time.

I did a couple more and started putting a small ribbon loop at the back end of the zipper so I would have something to grab at both ends of the zipper. I also gave up the wrap-around zipper, although I might go back to it someday. The really long zippers get pricey!

This is the bag I made for my mother. I did top-stitching along the zipper at the very end, but the next bag will have it done as soon as the zipper is done. There's no reason to wait, and the added bulk on heavier placemats makes it impossible to sew a straight seam once the corners are sewn. (She wanted a floppy bag).

I also finished knitting a bag, my miser's purse. I based this off of an article in Interweave Knits discussing miser's bags. The yarn was dyed in the wool by my friend, and then I spun it with the intention of plying it. Except it was too loose for plying, and I really liked it as a single but it was very thin. I got something like 13 stitches to the inch on this.

Baby Knitting.....

2008-05-26T00:39:00.002-04:00

It's addictive. Also, it's fiddly. Yet still, somehow, compulsive. I found this cute little pattern for Magic Slippers (I will try to hunt down the link later, sorry), and I just had to try it out.

I didn't bother with gauge. I got at least one stitch more per inch, and I don't know about the rows, but these are some tiny little slippers!

It's a merino-silk blend that I spun and dyed.

I have a hat that I still need to take pictures of too, it'll probably be July before I finally get around to writing the post for that one....

I Love This Weather!

2008-05-26T00:30:00.002-04:00

Well, actually I get kinda down on rainy overcast days. But it's so worth it once the sun comes back out. And how lucky have we been to have a cooler-than-usual May? My back patio has become my favorite place to be. Last summer I could hardly bear to look at it.

The wisteria bloomed first. It's growing like mad now, and starting to set more buds.

No wait, I think the roses might have been first. I love this rosebush so much (it's Honey Perfume if you're into that. Tough, hardy, disease-resistant, fragrant grandiflora, and it loves to bloom).

I also had an entire stand of these lilies too. They're just now finishing up, and the common orange daylilies are starting to bloom. The rose has just started to re-bloom, my calla lilies are up, and I have buds on the stargazers and the asiatic lilies. Did I mention that I like lilies?

Sweet Little Sunhats

2008-05-26T00:26:00.003-04:00

There are some new twin girls in our family. You know I had to knit something for twin Cinco de Mayo girls, right?

These hats are the smallest size of the Miss Dashwood pattern, from Knitty.

Coffee Time

2008-05-26T00:22:00.002-04:00

There was some vague interest in my "coffee shrine" on a forum thread. Since I have a picture I thought I would share it with you too. :^)

Welcome to my coffee lab, I love my Aeropress.

Pattern For Sale!

2008-05-26T00:10:00.002-04:00

That's right, Thalia is up and ready for sale! You can get it at Sanguine Gryphon's Etsy Site. Here's a few pictures to remind you (I know it's been a while since I had it up).

(And the lovely Gryphon herself):

Thank you everyone for your help and support, I couldn't have done it without you all!

Spinning & Dyeing

2008-04-24T14:14:00.003-04:00

I'm getting ready to design some lingerie, and dyed up some 70/30 silk/cotton blend (recycled, of course, hehe) to that purpose. Also, I didn't realize it had cotton in it when I was dyeing it and now I know why I couldn't get it quite as dark as I wanted. I wouldn't have used acid dyes if I had known, but it came out nice so oh well.

This was the smallest skein, and had surprisingly even dye coverage. I was happier with the more variable effects I got on the other skeins but I didn't photograph them.

And on the spinning front, I had previously dyed some shetland/angora blend to spin up some custom yarn for my friend. She was enamored of the yarn I had spun to enter in the state fair last year, and of the scarf I knitted from it.

The yarn is actually a little bit greener and a little bit darker. The thread, beads and black parts of the yarn are pretty close to real color.

Picnic Blanket

2008-04-24T14:01:00.002-04:00

Picnic blanket, or beach blanket. I've been saving old jeans for years to make this. We've recently gone to the beach, and started going out to a nearby field to fly kites. It was time to get busy and make this a finished project.

I cut up my jeans into 7x7, 7x14, and 7x3.5 inch rectangles (plus selvages) to try to get the most from my old jeans. It took forever to cut them all up. And to arrange them. And to sew, and sew, and sew them. But I am so happy with the final result and I know we'll get a lot of use out of it.

My little model helped me out by providing scale for my pictures. :^)

V-Neck Completion

2008-04-24T13:49:00.003-04:00

I finished the v-neck tanktop I've been working on for the last month and a half. I took a ton of photos too, but I'm not going to bog down this post with too many of them.

This is a tanktop that I've been working on for a while. It's not quite as sexy as I was wanting, but it's pretty close. I used a cashmere-silk blend that I recycled from a thrift store tank top (and it is sooooooo nice).

My gauge was 6.5 stitches and 9 rows to the inch on #5 needles (coincidentally the same gauge I got with Sanguine Gryphon's Dance yarn on #4 needles, although I wasn't trying to match gauges).

This recycled yarn is a lot clingier than Dance and shows off my features and my flaws pretty exactly. I really like how it fits in the back, but there are a few small details I would tweak with the front shaping. They're sufficiently minor for me to consider this design a full success as it stands!

Front View

Back View

Action Shot

Dress Model - Front

Dress Model - Back

Tidbits And Leftovers

2008-04-06T13:14:00.002-04:00

Remember that recycled yarn that I overdyed?

So pretty. It makes me think of red wine. Or as my knitting buddies suggested, garnets.

Well, I decided to indulge my desire to knit with it, and I made a little swatch from a reprinted historic knitting book (circa 1897 - patterns are poorly written, but at least they usually have drawings or pictures).

This swatch is the "knitted fluted edge or border - No. 63" from page 47 of The Art of Knitting.

I did eventually finish the youngest nephew's hat. I completely forgot to put it up here, so here it goes.

Grrr, apparently I forgot to take a final picture before sending it home. Anyway, there was a little more webbing stitched on at the top. The pattern was PumpkinMama's "We Call Him Spidey" hat.

