Tha Cardigan... she is finished...

...as am I...

 

Laters.

Will She Make It??

Hey Robin!
I won't bore you with the in-between shots but here's where I stand as of this morning!!

 

I dunno... think I can make it?

All that is left is to block the sleeves, sew it all together and knit the button-band! I'm going to get some buttons today hopefully!

Later!

I'm a Knitting Olympian!

Hey Robin,
Whether you call it Knitting Olympics or Ravelympics, my fingers have been hard at work on my event project. I chose to take this as a true challenge on an Olympic scale and see if I can knit a cabled-cardigan in less than 17 days. I am 6 days in and here's my progress so far:

 

  

  

I was so frustrated with the instructions/charts in the published form of the pattern, I had to make a new chart in excel, After the second day I didn't need it anymore but I am so glad I made it. I was able to visualize what I needed to do and that has made things much more smooth! You can see the chart behind the wool in pics 1 and 2. I am now maybe halfway through the other front piece and hoping to complete it by tonight and begin the sleeves. Think I can make it?

At this point it's a bit of a struggle as being monogamous with a project usually gets me to burnout-time rather quickly.... I'm willing to push myself to see what happens. That's what the Olympics are all about, right?

Later!

So. Much. Work.

Super Mario Sweater Vest.  I am overwhelmed by the work that went into that wonderfully geeky vest.

[via Wonderland]

Catching up (again)

Hey Robin!
With the passing of the holidays, I finally find myself able to get some pictures taken and organized. Whee! A lot got completed in the mad scramble to clear off some needles before the New Year, what a relief that is. The ability to start new projects that don't really have a deadline is somewhat foreign lately...

Here we go. First up, I finished pair #2 of Through the Garden Gate. I like them in variegated!

Pattern: My own: Through the Garden Gate

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks that Rock Heavyweight in Loch Ness colorway.

Next is a hat request from the Darling Hubster. I used the Point-Down Toque pattern which really just turns out to be a rough guideline. It worked fine for my purposes and Hub is really happy with it. He especially likes the tassle I think. The yarn was a gift from him (bless him), and I don't think he meant to give me yarn so I would make him a hat... but it's a great color and I definitely think it belongs as this hat.

Project: Scat (yes, I know what that means but it's a hat/scarf!)

Yarn: Patton's Classic Wool in... blue.

Next is one of the items I gifted which I didn't want to show before just in case. This was a gift for my Dad's best friend. She's really a special person and I wanted to make her something to keep her neck and hands warm when she rides her bike to work on a chilly morning. Here's a pic of her wearing the cowl, it looks so great on her!

Pattern: Melony Cowl

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Rich Chocolate colorway

Lastly, here's a design I've been working on and I would like to 'sneak peek' it to you all today in hopes of gauging some interest in a written pattern. I saw a commercially produced hood like this somewhere and started working on designing one in my head. Finally got some pretty chunky-weight yarn and gave it a go. Alterations will be necessary, but mostly the finished product will look like this:

I love the gentle cabling and the way it covers my head. I also like that there's no seaming! I know, seaming is NOT hard, but any chance to avoid it is a good thing in my book. I am looking for a good name for it as well, any ideas?

That's all I got today, Later!

Last Minute Finishes...

Hey Robin!
Just wrapping up (literally) a few new FO's that I managed to squeek-out and I wanted to show off a bit.
First a pair of slipper style socks for my Uncle's wife Rita. I am hoping she gets a lot of use out of them, they are so cozy! I had to guess at foot length, mostly my guess was "smaller than MY feet"... which only eliminates most basketball players and clowns... so in the picture here I am hiding the fact that the heel is creeping up my sole

Project: Thuja Socks by Bobby Zeigler. 

Yarn: Moda Dea Superwash worsted in a candy-corn orange color... 

yeah she won't be losing these anytime soon.

