Hello Again

I have been very into crochet lately--I'm working on a kit for a crocheted afghan that belonged to my great-grandmother, and I'm working a bit on my own crochet designs (with help from crochet stitch books).
I also made this for my cousin's fourth birthday in March:

Crochet Breakfast by Jessica Spencer, Beansprout Creations (Rav link)

I just used scrap yarn (acrylic and machine-washable cotton) that I had in the stash. My cousin loves to pretend to cook for people so I thought he would like it, and he does.

I was very lucky with my freehand embroidery on a scr ap of felt for the bag (the bag was from some t-shirt sheets we bought a little while ago). Overall, this is one of the projects I am the most proud of, in part because of how well it turned out but also because I only used materials I already had, and because it was a present that is so perfect for my cousin.

 

I am looking forward to a summer full of crochet and crafting!

I did go to NH Sheep and Wool and it was even more fabulous than I could have anticipated. We got there mid-morning and didn't leave until the vendors were closing up! I'll post pictures of the haul soon. For now, here are some llamas, alpacas and goats to entertain you:







Besides gardening, family events, and Sheep and Wool, my time has been taken up by this little guy:




I adopted Ollie from a shelter a couple of months ago but I was too busy trying to keep him out of my yarn stash (my dad woke up one morning to find a trail of tangled yarn leading down the hallway) and trying to keep the peace between Ollie and our other cat to remember to post about him.


There is still lots of knitting going on; in fact I blame the spurts of knitting (along with the aforementioned cat adventures and other activities) for the lack of blogging, if that makes any sense. The gardening and beautiful weather in particular have pulled me away from the blog.


I do have one half of a pair of mittens to show you:




Next weekend I will be at the Granite State Knit-In at Loon Mountain, taking classes and hanging out knitting with some awesome peeps ;) Every year there is a contest and the entries (if the person chooses) are given to charity. This is my entry: Yankee Knitter Designs "Pattern Mittens" in the heart motif, size child's medium (6-8 years). I love Yankee Knitter Designs for their classic, vintage and homespun looks, and I've wanted to knit this pattern for awhile. This project has the added advantage of busting some of my stash; I just grabbed a couple of skeins of what I think is Lion Brand Wool-Ease, because I wanted them to be washable. Stash-busting for a good cause--nothing feels better!

Spring Things

It seems that spring has finally arrived here in New Hampshire. The yard sales and flea markets have opened (I scored some vintage patterns and a beautiful wooden needlework lap hoop yesterday) and when I'm not hunting down deals or working on my garden I'm working on spring garments.


This is the Madison Scarf from Blueprint Crochet. I love this book, and this is actually my second project from it. I have also made the earring and necklace motifs but I haven't sprayed them with stiffener or assembled them yet. It took a little bit for me to understand this pattern, but having the charted crochet designs are a huge help for a beginner like myself.



Madison Scarf by Robyn Chachula from Blueprint Crochet
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, one skein lavender (color is truer in the photo above)
Source: The Elegant Ewe
Hook: US Size K
Modifications: I did one less repeat than instructed because I would have run out of yarn otherwise; however, my scarf looks just as long as the one in the book and is the perfect length for me.



Look! Some socks!



Classic Socks from The Yankee Knitter
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Custom Hand-Dyes for The Purl Bee, two skeins mint
Source: Purl
Needles: US Size 1, two 24" circular needles
Modifications: None. I just adjusted this plain sock pattern to the whim of the moment (well, only with the first sock. The second one I tried to match ;)





More socks! My sock-knitting mojo is back!



Pomatomus Socks by Cookie A., from Knitty Winter 2005
Yarn: Ball and Skein Hand-Dyed Sock Yarn, 1 skein "Sargasso Sea"
Source: Ball and Skein booth at the 2008 New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival
Needles: US Size 1 and 2 bamboo dpns
Modifications: I used US Size 1 dpns for the foot to make them last longer.

I love how the colors and the dye job work so well with this pattern! This was one skein of sock yarn that I had a plan for when I bought it (which is not the norm for me). I'm trying to use up yarn that I've bought at the NH Sheep and Wool Festival in previous years, since it is happening next weekend!!! I'm very excited, in case you couldn't tell. I will be wearing these socks next Saturday and enjoying all sorts of woolly goodness.





And a little bit of leftover winter...


I also finally finished my Bird in Hand Mittens. I bought the pattern last August at the Fiber Revival and although I started them in early January they weren't finished until a few weeks ago, and just the other day I sat down to finish the bird embroidery and weave in the ends. I'm still not thrilled with my embroidery so I might take another stab at it next winter.