I did the colorwork with duplicate stitch, and I made a dumb math error when I was knitting it and made it a little too long for the stitch pattern to work out right. But it was pretty good anyway. The yarn is Rowan Pure Wool DK. I liked that yarn at first, but after three hats and miles of duplicate stitch I was beginning to hate it a bit.

Toddler Bathrobe

2008-04-06T12:50:00.004-04:00

My poor husband has been busy for the better part of the last month or so, working on a project for his class. (His last class, hopefully. Maybe he'll agree to another kid if he gets a good job, hehe).

But he took some time to make us chocolate chip pancakes this morning. They're so good we don't even bother with syrup. It would distract from the awesomeness. Hmmmm? Oh, I didn't have a point. I just wanted to brag that I had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and you didn't. Bwa-ha-ha!

Anyhow, I do have a finished project to show you. I wasn't sure I would be able to force myself to finish it. But my little guy was very excited about it... he nearly threw a fit once when he saw me knitting on something else.

Him: "What are you doing?" He knew I was knitting.
Me: "Knitting."
Him: "Knitting my bathrobe?" He knew it wasn't. Sneaky little boy.
Me: "No..."
Him: "I want my bathrobe! I wanna wear my bathrobe!" Holy cow, kid! ;^)

I recycled yarn from a thrift store sweater. (Yeah, you were beginning to wonder if I ever knitted the yarn I dismantled, huh?) I bought it as a candidate for yarn harvesting, but I liked it. So I washed it. It shrank. (Wha? Did the previous owner never wash it? It's cotton, seriously!) So I ended up dismantling it anyway. I barely had enough yarn to make this bathrobe for my boy. It's not a pattern, I just winged it and tried to base it loosely on the style of my own bathrobe.

It's the Fonz!

Do you remember the orange silk noil raglan sweater I knitted for him? If I let him choose his own shirt he almost always picks that one. I LOVE this boy! He definitely knows how to get more handknits - just be super appreciative. :^)

Baby Kimono Top

2008-03-26T21:21:00.004-04:00

I finished this probably a month ago but kept forgetting to blog about it. It took me a surprisingly long time to slog through for being such a small size.

ETA - I guess I should add that this is a pattern from the Debbie Bliss book The Baby Knits Book. Personally I feel that she could eliminate a lot of work with her patterns by doing more stuff in the round, but her instructions are usually very thorough and reasonably well-written. And I have to say I love her style for baby clothes.

A Little Spooky

2008-03-26T21:08:00.004-04:00

So, I went to the store to find a box for all the yarn that I might consider selling...

When I found the box that was the perfect size and not too expensive, I had this weird feeling that I wasn't the first one to imagine how great it would be to put yarn in it.

It's like they saw me coming and said "Quick! Here she comes - put the knitting label on that box!"

(Yes, it even has a picture of knitting needles in the box with the yarn. Hehe).

Anyway. I dyed some yarn the other day. Actually, I overdyed some bright red silk yarn that used to be a bright red shirt. It was too much a primary red to look good on me, and a rather unflattering cut. I bought it to be yarn but it definitely needed to be a different color.

So yeah, I dyed it with black and blue. I was kind of expecting a dark purple color. Not that I'm complaining, because this color will be great on me!

It's Starting To Feel Like Spring

2008-02-18T12:18:00.002-05:00

The weather has been so weird here. We've had warmer weather and some rain over the last week and today it even smells like spring to me. I guess it's not really surprising since it is almost time for the early flowers to start blooming. But it's reminding me that my son's birthday (and easter) are fast approaching. This year they're only one day apart.

So I made him a cute little bunny. Aside from the ears and tail, it is made from a square "swatch" of knitting. I'm pretty sure sewing it together took longer than the actual knitting of it. ;^)

Knitted Bunny, from Heartstrings FiberArts. I used a mohair blend lace yarn (Crystal Palace Kid Merino) held double. The tail is angora fibers, and the nose is some leftover cashmere from a recycled sweater.

Little Projects Finish Fast!

2008-02-18T12:07:00.002-05:00

So of course, as I'm finishing things that have been on the needles a while, I reward myself by casting on more new things. But small ones, so they go quicker. I have two to show you but I'm going to put them in separate posts. :^)

This nifty ball is knit in motifs and then stitches are picked up from the side(s) of the last motif(s) to form part of the next one. It's a pain to knit silk noil yarn really tight (it feels like cotton), but I'm very happy that none of the stuffing shows!

Celestine Ball, by Norah Gaughan. I used my handdyed and handspun silk noil (with a wpi of about 12 wpi it would be considered DK weight, but it was very dense compared to other yarns of similar weight). I modified this pattern by casting on fewer stitches and knitting one less row between each decrease row b/c I wasn't sure I would have enough yarn and I was getting a larger gauge. Therefore, mine is less pointy than the original.

I made it for my boy. He likes it, and so do the cats. Hehe.

Pretty neat, huh? I'm contemplating making a few more, smaller and pointier and in a cheap shiny yarn, for ornaments. Later. Maybe.

I'm On A Roll.

2008-02-12T11:11:00.001-05:00

I finished my handspun scarf. This is the handspun that won a couple of awards at the state fair.

I'm very happy with how it turned out, and it's nice and warm. The pattern is the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf by Karen Baumer.

I have woven in the ends since that picture.

Mmmmmmm, textural goodness.

One More Time.

2008-02-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

What did I tell you? Another project done. :^D

I am so happy with this one. And it used just over 50 grams of yarn. Win-win all around!

The pattern is the Transparent Cardigan someone kindly shared on Craftster.

Precious Little Headband

2008-02-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

*** Looking for the pattern? Scroll to the bottom! ***

I should be finishing some things up in the next few weeks. It's the upside of cast-on-itis. I keep casting on new things and have a ton of WIPs, and just work on them for ages... then all of a sudden they all seem to get finished at the same time!

