Lauren's Knitting

Breaking the fast

2008-09-10T19:47:11Z

For about six months, I bought no yarn, no notions, no magazines or books. I could do this only because I knew that I'd be traveling to the Pacific Northwest and all its glorious yarn shops at the end of summer.

First up was Village Yarn and Tea, near my cousin's house outside Seattle. I bought this wonderful Kauni (pronounced cow-knee, as I learned) and will probably make a few hats out of the two large skeins. I hope to do a fake-isle style hat, something like these (Rav link).

Next was Churchmouse Yarn and Tea on Bainbridge Island. This is a truly lovely shop. They have tons of beautiful yarn, many shop samples, and a very helpful staff.

I bought two skeins of Socks that Rock Lightweight to make another Chevron Scarf (rav link).

This is Lunasea

and this is Carbon Dating.

Intrigued by a linen scarf they had made up, I also bought this Manos Silk Blend, which feels just heavenly.

Next we went to Portland, and we had some time to spend before we could stop in on a friend so we stopped at Twisted. My husband had some tea, the kids played with shop toys (It is wonderful for a yarn shop to give more than lip service to welcoming children!) and I had a great time shopping and chatting with the sales clerk. She helped me find a great pattern to go with this Malabrigo I wanted to buy -- and only three skeins!

I also bought this Socks that Rock Silkie that was just too pretty and soft to pass up.

Lastly, we went to the Yarn Garden, a large shop in Portland. I was actually a bit shopped out, but I did find one treasure, from Amelia Acres Alpacas.

The label says, "My name is Adonis. I hope my fleece keeps you warm." and has a picture of the alpaca on it. So sweet!

Actual Knitting Content

2008-07-10T22:41:13Z

Look! I've been knitting!

Ravelry has definitely taken over my knitting computer time, but I have indeed been knitting. I started both of these projects while camping at Lair of the Bear.

This is the Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, made with Socks that Rock Mediumweight leftover from the Syncopated Cap I made.

This is my "screaming orange" CeCe, knit with Knitpicks Shine Worsted in Terracotta.

Hair contest entry

2008-06-27T17:23:57Z

Whoorl and moosh are sponsoring a contest. You may have seen Whoorl on Nightline? She helps people find new hairstyles by having the internet vote on two choices she's picked. Anyhow, the contest deal is to post a bad-hair picture of yourself, a good-hair picture, and a picture of "where your hair stands today." The prize? You get moved to the top of Whoorl's queue and money for a fancy haircut.

Here goes... I'm terribly embarrassed of this first picture. It's my freshman yearbook picture, circa 1985. I'd like to think that this was a particularly bad hair day, with the flying wings and odd pieces everywhere, but I suspect I looked like this most of the time. I was growing it out and seem to have used a curling iron to make the best of things, but I obviously failed miserably. The tiny head and braces certainly don't help matters, but the hair is atrocious. The worst thing about the short hair was that in seventh grade I cut it all off, removing the only feminine attribute I had, so if I didn't at least try to style it, my hair fell completely flat and I looked like a boy (with bad hair).

This picture is my good hair day. This is about as good as my hair gets these days.

And here's what my hair looks like most days, when I don't blow it dry. Blown dry, it's closer to the good hair day, but when I don't have time, this is what we end up with.

I like the side-swept bangs, but the rest of my current style is functional, but not very interesting. I'd love to find a style that's easy and looks great (duh!). It's not quite the hairstyle I've had for most of my life, but only because it's shorter and has the longer bangs. See this from 1989

and this from 2004

The reason I keep coming back to the roughly shoulder-length, curled under style, is because when I go away from it, I get ninth grade, or this from 2001 (when I was very pregnant).

Ugh.

Here's hoping Whoorl can help!

My Celebrity Look-Alikes

2008-03-12T16:25:46Z

Thank you Big Sister for inspiring me to try this Celebrity Look-alike craziness. Apparently I look like Fleetwood Mac's lead singer, a Canadian actress, Mrs. Brady, a Puerto Rican actress (she's on Without a Trace), and the little girl from Everybody Loves Raymond. Really?

It's the smile, right?

February Hat explained

2008-02-13T02:23:38Z

I was asked to go into more detail about the "February Hat" I made. First, the picture.

Inspired by teeweewonder's baby beanie (Ravelry link), I made this hat to go with the February Baby Sweater I made. It's Elizabeth Zimmerman's sweater on two needles.

I started CO 70 stitches, which made seven lace pattern repeats. I started with four ridges of garter stitch, then switched to the gull lace pattern from the sweater. After a total of about five inches, I decreased using a vertical double decrease (sl2tog knitwise, k1, psso) within every other repeat to continue the lace in pattern as far as possible. Specifically...

Round 1: vertical double decrease in the center of every other repeat. It's on an all-knit round so that's easier to do the decreasing.

