I've Been A Very Knitty Girl

More Joss Whedon Please!

2008-07-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's been light years since I last posted on this blog. But I've pulled it out and dusted it off for a very special occasion. What would that be? Attempting to help procure an interview with Joss Whedon, the patron saint of all things fantastically cool and also the director/writer/producer/plus everything cool jobster of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, the soon to be Dollhouse and more recently, that absolutely amazing Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog. I had the pleasure of watching the three episodes of this mere moments before it was taken down to prepare it for selling online, of which I'll take three please.

Anyhoo, the purpose of my blog post is that a comment was made by above-mentioned god that he had not yet seen an interview in Crochet Monthly with himself. Well, us yarn crafters do not take such things lightly and while I do not actually crochet, but knit, it is of no concern. Kim, the editor of Interweave Crochet and CrochetMe.com is about to try and land said interview. Go Kim! and tell him I still cry over the last episode of Buffy. Snif!

I look forward to this in the most stalker way.

How to Knit a Circle

2007-09-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

I've been searching the net for awhile now to find how one can knit a flat circle. There's endless instructions for crochet and nothing for knitting pretty much, unless it's a fancy doily or something that would have to be adapted somehow. So I got to thinking about some flowers I'd made for my daughter's mittens and how the petals were rounded on the end and I fiddled a bit. I got a small circle (about 1 3/4" or approx. 5cm in diameter), and will continue to experiment to see if I can get it bigger. I used a crafting cotton, but I would recommend something not as stiff because it needs to be flexible so you can tweak it a little by stretching it. Also, I would definitely recommend blocking. Sadly I can't post a photo because my camera is broken, but here's what I did.

I used size 4mm needles (6US)

CO 4 stitches
Row 1: KF&B of first stitch, knit to end
Row 2: KF&B first stitch, purl to end
Repeat these two rows until you have 9 stitches on your needle, ending with a knit row.
Next row: P across all stitches
Next row: K2tog, K to end
Next row: P2tog, P to end
Repeat these two rows until you have 4 stitches on your needle, ending with a knit row.
Bind off purlways.

Definitions:
K - knit
P - purl
K2tog - knit two together
P2tog - purl two together
KF&B - knit front and back of same stitch

I suppose you could always knit several rows and then reduce until you had a few stitches to draw up together, but you would always have that little hole in the middle or it would be messy looking. This looks like a relatively tidy stocking stitch circle. It's not perfect, but it is definitely round! Good luck!

Lazy

2007-03-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

Go here. There's mention of knitting in there somewhere. And Rabbitch.

Swappin'

2007-02-11T09:00:00.000-08:00

Somehow, I keep missing out on really cool swaps. Nobody loves giving a present more than me, so I got fed up always missing the bus. I set up a Yahoo group to do some serious swappin'. If any of you are interested in joining (if anyone actually reads this blog), go here and join! And spread the word! Everyone who is crafty is welcome!

Little Boy Blue Revisited

2007-02-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

Finally, here are some photos!

Little Boy Blue

2007-01-15T22:27:00.000-08:00

Little Boy blue, come blow your horn!
The sheep's in the meadow; the cow's in the corn
Where is the boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under the haystack, fast asleep.

In the interest of keeping my hair and my sanity in tact, I decided to create a little lovey poppet for my son, Hayden. He has a special fondness for fiddling with my hair and it has long ago driven me crazy. I decided that the Merino Superwash that I purchased from Rabbitch was just the thing to do it. It's a lovely variegated blue that she named "Blue Without You" and is quite soft. Apparently Blogger won't let me post photos right now, so I will think on what to do about that for a bit. Perhaps I will shove my boot up Blogger's A**.

By the by, I had a lovely visit with her yesterday and enjoyed hanging with the Muppet as well, or at least my four year old did!

I Might Die From the Cuteness

2007-01-09T21:28:00.000-08:00

This is so cute I've been having hysterics all day about it:

I think it's the gloves that get me the most!

Photorama!

2007-01-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well I promised photos and I am not one to shirk my duties! Or rather, I actually remembered to follow through for once.

The first photos are of the little MP3 cover I knit for my teenaged daughter. She likes it a lot! Rather than put some type of fastener on it, there is a little hole in the bottom of one of the side seams where she can insert the plug for the headphones and this is what keeps it on, although it's pretty snug. Whaddya think?

Boy Side

Girl Side

The cover is knit of black cotton yarn and the skulls are knit with cotton embroidery thread on size (I think) 2.0mm needles - it was a circular needle that I bought and cut the wire off of so that I would have a pair of short needles to work on. Works great!

