funny little hedgehog

I've been thinking about 'hugable hedgehog' from Fiber Trends. But I'm not going to purchase another pattern. But I'd swap for it...alas no takers.

I did have a swap for FC: Easy Knitted Toys. I traded sock yarn for this book. And even tho' the swapper found out that the book was out of print and worth a bit, she still made the trade.

btw, I don't have startitis, I have anti-startitis. I'm stalled on my other projects.
1) Cropped cardi--so almost finished, but not quite. It was suggested that I do a felted decorative thingie for the cardi to cover up the eye hook. So, I've got to do that.

2) Bowling pins-- the sand in the film canister has a center of gravity that's too high and will more likely to topple before while being set up, so I've got to go to a store and buy beans.

3) MS3--awaiting the next clue.

So, what's a girl to do? I've picked out my next project (Wicked), but should I use old Cotton-ease or new -- that would be black verses uhmmm faded black. Or should I use my BS Cotton Fleece (also in black)?

While waiting to make the decision, I figured I needed to do something with this crazy novelty yarn from my new-to-me book. Don't you love it? novelty petrochemically beauty.

Since I do not have the hedgehog pattern, I opted to make baby hedgehog. Here's my rendition: It's not the size they claimed (6inches), but then again, I used a US3 on worsted weight. Mine turned out to be maybe 4 inches. They had you cut felt out for the feet, but I knitted them instead. So, can you believe this little guy required 5 separately knit pieces?! There's got to be a better way...aha, next time, in the round!

Bowling

I am knitting a bowling ball set for z. It's from New Knits from the Block (many thanks to knittinmama for the pattern idea and loan of the book). This project was started while the sweater was blocking also. I couldn't decide between lace and toy...I figure when I get tired of doing one, I can switch to the other--'cause one's mindless and fast (doubled worsted weight in the round) and the other is just a pleasure but requires concentration and very thin yarn.

First off, I've never knit a ball before, so I don't know if there's a 'proper' way. My ball turned out a little off. Not that round, but that may have been partly due to my modifications. In the original pattern, there are no finger holes, instead, you stitch in circles in white. Well, z would have none of that. How can you have a bowling ball without finger holes?!

So, I put them in. I guestimated and here's the result:

I think that I may knit a larger bowling ball for z -- heck, it really didn't take that long. Maybe this will be the prototype ball. Oh, and the black yarn I received as a RAK (or is it a RAK if you ask for yarn?!--it's a AK). Anyway, thanks goes to knitherapy for the black acrylic yarn. She also sent me a skein of lovely silky wool...how cool is that?! the silky wool will become a scarf at a later point.

As for the bowling pins, he actually wanted each pin to be a different color, and the coordinating part being the red stripe for all the pins.

Again I test knitted this. I doubled worsted weight yarn and decided that was way too small (don't ask me how I figured that one out). I trebled the yarn and started knitting a pin...uhh...the pin was going to take more than one skein of acrylic! Not only that, but I projected that the finished object was going to be ginormous. So, that got ripped.

Tried the doubled yarn again and this time, used US7 needles instead of US4 and found that the knit fabric still held and yet looks nice.

So, that's the shocking green yarn in the back. It's recommended that you add beans on the bottom of the pins to help them stay up, but I think that the pins might get nasty. So, instead, I've got some old film canisters that I will fill up with sand, and then tape well and use that to see if that bit of extra weight would work for the game. Altho' I guess that if they are too heavy, this will be akin to the carnival scam games where you can't knock anything down.

MS3 Clue 2 finished

I suppose I'll just keep posting my progress on this project. I finished Clue 2 yesterday (July 8, 2007). We're now in the straightaway portion. Janis at Yarn! (see side for link) claims to see a face in there...and now, that's all I see...

oh, hey, like my lifeline? the only time I used it? yeah, when I was trying to knit w/ the lifeline in as I started clue 2. I don't usually put in lifelines, but I figure since I have no idea what it's going to look like, I'd better.

Here's a picture. I'd better get crackin' on my other projects now.

Oh, Darn! I'm G-rated

I really don't post this stuff too often, but yes. I am for general audiences.

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

* pain (2x)

Get a Clue! MS3 clue 1 finished

Did I mention that after I decided not to start MS3 until I finished the cardi? Well, I finished the thing and cast on for MS3.

Materials:

2 skeins of elann.com Peruvian Baby Lace Merino in parchment.
1 tube of pearly white #8 beads (a pain to find)
1 32" US3 Addi Lace turbo
1 #13 crochet hook


I wanted to do the bead thing with this stole because I've not knitted with beads and I thought this would be interesting.

