Hot Cakes

My new best friend

2009-10-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

I love this person with all of my heart.

Regretsy

Patchwork bag

2009-09-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, another bag, I can't believe it.

I used a combination of several patterns as a guide for making this, including the Hip Mama Diaper Bag from A Mingled Yarn and the Beach Bag from Filminthefridge.

The outside of the bag is primarily linen (love linen!) and a row of patchwork from scraps in the old stash.

The flower fabric is from Purl Soho that I bought on my trip to New York. The hedgehog/mushroom fabric is from Cool Cottons here in Portland. That place is awesome.

The lining is Amy Butler's Belle Coriander. Remember last post when I said how much I love this print?? Well, I wasn't lying, was I?

Pockets! You can never have enough.

Hot damn! Two blog posts in one week!

2009-09-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few scarves I finished a couple of months ago.

Pattern: Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Bare Essentials Merino Worsted from Knitpicks hand-dyed in rainbow stripes with Kool-Aid alternating with white
I totally unabashedly stole this idea from this person.

Second is a stashbusting scarf that is knit sideways in linen stitch. The color in these photos is totally off, so um, yeah, it doesn't really look like this but anyway....

Kitty thinks the deepest kitty thoughts

Pattern: Scrappy Scarf
Yarn: (As the name indicates...) scraps in fingering weight.

These are both great patterns. I gave the first scarf to my mom and will probably keep the second one. Winter's right around the corner here, so it won't be long before I need it.

Phoebe bag

2009-09-07T20:34:00.001-07:00

Just dropping in with some pictures of my new handbag.

Pattern: Phoebe bag from artsycraftsybabe
The outer fabric is Amy Butler's Coriander Belle in Clay (I love this print). This is a great pattern, which is easy to follow. I downsized to about 3/4 of the original, but I wouldn't recommend this. If you're going to make this pattern, just go whole hog and make it 100%.
I have been sewing a lot and knitting only a little. What I haven't been doing is taking pictures and thus not blogging either. Sometime soon, I may get better at this. Um... probably not though.

New York trip

2009-07-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

Some pictures from my trip to New York a couple of months ago.

More on my flickr page.

Worst. Blogger. Ever.

2009-06-15T17:27:00.001-07:00

Oh well.

Here's some sewing projects I finished ages ago and just haven't bothered to post about.

A crayon roll for my niece:

I used Skip to my Lou's tutorial, which was fabulous and easy to follow.

And also a baby quilt for some friends who've got a bun in the oven. It's my first time, so.... all of the mistakes one makes the first time they make a quilt? I made them. But still it's cute, and I think I learned a lot.

I went to and returned from New York quite a while ago. But... I don't know, I'm just lazy, so I haven't posted any pictures or anything. (Ashamed.) Next time (which at this rate, will be months...)

Stripey socks done and Swirly Mittens in progress

2009-02-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Love love love these socks!

Pattern: Generic toe-up socks (I use IK's pattern as a guide)
Yarn: Kool-aid dyed sock yarn (the dyeing of which was described in this post)
I finished these a while ago but only got a chance this weekend to take some pictures.

In other knitting news, I have been interested in making a pair of stranded mittens for a while and been scanning Ravelry for a good pattern. Of course I love Bird in Hand, but I wasn't quite ready for the commitment of buying the pattern. What I was really looking for was something with relatively intricate colorwork and that cool hemmed cuff you see on many Norwegian style mittens. These are beautiful, the pattern is free, and I am in love.

FO: Hairy Sweater

2009-02-15T15:22:00.001-08:00

Hairy Sweater
Pattern: EZ's Seamless Raglan from Knitting Without Tears (the best knitting book ever)
Yarn: Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends
Needles: 10 1/2
While making Oscar's sweater, I realized how much I really like this yarn, despite its high acrylic content. It's super soft and warm. So I decided to make a sweater for myself, and finished this one lickity-split. I really like how it came out. The sleeves are a little shorter than I would like, but that's my only complaint. One thing I didn't anticipate was how hairy this thing would be. It sheds like crazy. But right now that's exactly what I need in this crazy Northwest weather. And should I encounter Bigfoot, he's likely to consider me a friend.