Next up, this one took a lot longer but it's a labor of love. Actually I want to make several more of these because the pattern is so well written even as such a simple thing and it's SO COZY. Apologies for the awful blocking-net picture (yes, something bled on this ages ago, but the dye doesn't seem to be going anywhere) but this NEEDED to be blocked for a pic and it's going to be resting there for a while. There's no hiding this one from it's recipient. The pattern calls for a hood, but in this case that would be a waste of yarn... i like the collar!

Pattern: Wonderful Wallaby 

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Ravelry Red Child's size 6

On my Birthday I finished a Father-Son set. This one was a last-second addition to my Queue as the pattern was just released on Ravelry not more than a week ago! It was too enticing not to make a pair!

Pattern: Incognito by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark 

Yarn: Moda Dea superwash in yellows and oranges

And THEN, because I can't leave well-enough-alone, I made one of my Shiny iPod socks for DSs Xmas gift (no, not an iPod but an MP3 player). Here is the awful picture of it, the flash-version was worse... the colors are a deep pewter grey, creamy-white and deep red. I like the combo! I altered my design (aside from changing dimensions) to create a flip-top for better security and I have decided to add a cord so he can hang it around his neck. I still love this pattern. I love that it is seamless (though I did have to tack-down the flip top, still it wasn't a pain in the neck or anything) and a fast-knit.

Pattern: Kate's Shiny iPod Sock

Yarn: Knit Picks Telemark in three colors

I know it's ok to post these items here because the giftees don't read this blog, but I have more to share and I cannot because I am not sure about THOSE giftees... they might be a sneaky bunch. So after the 25th I will try to pop back here and add pics of the rest of the stockpile of knitted pressies :)

Can I tell you about my day on the 20th? I want to thank everyone for the well-wishes and Happy Birthdays... it was a VERY pleasant and care-free day. I loved it. My boys let me sleep in a bit and made me my favorite breakfast. Then I got some brief knitting time before heading out for a Matinee of Princess and the Frog. I loved it. Such a cute story and a good re-telling, as always, by the peeps at Disney. Back home again, more knitting, and then off to a favorite restaurant for dinner. Benihana! I swear I want to install one of those hibachi in my house, I could eat like that every night! And aside from the terrible jokes, I think I could cook like that every night too! DS ate EVERYTHING put in front of him (yes, even the onions!) which is a rare and Mommy-pleasing thing. Happy Birthday to me :)

I hope your upcoming birthday is as wonderful and relaxing! I wish all of that and more for you dear friend!

Later...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey Robin,
In the spirit of giving thanks for all that I am and all that I have, I am releasing another free pattern! Yay!

I give you: Through the Garden Gate

Yarn: Sundara Sport Merino in Tomato Soup colorway (1 skein!),
needles: US size 1

This one is top down style, with a gusset (with built-in decreases!) Made with sport weight yarn for a fast knit, and using the Trellis and Gate pattern from my stitch-a-day calendar, this pair of socks has been a true labor of love. I hope others will enjoy making them too! Get the .pdf here.

Thank you readers for your kindness in visiting our blog! Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

Baby Robitaille

Hey Robin!
As promised I have finally published my first for-pay project! It was a difficult decision, but I felt that the amount of work I put into ensuring sizing and coordinating testers was worth a couple of bucks. I don't expect to sell millions but I hope knitters can appreciate the effort that went into writing up the pattern!

I give you the Baby Robitaille:

So far I have no idea how to sell this outside of Ravelry, so unfortunately if you don't have a Ravelry account I am not sure how to sell a copy of this pattern... except perhaps through Paypal? If anyone out there wants to buy this and does not have a Rav account, please feel free to leave a comment!

I'm about to plotz...

Later!

Beowulf I am not....

Hey Robin!
I have neglected to update you on my FO's recently! Allow me to rectify that aberration!

