Scatterbrain

Finished school on Friday. Commenced knitting on Saturday. Since then I have knit 3 inches on MY sock (that's right MY sock, so far 3 people have asked for them but not this time! I want a pair of socks damn it!), finished one Christmas present, got three quarters of another one done, and bought the yarn for the last one (last yarn purchase until most of the stash is gone). But aye, there's the rub, I have lost my set of 16" 4.5mm circs. Again. This will make the third pair I have lost or broken in the past year. Quite a feat don't you think? Luckily I only need them for the ribbing at the bottom, and I have 8 DPNs in that size so I'm OK but I'm still pissed. They are my favourite size so of course I will go right out any buy a new pair but I don't wanna! Gah. I'm going to Buffalo next month, so I think I'll pick up a pair of Susan Bates circs in that size. Maybe if they are coloured something other than grey, I won't lose them as easily.


So here are my projects for the week. Since I am a tight schedule and I am not the fastest knitter I chose pretty simple projects. Both are cabled hats in chunky weight yarn. I finish the Blue on in less than day. It's a pattern of my own creation. I didn't writei t down. but I am rather fond of it, so I think I will alter it and make another version, which I will write down and post. Its Lion Brand homespun in Delft and I will never use it again! Ever! seriously, I am throwing away the rest of the skein. It's squeaky, has absolutely no give, and its not terribly warm. Oh! Apparently the "painterly" colours have subtle stripes. I wish they had printed that on the bloody ball band! Gah. I used 6.5mm circs.

The green (unfinished one) is a Natty Hat from http://www.knitandtonic.typepad.com (link directly to the pattern is at the bottom) using Patons Rumor in "Fern Heather". As much as I hate homespun, that's how much I love rumor. I wish it came in more colours. It's lovely and soft and stretchy and warm. I adore it and want to have little alpaca babies with it. I used 5mm needles for the ribbing and 6.5mm for the rest.
















So there they are. I don't have a picture of the socks yet. Use your imagination. They are 4 inch's long right now at the cuff. I'm aiming for between 6 and 7 inches/ I want 'em semi-tall.

I'm off in search of my 4.5mm circs. I hate doing ribbing with DPNs....

Natty: http://www.knitandtonic.typepad.com/NattyRev.pdf
I haven't made a single mod (a first for me!!), excpet using smaller needles to get the right gauge and it's awesome. Its quickyl becoming one of my fave patterns.

New Goals

After being on Ravelry for a little over a month I have realized a few things.

1. I have too much yarn that I can't do anything with. Seriously, with the exception of sock yarn, 90% of my stash is single balls which means I can make a lot of hats and not much else.

2. My Queue is substantial, and I will probably get distracted before I start, let alone finish, most of the project on there but I want every single item damnit!

3. I need to finish what I start. I have many WIPs that I really should finish, if for no other reason than to free up the needles so I can work on make those hats-a-plenty.

That said I am starting my new years resolution early (because I never keep the ones I start in January anyway). So here are the commandments of my destashing

First commandments: I am to buy no more yarn until I have used up my current stash. This isn't as big a deal as I think it is. Most of my stash fits in a medium sized wicker laundry basket, and several balls are chunky weight and clearly sock yarn doesn't count. Duh, I will never look at my sock yarn and think "wow, I have too much sock yarn. I should get rid of some." No, I am more likely to look at is and think of all the wonderfully beautiful socks I will one day develop the patience and attention to detail to knit. If sock yarn goes on sale, I am permitted to buy it and welcome it lovingly in to the fold. The same goes for Diamond Tempo, my favourite yarn of all time. In fact if it goes on sale, I have given myself permission to buy enough for a sweater, two hats, a scarf, two pairs of mittens and possibly an afghan.

Second commandment: I will cast on not a single new project until all the ones on my needles are done, except Donna's Christmas hat because I've already bought the yarn, swatched, and started the matching scarf. I consider them pieces of the same project, like socks lol.

Third commandment: When I completed all the WIPs I can start working on the stash. I will try and choose projects that challenge my patience and skills so I can be a better knitter. I will tacker on projects that require lace, complicated cable charts, miles of seed stitch (to test my patience), colour work. I will try new cast on and cast off techniques and try continental knitting though I suspect I will continue to hate it. If all else fails, I will make Rapunzel scarves and a giant ugly afghan just to get rid of the yarn! It must go and I am giving myself until my birthday to get rid of it.