So, first off, procurement of materials.
YARN: I had black laceweight yarn and some pale-ish colors, but I didn't have white/off-white yarn. Oh, I take that back. When we were up in Oregon last year, I got a ball of alpaca laceweight, but there wasn't enough yardage (yeah, that's it...not enough yardage...). btw, they're now out of the parchment color.

NEEDLES: I wanted to check out Addi Lace Turbos so I went to my LYS (Article Pract) and they actually had it on sale. Of course, they had mislabeled the needles so I thought I was getting an even better deal...sigh...but it's still pretty good.

BEADS: I checked every big box store in the area for the right size beads -- to no avail. Okay, I found red #8 seed beads at J's but I didn't want a huge contrast. I then went 'Doh!' and remembered that there's actually a bead store on the island. I'm sure I was annoying the ladies at the store because I couldn't decide between 2 colors. I guess I could have bought both, but that would have been extra lame. I settled on the pearly off-white.

CROCHET HOOK: Okay, lesson learned the hard way. For one night, I couldn't find my crochet hooks and ended up fashioning a bit of 20 gauge wire into a hook device thingie and used that to get beads on. Then I found my crochet hooks only to realize that the smallest size crochet hook I own is 12. That hook looked itty bitty, but only ~15% of the beads slipped over okay. I sorted through the beads to find the ones that would fit over the hook. So, I limped along using a crochet hook that was too big. So, yesterday, I broke down and went to Lacis in Berkeley (yes, I know how lucky I am that this store is in my hood) and purchased a hook for less than $2. Oh, drats! if I'd know how cheap hooks were, I would have gone by there earlier. I purchased a 13 and got home and read that I should have gotten a 14. Oh, well. The great news is that all the beads fit on this size. YES!

I did have to tink back 4 rows yesterday because I realized that I made an error the night before. Yes, I tried knitting this after we got home from watching fireworks -- very lame. Note to self: do not knit lace when exhausted. The only other thing is that I forgot 1 bead in the center. I'm not sure how I did that, but I wasn't about to rip back 8 rows to replace it.

We received Clue 2 today. After a bit of yahoo group reading, I thought I should put in a lifeline before I started clue 2. Yeah, well. Putting in that lifeline? yep, I screwed up somewhere. Need to figure out where I went wrong on 1st row of clue 2. It figures...

Cropped cardi complete (almost)

That I-cord edging got easier, not any less tedious mind you, but easier. I did hit a point, maybe 3 inches in, where the aha moment occurred and it became mindless-- and not a struggle. I finished it off at my knitting group and started to sew on the clasp. Oh, please let me back up. I knitted a loop-o-i-cord for a button, but a 5 stitch I-cord button hole looked way too clunky. I then decided a simple lime green button...didn't find one that I liked. Hey, I know, a eye hook thingie. But then I saw a simple silver clasp. Why perfect!Okay, not so perfect. After I sewed it on and tried it on, realized this is 'decorative' in the sense that it does not stay clasped shut. After much cursing, took the clasp off and will go back to getting a eye hook.
edited to add: the picture is upside down, but the clasp still doesn't work.

Oh, and when I tried it on for z&a's dad? His first comment, isn't it a bit short? I guess that even tho' I had lengthened the sweater, it's still cropped. Yeah, whatever.

So, I wet blocked it and I'll get an eye hook thingie later.

Specs:
Pattern: cropped cardi from Fitted Knits aka Leaf from Knitty
size: 37.5 inch version with mods
Start time: June 24, 2007
End time (without clasp): July 2, 2007
Yarn: limeaid Cotton Ease
Amount used: less than 4 balls
needle size: US6 circs and dpns
modifications: made a total of 3 increases down the front of the cardi every 8 rows (both sides) and at the front, only cast on 3 stitches. In summary, instead of casting on 9 stitches in the front, I had a total of 6 stitches. I also did the sleeves in the round because (well, just read my darn blog, will ya--why knit flat when you can knit in the round?). Lengthened the length by another inch--clearly not enough.

In hindsight, I should have made the sweater even a abit longer. Altho' I wonder if a bit longer would have made it look dowdy...it really wouldn't have been the same sweater. I do wish I did something to pay homage to the leaf motif. I really liked the leaf motif that Stephaneener used on this sweater. Oh, well, it's not like I'm going to rip out the picot edging on the bottom and put in a leaf lace detail...maybe for another sweater, tho.

The photos didn't happen

Well, good intentions I had, but picture taking didn't happen today. However, I did finally manage to finish clue 1 of MS3 -- with beads.

