I signed up to knit two stuffed toys for the Ravelympics. I finally finished Tums the Hippo:

Hubert

Pattern: Tums the Hippo by Anna Hrachovec

Yarn: Cascade 220

Needle: US 6 dpns

Notes: So, this is not my best work. The seaming is really really awful. I gave up on trying to make it look neat. Hopefully, my strategic photographing hides most of the imperfections. Kind of hard to hide the spaces above the nose though. I thought knitting a stuffed toy would be easy. I was so wrong. I think my hands are still sore from picking up 16 stitches on those tiny pink circles. I’ve really got to hand it to Anna Hrachovec. She is so awesome at designing and making these things.

Next up: Sheldon

Before I jump into an FO post, I have to tell you about my Tarot Card reading. My new roommate, Devon, is hobby-less (sad, I know). He found that not having a hobby was really bothering him so he decided to go ahead and get one. Instead of just reading about various hobbies and choosing one, he decided he’s going to try a new hobby every month. You can check out his progress here. Anyway, back to Tarot Cards. His first hobby is Tarot Card reading and I got my very first one last night. I asked a fairly typical question about my future financial stability and actually got some pretty good answers. I basically need to learn how to make the right decisions regarding my finances and that I’m probably going to not only make sacrifices, but probably make sacrifices on behalf of others. Pretty scary stuff. I know it sounds like common sense but the cards really all closely related and  focused on balance in decision making. So, check out his blog! Maybe his experiences with these hobbies will turn you on to them.

Next, on the agenda:

Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Flint Knits

Yarn: 3.5 skeins Cascade 220 Heathers

Needles: US 6 circular

Notes: Love this sweater. It’s a simple pattern but the Gull Lace makes it a little interesting. I alway love making top-down raglans because you can try them on in the process of knitting it. Really helps to avoid knitting a complete disaster. I had heard that this sweater grows a bit after blocking so, with that in mind, I knit the length an inch or so shorter than I wanted. I did the same with the sleeves. Now, it fits perfectly. Well, the sleeves didn’t grow as much as I thought they would so I’m considering  a second blocking.

I had a tough time choosing buttons for this thing. I knew I wanted large, important buttons so I checked a few places online, including Etsy but nothing seemed right. I finally caved in and went to Jo-Ann’s and I found these:

I have to say, Jo-Ann’s really surprised me. They don’t usually have an impressive collection of anything but I’m really fond of these. They almost have a vintage look to them.

And finally, one other thing. It took me awhile to write this post after completing the sweater. Usually, I finish something and blog about it the moment it’s finished blocking. I have to blame Ravelry. Once I completed the details on Ravelry, I felt I was finished. Nothing left to do. It didn’t occur to me until a few days later that  I still hadn’t blogged about it. Anyone else have that problem?

]]> http://brendaiscrafty.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/sueter-de-la-senora-de-febrero/feed/ fourpeass http://brendaiscrafty.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/httponewordcom/ http://brendaiscrafty.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/httponewordcom/#comments Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:11:34 +0000 fourpeass http://brendaiscrafty.wordpress.com/?p=123

Very cool site. They give you a random word and you have 60 seconds to write about it. Don’t think, just write. Then, you submit it and have the chance to read what others wrote. I’m not much of a writer but it seems like a good creative exercise. For me, it’s just another way to pass the time while work is slow.

Also, I received my Scarf Exchange package:

Click on the photo for more details. I really love the scarf. It is the perfect length and I love the color. I’m not sure what yarn it is but it’s incredibly soft. It might be Malabrigo.

I’m alive! Conor and I moved into our new apartment and it is fantastic. I’m still amazed by the amount of space we have. Living in New Haven has its perks and cheap apartments with lots of space is one of them. We still have a lot of work ahead of us though. There are rooms to be painted, art to be hung and furniture to be assembled. I’ve probably moved about 5 or 6 times in the past 5 years and as tough as it has been to fit oddly shaped furniture through the door, I’ve never had to throw anything out…until now. There was no way to get our couch in the apartment without breaking out a chainsaw so, onto the curb it went to be collected with all the other garbage. Instead of begging family member for their old, beat up couches or checking the Free section of Craigslist, I decided to purchase a couch. I feel like such a grown-up. I know it sounds silly but I was always happy to receive beat up couches with holes or badly dented coffee tables because they were FREE and when you’re a broke college student paying sky high rent, free is all you can afford. But now! Oh, but now I have my very own brand new couch to stink up, stain and put holes in that I hope someday to pass onto my future children/nieces/nephews when they move into their first apartments.