Bird in Hand Mittens by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Locally spun wool, one skein cream; The Elegant Ewe Custom Spun, one skein scarlet
Source: Creative Natives in Colebrook for the local wool; The Elegant Ewe for their custom spun
Needles: US Size 3, two 24" circular needles, and US Size 3 dpns
Modifications: I used two circular needles for most of the mitten instead of the recommended dpns, and that made my colorwork more even on the back of the mitten, which has large spaces of all one color.



Overall I love them and I'm very pleased with how they came out. I am also very pleased that I can put them away for several months!

I hope to see some of you at the NH Sheep and Wool Festival next weekend! It's so much fun and a great way to support local farmers and artists, some of whom don't go to any other fiber festivals! I'll be there on Saturday--pm me on Ravelry for more specific information!

A Bit of Spring

I crocheted one of the "Bedfellows" from The Happy Hooker for my cousin's third birthday:



If you've seen the pattern before you may be thinking that the two animals were a bear and a bunny, not a mouse, and you're right. Once I had the head finished it looked much more like a mouse than anything else, so I just went with it. This was a great use of stash yarn (all machine-washable acrylic) and even though it took some time it wasn't all that difficult.





I knit a baby sweater for another one of my mom's friends, this time using the Offset Wraplan pattern by Sara Morris (free Ravelry download). This was cute and not a difficult knit, but it took some time (fingering/light DK weight yarn) and there are several buttons to sew on. I used just a little over one ball of Patons Grace.




Lastly, I knit the Spiral Cowl by Keri McKiernan (another free Ravelry download). I used one skein of delicious angora yarn that I bought two years ago at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival (I can't remember their name right now but I'm pretty sure they're there every year). I like that this pattern has a button and a loop so that you can close it to make it more snug, or leave it open. The angora is so warm that I don't usually need to button it up but it's nice to have that option--especially once winter rolls around again.

I'm trying to finish up projects with yarn from last year's Sheep and Wool Festival, and I've also been crocheting a bit too. I recently bought Ysolda's Whimisical Litte Knits book and I'm trying to decide what to knit first!

I did it again

That is, I completely frogged a finished object and reknit it (see previous example here). Although in this case I slightly changed the construction. Nearly a year ago I knit the Miranda scarf (Ravelry link; free pattern link here), which you can see on the blog here.


It is a beautiful scarf pattern and I love it, but the yardage of the cashmere I had wasn't enough to wrap around my neck and still have the look I love (although it is very generous yardage for the price), so I wasn't wearing it very often. I was working on another cowl when it struck me that it would be an excellent project for cashmere, which you want to wear next to your neck, and for the yardage I had available.


So the Miranda Cowl was born:




Miranda Cable Cowl, adapted by Caitlin Stevens from the Miranda Cable Scarf by Smariek Knits
Yarn: Black Pearl Yarns Cashmere in Singapore Smoke, 1 skein
Source: Frogged the Miranda Cable Scarf (originally from kpixie)
Needles: Susan Bates Quicksilver US Size 8 16" circular needle
Modifications: I meant to dig up my notes before I posted this, but if you're interested e-mail me (caitlin.stevensATsimmonsDOTedu) and I'll send you the information. I will also be posting it to my Ravelry notebook for this project (my Ravelry name is CaitlinGracie). I used a size 8 needle so that the finished cowl would have some drape (this is a DK weight yarn) and I cast on enought stitches to add two or three repeats of the cable (making the total number of repeats six or seven). I think it was 106 stitches. Then I just joined for working in the round and worked the rows as directed, except I knit the knits and purled the purls on the wrong side rows.

I kind of just played it by ear, and I did rip it out once and reknit it (I may have moved up to size 9 needles but I'm pretty sure it was 8s). I'm very happy with how it turned out and I think it will help me get through blustery March.

Now my knitting time will be decreasing somewhat as my yarn budget increases, because I got a job! A Real Full-time Job with Benefits. Huzzah!

In Which I Knit Hats Designed by Jared Flood

You may remember that I lost my first Porom while running for the train after class one day. I had an extra skein of the yarn I used and I loved the first one so much that I knew I had to make a second one. I knit the whole thing on New Year's Day, except I made it too slouchy and had to frog back and start the decreases earlier a couple of days later. Still, it is definitely a quick knit and an awesome hat. It might look a little wonky in the picture because it needs to be reblocked. The original blocking was done on the too-large version.