More info tomorrow.

Happy 4th!

There's the FO, and projects started...will post pics tomorrow


Happy 4th of July!

Leafless Not too cropped sweater

Easy knit. Except for the attached I-cord. I'm having issues with it. Not that pretty--I'm talking about mine, I think it's a very nice edging for the sweater, that's why I'm working on it. And that tie? I can totally see me always fiddling with it, so instead, I'm going to make a little i-cord loop and on the other side, sew on a button.

But besides the i-cord, it's finished. I lengthened the sweater a bit. I even sewed up the picot edges. Very purty. A pita to knit that much more that gets folded over, but it's a very nice finish. I think I shall have to revisit picovoli and make one that actually has a picot edge.

Cropped Leaf Cardi progress

I uhmm...decided to use the obligatory lime Cotton-ease for this cardi. I should tell you that I managed to have 5 40% coupons to use for procurement of this yarn. And I managed to have the same dyelot for 4/5 and the 5th is the same lot number, but without the 'A'. I figure that if I have to use the last skein (which I think I do), I'll split it and use for sleeves and I-cord or something...the colors don't look different.

As I am knitting (or is that was, since I cannot type and knit simultaneously -- no I don't have my voice recognition software right now)...I think that the front is just a tad well...might look great on a 20 something, but I want a bit more coverage. So, I've tweeked the pattern (already) and increased at the beginning and end stitches for a more fabric. I hope it looks okay.

Anyway, I'm at that boring raglan land...just knitting and purling back, with increases...back and forth...back and forth...me thinks it's time for the MS3 to start soon...back and forth...

Actually, it's an easy knit, so I'll stop complaining now. Oh, I started this sweater Sunday, June 24, 2007.

I'm such a joiner...but not a seamer

I joined the Fitted Knits KAL.

I haven't even gotten the button up yet, but I'm planning on doing the cropped cardi. I think I shall be using cotton-ease (old stuff). I have 5-6-7? balls of black somewhere. I bought it before the-time-it-wasn't-abundant. I started making a tank from SnB, but wasn't thrilled about it. Okay, it might have been that I had just learned to knit and hey, whatever.

Anyway, the cropped cardi is another sweater which I've looked at a bunch of different yarns for, but what joy! I found yarn in my stash. How cool is that. Okay, that's figuratively 'found'. I haven't looked for it yet. But I know I have it.

Walking with Bronto

Specs:
start: June 10, 2007
end: June 21 (embroidering the eyes)
yarn: less than 2 skeins of green acrylic yarn and a bit of the darker green for soles and white and black for claws and eyes
stuffing: more than 1 bag of polyfill. This thing just ate polyfill -- I'd stuff and stuff and it would look all lumpy, I would pull it all out, and then refluff (and do what I think spinners do, I think) and connect more fill with that so that it's one continuous stuffing process and more stuffing would go in. This seemed to do the trick and definitely less lumps.
final size: 27 inches (head to tail), 9 inches (back to feet) and 12 inches (at his widest point)

modifications/comments: Loads! As I said in previous posts, I made Bronto less long, and in the round when I could. These patterns are chock full of errors, but my goodness, it's a darn stuffed toy! I didn't stress, and when numbers didn't match up, I said, oh well.

The seaming of the body was pretty easy, since the body was done in the round. I just had to seam the head gusset and the back of the neck when I was done doing the face. The pain was doing the feet, and 'catching the claws' as you seam...yeah, right. I had crazy Howard Hughes nails on a bronto originally. I had to take it apart and move the claws in (since this is a herbivore) several times until I was happy with them. But once that was done, it was okay. Yes, I know, they're still crazy claws, but what the hey. There were no pointers as to where to place legs on the bronto, so again, I just winged it. It does seem to me that the back legs are way longer than the front legs ---hmm, I hope I didn't skip a line in the pattern that said 'knit 7 rows' or something...

Final thoughts? I did enjoy knitting this guy, and I enjoyed it lots more when I could knit in the round. It's pretty mindless knitting. Would I knit him again? Why yes I would. But this time, I'd do more of him in the round!

The best part? Z loves him. He was very happy to get his bronto.

My only hint to folks contemplating this knit is to make sure you've got a good project bag where all the little fiddly pieces can go in when completed. I used a lovely grocery bag, and I did regret it when I realized I lost a completely knitted foot. Ask z. I was so bummed I almost didn't finish bronto. Apparently, this foot piece jumped from my bag to the clean laundry that had been put away. Whew! Good thing I found it.

Another Dino progress post

Well, darn it. This thing has how many different pieces? So, yes. I'm going to post yet another in progress post.

