meltintall3: (Default)
...but I did spend the better part of three months dithering over binding this pair off because I didn't want to rip back my short ribbing to have enough of the original color to finish the socks and then I couldn't find the yarn I'd intended to use.

But the year is almost over and it's silly to put things off especially when nice warm socks could be worn to make your feet cozy. (And I got more sock yarn for Christmas.)

12-14 bluesocks
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I picked the yarn because I liked the colors and it sort of matched what had attracted me to the pattern in the first place. However, at that point I had not fully caught on to the fact that the darker the yarn the less likely the pattern is to make a statement. So we'll see how it turns out in the end. You can see that there is a pattern, anyway, so it should be 'good enough'.

This is my second pair of socks; the first set went reasonably well. I'll want to be sure to increase a bit more as I go up the leg this time so it's less stretched when I put them on/wear them. (Which also means I need to think about how the pattern goes together; because this is a large lace pattern I THINK I want to increase by filling in pieces of the pattern that aren't there yet as opposed to fitting stitches into the existing pattern (which is what I did last time and I didn't do enough of it). I have no idea if that even makes sense but I have plenty of time before I get to the heel...)
meltintall3: (Default)


  • pattern: Glitzersteine: Loop

  • 1.5 skeins or 286.5 yards lace weight yarn (I guess?)

  • size 8 needles & size 6 needles

I recommend doing the second loop first. I feel that since I only did a half pattern for the second loop if I used size 9 or 10 needles for the first loop I could get away with only one skein of yarn. I ended up with a fairly dense mesh.

The frustrating thing was because I did the first loop until I ran out of yarn, then I had to knit the second loop to the same size. I had to cast on four times--the first time I twisted the starting cable but it would have been too big anyway... Knitting to a deadline is stressful and makes you hurry and when you hurry you make mistakes in a new pattern...

But it does work up quickly. If you work diligently, it's a two-week pattern. (Less, if you can knit faster than me.)



The focus is backwards here, but it gives a good idea of the color of the yarn and how sparkly it is!



Lastly, be sure to block your project or you will have curly edges. 
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So, in the 'I-have-too-many-projects-anyway-what's-one-more' category:

http://www.modcloth.com/shop/jackets/holland-1945-jacket

I picked up a man's suit coat at the thrift store yesterday and with any luck at all I can modify it to look like that... Of course, it could just be a spectacular fail but it never hurts to try...

And in the 'Huh-that's-super-cool-maybe-someday-I-could-try-that' category:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nightingale-2

Obviously, the best socks ever and probably more fun than I want to have to make. ;))

Bonus: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gryffindor-pride-socks
Bonus bonus: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hufflepuff-pride-socks because I'd be a Hufflepuff if I were a HP fan...

Triple bonus:http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-architect-of-rivendell

Also, since the first try at knitting the Mary Margaret Beret failed spectacularly (I begin to suspect it cannot be knit in the round, but I'm going to give it another go with a larger needle size) I ripped it out. I haven't started anything for my doll, either.

http://www.salttree.net/2011/08/make-it-chalkboard-paint.html

If I actually had both ingredients... not that I want to make chalkboard paint at the moment, but it's always been interesting...

http://craftyblossom.blogspot.com/2011/02/fabric-labels-tutorial.html
http://makethemwonderblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-to-make-iced-branches.html

Also in the things that could be done category. ;))
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This may be my next project:



After all, if you finally get your very own AG doll for Christmas, you ought to make her something special... 
meltintall3: (Default)
12-12 sweater snow 1 

Lo, I have finally procured photo documentation of my sweater (and its lovely 'buttons'). It was snowing to beat the band, and I think the photos are some of my favourites of any project so far. :D

12-12 sweater snow 2
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I finished my sweater last night!* It is lovely! The color seems to be fabulous, and compliment my skintone, unlike a certain gold top I bought... It even fits!** I am enormously pleased, just so y'all know.*** :D



* It needs buttons to close, and I did not even go digging through the button jar today looking for possibilities
** I am hoping the buttons will make it feel like I am not stretching it horribly when I pull it into the closed position
*** If I were a county fair knitting judge, I would give me a participation ribbon. However, I am not. So we will not speak of the mistakes I ignored. ;)
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Do you know what I am thinking about now? You have three guesses, and I bet all of them will be right.

I am sad I didn't get right on creating a set of hobbits for Hobbit day because it just so happened that I actually went to part of an actual event.

Also, a Hobbit limerick for your amusement and someday I will end up caving to Tumblr...
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I finished the back without too much trouble and moved on to the front. Well, first I somehow forgot to cast on about 20 stitches and didn't notice until I got to the increase row. Then, last night I realized that I've been working the right front as opposed to the left front, which means I was supposed to put in buttonholes... Hopefully I can just rip the lines of stitches down and add them in instead of redoing the whole thing. 
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I did a test swatch which informs me that everything should work as promised by the pattern. I shall actually trust measuring my pieces against my favourite existing sweater more, though. 


Notepad #9

May. 7th, 2012 09:27 pm
meltintall3: (Default)
I'm still working on the Mary Margaret beret. The pattern is almost finished, I've got two more rows? Depending on how I count? Then a few rounds of eyelet, and then some mindless knitting, then then decreases. But so far, despite stitch markers I keep having to rip out three or four rows of for one of the ten repeats because the 14 stitches have either multiplied or decreased while I was not paying attention. XD

In other news, this is taking almost as long as a baby afghan. I've bought the yarn for that sweater pattern I keep nattering on about (beautiful copper stuff!) and I'm being to wonder if I bit off a bit more than I'm willing to chew, since this hat is done on the same size needles and it's making me cross-eyed.