First up we have my "Sonnet" cardigan. I would be happy to bow to the desires of the designer regarding the name, but this puppy took me almost a year to complete (my bad, not hers) and so I redub thee EPIC POEM! Or "Saga" for short:

 Isn't she purdy? The yarn is a 50/50 merino/silk blend that is just luscious. (Malabrigo Silky Merino in Cloudy Sky colorway) It is one of my favorite yarns to play with as you will see in the next FO. The buttons are temporary placeholders... I haven't decided what to change them to. Currently they are a mis-matched set of shell-like white buttons. Some people have told me they like that about them, but I am not sure it's my preferred final look. Time will tell. The construction on this one is unique in that it is knitted side to side instead of bottom to top (or vice versa). I liked the idea of it... and I think I might make another someday, perhaps trading out the stitch-detail with something else.

Our next FO is a sort of a test-change to a friend's cowl design (cowl, gaiter.... potato, potah-to) It's a beaded pattern, a great one for the beginner with just lovely results. She designed it for worsted, but I found a skein of the Silky Merino that was screaming to be a lighter-weight version of the original (the silky is a DK weight, which is smaller-diameter than a worsted... for those of you unfamiliar with yarn weights) I got some fantastic beads to go with it and Viola!

Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino in the Tatami colorway with size 6/O beads.

Sorry for the unmodelled photo, I have been under the weather lately and not looking my best...

Another test-knit that was recently finished is another awesome hat by my friend Nina Machlin Dayton. She's a brilliant designer of things for one-skein usage. I love helping her with her projects. This one is a beret with some unique engineering. Instead of the usual hat construction, which is knit in the round, this one is knit back and forth on straight needles and grafted at the end. I have gotten very good at the grafting lately!

I give you: The Medici

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Sunset colorway (love it!)

I believe that's all the knitting news that's fit to print! October is "Stockpile Month" in my Malabrigo Junkie world. All of us are knitting like crazy women in preparation for the Holidays. I won't be entering any contests but I am using the fervor to knock some projects out so that I'm not bleary-eyed and crazed on Xmas eve ;) Wish me luck!!

Later.

Another Creature-knit

Hey Robin,
So after completing the earthworm and hermit crab, one would think I would be done with the genre. BUT NO!

Actually a friend (not a knitter, mind you) had spotted the pattern and almost-begged me to make it (I'm such a softie, begging is really not necessary). I asked if he wanted it for Halloween so that I might have some sort of deadline and after a color consult, I began.

The pattern was a trifle frustrating for me. I don't want to put that all on the designer though, there were a few instructional-items that I had gotten used to having and so made some assumptions that I should not have... at any rate the thing came out wonderful looking and he has gotten many compliments on it. So it's a winner!

Here it is modeled by my fellas:

Aren't they just the cutest?

I ended up adding some pipe-cleaners to the tentacles so that the owner could possibly fiddle-around with them a bit and get some interesting results. I am curious to see if he comes up with something good... he's very creative!

That's all i got for now, still trying to finish-up quite a few things... just in time to start holiday-knitting. Yay.

He's a Hermit.

Hey Robin,
Little Guy was constantly insisting this was a lobster, but now understands. He's a HERMIT CRAB! Woohoo!And detail of shell (very cool construction by the way)
This was another all-cotton construction. I am wondering if I should go to wool for the next ones (I have requests for an octopus, a jellyfish and another hermit crab). Anyone have any tips on that?

All that's left of this layette is to sew some fabric to the back of the baby blanket and send it on it's merry way! I hope the new parents like these things and USE them! I wish I could go meet the little fellow when he's born... but at the very least I hope I get to see some in-action pictures with the 'stuff' :)

Hope all is well with you!

Meet Small...

Hey Robin,
As you know I have been dying to try out my new Amigurumi Knits book. An opportunity presented itself and now I have finished one and started another! I present to you:

Small

Small is the name bestowed upon my son's pet earthworm who lives in our backyard. We are never quite sure when we will see Small, but we know he is out there, working hard, aerating our soil. And we love him for it.