Knitting. I’m working on February Lady Sweater. I breezed through the body but came to a dead stop when it came time to knit the sleeves. I hate knitting sleeves. That’s why I usually opt for sleeveless or short-sleeved knits but I really love this pattern so I went for it. MUST FINISH SLEEVES.

Oh yeah, and I chopped my hair off.

Pattern: Revontuli-Huivi (Northern Lights Shawl) by AnneM

Yarn: Kauni Effektgarn in EQ

Needles: Addi Turbos US 9

Notes: I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed knitting something this much. I have absolutely no complaints about the pattern and you’ve already heard my one complaint about the yarn so not much to say! Well, except that I LOVE it.

I think I’m going to make another one eventually in a different colorway. Maybe in a blue or rust color. But for now, I’m very happy with the one I already have.

Also, more rainbow projects coming up…

Conor and I are moving to New Haven in less than a month so I decided it was time to buy a bike. I went into The Devil’s Gear Bike Shop yesterday expecting to put  super expensive bike on layaway. Instead, I ended up buying one right then and there.

Also, I’m am so CLOSE to finishing Revontuli! Maybe FO photos next week. I have a feeling I’ll be too busy messing around on my new bike to knit.

Work has been slow so I’ve been able to work on the Revontuli (Northern Lights) Shawl. I’ve basically got 5 hours a day to knit so I’ve been plowing through this thing and it’s been very exciting. The pattern is very simple but the yarn is fantastic. I love watching the colors change. I’m on the last handful of rows so I was looking forward to finishing the shawl today at work and getting home to block it. BUT (there’s always a but) the yarn has let me down (or maybe, I let myself down). Just as the blue was fading into violet, out comes BRIGHT orange:

The worst part is I KNEW this would happen. I had read many comments on this yarn and almost all of them had mentioned an awful color splice. I had actually been carrying around a second ball of Kauni for the past two weeks but decided yesterday it was taking up too much space in my bag. Now, I have to sit here, staring at my almost finished shawl.

A couple of months ago I signed up for the Ravelry Scarf Exchange. I decided to knit Parallelograms from Knitting New Scarves.

I used Cascade 220 and Tahki Torino. I chose the yarn based on color. I liked the idea of using two different reds. The Cascade 220 is a actually a heather red color but it looks orange next to the Torino.

I also included some soaps I made a couple of months ago (unemployment breeds new hobbies) and a knit dishcloth made from Tahki Cotton Classic.

I put the package in the mail yesterday. I hope she likes it!

In other news: Conor and I found an apartment in New Haven! I am so pumped. It’s so perfect how Sami was looking to get rid of her apartment which, ended up being the perfect place for us. It was just meant to be. It’s got tons of space which means I’m getting my craft room! It’s also really close to Yale so no more driving to work everyday. I think I’m going to save up the money I would have spent on gas (about $50 a week) and buy a bike in the fall.

Well, I’m off to go camping in Maine!

Coachella was a disaster. I was a third of the way done when I decided to try it on. Perfect fit! Nice drape, low neckline but not too low. I took it off and knit a few more inches. I tried it on again and it hung so low, that if I wore it, everybody would get a show. Tess Microfiber Ribbon was just a bad, bad choice. It’s 100% nylon with no memory. I might start Clapotis with it and probably never finish it. Anyway, I did finish a successful item this past weekend:

It’s the Everlasting Bagstopper! and boy, is it everlasting! Look at that baby stretch (the good kind of stretch, not the kind that exposes your chest to the world):

I used Little Barn Cotton and Eco-Spun which, is made with cotton and recycled soda bottles. Perfect yarn for a market bag. I was going to knit the handles but decided that they would most likely stretch and die. I went for apple green ribbon instead. I machine sewed the handles on and they seem really sturdy and you can barely see the stitching.

My mom wants one for her trip to Aruba (ooh-la-la). She wants to make sure she has a big enough bag for shopping. Now, I just need to find a cotton or hemp yarn in the bright, happy yellow color she described to me.

In other news, I’m still working at Yale temporarily but they’ve extended the job a couple of months and I’m moving to New Haven soon. We’re still looking but we’ve narrowed it down to two places. Just waiting on a couple of things before we can decide.

]]> http://brendaiscrafty.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/knitting/feed/ fourpeass EVERLASTING Bagstopper stretch stitching