Final Christmas gift unveiling post

2009-01-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

It's about time, right?

First, a confession. I did it, I didn't mean to, but... I wrapped unfinished knit gifts and gifted them. It's a terrible thing to do. But not as terrible as waiting until a whole month after Christmas before finishing them and sending them off. Oops.
But they're done, so here they are. First, a cowl made for Erin.

Flora Cowl (rav)
Yarn: Knitpicks Gloss in Pumpkin and Kroy Sock Yarn in White
I used the (slightly modified) pattern from the Flora Hat and double knit a cowl instead. There were some serious issues in the end because the two yarns I used were slightly different gauges. So, after some snipping and measuring and reknitting, I managed to get it to stop looking stupid. I really like how this came out. But. I don't really like double knitting, it's a pain.

The second wrapped unfinished gift was Anna's Noro Stripe Scarf (rav):

Pattern: Noro Striped Scarf from brooklyntweed
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden in... I'm too lazy to go figure out the colorways right now. (Sorry.)
Like most people, I heart this pattern and I heart Noro Silk Garden. That's all there is to say.

So, after too long, both of these gifts are in the mail. Merry late Christmas, Anna and Erin.

I have many projects on the needles right now. I finished a sweater in about a week a while back that is blocking as we speak. Pictures when it's dry.

I spent Friday night dyeing some sock yarn with Kool-aid. (Ahem, yes, that is what the cool kids do on Friday night.)

And it came out beautiful.

I'm halfway through the first sock already. It's awesome.

And I have some Jaywalkers going in Kroy Kool Stripes. I'm not in love with this yarn, but oh well.

And that's my knitting world right now.

Christmas Gift Extravaganza. Part 2

2009-01-07T13:49:00.000-08:00

And now the second part of this series.

First up, the white hourglass sweater (rav) I made for Anna:

Pattern: Hourglass Sweater from LMKG
Yarn: Cascade 220 in Ecru
This is a fabulous pattern, and fairly easy to adapt to different gauges, sizes, etc. We had measured her about a year ago, so it ended up fitting her well.

And also for Anna, a pair of felted clogs (rav) in the colors she requested, grey and green:

Pattern: Felted Clogs by Bev Galeskas
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool

You really can't go wrong with this pattern.

There was also another pair of clogs gifted this year:

These were for my stepdad, Rick, who is a big Steelers fan (you might remember the Steelers cozy?). Unfortunately the yellow got lost during felting, so they ended up being just black and white. And the black loves to pick up lint. So, oh well. I think he still liked them. They fit, at the very least...

Tired of blogging now. More next time.

Goodbye, 2008.

2009-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone. 2008 wasn't a particularly great year (although I did finish my degree--I guess that was great, if anticlimactic). Lots of knitting was done though. Here's an (incomplete) collection of 2008 knitting projects.

I will return to revealing handmade Christmas gifts next post.

Christmas Gift Extravaganza. Part 1

2009-01-03T14:03:00.001-08:00

Well, the holidays are over, folks. So it's back to the grind (ugh). But it does mean that I can finally reveal all of the handmade gifts I gave out this year. It's quite a list, so I am going to have to do it in several posts. Here we go, in no particular order.

Felted Bowls (raveled here) from One Skein using Patons Classic Merino Wool, which I will now declare is the best yarn for felting, hands down.
These were a quick project and turned out great. Gifted to my Dad and his wife. Immediately adopted by their cat.

Next up, felted iPhone cozies (also in Patons Merino):

Raveled here with details on the pattern.
These were also gifts to my dad and his wife. Immediately adopted by their iPhones. (PS That's my new iPhone modeling the second cozy that I got for Christmas from T. Hurray! Don't worry, I didn't break it already. That crack is just in the cover.)