Porom by Jared Flood
Yarn: Jamieson's Double Knitting, 1 skein grey
Source: Stash
Needles: US Size 6 and 8 16" circular needles, US Size 8 dpns
Modifications: None
Soundtracks/Movies/TV: Mamma Mia!, a Saturday Night Live DVD, When Harry Met Sally





Clearly, I cannot get enough of Jared Flood designs, especially the hats. This is the only one that wasn't a stash-buster, because I really wanted to try the Manos Silk Blend. Stay away, my friends. This stuff is so soft and luscious, you won't be able to stop yourself. And the way the silk reflects the light and enhances the colors! It's a good thing my local yarn shop is twenty minutes away, that's all I'm saying.




Koolhaas by Jared Flood for Interweave Knits Holiday 2007
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend, 1 skein Bing Cherry
Source: The Elegant Ewe
Needles: US Size 6 and 8 16" circular needles, US Size 8 dpns
Modifications: None
Soundtracks/Movies/TV: Annie Lennox (Medusa), The Bachelor, Real Housewives of Orange County






Last but not least:




Habitat by Jared Flood
Yarn: Harrisville New England Highland Style, less than 1 skein tweedy rust red
Source: Stash
Needles: US Size 7 and 8 16" circular needles, US Size 8 dpns
Modifications: None
Soundtracks/Movies/TV: The Bachelor, Real Housewives of Orange County






Jared's patterns are beautifully designed and impeccably edited. I get attached to certain designers (Jared, Stefanie, Ysolda) and want to knit everything they design, and I always appreciate designs that are well-edited and clearly written.

Despite this rash of hat-knitting, I don't think I'm done yet! Although part of me is starting to think of spring, and projects like this one.

Random Small Projects

From the pile of finished objects:



Calorimetry by Kathryn Schoendorf, from Knitty Winter 2006
Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too Paintbox, less than 1 ball; Noro Kureyon, less than half of a ball
Source: Stash
Needles: US Size 8 straights
Modifications: Cast on 96 stitches instead of 120 (I have a small head). I also knit a smaller width than recommended, by eyeballing it after working a few repeats of the short rows and deciding double that width would suit me (I think it was two or three fewer repeats; the Kureyon version ended up slightly thinner because I ran out of yarn but I was determined to use up that tiny ball). The Paintbox is the blue and green version and the Kureyon is the yellow-orange-green version.

This pattern is a fabulous stash buster. Plus, it is great for winter as it doesn't entirely flatten your hair. Since it buttons in the back there is minimal static and messed-up hair.

Urchin by Ysolda Teague, from Knitty Fall 2007

Yarn: Gray Romney wool handspun on a drop spindle by me, Rowan Ribbon Twist

Source: Stash (the Rowan was a freebie from when I worked at Patternworks)

Needles: US Size 11 straights

Modifications: Used two different yarns because I ran out of handspun; used size 11 needles because I didn't have size 10.75 as recommended. I think I still ended up cutting a couple of rows so I would have enough yarn to finish the hat.

Another great stash buster, and a great way to use handspun or artisan yarns, because the garter stitch really shows them off.

I love the ragamuffin look of this hat. Ysolda is also one of those designers that I really admire and want to knit everything she has designed. Her blog also makes me want to move to Scotland.

Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark, from Interweave Knits Fall 2006 (Ravelry link, with link to free pattern)

Yarn: Malabrigo Laceweight, 1 ball Polar Morn (used less than 1 ball)

Source: Webs (from when I went to see the Harlot!)

Needles: Addi Turbo Lace Needles US Size 4

Modifications: None.

I love this pattern, as I love all of Evelyn Clark's designs. It was my first time doing nupps (all the rage now that Nancy Bush's book Knitted Lace of Estonia has hit the shelves). This pattern is an excellent quick fix for lace because it works up so fast.

I know this is supposed to be a small shawl, but I should have swatched because mine was a few inches shy of the listed measurements in all directions, even with vigorous blocking. The Malabrigo is a slightly heavier laceweight (so delicious to work with--soft as butter, and the slightly variegated color kept me interested to see what was next), which is really nice but may account for my small shawl. I kind of knew something was up because my ball of yarn seemed curiously large as I neared the end. Oh well--I still love it!