Have a look at this one. I started this headband ages ago (as in well before Christmas), with only a vague idea of who it would be given to. I have a friend who just had her baby girl, and my cousin has a little girl who is right around 15 months. I think...

Well, I got to see my cousin over the holiday and her little cutie is just starting to get her hair. My friend's baby was born with a head full! Two weeks now and the newborn has hair halfway down the back of her neck.

So... I figured my cousin's little girl would get the most use out of it. :^)

I started with the idea of following another pattern, but I have altered it so completely that the only resemblance to the original pattern is the fact that it is a headband at all.

The little scrolls don't really show up this well in real life.

(Also makes a nice garter, hey? Hehe).

It can be worn with the flower in either position, although the butterfly might seem a little upside down. The butterfly is on the seam - I think I did a pretty good job with it.

The cable pattern for the band follows:

--------------------------- Headband Pattern ---------------------------

Gauge: Unimportant.
Yarn: Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Cotton, Size 10
Needles: US #2

Pattern:

CO 12 stitches with twisted cast-on.

1. Purl across.
2. K2, P1, K6, P1, K2.
3. Purl across.
4. K2, P1, 3x3 cable, P1, K2.

Knit in pattern until piece measures the circumference of the baby's head when stretched an appropriate amount. (Stretch the headband, not the baby's head). End on row 4 if at all possible, and keep your stitches live.

Seaming:
Cut about 6 inches or so of yarn and thread a tapestry needle. Start a kitchener stitch on your live stitches by inserting the needle through the last stitch knit-wise (the needle with your live stitches should be above with wrong side facing you, and your cast-on edge should be below with right side facing you). Insert the needle from the right outside edge and behind both bars of the right-most stitch below the cast-on edge. Continue with the kitchener on your knitting needle: insert the tapestry needle purl-wise through the stitch and drop it off, then insert the needle knit-wise into the next stitch. This time, insert your tapestry needle from the front and right side of the next stitch, pass beneath both bars of this stitch and bring the needle back to the front. You may notice that your seaming on the cast-on edge strongly resemble mattress stitch. Continue in this manner, occasionally tugging very gently to give this "row" similar tension to the rest of your knitting, until all stitches have been bound off. Weave in your ends on the back, and finish by tying the two ends in a tight square knot. Slick cotton is sneaky.

Now make some leaves, flowers, butterflies, bugs, etc and embellish to your heart's content. I used crochet but there are also knitted patterns for nature motifs. Embroidery is also pretty on this headband.

Copyright 2008 © Elizabeth Thomas
Free for personal use. Do not sell this pattern. Do not distribute this pattern (except by linking directly to it here). Do not sell items made from this pattern without my express written permission.

Very Close Now

2008-01-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

I have been working on the sample and the pattern for Thalia a lot lately, and I am delighted to report that there is only one small bit left to do (pattern diagrams) before sending everything in. Whew!

I had originally thought that this yarn would be perfect for my pattern... but the gauge was a bit more different than I realized at first. So I had to tweak for my row gauge. Kind of a lot actually, although the gauge wasn't off that much. The pattern is very involved around the straps and I had to work through each size separately. Again. Hahaha.

Here is the sample of Thalia, pre-blocking. I extended the armhole by half an inch after making and wearing my prototype a bit, and I was delighted to find that this version fits very comfortably with the adjustment.

And the final completion, blocked and all. I didn't try it on after I blocked it... I don't know if I was superstitious or what! I'm going to wait and enjoy seeing it on Sanguine Gryphon's model (and hope that she doesn't have an extra-long torso, haha)!

And what else have I been doing? I did get a pair of felted slippers finished for my boy.

They took a fair bit of felting, and I did a few sessions of hand-felting to get them small enough and shaped right. They're from a Drops pattern, I made the smallest size with one strand of patons wool.

I also made a couple of hats before Christmas, for my nephews... and of course I forgot them when I left to visit family. Dur. But I remembered to bring the hats with me for their birthday (they're twins). I'm still working on the youngest nephew's hat, or rather I should say I'm still neglecting it with little left to be finished.

This is from the One for All Cap by Tuulia.

This is the Skull Hat by Gina (check the sidebar for the pattern).

I'll show the last hat if I ever finish it.

Fitted Pocket Diaper Pattern

2007-12-10T14:46:00.000-05:00

Well, several asked and I have finally finished writing it up. Please check the sidebar under "My Stuff to Share" for the pattern.

I need to warn you, this is not a pattern for the faint of heart. Or the beginner (sorry!). If you have questions or difficulties, don't be afraid to contact me and I will try to help you. :^)

The Ravelry Ate My Blog Posts

2007-12-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

It's true, I swear. I have been very good at posting on Ravelry, and not so good about keeping up with my blog.

But I do have some things to chat about. Remember my pattern, Thalia?

Sanguine Gryphon has accepted my submission (pending a few details). It will highlight her yarn Dance, which is 100% silk noil. I've started working on getting the pattern into the appropriate format for her, and I'm going to be knitting a sample piece for her too.

I've knit up a cute little raglan for my boy in the same yarn in the Merengue color. (I ran out, haha, so I had to switch to a different yarn at the collar). He loves this sweater. Such a good boy. :^)

The spiraling on the sleeves is a defect of my method with DPNs. Ah well, it's better than ladders and has become less noticeable with wear.

I have some more things to add (as always), but they will have to wait.

P.S. - I have started on the Knitted Fitted Pocket Diaper pattern, but it's going to be a while before I finish it with a toddler around. I've gotten to a section that requires concentration (partly to remember what on earth I did, hah).

Knitted Fitted Pocket Diaper

2007-11-07T15:20:00.001-05:00

I thought I would try out a pocket diaper, but I didn't feel like buying or sewing one so I knitted it instead.

It still requires a diaper cover to be worn with it. It's just nice because it has the gussets on the side (which is kind of a luxury for us because we normally just use prefolds).

I'm thinking I might try to figure out a sewn version later. This one is really a little too stretchy around the waist.