My next project is a little hoodie jacket that I made from this pattern, except that I changed it from garter stitch to stockinette for a cleaner, more modern look. I was going to give it to the parents of a new baby as is, but decided at the last minute that I wanted to personalize it somehow. The baby in question has Scandinavian and German heritage on his mother's side and French/Acadian on his father's side. Initially I knitted the front patches (the fleur-de-lis (chart here) and the flag of Norway) and was going to leave it at that, but as usual, I can never stop myself! So I added the flag of Germany and the Acadian flag as well. I had originally wanted to do the flag of Nova Scotia, but um, it has a big griffin in the middle and it was a little beyond me. Plus I didn't have time to try and make a chart for it. So, without further ado, here it is:

Front

Back

Close Up Front

Close Up Back

Fleur-de-Lis

Flag of Norway

Flag of Acadia

Flag of Germany

All of the patches were knit with embroidery thread and the small needles mentioned above. It can be fiddly, but they work up really fast and are FUN! The Acadian Flag should have been a little wider and I need to practice free-hand stars (I haven't embroidered since I was a child), but one gets the idea anyway.

I'll let you know the reaction when I finally give it to the new parents!

A Little Secret Project

2007-01-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm working on something right now that I can't WAIT to finish. It's so darned cute that I have hysterics every time I look at it! More on this upon completion.

P.S. I had my daughter take pictures of the MP3 cover I made her, so once she emails them to me, I'll post them!

A New Project!

2006-12-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

Another baby has arrived! On Thursday, a new little cousin made it (finally) into the world, female to boot!

After checking my supply of any pink yarn and finding it woefully lacking (WHAT?), I naturally had to immediately race off to Three Bags Full (my first time) and purchase, not one kind, but two different yarns because I couldn't make a decision. I got Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in the loveliest pale purple. The color dyelot is 30. I also picked up Blue Sky Cotton in a gorgeous creamy pink. I am not sure which I will choose (if not both); the cashmerino is so beautiful to work with and knits up quick, but you do have to hand wash the finished product I think, or at least air dry it. The cotton is so deliciously soft that I think I want to make myself a sweater out of it! But not until I finish that other one! I still need to get to the knitting group and seek help with the circular knitting thing.

Anyway, that's the update for now - went out last night with the girls and am tired and mildly hungover. Joy.

Winter Mini Knitting Project

2006-12-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

I'm making a little tiny holder for my daughter's brand new MP3 player. I'll try and post a picture when it's done, but you know how I am with that stuff, just read my other (main) blog!

I've had the blahs lately and have wanted to knit something, but the thought of starting a new project has been very overwhelming. I finished the two little sweaters, one turned out awesome and I kind of winged that one. The other one needs a fix and I'm too lazy to unpick the hand sewing to correct it right now. Good thing that baby isn't coming until February!

My Favorite Needles

2006-12-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

Without a doubt, my favorite knitting needles are my 4.0mm Aeros. I am always hoping that a project will call for size 4mm needles so I can use them. Or that I can fudge it if, say, the pattern asks for 3.75mm. I've gotten away with it before! I have lots of knitting needles. Some of them I inherited from my mother, some of them I inherited from my mother, some I have purchased. I am pretty sure these ones came from Mom. I don't think I have any fancy needles. I recently purchased some wooden ones from eBay and I have to say I am less than pleased with them. The yarn sticks to them and won't slide at all. Aggravating since I bought a whole set of them.

I love my Aeros because they have the right weight to them, the yarn always moves along them perfectly and they feel cool in your hand. Perhaps I will try to find more of these excellent tools.

Then I can enjoy knitting even more!

What are you favorite sticks to work with?

I Like Free Stuff!

2006-12-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

Recently I was informed by Rabbitch that I had won some yarn all for knitting a hat towards her hat drive for the homeless. I was, needless to say, delighted! And it is beautiful Noro Kureyon in color number 92. I can't wait to think of something to cast on and let sit there for several years while I begin numerous other projects! I'm so excited! The best part though, of course, was getting to meet Rabbitch and her little Muppet, who is incredibly cute and not at all shy!

So feeling all good about myself, I logged onto my Yahoo account and discovered I had won a book through the Yummy Mummy Club website, operated by Erica Ehm (remember her from MuchMusic?) It's the Super Nanny book, but hey, it's FREE!

Then the next day, my husband received notification that he had won a digital camera through the B.C. Lifestyles Lottery. Okay, not exactly the house we were hoping for, but a nice thing anyway.

December be a lucky month here in the Knitty Girl's home, yes indeedy!

Back to Beginnings

2006-12-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

When I was a teenager, the only thing I used to knit was baby sweaters. They were fast, easy and fun to do and made great gifts. I started a sweet little baby sweater a couple of days ago and it is zooming along! I can't wait until it is finished! There are three babies coming along between December and February, so I am sure each lucky little one will get something! I'll try and post a photo once it's done!

Knitting Angst

2006-10-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, I now have four garments on the go. One is still the sweater for my daughter. She will be too big for it by the time I finish it. Two is a one piece outfit for my son, turning out really weird and I am disappointed with it, so have abandoned it temporarily. Three is a self-created baby shrug for my son for sleeping in, not done yet because it was repetitious and now the boy has pulled the needle out and I have to pick up all of the stitches. Four is my most current project that I was going great guns on, a sweater for myself - I have reached the part where you join the back and fronts and knit in the round and I am flummoxed by it. It does not look right no matter what I do with it. Can it be this hard? ARGH!

No!