Still Here

Still knitting, too. Just not photographing or uploading photos or the uploaded photos show up incorrectly in Blogger. I'm also still decompressing from grad school, and the holidays were excellent but took a lot out of me, and we're getting lots of snow (meaning I have to shovel the driveway and dig out my car and leave earlier for work, etc.). I have a growing pile of FOs on my toy chest that will hopefully be photographed soon.

Moving along:

• I promised I would show you what I got for Christmas. I received lovely Gingher shears (not my exact model), the Lucy Wrap kit and the Baltic Socks kit from kpixie, a really sweet knitting bag, Zakka Sewing (bittersweet now, because my sewing machine is dead), Blueprint Crochet, and Handmade Nation. My mom also got me a paint-by-numbers kit, which is an inside joke, but is also really fun and totally suits my anal retentive side.
• I reknit Porom. Then I knit Koolhaas. Now I'm working on Habitat. Yes, I am obsessed with hats and Jared Flood designs. In my defense, the yarn for Porom and Habitat came out of the stash, and Koolhaas was an excellent excuse to try the Manos del Uruguay wool/silk blend and I used a giftcard to buy it (thanks Beth!)
• I organized my stash and made a list of projects. I went through all my yarn and general craft stuff. This also really suited my anal retentive side and calmed my mind a little, which was calculating how quickly I knit (not very, but still) and how little money I make working only part-time and how I need to knit in order to deal with unpleasant realities. I have a (long) list of projects to work on so all is well for the moment (in the knitting/craft realm, I mean).
• I seriously love the magazine Crochet Today. The patterns are great and they use cheap yarn from Michael's and A.C. Moore. So I know if the finished object looks great in cheap acrylic, I can either do it with that or use nicer stuff and it will look even better. The overall magazine design is fun and hip, too.
• I knit a sweater, also from the stash. Next time there will be pictures
• Happy February!

I heart Koigu

Is there anyone who doesn't love Koigu? It is soft and delicious and the colors are just amazing, plus the yardage is excellent. I am partial to the handpaints but the solids are beautifully heathered.


Here we have a Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and a Purl Beret. I had so much yarn I decided to make a matching beret, because I didn't need a ridiculously long scarf.



Close up of the beautiful colors:

Close up of the beret:

This yarn had been in the stash for more than a year so I'm happy to have it knit up now. And of course, the beret obsession continues (this is my second Purl Beret, also).

End-of-Summer Wrap Up

It took me a minute to realize that I had finished three garments this summer--and I even did one garment each month! I'm very happy with each of these but I'm excited to start knitting fall sweaters.


First up: Blissful (Ravelry link)



Pattern: Blissful by Keridiane Chez from Stitch'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fine in Rue, no idea how much.
Source: Stash. I had knit the Lucky Clover Wrap Sweater from Stitch'N Bitch Nation with a little less than two cones of this, but I wasn't happy with the fit or gauge so I unraveled it. It was more than a little painful but I'm happy to have reclaimed the yarn. It made this and there is a lot left over, some of which is going into another project that I hope to show you soon.
Hooks: Pony aluminum 3.75 mm (an E for me) and Clover Soft Touch 4.00 mm (an F for me). Here I got a good lesson in why it's important to check the millimeter measurements for your hooks--if I had just used an F and a G it wouldn't have been as tight (which is what I was going for).
Modifications: I did eighteen repeats of the lace bodice part instead of twelve and added extra even rows when working the cups to accommodate my figure. From the Ravelry photos it looks like I did something funky with the weaving row (a ribbon is supposed to run through the stitches under the bust), but it works for me. I didn't have hook-and-eye closures on hand, so I tried sew-on snaps, but they didn't work well. I ended up crocheting the back together. I'm a little nervous about it losing shape and sagging in the back as it gets stretched out, but we'll see how it goes.




I definitely only plan to wear it as in the photos above, over a tank top or a shirt. I intended it to be more of an apron-style top than a stand-alone halter, and I'm really happy with how it came out. I had to rip it out once, and I finished it just in time to wear it Labor Day weekend, but this was a good project for August. It also solved my dislike of knitting with cotton: crocheting with it is easier and seems to suit the fiber better.





This is July:




Pattern: Orangina by Stefanie Japel
Yarn: Patons Grace, (just over) 7 balls Rose
Source: Michael's
Needles: US Size 3 Inox 29" circular (pattern says 24" but I only a 29"--I think I did either the 38" or 40" bust size, and stitches moved around easily)
Modifications: I added an inch or so to the bottom ribbing.