Sneaky Raven

2007-11-07T11:12:00.000-05:00

Ooh, something shiny! Mine!

Sometimes I forget to take pictures of the pretty things I make before I give them away, but this time I remembered. I think I like this origami presentation, don't you? I had the idea the other day and just started going with it. It just makes it kind of impossible to write in pertinent details, like materials and recommended needle size.

I have some knitting pictures I need to catch up, but I don't have time to do it right now.

It Had To Happen Eventually....

2007-10-12T12:26:00.000-04:00

Hehehe, that's right. I made that tiniest and most unmentionable of unmentionables. Well, maybe not tiniest, and maybe not the most unmentionable, but it definitely rates right up there! It took me half a week, believe it or not.

Here is the front.

And this is the back. It is resting on one of my shoes.

I haven't gotten up the nerve to actually wear it yet, but soon. And for those that are interested in the pattern it is the Frecklegirl Thong from Kn1t.com. I highly recommend knitting it to gauge at 8 st/inch, instead of going 10 st/inch like I did. I love the fabric it made but boy is it teeny!

Fresh From The Garden

2007-10-08T18:48:00.001-04:00

I've been watching this beauty slowly unfurl for days. The day before yesterday it was a narrow green caterpillar peeking out of the sepals. Yesterday it was a narrow pale green tube.

This morning it was a limp, dangling thing. I've peeked at it intermittently all day and then all of a sudden this evening it was this fresh, perfect blossom.

Incidentally, it is a brugmansia (or Angel's Trumpet). The sap or juice from any part of this plant is toxic, but the flowers are intensely fragrant in addition to being delicately beautiful.

A Floppy Hat

2007-10-05T00:07:00.000-04:00

I finished something! It is a floppy hat.

I dyed the yarn purple and blue and green (with white space between the colors). But I didn't care for it much once it was knitted, so I tried overdyeing with burgundy. (I expected two shades of purple, brown, and burgundy at the end). Instead, I got several shades of brown. I decided I liked it even better this way. And then of course I found this nice pattern Palisel that I was able to twist and turn to my own ends.

I wasn't entirely happy with the decreases, but they're much better than my first try and I was tired of messing with it.

Local Pride

2007-09-27T11:26:00.000-04:00

In the form of a hat!

I made this up for one of my dear friends of old, a rabid Hurricanes fan. She requested gloves... but I really wanted to use this chart. It was too big for gloves. It's nearly too big for the hat too!

And ummm, if you're reading this Ms. A&W, you still have to pretend to be excited when I give it to you. So there. :')

(This was taken in a mirror, so the logo is reversed).

I haven't actually finished anything else since I last wrote, but I've done a little of this and that and started a ton of things. Dyeing, spinning, (even some cleaning), and casting on and swatching. Hopefully I will have another finished object to show you soon.

Thalia

2007-08-23T17:24:00.000-04:00

Allow me to introduce:

Thalia

I'm still plotting to tweak some things for the final pattern, but for just me I'm happy with this shirt.

ETA: I should have mentioned this the first time I posted. My original vision was fairly different from this final version, but I held true to my desire for a tank top inspired by ancient Greek fashion. There is a reason that so many designers through the ages kept looking back to the Greco-Roman period for inspiration!

The ribbing pattern gives the impression of pleats, and the cowl neck gives real pleats and a pleasant drape.

So Close!

2007-08-22T23:57:00.000-04:00

So close I can hardly stand it!

If I wasn't sure I would completely lose my marbles I might even try to finish it tonight...

Yeah, I'm not even coherent anymore. Look at the pics and see what you think.

And I haven't been slacking on the pattern-writing either. Currently I am complete on all sizes for the torso, and I have the directions for my size in the rest. I have a strong suspicion the math is going to be hurting my brain when I start fleshing out the other sizes in the bust and back.

For The Family

2007-08-13T10:33:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while I manage to catch the kid being extra cute on film. Here's the little cat-tormenter being sweet on the phone. :^)

Fresh Yarn

2007-08-08T11:27:00.000-04:00

And bright too!

I did some spinning after finishing Sahara. I used the shetland/angora blend that I dyed with easter egg dye, and some yummy black alpaca. I then plied that in the same direction as the first spinning with a teal rayon thread that I had beaded. I navajo plied the whole thing to get this:

Look at the beads!

I still actually need to work on this a little more. The different fibers took the twist differently and the black sections need more twist (in the navajo plying direction) to be balanced.

Also I need a name for it. So far all that's come to me is "Cyber." Any ideas?

I have been knitting a fair bit on a tank top I'm trying to design. I don't really want to show it until I'm done with it. Especially since there's always the chance it will just get ripped if it doesn't come together properly.

And just because, I leave you with a pic of Kahlua with a flower.

Sahara Is Finished!

2007-07-31T10:06:00.000-04:00

Woo! Now for pictures. :^)

Is it time for sweaters yet?

Anniversary Pictures

2007-07-27T10:33:00.000-04:00

We did have a very lovely anniversary. Here's our anniversary pictures for this year (I haven't skipped a year yet, although there's a couple years that are kind of rough looking).

(Our friend has a beautiful side-yard, huh)?

It's just not fun unless there's peek-a-boo involved, heh. ;^)

More Sahara

2007-07-27T10:15:00.000-04:00

Another progress pic. I'm not that fast, it's just that the last picture I posted had been sitting on my camera for a while.

Look, only one sleeve left to go!

Kokomo is fascinated by this strange ritual. Why did the food-provider spread this mysterious blanket on the floor?

Hehe.

Finished Anti-Tink Bag

2007-07-27T09:58:00.000-04:00

I hate that I forgot to take a "before" picture, but here is the "in progress" pic again for reference:

And here is the completed masterpiece!

I added additional jewelry, including a stud in the top of her ear and a ring in the wing. I gave more weight to the outline of the wings, and I added a lighter brown to her hair and eyebrows. I gave her a beauty mark. I outlined the ribbon in her hair with more purple, but it still doesn't really show.