2006-08-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

Okay - so remember I had never knit from charts before? Well, I was knitting on Reid and thinking that it just didn't look right, but pressed forward thinking blocking might help. I had basically completed the back and both fronts and had just started on a sleeve. The sleeve has three charts to include for increases and I had completed one chart and was moving on to the next when I finally noticed the numbers down the right side of the chart. I puzzled over these because if you looked at them from top to bottom, the numbers got smaller. It started to dawn on me that these were row numbers and then I got a little sick feeling in my stomach. Maybe I was supposed to be knitting not only from the bottom up, but from right to left. I was doing the complete opposite. I googled it. Yep. Hoo Boy.

So, I pulled it all out and have started over. Only to have to pull back another six inches that I'd done because I dropped a stitch and there are so many yarn overs that it is impossible to pick up again. But now I am humming along and it finally looks right to me! Success!

Time gone by I would have abandoned the project altogether. I'm proud that I am staying with this one.

What's On the Sticks?

2006-07-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

I've got a couple three projects on the go. One is the one I mentioned in my previous post: Reid by Brooke T. Higgins, from the Knitty site. It's so cute and I hope I can actually finish it for Kestrel. As I mentioned, it is the most challenging thing I've ever knit. I have never knit from charts before (but have discovered that to be actually easier than having it all written out) and I have learned a new stitch (ssk). Shocking to me that I have been knitting for so long and don't actually know everything....nothing actually. I guess I have just been knitting the same things over and over without really realizing it. And now that I have discovered the beautiful internet world of knitting a whole new aspect is opened up to me!

The next project is a first for me and so far it isn't going well. I have never knit socks before and have never knit on more than two needles. I am finding it tricky. Plus because I am trying to alter a pattern (sure, make it harder on yourself Heather), I am getting confused. So I may have to start again or even take a sock knitting course (they run them over at Urban Yarns). I'd really like to make a pair of socks for Hayden because his feet are such an odd size and shape - he currently is "between" sock sizes (0-6 months and 6-12 months), which is crazy because the smaller size is pretty much too small but the next size up is way too big. WTF? So I figured if I could make him some, problem solved. Looks like he'll have to wait while. Plus the yarn I chose (Coats Gedifra) is knitting up fairly thick, so these will end up being winter socks. Anyone out there know of a really fine sock knitting yarn? Something that would knit up really lightweight for a baby?

The third project is a pair of slippers for Kestrel that look like "fairy boots" (or jester shoes). I am having to invent these as I could not locate a pattern anywhere online for them. I am using a basic slipper pattern that I have known for years, but am altering it slightly and then am going to try and knit in the round for the pointy curled toe part. I'll let you know how it goes, or if it fails and I abandon it as usual. I have knitting ADD (I stole that one from Wenchlette) for sure.

Well, that's it for now. I have pictures to upload of the first two projects, but am too lazy to do it right now. Later.

Lazy or What?

2006-07-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am a lazy blogger - just check out my other one(s).

Word up: Knitting Meetup Group in Vancouver....ROCKS!!! I have finally met some ladies with the same interests as me and they are FABULOUS! And I can knit in public now. Hey, all the cool kids are doing it! My husband rolls his eyes, but I suppose I would have his full approval if the group was renamed to Super Ultra Sex Kittens who Do Anything You Want.

Current project.

It's a challenging one for me. I have never knit from charts before, but have discovered that it is WAY better than having to read each and every instruction. Plus, after years of typing, I can memorize the short pattern sequences and not have to keep looking at the pattern. (I never was a touch typist!) I just hope I can finish it before it is too small for Kestrel, otherwise? Big waste of time. But it has been fun and I have learned a couple things from it, including a new stitch that my mom didn't even know. I am knitting it in the color shown. Turns out I have been in a severe knitting rut forever and now these great ladies will be showing me "the way". For example, I have never knit socks and have been scared to, but the ladies have reassured me that there is nothing to be afraid of. So I am going to start small and knit some socks for Hayden, since nothing fits his fat little square feet anyway. How can a baby be between the sizes of 0-6 months and 6-12 months when he is already a year old?

Anyway, big lovin' to my knittin' homies! It's nice to have an addiction that one actually benefits from and is not detrimental to my health.

Puppetry

2006-04-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

The only project I've been able to finish so far. How sad.

Your guess is as good as mine on what it is supposed to be. The pattern says it's a dog, but my daughter thinks it's a mouse!

The pattern was a bit wonky, but I liked that there were several different sizes to knit for different sized hands. I may have to play with this one a bit more!

Like I Have the Time

2006-03-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

I really should not start another blog, but my knitting obsession has returned full force and I have discovered an entire culture of knitting blogs out there in cyberspace and I want to get me in on the action!

About Me: You've probably already read the standard profile, so here are the knit facts. I have been knitting since about six years of age, when I was home sick one day and was driving my mother crazy, so she taught me. I have never looked back. I tend to stick to smaller projects as they offer immediate gratification, but would like to start something big one day, like an afghan or something. I tend to get repetetive strain from knitting so much, but that does not stop me, no sirree! I just slap on the old wrist support and keep goin'!

This is where I'd like to meet some other knit fiends that are youngish and enjoy it as much as I do! I've already found so many blogs, can't wait to find more!