I made a quick sweater (rav) for T's sister's dog using this pattern, modeled here by our cat. He was not happy with this arrangement and would not stand still (thus the blurry picture).

I must admit, I used to be one of those people who mocked sweaters for animals. Not anymore. Look out, everyone's pets. There are many more where this came from. (Yarn: Bernat Alpaca Natural Blends. Love.)

And to wrap up this post, here's the February Lady Sweater I decided to make for my mom at the last minute. This pattern totally rocks.

I heart the buttons.

Used Cascade 220 in Burgundy. Raveled here.

That concludes the first part of this series. Stay tuned for more gift unveiling.

Peaches and Cream Dress

2008-11-26T11:26:00.001-08:00

Pattern: Rainbow Dress by Tikki (rav)
Needles: Size 5 circular
Yarn: Newton's Yarn Country .75 Softball Bulky
This dress is for my niece. I hope it fits....

Magazine holder

2008-11-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to construct some sort of magazine holder for a while, since our bathroom was constantly riddled with loose magazines, and there is no room to place any kind of shelf in there. I had a few grand plans that ended up being dismissed for impracticality. Then I settled on the simplest idea, which was to just recover an old magazine holder that I found at work. Here it is before:

And after:

You might notice a shortage of knitting projects being posted about here on the old blog. That's because the majority of projects I have going right now are top secret. So, just hold your horses! You'll see them soon. (Maybe in a box addressed to you!)

This is a song about a super-turtle named Tony...

2008-11-24T13:34:00.001-08:00

...It's called Tony's theme!

Pattern: Sheldon from Knitty
Yarn: Peaches n' Cream in green and greener
This is a gift for my niece for Christmas. As you can see from the pictures, he loves wandering around in our Northwest backyard, but he will just have to adjust to the New Mexico climate. No baloney.

New laptop bag

2008-11-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting a better bag for schlepping my laptop (and other various crap--including knitting!) to and from work.
I found a fabulous tutorial for the Hip Mama Diaper Bag and... Viola!

This pattern was very well written and easy to follow. The only mod I made was to omit the addition of one of the pocket panels on the inside of the bag. I used some Amy Butler fabric I got on sale. One could easily omit a few more of the pockets to save on time/complication and fabric, if necessary. I definitely recommend this pattern.

And here is some yarn that I finished spinning a while back from some roving I stole from the ol' sister.

It's pretty, but as is usually the case with my handspun, there is not really enough to knit much of anything with. Plus, I don't really want to knit it. It's so pretty as a skein. Maybe someday.

Yes we did!

2008-11-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

We won!
Yes, America, that means that this handsome man will be your next president.

(whistle)

I heart Obama

2008-10-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

And so does my cat.

Hemlock Throw

2008-10-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Pattern: Hemlock Ring Blanket from brooklyntweed
Needles: 10s
Yarn: Cascade 220 (about 3.5 skeins)
Notes: I used the pattern from the Rainey Sisters and I was a little apprehensive about the notorious mistake of row 35. But I never encountered said mistake, so I definitely recommend using that particular write-up of the pattern. This was a surprisingly easy throw to knit, and it comes out so beautiful.
Although I finished this a long time ago, I only recently gifted it to the new Mr. and Mrs. Smelson, so I held off posting about it here. I hope it keeps them warm during their many years of wedded bliss.

Icarus wedding veil/shawl

2008-10-10T17:07:00.001-07:00

Pattern: Icarus shawl (rav) from Interweave Knits Summer 2006
Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist Fino. Colorway: champagne
Notes: Since the final decision about making this veil was not made until about a month before the wedding, this project meant many nights of frantic knitting and anxiety dreams about it being two hours before the wedding and still having to do two more rows and the bind off.... But I ended up finishing it with plenty of time, and to be honest, without the wedding date looming in front of me, I might have put this project down many times. Because let's be honest, knitting lace kind of sucks. I know some of you ladies out there love it, but I am not a lace knitter. It's official. However, the final product was beautiful and many comments were made at the wedding, so I consider the entire idea a success. Besides nothing could have made me happier than being able to contribute to the incredible beauty that was my sister and brother-in-law's wedding day. (Although, oops... I guess I could have actually prepared a toast instead of just blindly winging it. Sorry, guys.)

Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival

2008-10-01T10:17:00.001-07:00

Ahoy, mateys!

2008-09-19T10:45:00.001-07:00

Aye! Avast!
Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I really couldn't honestly think of anything better than such a day. Although... it's kind of hard to talk like a pirate all day, which was why I was glad for this glossary of pirate terms, complete with my favorite:

"Bung hole – Victuals on a ship were stored in wooden casks. The stopper in the barrel is called the bung, and the hole is called the bung hole. On TLAP Day – When dinner is served you’ll make quite an impression when you say, “Well, me hearties, let’s see what crawled out of the bung hole."

And what a blarney good day for me to show off my latest FO, the Arrr-gyle! socks made for my future BIL:

Pattern: Argyle Socks by Edie Eckman
Yarn: Patons Kroy Sock Yarn in navy, grey, white
Notes: As you might recall, I was bitching about the ends that needed to be woven in on the first sock, but having gone through the first one, I learned a lot about intarsia knitting, and the second sock went much smoother. I chose to use duplicate stitch to add in the white lines in order to reduce the complexity, and I think that was a good choice. Duplicate stitching is fun, and I am glad that I got a chance to practice. I would say this pattern taught me a lot about several techniques, for which I am grateful.
Um, I mean, yar! I am mightily obliged to ye, me beauty, Edie Eckman! (You always have to yell when talking like a pirate....)

I also finished up the hat for hat attack! 2 and sent it off. Feast ye eyes on this dangerous hat.

Shiver me timbers, Suki44, ye days are numbered...

Pattern:Fibonacci Frequency Hat for Hat Attack 2
Yarn: Therapi from SWTC
Needles: 2s

That's all for today. It's back to the wedding veil/shawl for me....

Yar!

Distractions...

2008-09-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

So.... I am supposed to be working on my sister's wedding shawl/veil... And I am, I swear. See?

And it's going pretty well. But, lace? Well, you know, it's kind of hard.

So I took a little time off to finish something I had put down a while back.

Pattern: Dolores Park Cowl (rav)
Yarn: Malabrigo merino worsted in sunset
Mods: I used the modifications for worsted weight, and it came out great. I have never been much of a cowl person, but I think I will be now. How can you not wear Malabrigo?

And then of course there was the Portland Knit and Crochet Show this weekend, and I couldn't miss that. I did manage to control myself (although you wouldn't be able to tell from all of the yarn I am about to show you.) I got some bulky, supersoft cotton for a dress for my niece. Regular price? $17. How much? $4!! Holy cow.

Then there was the piles of Happy Feet sock yarn marked down from $18 to $10. So I had to get some of that.

But the best part? I won a door prize! Check it out.

It's a huge skein of hand-dyed, handspun beautiful yarn from Abstract Fibers. It's fabulous!

So, if you live in Portland, make sure you go to the show tomorrow if you haven't already. You might even win a prize.

The final distraction is Hat Attack, which starts this week. It's going to be a blast, I am sure, especially considering that the yarn this year is Therapi from SWTC (It has Jade in it! It's so soft.)

But. I almost hope that I get killed right away because, you know, I better get back to that shawl.

Why the kitties love our new house

2008-09-10T11:52:00.001-07:00

Sunbathing

....and wildlife spotting

Some WIPs

2008-09-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

I am always full of them, after all.
Here's a pair of clogs that I finished knitting quite a while ago, but I still haven't felted. I am a little nervous about how well our new washing machine will felt....
Bananarama, baby

And some red and white striped socks (that I love already)

And a shawl in Shibui sock (colorway: Sand) that was originally intended to be my sister's wedding veil but that I have since decided will be too dark and so will probably just end up being a shawl (if not frogged). I love the colors.

(Don't worry, Anna. I've got a new and improved one on the needles.)