It was so much fun drawing on this thing that I keep looking for other little details I could add. But I really can't b/c I like it the way it is.

The Doomed Shirt

2007-07-25T19:14:00.000-04:00

Here it is, the shirt that was bigger every time I tried it on. I tweaked it to make it fit, it fits, I wash it and it's bigger yet again.

Also I kept running out of yarn. It was very frustrating.

I love this yarn and it wasn't cheap, but this is one for the botched file.

It comes close enough to fitting in the cups to have been wearable around the house. Maybe. But check out the rest of it.

And this is after I took it in some and moved the buttons. It hangs all the way down to the small of my back. Bah. Anyone want some pre-knitted fabric?? It's bamboo.

Sahara Progress

2007-07-25T18:52:00.000-04:00

I finally got around to editing my pics. This one is a bit outdated but it shows the shaping of Sahara coming along.

I bought myself a knitting bag to hold it because my other bags were a bit small. I found the perfect bag and it was on clearance... only problem was it had Tinkerbell on it.

Here's a pic showing the beginning of the transformation:

I forgot to take a pic before starting. I've already added brown to her hair, outlined her wings in purple and her dress in green, added brown to her eyebrows so they're not just lines, added curved lines to show the sides of her nostrils (it was just one long line for her nose and a dot for the nostril opening before). I shaded her eyes in with green, gave her purple eyeshadow, gave her jewelry, and drew in purple nail polish. That one is really subtle.

I'll take a picture of the finished bag soon.

Coffeeeeee........

2007-07-25T17:19:00.000-04:00

I ordered a fancy coffeemaker on Monday. It got here today. From Texas... I think they must have got my order, and immediately jumped in a truck to zip it up here. They're lucky they didn't get caught for speeding.

I mean really? Two days for standard shipping? Woo-hoo!!

I was nervous about the website, because it looked a little sketchy but they have definitely impressed me so far. And I haven't noticed any additional charges on my paypal. ;^)

So, the coffeemaker. It's called Aeropress and it's kind of like a french press, but engineered and tweaked a bit to make even smoother coffee. Supposedly. I looked at reviews on this and other french presses on amazon.com and this one had nearly unanimous raving reviews. And lot of them, too.

I just tried it. With this particular coffee it's definitely a heck of a lot better than my little coffeepot. It's a breeze to clean. I think there's less grounds in the coffee, but I haven't got to the bottom of the cup yet. And I already had a thermometer so the all-important temperature factor is something I can control.

Also, in unrelated news, I got into Ravelry. Yeah... I'm already in the coffee & tea lovers' group. It's going to take me a while just to get my older projects loaded into the system. And the websurfing, yeah, I could lose a few days in there.

Since I probably won't be able to sleep after testing out the aeropress, maybe it's a good thing? Just pity my husband, haha.

So.....Close...!

2007-07-19T18:36:00.000-04:00

You might not be able to see in this picture, but I'm only 397 people away from being invited to Ravelry.

In vaguely related news, I've been sick. Watching my number approach on Ravelry's checkpage has helped cheer me up. It's also just about all the knitting content I've been able to manage for the last couple of days.

I have some pictures on my camera but I definitely haven't felt good enough to sort through them. Sorry.

Also that thing I was working on, with only a teaser photo, came out cute-looking but didn't fit at all. I'm going to see if I can pawn it off on someone else to use for the fabric... or something..

Five Years

2007-07-13T00:42:00.000-04:00

Five years ago today, something very special happened.

You took my hand.

And you spoke to my heart.

You danced with me.

<

And then... you did all three "takes" of the champagne sip with me.

Happy anniversary, darling.

Another Dicebag & Ramblings

2007-07-09T11:01:00.000-04:00

I spun up that lovely dark roving and got this:

And I couldn't leave it alone, so I wound it into a center-pull ball and knitted another dicebag with it. My tension(drape) and gauge are very different from the first and the shape and size of the bag reflect this discrepancy.

Front:

Back:

We visited el husbando's folks over the 4th of July. I gave his dad the hat I made for him and I gave his mom some bright green and yellow yarn. It was neat and bulky, but I couldn't quite figure out what to make with it. We managed to completely miss the 4 hours the yarn shop was open on the 4th, and they're always closed on Thursdays so that kind of sucked. They have a large variety of roving and spinnable fibers so I feel like I miss out if I don't go, but I really do have a ton of roving that I could be spinning...

On the way back to Raleigh we stopped in at Asheville to get ice cream (and let me go to a different yarn store, hehee) at Grove Arcade with hubby's aunt & uncle. The last time we were in Asheville I discovered the Home Crafts store for the first time, and bought some lush merino/silk blend from Mackey's Acres, and also some delightful black alpaca from Battman. I love the alpaca so much, but I've never had anything spin so happily as that merino/silk blend. So of course they didn't have any available this time. She kindly made a request of Mackey's Acres, and our Aunt offered to pick it up for me and bring it to Raleigh on her trip in a few weeks...ummm, I'm not actually sure when her trip is but she should be visiting us before we're back out that way.

So now I'm standing in a yarn store with money hypothetically intended for roving burning a hole in my pocket. Burning, burning... I wander through and pet the yarns and admire the expensive silks and the amazing alpaca yarns (almost bought one of the alpaca too, if it hadn't been bulky weight I probably would have). Then I came across the bamboo. I want to try spinning this stuff sometime, and soysilk too, but it's new and really popular right now and I'm kind of hoping the price will come down a little bit. There were a couple of bamboo yarns there and I got to touch bamboo yarn for the first time. It was almost as decadent as touching silk and had a sheen to match, with the friendly softness of cotton, and so smoothly and finely spun. And it was much less expensive than the silk. I had to have it.