Knitted-Small was chosen from the book (by guess who?) as a good starter-project from the book. He came out rather well I think! It's a cotton/acrylic yarn from Knit Picks (Comfy) which is nice and soft and works perfectly for a toy such as this. It's got the usual polyester fiberfil type stuff and a chenille bendy-wirey thingy for some poseableness... it works mostly....

Since Small was such a rousing success we have moved along to the Hermit Crab (unnamed because the recipient who shall be naming is not yet born). I have many parts completed!
This picture only has the shell and one-claw in it (sorry for the crappy pic, I prmise a better one when the whole thing is complete). I am learning a LOT from this book. I have gotten very good at the kitchener stitch (which for you non-knitters out there, it is a stitch which can be a bane to your existance until you understand/memorize the steps... and now I have). I am getting better at short-rows... though I still need work on it. However I have to say, the patterns are sheer genius and must have taken a good long time to work out. Love it so far! We're looking forward to adding a jellyfish and an Octopus to the team! :D

Small sez: Later!

Nothing to say

But a picture's worth 1000 words, right? The above is from Mccall Magazine and is taken by Nickolas Murray. I love flickr's The Commons -- filled with classic photos that are copyright-free.

That's all I got!

Later,

Robin

Thank Ganesha!

Hey Kate,

Thank you for helping me come up with a solution for my lace chart knitting problem. With your suggestions and my leet scavenging skills, I was able to put together my new small project kit.

The LADWP magnet, after modification, holds its place beautifully and the case is big enough for a ball of yarn, circular kneedles and my required accessories.

I also think that the guardian of my current project is very appropriate. Meet Ganesha:

Though Saraswati is the Hindu god of knitting, I believe Ganesha is a better deity for my purposes. He is the Lord of Success (with successful project completion being my goal), but also the Destroyer of Pride. Since I learn humility with every frog of my projects due to major errors, I feel that he has been watching over me for some time.

Speaking of frogging, I'll be starting my mitts over again this evening. I think I've learned enough humility on this project, so Ganesha, bring me success! And if not, I really don't mind. Shine Sport is soothing to the touch and the Victorian Sampler Fingerless Mitts is a fun pattern. They'll be my summer driving mitts when I'm done.

That's all I got.

Later!
Robin

State of the Knitting

Hey Kate!

I'm all hopped up on cupcakes, so this may not be very coherent. Here's some of what I've got going right now. I'm just linking to Ravelry from now on because anyone who is interested needs to be on Ravelry anyway. It's just the single best thing to happen to knitters since circular kneedles ... and I'm not exaggerating.

I tried to get a more true to color version of this picture, but this one is still the best. Your urara handbag. It's much more rust as you will see in person on Friday. (Yay!)


And this is where I am on The Spousal Unit's Skully. Yummy yummy Alpaca. I wanted to cast on the sleeves tonight but realized I didn't have any yarn out in the room that does not contain the sleeping preschooler.


And after an infinite number of restarts, here is where I am on the Spring Scarf which is my project for the lovely Jane Austen Ravelry Group.


And I've only done all the planning for my Drawstring Raglan which I will hopefully be casting on tonight. We'll see how that works out. I've got the writing bug.


If I really mean to get any decent knitting done tonight, I'm going to have to calm down a bit from the cupcakes. Seriously.

I hope your trip is boring and uneventful.

Later!

Robin

Presenting: The Apprentice Beanie

Hey Kate!

I'm done! It looks better in person than it does in the pics. I'm much happier with the results than I thought I would be. Though it is technically reversible, the blue side looks much better than the white/natural side -- mostly due to some mistakes I made.

The design needs some work because as it stands, there is one faulty star due to the design. The rest of the problems are all knitter error. Well, that and the fact that stars don't come out all that great knitted.

The hat took most of one hank each of the Cadena in Tide and Natural. I used 16" size 10 bamboo circular kneedles until the end when I used size 10.5 DPNs. I will write up the pattern soonly, but I have to catch up to my other writing first.