Round 2: work without decreasing. I did the regular pattern for the repeats where I hadn't decreased and k2tog yo k1 yo k2tog in the other repeats where there were only five stitches to work with.

Round 3: (all knit round) I did another set of vertical double decreases in the center of the five-stitch repeats to make them only three stitches each.

Round 4: I did the regular stitches in the big repeats and a vertical double decrease in the smaller ones to make them just one stitch each.

Round 5+: I started the same procedure in the bigger repeats, eventually getting them down to one stitch each. Then one round of k2tog to get down to half the stitches, then close up the hat.

Let me know if anything doesn't make sense or is incorrect. I hope you find this helpful!

WIP Wednesday II

2008-02-06T23:15:47Z

Last Wednesday I hadn't made much progress on anything so there wasn't much point in a WIP Wednesday. This week I did a little bit better...

I finished Jason's Fuzzy Feet and they're ready to be felted.

I tied ribbons on the too-big-for-a-baby bunny hat.

I made progress on Jason's sweater. The yoke takes up more of the sweater than I thought it did, and the decreases come slowly, and at this point there are still 168 stitches per round, so there's a fair bit of knitting left to do.

And I finished my first ball of yarn for the Teal Belle. Only 14 more balls to go! The cables are very fun, and I'm only mildly annoyed at the popcorn stitches now that I have my pointy Options needles.

WIP Wednesday... the tryout

2008-01-23T20:50:22Z

I first saw a work-in-progress Wednesday post on TurtleGirl's blog, and it seems to be a popular blog topic. So here's my first attempt. Perhaps it'll make me actually post on a regular basis, and make me take pics of WIPs instead of just FOs for Ravelry.

1. I'm nearing the finish line for Jason's Cobblestone. The best thing I did in knitting this was to start with the sleeves. Now I only have the yoke left to go!.

The Syncopated Cap continues as my second-ever stranded knitting project. The long-ish floats are cumbersome, but I think I'm leaving enough slack that the hat will block nicely. I'm through two pattern repeats, and I plan to add one or two to the four total in the pattern, since this looks really, really short.

I finally started Silver Belle. This is the start of one sleeve. I added a few rows of seed stitch at the beginning because I didn't like how it started right in to the cable pattern.

The k3tog for the popcorn stitch is annoying but doable with my new Knit Picks Options needles. You can see that the cables are already showing nicely here:

I had intended to make this bunny hat in a newborn size, but accidentally used the wrong needles (8s instead of 6s), so it probably fits a one-year-old. I'll add ribbons around the base of the ears, probably in pink.

February Baby Sweater and Hat

2008-01-08T22:14:56Z

I just finished my second February baby sweater, this time with a matching hat. The first was blogged here.

Sorry about the funny color. It's really a lovely peach. The yarn is Dale of Norway Dalegarn Falk, which is a dk weight washable wool. I got about 5.5 stitches per inch using size 3 needles, so the sweater came out at newborn to 6 month size, I'd guess. I did the hat with a few rows of garter stitch and then the gull lace pattern, and decreased using a vertical double decrease (sl2tog knitwise, k1, psso) within every other repeat to continue the lace in pattern as far as possible.

And these buttons! Aren't they wonderful? They're from Buttons and Bows, a little shop in Marin that has since gone out of business.

Casting On Silver Belle

2008-01-05T20:32:35Z

My next sweater project for myself is Silver Belle from Vogue Knitting. The model in the picture is shaped nothing like me, so I need to make some modifications, more than I've done on any of my other projects.

First, the yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL in teal, that I got on sale at Webs.

Next, the plan:

Knit the peplum in small and lengthen it

Make the sleeves narrower and longer (I'm unsure how to do this part, but I know I want thinner sleeves that will end closer to the armpit -- advice welcome!)

Lengthen the torso to accommodate the bust (maybe CO an extra 10 or so stitches on each end, or more to compensate for narrower sleeves -- any thoughts here?)

Put top of peplum on stitch holder instead of binding off, to do a three-needle BO to attach the torso

* Change the collar (applied i-cord or cable, like ladysmithknitter's and LilySmuul's Silver Belles, respectively)

I've swatched and gotten gauge with size 7s. Wish me luck!

2007 Accounting

2007-12-31T00:02:05Z

2007 was my first full year as a knitter. I took my beginner's knitting class in May 2006, and have been going ever since.

This year I made:

16 hats (for me, the kids, Jason, and Dulaan)
7 scarves (mostly the Misti Alpaca Ribs and Ruffles scarves, which have served as last minute gifts a number of times)
5 paris of socks
3 pairs of slippers (clogs and fuzzy feet)
1 pair of baby booties
4 baby/child sweaters
3 adult sweaters for me (Lucy in the Sky, Central Park Hoodie and Poppy)
4 baby hats
1 Mother Bear
1 Flying Spaghetti Monster

Wow. That's a lot of stuff! I also started and abandoned three pairs of socks as well as Camisa, and I started Sarcelle but will get back to it someday.