Actually, I'm done knitting, now comes the part of sewing, stuffing assembling, embellishing. I've already decided that bronto will not have spots (as per original pattern). Who decided that anyway? Spots? on a very large dinosaur?! Like yeah, he's going to be hiding from predators using his camouflage spots...so long as he's in a jungle or such, carnivores aren't going to be able to spot a 80 feet dinosaur!?

The feet. The four feet were kind of a pain. For the back feet, they ask you to make two feet. You knit the main part, then knit toes individually. THEN...they say, knit the soles in a different color, EXACTLY as the top of the feet. Argh! (okay, it's my own darn fault for not reading the instructions all the way through, but hey). So, for the front feet (same construction but smaller), I did all 4 of them on straight needles at the same time -- ala 2 sweater sleeves or 2 socks, except I had 4 items on the same needle. This way, if I screwed up on one foot, they'd all match. See! Am I brilliant or what?! okay, or what.

As for the 16 claws, I knitted them originally as per instructions, but a foot's worth later, I decided that since I have to knit little triangles, then fold them and seam them, I might as well...yep, you guessed it...knit them in the round. I actually knit them as I-cords, decreased to claws. So, at the knitting group I attend, I managed to finish up the 16 claws.

Anyway, here's a picture of the parts. As I said, I had to stuff as I went on the main body. The legs and feet were knitted flat and the claws in the round. If I could figure out a way to make the feet in the round, I would. But if I did that, I'd have to make itty bitty 'gloves' and they would be the same color. If that weren't more painful than knitting them flat, I'd probably forgo the color switch.

Cool stuff and Happy Father's Day!

Last week, I was surfing the Destash Blog (RIP) when I came across yarn that I thought I'd be interested in. So, I clicked onto the blog to check it out and was looking at the very cool knit bowling set when Z walked in and said ' ooh, Mom. Can you make that for me?'

What's a mom to do? I emailed the blogger with the question and she promptly emailed me back w/ the answer. The pattern's in Vicky Howell's book, by the way.

I went back to her blog and began reading it...hmm...something sounds familiar...wait a minute...I KNOW her. I met her awhile back at the local coffee shop -- I didn't even know she knit. How weird is that?! Anyway, I emailed her back and thanked her for the info and she has very graciously lent me her book.

I love knitters! How kind. How cool.

On a separate note. I actually broke my first needle (bamboo) the other day. I emailed Crystal Palace and guess what came in the mail yesterday? yep, not one, but 2 needles. That's what I call a good company.

On the knitting front, still working on bronto. The time consuming parts are the legs/feet. Four legs has (seriously) TWENTY EIGHT separate pieces!!! argh! 16 of the 28 are toe nails, so I'm going to see how much of a pain it is to knit little itty bitty triangles for claws...or whether I can embroider them on. Okay, that's not too cool, but the fact that I'm at the feet part is cool.

Dino Progess, with a picture

Okay. I am cranking. Okay, not so much. But look at this:

Does it look like a brontosaurus --which is the incorrect name, btw. It's apatosaurus, and there is no such thing as a 'thunder lizard'.

Anyway, I've altered the body drastically. And there seems to be a slight hump, but I'm thinking it'll squish down. I knit the body in the round, but I realized I had to stuff the body before I knit the neck 'cause otherwise, I would get a lumpasaurus.

So, I knit the tail, then body, then stuffed, then knit the neck, then stuffed. The head I did not knit in the round. I have not sewn the last bit in case I need to do something in the head region (like sewing in eyes).

The legs I'm having issues conceptualizing. There were random (to me anyways) decreases and increases. So to be on the safe side, I'm knitting the back legs (so far) flat, like the pattern. But oh, like sweater sleeves, I'm doing both at the same time. As I'm knitting the legs, I'm super glad I didn't knit the body in pieces. I'll post finished pictures when I'm done.

Then the next request is for spinosaurus -- at least on the dino knitting front.

The end of Destash!?

Oh, sadness. I LOVE this blog. Once I found destash, I would visit almost every day and just think about why someone would get rid of this lovely yarn, book, whatever...such lovely yarns... And then there were times where I was thinking to self "What were they thinking?! and they want HOW much for that?!" Okay, but I did really love this blog. I've made a few purchases and was also able to destash a bit of unwanted yarn and even a book.

There were definitely folks who had really bad blog etiquette and would do ridiculous things like put their time of blog way into the future so that their item would always be on top. And then there were the newbies that kept pressing the publish now button. Argh!