I found a pattern in Knitting Lingerie Style that had a chance, and I got gauge right off the bat. Unfortunately I did run out of yarn (I bought all 2 balls in that colorway at the store). I hunted down the yarn locally, they didn't have that colorway but I found a coordinating solid. I barely had enough of the first to knit a stripe into each strap so it wouldn't look like I had just thrown it together. I had to dismantle the button band from another piece to get enough yarn. All of the pieces are knit now and I have to finish sewing it together and...

knitting the trim... I'm not sure if I will have enough of the contrast color I bought.

I'm pretty sure this yarn has officially driven me insane. I've been knitting and working on it pretty constantly to the point that my husband accused me of ignoring him all weekend. I'm scared I'm going to run out of yarn, and I'm terrified that it won't fit right when I finish it. Why do these factors make me want to work on it as if compelled by dark forces??

I don't want to show it until I'm done, but you can see some of the stitch pattern in this teaser:

I also got a lot done on Sahara during the trip. I'll have to take pics of my progress on that later.

Charts And Graphs

2007-07-01T11:45:00.000-04:00

I'm working up charts in the normal alignment and removing the sideways ones when I do. (I still have the sideways ones. Just ask if you want the link).

I've just gotten the autobot one replaced. I probably won't put up any new posts as I replace the rest. So keep an eye on the "My Stuff To Share" in the sidebar!

More Stuff (To Share)

2007-06-30T17:25:00.001-04:00

I added another chart. Check the sidebar for the Batman Logo Chart - and this time I made sure it wasn't sideways. ;^)

Also, I still love my new camera.

Stitch Markers In Silver

2007-06-29T10:29:00.000-04:00

I made up a set of stitch markers for one of my knitting buddies. Check them out!

I liked them so much I had to make myself one too. I didn't take a picture of it though.

Ka-Chow!

2007-06-28T13:38:00.000-04:00

Or whatever it is that Lightning says in Cars... I finally got a really dark dyejob.

It only bled for hours and hours and forced me to felt it to finally get all the red dye out of it. It seriously looked and felt like it was bleeding! Very gross. I think it would have been slightly less gross if it really had been bleeding. At least then it wouldn't have dyed my hands.

But it is so perfectly what I was trying to create! I just need to learn how to get what I want without wasting so much dye.

Also, I know what you crave, Barbara. Yes, that's right. Check this out:

At least one of those center pull balls is yours. I had intended it to be the 3-ply one, and I spun it first. But I didn't expect the single to come out so even or so thin... so we'll see if Beth sees any potential in it or not. I like them both a lot more now than when I was spinning them. I've never had to put so much pre-spinning work into yarn!

Anyways, gotta run!

Mmmmm, New Camera.

2007-06-27T23:13:00.000-04:00

I think I might be in love with this thing. Of course the moment we ordered it the old one starts acting normal again. But that's okay because our new camera has macro out the wazoo!

Check this mad macro action:

Those pearls are about the size of rice ~~crispies~~. And the fabric is a reasonably firm canvas.

And there is another sad report of kitty death by giant fish o' doom.

Poor, poor Kokomo. That fish really has it in for him.

Dyed To The Wine

2007-06-25T15:14:00.000-04:00

I mixed some red and black to try and get a nice, dark, rich color. If I had left it in the dyepot long enough I might have succeeded. Yarn always looks SO dark when it's wet!

But it still came out a beautiful wine color. It is a little darker than the photos show. And I kept some dye from the dyebath so I can try it again later.

This is a 70/30 merino/silk blend sockweight yarn I got from knitpicks. They've been really good to me, and I've thoroughly enjoyed their yarn. I just wish they would get some more plant fibers in their Bare line (ready-to-dye yarns).

I Can't Help It

2007-06-25T12:12:00.000-04:00

I've got a cute kid. :^)

Partially inspired by the movie Ice Age, and from just playing this game with us... Sebastian gives his rendition of the game "where's baby?". He asks the question and gives the punchline, hehehe.

(It didn't come through that clearly on the video, but he is saying his own name correctly. He can also say my name - no small feat for a 2-yr old).

Isn't that grin just infectious???

I Caught One!

2007-06-22T23:18:00.001-04:00

Sorry for so many kitty pics, but I just had to post one more.

My fish ate a kitty!

Haha, this was so awesome. The toddler was chasing down Kokomo and he ran into my fish to escape! After that I had to defend his hidey hole. He stayed in there for over an hour (which was better than I had expected when I made it).

I thought he had snuck out long before I took the pic but when I stuck my hand in there I could feel him. If I hadn't used the flash he would have been invisible in the picture too.

First Jacquard Dyeing

2007-06-22T00:54:00.001-04:00

And it turned out great! I bought some short mason jars that fit in my crockpot, and mixed jacquard dyes to get purple, green and blue. I dipped the ends of the skein in the purple and blue and the middles in the green and just let it go for a while.

It's very uneven of course, but that's part of what I like about handdyed yarn. There isn't any room to stir the yarn in the mason jars so... light and dark places abound.

In the skein as dyed:

Looped up attractively:

And a couple of the center-pull ball shots:

Thank you Saun, for the lovely merino yarn. I think I'm well and truly hooked into dyeing yarn now. It is fun and also low-maintenance enough to do while keeping an eye on the toddler. Most of the time, anyway.

More Kid & Kitties

2007-06-21T22:50:00.000-04:00

Occasionally the kitties willingly tolerate the toddler. This is the first time he tried reading the kitty a book, but not the last time. ;^)

Watch out, they're possessed!

And here are the kitties recovering from their baths.

We named the black one Kokomo and the siamese one Kahlua. I didn't tell you that already did I?

Oh and for the ladies of knitting: a picture of the very first pet to enter the ~~kitty condo~~ "Cat Wheel Of Fun".

And I thought he couldn't fit... He tried out the other spaces too, each in turn.

And here is a video where my boy tells me the kitty's name. I'm muttering at the beginning because I thought I had already taken a video but... I was wrong. He is frequently this nice to the cats, and then we turn around and he's pulling a tail or something equally undesirable. Ahhh, toddlers.
Also I apologize for the quality, my camera is in the process of dying.

Kitty Pictures

2007-06-18T13:26:00.001-04:00

We're still working on names for these cute little guys, but here's a couple of pictures.