I'd like to do some more complicated projects, and things that people will actually use. More felted clogs, more sweaters, more Mother Bears, and more cables and fair isle.

Plenty of details of everything are on Ravelry.

Flying Spaghetti Monster

2007-12-27T01:20:11Z

My favorite thing I knit this holiday season was this Flying Spaghetti Monster ornament for Jason.

Here it is before felting.

It was a bit of a challenge to keep this project under wraps before Christmas, particularly in finding time and a place to let it dry after felting without being discovered.

I am extraordinarily pleased with the outcome. The tentacles are many strings of stitches cast on (backward loop method) and immediately cast off. The meatballs are knitted orbs stuffed with polyfill. The eyes are glued on to shank buttons and sewn to the tentacles.

Pattern: Flying Spaghetti Monster by Civil Bitch. I found this via The Nauti Knitter, my friend LaDonna. She made one too!
Yarn: O-Wool Classic in chocolate and oatmeal.
Needles: size 4 and 10, bamboo

Unoriginal Hats

2007-12-18T23:55:44Z

I finished these two hats using Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee's Unoriginal Hat pattern. They are both meant to be chemo caps, the first for Aunt Jan and the second for a friend's wife.

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton, most of one skein of "shrimp"
Needles: size 8 bamboo
Mods: I cast on 84 stitches and did two extra pattern repeats, as I saw on Ravelry done by
Ravelry link: Unoriginal Hat, worsted version

Over the summer I'd made Aunt Jan this crocheted sun hat, but I think she'll like the new one better.

Pattern: Fun in the Sun Hat, Interweave Crochet, spring 07
Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic, 1.5 skeins of green and 1 skein of off-white
Hook: size G
Mods: I did a couple extra founds on the brim, but maybe one too many. It's a little floppy.
Ravelry link: Sun Hat

The second Unoriginal Hat I just finished for a friend's wife. This was made with yarn remaining from that first sweater I made for Jamie.

Yarn: Classic Elite's Beatrice (the color is truer in the link to Jamie's sweater)
Needles: size 10 bamboo
Mods: I cast added a purl stitch between each cable and decreased a little slower, making a slightly larger hat
Ravelry link: Unoriginal Chemo Cap

Red (and gray) Scarf

2007-09-30T22:11:26Z

Here's my contribution to the Red Scarf Project this year.

I tried to make it on the unisex-to-masculine side, since last year the foundation received way too many feminine-looking scarves. I think I succeeded, and that a young man or woman could easily wear this scarf. Especially if they go to Ohio State.

Pattern: Cartridge Belt Rib by ML Egan for the Red Scarf Project
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Superwash. Two skeins of Fired Brick and about 2/3 of one skein of Coast Gray.
Size: 76 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide.

This was my scarf for last year's drive.

First and Last Socks

2007-09-30T16:05:29Z

I found the Show your Socks contest at Quiddity today and it sounds like fun. The rules are to post your first and last pair of socks.

I actually just took this picture of my first pair. How could I have forgotten to do that after I knit them! They were knit in Knit Picks Essential Tweed, I think on two circular needles. Julian called them my "Christmas Tree socks" because the tweedy flecks are bright like Christmas lights.

My most recent completed pair is for Jamie for Christmas.

I just realized that both pairs above are in the Garter Rib from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. Funny coincidence, as they are the only two I've made in that pattern. It doesn't really showcase much advancement over the past year, does it?

For a more complicated sock attempt, here's the pair I'm slowly working on now. It's Scherherazade's Slippers from Maia Spins. I had to rip back and then got distracted with other knitting, so it hasn't gotten very far. Neat pattern, though.

Some FOs

2007-09-17T05:34:55Z

Over the last couple of weeks I've knitted up a number of little projects. Taking a cue from Stash and Burn, one of my favorite knitting podcasts, I worked on one skein items knit from oddball yarns in my stash. They have a contest running here, where you upload pics of finished objects. There are quite a number of images there, including these from me:

It's a generic roll brim hat (50 stitches, knit for about 7 inches, and a swirl decrease). I don't love the decreases because the k2togs happened to be at thicker points in the yarn, so I may redo that part. But I do love the colors! The yarn is Trendsetter Yosemite.

This is a generic ribbed hat I made for Julian. Please forgive the red eye.

The hat was knit from leftover Debbie Bliss Cashemerino over 84 stitches on no. 6 needles.

This is my third Bear for the Mother Bear Project, which sends bears to African children. This one used Knit Picks Swish Superwash for the green and yellow and Lion Brand WoolEase for the white. I thought the skirt was a fun addition. The others I made are here.

Lastly, I made Jamie some socks with a fabulous rainbow yarn made by Regia Ringel.

I cast on 44 stitches and used Charlene Schurch's garter rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks.

I also finished Poppy and am blocking it now.