Not that that's stopped me from falling in love with another, similarly patterned sweater... http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/agatha-6

Another question is, would I wear a belt like this?

Finally, how fantastic are these book wrappers?!!! 
meltintall3: (Default)

  • sport weight yarn
  • size 5 USA needles
  • 14 stitch repeat
  • in worsted weight, the repeat equals 2.75"x6" inches of knit fabric
Naturally, I started my swatch with the ribbing. Two purl stitches to one knit looked really good. But... ribbing stretches. That's what it's supposed to do. So the pattern is actually knit one, purl one. What you'll see when it's relaxed is all knit. That figured out, it was on to the fun part--reading knitting charts. You can see one of my sample eyelet lace patterns pulled from the set I pointed out in the previous post next to my screencap print-outs...

The whole over-under knit two together for the leaf edge took awhile to figure out. You need to have the stitch from the inside of the leaf on top to define the motif. Well, I noticed that about halfway through the first set of leaves. Trying to position the eyelets by eyeballing the pattern didn't work out so well either, but by then I had some idea of how the pattern was supposed to work. 



I started over with the ribbing and a neatly charted pattern. Hurrah! The failure/practice helped. It looks a lot better this time. And even though the eyelet at the top didn't quite work out (they need to be closer together) and there might be an extra knit 2 together, or knit 3 together, on my chart, it's fairly obvious while knitting when it needs to go. I'll have to mark it next time through the pattern.

I'm thinking maybe 10 repeats in the beret in the show? It seems to be knit in a lighter weight yarn, maybe baby or lace, which ought to put it in the 22" brim circumference territory. I just so happen to have a set of size 2 circular needles, and I hope I have enough yarn... I might be able to make a guesstimation by weighing the ball of yarn.    

The swatch folded itself nicely and suggested a hotpad. White or Ecru, of course, is not the wisest choice for a utilitarian item, but it is what it is.

Notepad #8

Apr. 4th, 2012 11:06 am
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I've started thinking about recreating this beret, because I've been smitten with it ever since it first showed up. After the rows of ribbing there's a leaf pattern, so I did a Google image search on knit leaf lace... which may or may not have been a mistake. :p

Moving on to observations on the beret...

narrow ribbing
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leaf-lace-washcloth - useful for charting the leaf part of the design
http://laceknitter.blogspot.com/2009/07/29-smyrna-lace.html - useful for charting the second part of the
design?
http://laceknitter.blogspot.com/2009/05/18-double-diamond.html - possibly this might be closer?
http://laceknitter.blogspot.com/2009/07/27-rose-leaf-lace.html - then we have three/five rows of eyelets, depending on whether or not there's an offset
knit
some sort of pattern in the decreases
another row of eyelet
more pattern in the decreases

Notepad #3

Jun. 5th, 2011 04:37 pm
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For Christmas, my sister gave me some yarn she spun herself. I think the fiber is from one of our llamas, but it might be from a random bag of sheep wool. I decided I'd make another beret with it, because the first one went so well. I'm a poor judge of how much yarn a project might take, because I haven't completed the cable motif (I stole the pattern from a sock book my sister received!) and I only have enough yarn left to do another round or so. Hat fail. 

I've been promised more yarn, but I expect it'll be another Christmas before this project is finished. So I don't forget in the interim, it's taken me about eight hours to get this far. And that's with learning how to do cables and reading a knitting chart and making a few counting mistakes along the way.

Anyway, when the hat gets finished, I think it would look lovely with a sweater from this pattern. It always looks so cute when Solanah of Vixen Vintage wears hers. I'd need a slightly lighter-weight yarn, the gage for the sweater (8 sts = 1 in.) is double the gage I have in the beret.

Deep V front cardigan pattern

Chunky sweater

Henritta Maria

Agatha
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I used this pattern, which I've mentioned before, and made a few changes to accommodate the yarn I found in the stash.

size 8 needles
sport weight yarn


Instead of the 18" brim, I made mine 21" to fit my head. Since I used a heavier weight yarn, there are less pattern repeats, and the pattern is not as distinct.

I think next time I might try this method of making an i-cord border.
meltintall3: (Default)
Knit Mitts:

size 8 needles
approx. 1 ounce sport weight yarn
made up the pattern as I went along




Finished the mitts today!

I was only off my estimate by about two days? Not bad at all. Of course, as soon as I finished the first mitt, the unseasonably cool weather went away and we're back to normal late spring weather. Figures.

Notepad #1

May. 11th, 2010 08:07 pm
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Links I want to share because they are cool ideas:

http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/05/grosgrain-belt-tutorial.html

http://kitteninlove.blogspot.com/2009/10/from-curtain-to-petticoat.html

http://sockpixie.blogspot.com/2008/10/dear-elizabeth-how-about-february-beret.html

I saw the cutest little mitts at the Wool Festival on Saturday. They were knit from fingering weight yarn in a blue and purple ombre, and had beads in the cables. I looked at them and thought, "Oh, if only I knit." If I'd known that they would stay with me this long, I would have picked up the pattern too.

I spent Sunday afternoon trying all the crochet-to-knit and knit-look-alike stitches I could find. However, the tunisian stitches didn't stretch, and I couldn't get beyond the foundation chain for the other method. I'm sure if I'd been paitent, I could have figured it out--and it might have worked--but at that point I figured I should break out the rusty knitting skills and spend my time actually knitting so I could knit a similar pattern.

My little sample practice piece is almost the size of a mitt now, and it only took me two afternoons. So, in theory, I could have a pair within the week. Not quite the instant gratification I was hoping for, but not bad either. Assuming I actually make a pair now that I've put the effort into it.

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