The boy, still pretty shy (except when playing with his sister!). His eyes are actually a pale dirty yellow; much prettier than it sounds.

The girl. Notice that the tabby in her shows up in markings above her eyes, and there are lighter markings between her ears. Her eyes are a very pale blue.

The boy kitty cries if he finds himself alone in a room for very long. He likes to have his sister nearby but he'll also calm down if I hold him or pet him. I think she would have been fine even if we had only adopted her, but they're so sweet together and I'm really glad we have them both.

The girl kitty actually allowed Sebastian to come up and pet her and he picked her up. It took a few reminders to him that he needed to be quiet and walk up slowly, but he seems to be getting it. Sebastian is learning how to be gentle very quickly since he absolutely loves the kitties and wants to pet them all the time.

I Got..... TWO Kitties!

2007-06-17T21:08:00.000-04:00

And they're completely adorable. But still a little shy. They're in "sniff the new house until it starts smelling normal" mode.

We got a siamese colored girl kitty with short ears and muzzle, and a solid black boy kitty with longish ears. (They're siblings). They're so incredibly sweet. From time to time they stop sniffing everything to pounce each other a little.

And the siamese one tried out the fish! It was hilarious with just a kitty tail sticking out of it, but I guess she got a little nervous because she didn't stay in it long.

I hope they settle in really quickly, and become lap kitties.

The Fish That Wouldn't Die

2007-06-16T23:48:00.000-04:00

I finished the sewing on this bad boy ages ago. I actually blogged about it shortly before I finished it, and I think the blog helped goad me to finish. (I am too lazy right now to hunt down that blog).

All that was left were the ping pong eyes. I made a start on them (I cut them in half) after the sewing and then just gave up on removing the sharpie and brand name marks that were on them.

I tackled the sharpie with a gratuitous amount of rubbing alcohol yesterday (see, this is why I wasn't knitting Sahara). The edge got vaguely purple, but none of the sharpie came off. I gave up on that and went whole hog with the nail file. That took off the brand name markings pretty quickly and the sharpie too... with a little effort.

I glued the ping pong balls to the fabric and then to the fish, and blanket stitched the edges of the fabric. And finally finally gave it eyes.

Behold! The kitty bed that took over 3 years to complete. Probably closer to four years. These first pics are before I finish tweaking the pupils of the eyes.

And a couple after I filled in some more of the eye. I tried to model them after frog pupils.

We might be getting the kitty tomorrow! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! So excited.

Double Sahara Update

2007-06-16T23:39:00.000-04:00

Because I missed one. And I maybe didn't knit on it yesterday. Shhhhh, don't tell.

At the end of knitting on Thursday I had this:

And tonight, after adding in some short row darts and starting on the decreases for the waist, I have this:

You may notice that tan string running through the middle of the stitches right above my short row darts. That is my lifeline, because I have learned through experience you shouldn't do creative things to a pattern without having a nice, easy, rip-back row. Plus it has been a long time since I designed that cotton shirt with the short rows and I couldn't remember if I did it right. So far, it looks like it's going to fit all kinds of awesome! 8^D

I Wonder If I Can Keep This Up?

2007-06-14T18:32:00.000-04:00

Alright, another last night picture. Actually, I haven't gotten to knit any yet today so this is realtime. :^)

It's really curly, but all the curled edges will be picked up with stitches later so no worries. Yet.

A picture a day, and actual progress to show. I am loving knitting on this so far. I need to get to a store and find some beads before I get to the trim.

Mine, All Mine!

2007-06-13T11:41:00.000-04:00

My yarn came yesterday. And the book. And the dye kit.

I pored (geez, I've seen this misspelled so many times it looks wrong even when it's right) through the book. Even the guys enjoyed looking through this book of patterns. ;^)

I put the dye kit up for now. I tend to dye when I'm feeling bored.

And the yarn. It's very lush - Andean Silk from knitpicks.com. In fact, I started on Sahara last night because I just couldn't wait.

This is the first section. Just looks like a rectangle, huh? That's because that's what it is (at the top of the back). The next section starts shaping for the armholes. It's very soft and yummy yarn, but I think I might have to shave the sweater when it's finished. The yarn is kind of hairy!

Yarn & Online Orders

2007-06-11T20:34:00.000-04:00

So, I ordered some of this lush-looking yarn in the color olive just over a week ago. No, it wasn't on sale when I ordered 11 balls of it. *Sigh* I feel somewhat jipped.

Especially since my order of this cotton/linen blend, ordered a good 5 days later, arrived today. That's right, it came from Canada in easily half the time the American order took, and that's assuming it arrives tomorrow. Admittedly, I chose priority mail from elann.com because it was only 10 cents more and knitpicks.com is shipping my stuff for free.

I am still mad that I'm spending nearly $9.00 more than I would have if I had just waited five days. I know, I know, why would they tell me? The sale wasn't on yet when I ordered. *Grrrrrr*, is all I have to say. The sad thing is I wouldn't have felt as bad if it had been a color that they didn't put on sale.

In other news, I got to see the book I ordered (at a store, since the order has yet to arrive). I'm about to die, it is even so much better than I had anticipated! I WANT MY BOOK!

I also bullied my mother into giving/loaning me her cotton handcards. They're antiques that have been in our family for a long time. Although apparently you can get the same type on eBay for $10.00. I'm wondering if it's the same price (with inflation factored in) that they would have cost new. It wouldn't surprise me. I definitely need more practice on them but they're a whole lot better than dog brushes for carding fiber!

Mmmmmmmm, yarn. Um, sorry, are you still here? That's all I had to say. I haven't really been doing anything productive lately. Just a little swatching here and there for a pattern I'm trying to design. It will be a long time coming though, so don't hold your breath.

Hello, Local Knitters

2007-06-08T12:33:00.000-04:00

I made a poll on the yahoo group. If you're in this area and you enjoy knitting in public from time to time, please take the time to check it out! I need this info to help make a persuasive argument.