Dudes! Couldn't you work out the page on your own blog, then cut and paste onto the destash? Then there wouldn't have been 20 drafts of the same darn thing! And of course, this is my own theory, but I think that blogger operates in the space time continuum such that no two bloggers shall publish simultaneously. So, don't try to edit your page on destash blogger, go edit on your own darn blog, then cut and paste it (oh, wait, I already said that?!)

Anyway, it was fun while it lasted. My hope is that someone else will set up another destash blog, and that people who didn't play nicely don't get to play.

(gets off soap box)

Now, I'll go and send a email to the nice folks at destash to tell them how much they'll be missed.

totally forgot...I won a contest!

I really did totally forget. I won a contest over here. 'Here' is the Walker Treasury Project. What a cool and very useful concept (and application of concept). You all know the books, now see what the stitches look like. Very cool.

And I wanted to join in and submit samples (so that I can get a blanket done w/ squares). But I just haven't had time to go through the books I have (I've got I &II in hardback -- a craigslist find) and have gone through them a little bit, but not to zero in on the patterns I want to use for the said blanket so I haven't emailed to request a pattern because I haven't picked a pattern...anywhoo, I did leave a comment on the blog and won a contest!

I won an audiobook. I chose The Road. Anyway! Go and check out the WTP site. It's amazing, and inspiring.

Did you KIP?

No, I didn't either.

No, I take that back. I took Z to soccer practice and managed to cast on and knit one row of a bib for A. That counts, doesn't it?

I meant to do more. There was no way that I was going to make it up to Berkeley for their event. I would have loved to, but I'm playing single mom this weekend whilst z&a's dad is off doing some guy time w/ his buddies. Next year. I'll try harder next year.

Besides soccer, we had a nice lunch w/ grandma at our favorite dim sum place. And then we had a relaxing afternoon (okay, it was relaxing for me because Z took a nap!). So, of the 5 items planned for Saturday, we managed to do more than half. That's not too bad. The 2 things we didn't do? Go check out the Sand Castle building contest and go to a picnic at the park.

However, this morning...woken up at 4am by A, who woke up Z. And yes, they're still up...

On the knitting front, I got the very cool Patons Dino pattern (thanks so much to the wonderful chemgrrl) and have started brontosaurus. I've managed to completely change the pattern to knit it in the round and I 'm hoping this will work. Maybe I should have read all the directions first, but I thought I'd wing it. The finished dino is huge, so I sort of am making him shorter. I'm using my Crystal Palace US2 dpn with a green acrylic worsted weight yarn (speckles) . When I find the tag, I'll let you know. As this is a toy, I stash bust some acrylics. (did I mention that the cotton knitting so traumatized me that even acrylics are feeling pretty okay?!).

I believe that for at least one of the dinosaurs, I will make as per instructions...and if bronto turns out wonky, well, I'll be remaking it in the flat (but I'd rather not).

btw- I was bummed when I got these dpns because they were longer than other dpns I normally use, but this has totally worked out for toy making in the round because you've got to increase to large number of stitches from small number, and while magic loop rocks, it's kind of a pain to do unless you've got a fair number of stitches to work with.

So, for example, the pattern goes from tail to head, so I decided to use dpn's for an I-cord that I increased to knit in the round...

So, how many WIPs?
stalled out yoga bag
market bag in cotton
luna moth shawl
bib
dino

*these are just the 'active' ones. There's a serious bunch of WIPs that need to be worked on.
Have a good Sunday!

I spoke too soon. NOT so easy lace

I'm blowing this lace pattern. Argh! Do you know how many times I've had to tink? Argh!

This is supposed to be easy lace, so that I can start thinking about Peacock...

Argh!

Easy lace project

I received as part of a swap, a lovely ball of Knit pick's Shimmer (that would be the alpaca/silk) in Morning Mist (blues/white). 440yds...what to make? another swallowtail? naw. Lace leaf? flower basket? I know, perfect. The Falling Water Lace Scarf (pd.f). I decided on the 5X repeat scarf and knit 4 inches of the scarf before I came to the sad realization that this scarf needs either a heavier weight yarn or needs to be a stole. Oh, and my magic 5X repeat results in some serious pooling (sigh).

Frogged it and instead decided on the Elann free triangle Luna Moth Shawl. What?! Not another triangular shawl! Oh, yes.

My take on this pattern. I always do this, I know, but I have a hard time remembering the pattern until, I'm almost done. And with the variegation, it's tough right now to check pattern. Anywhoo that's what I'm working on right now.

I'll do pictures next time since unblocked lace looks horrid. Oh, yes, I started this 6/1/07