It is meant to be worn as a beanie, but also can be worn as an actual apprentice hat if the mood should strike you thusly.


Later!

Robin

Catsploitation for Charity

Hey Kate,

Reading Wendy told me about Norma who told me about the Red Scarf Project 2008.

Read more about it on DIY Life!

I'm using the Boye Circulars in size 8 and one of the DPNs you gave me (thanks again!) for the cable needle. Unfortunately, Kira thinks those bright yellow plastic things are for her. I really can't blame her. They look like toys.

Isn't Thor patient? Loki wouldn't sit still for that.

Later,

Robin

Let's hear it for the purse!

Hey Kate!

I am finally done with my purse! It doesn't hold very much, but it's big enough for my purposes and can replace this one. I don't know why the pattern called for 45 inches of i-cord because the handle came out quite a bit longer than the one in the pattern picture. But I like the length of the handle and the stretchiness makes it work over the shoulder as needed.

Overall, I love the pattern. I learned many things including button holes and i-cord and some shaping techniques... It's a great project for a beginning knitter who wants to learn some basic intermediate techniques. I had a blast knitting this and I can't wait to use it today.

I also love love love the yarn. It is Wool of the Andes from Knitpicks. I expected it to be similar to the Peruvian Highland Wool from Elann.com, but it was much smoother and less fuzzy. I only have the chunky to compare it to, but I can't imagine the worsted being too different. The Wool of the Andes was lovely to knit with no itchiness and my purse feels smooth and soft and lovely. The colors are vibrant and the price is right. I highly recommend it.

Of course, everything is a hat to Emme, so she tried it on while I knitted the handle.

Well, I have "work" to do and my next FO to choose. Life is good.

Later!

Robin

The Leaves...

...And then there crept
A little noiseless noise among the leaves
Born of the very sigh that silence heaves.
--Keats
Hey Robin!

I am so-very proud of this scarf... i am giddy. I am tempted to wear it today though it is sure to be over 90 degrees and this thing is VERY WOOLLY (wooley?). *Sigh* it's loverly... i am just so happy that it looks as nice as i had envisioned and that it blocked out OK (my first blocked project! yay!). It really opened up when i got it wet. I was very surprised how that went...It still reminds me of the Van Gogh painting... Trees and Undergrowth (1887). Albeit with a bit less green than the paiting... can't wait for Autumn when it will really fit in with the other kids.

Even the back looks neato!

Forgive the little 'woops' bottom-left. I couldn't figure out how to get the blocking wires through those loops. Ah well. I still love it!! (Mystic Creations Yarn, Mother Earth colorway, eBay store purchase and Branching Out pattern by Susan Pierce Lawrence)

Yippee!!
Kate

Some Lace Enthusing

Hey Kate!

So I finally got my lace yesterday. Woot! As you know, it's the Silk City Supramerino in Robin's Egg and it is so very soft. It is such a pleasure to work with, I wish it hadn't sold out in an hour at Elann.com.

Speaking of which, they sent me a very nice email when I complained about the delay. It is obvious that it is the Post Office who delayed it getting to me, because they shipped it when they said they did.

Last night, I started swatching. First, I used the Boye Interchangeable kneedles in US 4. The cord is so stiff -- even the largest size -- that it was a little tough to knit with. Also there is more friction than I would like on the kneedle itself and the join is a bit rough. The 7s are working out fine on my purse, but for precision knitting, I really don't like them. Happily, the swatch came out too loopy, so I moved on.

I only did partial swatches due to time constraints and I didn't block them. Next, I tried the Knitpicks Classic Circulars in US 3. Love them. The cord is way flexible and the points are way pointy and the kneedles are nice and smooth. The lace came out better and I can use my pretty safety pins as stitch markers. Yay!

Knitting lace was much more fun and less stressful than I thought it would be. I can't wait to get started on the real thing.

Later!

Robin