Also, if you're in this area and you're not in the yahoo group, you should join it just to keep up with what other knitters here are doing. You don't want to miss out on anything cool, do you??? ;^)

Thanks!

The poll is HERE.

If you're not a member of the group you'll have to sign up first.

Free Pattern

2007-06-05T19:03:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,

I have a free pattern for the dicebag up in "My stuff to share" in the sidebar. I know it's not much, but it also has the toggle directions. And a couple of pictures with the toggle.

I'm using Google documents to host it... not really sure if I like it but oh well. Let me know what you think, or if you know a better document hosting site.

Sexay Bra

2007-06-05T15:25:00.000-04:00

I got this bra pattern from Interweave Knits' website.

I knit the purple part as written, but I simplified the attachment points on the sides and just knit a faux i-cord up from the cups for the cords.
Faux i-cord: slip1, knit1, slip1. Turn. Purl across. Turn. Repeat for desired length.
It makes a cord that is a little bit flattened, but only a little.

If I make it again I'm going to knit the plain pattern without dividing/shaping for longer so it gives a little more coverage. (I love it as is, but it is definitely skimpy on me).

And here is the Fembot, modelling for me because I'm too wussy to put that much skin on the internet. But Fembot has no shame, as you can see in the following pictures. ;^)

And the back? How does that work??? :^)
I will show you how my straps cross in the back b/c I'm nice that way, even though the original pattern failed to bother with such a useful picture.

This knit was a quick little flash in the pan. I finished the whole thing in just 4 days. But I'm gearing up for a long-term commitment: I recently ordered yarn to make my Sahara. I can hardly wait!

RIT Dyeing & Tie-Dyeing

2007-06-05T14:52:00.000-04:00

I read a post on Craftster.org about dyeing and cutting up t-shirts for yarn. It seemed like a fun idea and the pics looked great, so I tried it out too.

I used RIT's dark green and denim blue.

I also tried tie-dyeing. The green diaper was the first try, and the shirt was last. I took the rubber bands off the blue one too soon. It only looks this good in the flash, but in reality it's just blobby blue.

I got pretty good by the time I did his shirt. Too bad there wasn't much dye left in the pot.

This is about what the blue one looks like, but the green one looks better (more like the previous photo).

I dyed a lot of shirts. The procrastinator one I'm keeping for me. It was a hideous pale blue when I bought it, but now it's a beautiful dark denim-ish blue.

Closeup of the procrastinator shirt.

It's more fun to dye shirts than to cut them up. It made my hands really sore! But now I have neato t-shirt yarn.

I wanted to make a bathrobe for the boy, but it might be too thick for it. I'm trying to make up my mind between that and a rug... also I want the colors to look good which means planning. Planning definitely slows me down when prepping a project.

Stuff For You

2007-06-04T23:41:00.000-04:00

Hey, just wanted to point out that I've added some charts in my sidebar "My stuff to share."

Yes, I know most of them are sideways. Let's just say that when I was charting them and cleaning them up I was confused. For some reason it seemed to make sense at the time that the stitches would be taller than they are wide. I used KnitPro, but then I sharpened the edges in MSpaint.

Anyway, it takes me a really long time to clean up the rough edges so the only one that I fixed is one I've actually knitted (the recycle logo).

Which, by the way, I do have in a sideways version if you so desire it.

Have fun!

Ravelry?

2007-06-04T11:29:00.000-04:00

Did you guys know about this and just didn't tell me?

https://www.ravelry.com/account/login

I put my name on the list just now. I'm dying to get in there and find out what it's all about. (That's right, they're not taking just anybody... you gotta get on the list and wait and hope. I'm just kidding, it's still beta and they're easing into it).

Do you think that people will sell invitations on eBay like they did when gmail was still new and beta? *smirk*

Handspun Hat

2007-06-02T14:34:00.000-04:00

My FIL has been encouraging my spinning habit at every opportunity. He bought me a wheel and an umbrella swift. And he buys me lots of roving (and some yarn too) whenever I'm in town. He even made me a beautiful and beautifully balanced top-whorl hand spindle. I've taken to calling him my "patron of the arts" (see, it's even funnier because "patron" means "father" and he's my FIL... oh nevermind).

So anyway, I thought about making him a hat a while back but I figured he probably had all the hats he needed because he lives in the mountains. But on this last trip he casually mentioned that he would like a hat... Yeah, I jumped all over that. He probably knows I'm crazy now. The monologue went something like this:

"A hat? You want a hat? I LOVE making hats! I'll make you a hat! I would have made you a hat a lot sooner if I had known you wanted a hat! Hats are great!"

Except I think I kept talking about it for about five more minutes. ;^)

I used the same handspun I had for my legwarmers, plus I carried a thread of the lambswool/angora blend sweater that I recycled to give it a little more stability.

P.S. - M, if you're reading this, you're still required to act surprised when I give it to you! ;^)

And yes, it is yet another That Chocolate's Gone Straight To Your Ribs Hat. Because you know I love it.

More Yarn

2007-06-02T14:31:00.000-04:00

Yup, I finished that delightful silk & merino blend, and the dense black alpaca. I plied it together with two strands from a recycled lambswool/angora sweater and just look what I got!

My very first 4-ply (or at least my first 4-ply containing any handspun):

I am so in love with this yarn. Now the torment of figuring out what to make with it. Can't waste any! Hehe.

I Dyed.

2007-05-30T13:59:00.000-04:00

In the crockpot no less. It was a lot of fun. :^)

I apparently can't keep up with my fluff purchases and also must be very attracted to the shetland wool/angora blend from Avillion Farm, because I found myself with three different batches of it. I thought I had two. Heh.

So, no excuse not to dye a bit. I used the same easter egg colors I dyed the sock yarn with previously and now I'm trying to decide if I should try to sell this beauty. It's taken a lot of self-control (and the delightful alpaca & merino/silk blend of the previous post) to keep me from spinning this caribbean delight.