I LOVE this sweater. I kind of got obsessed with the idea of it and the next thing I knew I had bought it and ran to the store to get yarn. Why I decided to start a new sweater project in the last week of my crazy summer semester is beyond me, but it was actually really calming. The pattern is an easy four-row repeat, there is no shaping (I think) and it goes pretty quickly for being on 3's. I knit it in just over a week. I love Stefanie's designs and I plan to knit everything she designs ever. (Her new book, Glam Knits, is coming out soon!!!)




Pattern: A Good Bias by Lisa Daehlin from the Spring 2005 Interweave Knits
Yarn: Cotton Clouds, 5 or 6 skeins "Sunshine"
Source: Stash. My grandma found this nubbly cotton and rayon yarn in her attic, and for awhile I had no idea what to make with it. I've wanted to make this and the original was knit with Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, which is also nubbly, so this yarn was a perfect fit.
Needles: US Size 8, Susan Bates Quicksilver 29" circular needles (circs aren't necessary, I just used them for portability purposes)
Modifications: None.




I finished this just before we left on our cruise to Bermuda in June, and I wore it with just about everything on the boat. It's a pale yellow, so I can wear it (some yellows do not work well on me) and it's better than a shawl because it stays on your arms. I've also worn it at work in over-air-conditioned libraries, and it's warm too.



A very productive summer, with lots of stash busting. Too bad I didn't knit very many socks (um, what Summer of Socks?) Time for wool :)


Thanks to Jack for taking the awesome pictures with his fancy camera!

Spring Cleaning

I have sort of a mish-mash of pictures for you this week.


My new boots for spring (they were on sale!):


The cat helping me knit:

A new Chaos for Leo, since the first one was too small (my aunt suggested I save it for someone else, so I didn't frog it):

Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease in grey, 4 balls for two sweaters (the largest and second-to-largest sizes)

Needles: Handmade Peace Fleece needles, US Size 7 and US Size 8 straight needles; also an Inox 24" circular US Size 7 for the neck band

Modifications: I worked fewer rows on the neck band--on the first one the neck opening seemed small, so I thought if I did fewer rows it might give a little more room. I think it looks good that way. I worked 1x1 rib for four rows after the pickup row and then bound off on the fifth row.

Closeup of the neck and pattern:

Action shots to follow (also of him wearing the Trellis cardigan I knit for his last birthday, which I apparently failed to take any pictures of)



I finally knit the beret from Greetings From Knit Cafe--I've been hoarding this yarn for almost a year now. The only other thing I have to do is make a felted flower to pin on it.

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca and Silk in light green, 1 skein

Source: Patternworks

Needles: Addi Turbo US Size 4 16" circular, Susan Bates aluminum US Size 4 dpns

Modifications: None

My tribute to Cyndi Lauper:

The Pretty Lace Handwarmers from Whitney over at the Purl Bee (her little pom pom socks might have to be next--I told you, I'm addicted)

Yarn: Something from Lorna's Laces. It came from the free bin when I worked at Patternworks

Needles: Susan Bates aluminum US Size 5 (I really need to invest in wooden needles in sizes I don't have--it will make my knitting life much more pleasant)

Modifications: None

This was the result of another "I need spring to be here NOW" impulse:

Kate Gilbert's Strawberry Clutch from the Spring 2007 issue of Knitscene

Yarn: Cascade 220, one skein each of red and green, and some yellow wool of unknown origins for the seeds (another Patternworks free bin score)

Source: Stash! (although I had to buy another skein of the red since my stash skein was small)

Needles: Addi Turbo US Size 13 24" circular

Modifications: I chose to duplicate stitch the seeds on rather than do intarsia since my intarsia isn't all that great. I did some intarsia where the leaves come in, but after a couple of rows I did all one color and then went back to duplicate stitch the appropriate pattern.

I really need to get back to working on the Secret of the Stole II, but lately I've needed small quick things to do at school (and to keep me sane). It just requires too much concentration, so once this semester is over I'll bring it out again. I also lost a pair of kneesocks that I wanted to frog because they are a little too big and they are a great school/bus project. I don't usually lose things, and I've never actually lost a handknitted item before. I never even lost mittens as a kid! Oh well. I'm 90% sure they are somewhere in my room, so they'll have to turn up sometime.

In more exciting news, next Sunday I will be at the Yarn Harlot event at Webs with Susan and Beth! Since the NH Sheep and Wool festival is just a few weeks away, I can't go crazy, but there will definitely be some stash enhancement.

One step forward, two steps back.