Fourth Commandment: All new yarn bought after the destashing will be quality yarn that has more going for it than pretty colour and cheap price tag. Because wool bothers my skin during the winter (I am aware of the irony), synthetics ARE acceptable, but only quality ones, and preferably blended with something natural. Also, no more single balls will be bought for stashing purposes. I will buy enough to make at least a hat and mitt set. No more novelty yarn! Not a single ball! Yes its fuzzy, and I get a small amount of joy from playing with little fuzzy balls of yarn, I simply can't make anything but pygmy puffs out of them, and I already have a herd of them.

There, the four commandments. Of course all of this will have to wait cause I have a research project and take home exam due at the end of the week so no knitting for me. I do have one thing to show you though.

This is my first glove. It's all done now, I just haven't taken a picture of it. I even blocked it. Isn't is pretty? I'm calling it my vintage-y long woollen glove. Catchy isn't it? I'll work on its mate after I finish school work and Christmas knitting. I can hardly wait. I am 8 kinds of in love with the glove.

Failed Sock

It's close to 10pm, I have a final in 12 and a half hours and I have yet to read 4 articles or review my notes. Am I studying? Nope, I'm blogging about my failed sock. The sock in question is the lacy mock cable sock that I have been knitting for two weeks, though I've probably only put 6 or 7 hours worth of work in to it. It was a rather quick knit. None of that matters though because the sock was a failure, and not just a single failure. No there are three glaring problems with this sock. To be fair though, two of them are my own fault.

Problem the first:

This is why I should never be allowed to graft. The whole concept of grafting eludes me. Not for lack of trying. I usually try three times, get frustrated and just end up doing a three needle bind off. Crude but effective. This was a sock of triumph though and I was set on properly grafting the toe, as you can see, I failed miserably. I have a feeling I'm going to attempt grafting every sock I make for the next 3 years until one day I just magically clicks and I will spend the rest of my life wonder why the hell I had so much trouble getting it. Kind of like my first attempt at roller blading.

Problem the Second: It's too small. At least a whole inch too small for my foot. The solution to both is to undo the grafting, rip the toe, knit another inch of pattern, then d the toe over again. It sound simple, but I hate picking up live stitches and the pattern prevents a lifeline from being added. So I have to decide it its worth it which brings us to problem the third.

It makes my ankle look fat. See that foot over there, that's my foot and normal its a very cute foot with a very nice ankle. This sock makes me look like I have Cankle. Not a good quality in a sock that I planned on wearing with ballet flats and thus would be visible. Tis quite the dilemma. I need help deciding what to do. Maybe I'll attapt the cable/lace pattern to a hat or scarf.

Socks and Ravelry

Partner recived her package, so I can known tell you about the coolest socks I've made to date. They are heavily modified version of Simply Ginny socks, which I lost the link to. You can't really tell in the picture jus theres a massive 10 stitch cable that goes down the centre of the sock. I knit them with Patons Kroy 4ply in the Paintbox colourway. Thres a big story about why this pattern and why that colour. Lets jsut say the theme was Harry Potter and leave it at that. I also made a sweater shaped ipod cozy, a coffee cup sleeve and a no sew double sided fleece blanket.

For another swap, I made a pair of Fetching (knitty summer 06 I think). I am a huge huge huge fan of this pattern. I will be making many a more fetching in the future. starting with a pair of my very own.The only mod I made was doing a regular bind off because lets face it, I'm a lazy knitter and I can't be bothered to do a picot bind off. Beside, it doesn't really change the look, and the picot flares out and I don't like that. (Ignore my hair looking arm. It's the flash. My arm hair doesn't look nearly that bad in natural light.) I used Vanna's Choice from Lion Brand. It made a nice dense fabric, and its machine wash an dryable, which is important to me for swaps. I want to send my partners somethin easy to care for. I have been known to make exceptions though when the yarn is pretty enough lol.

New topic! Christmas knitting! I have making a hat for my friend, and a hat/scarf set for one of my sisters, and two presents to myself. An Alpaca scarf in a chocolatey brown to go with my snazzy new red coat, and a pair of socks. I deserve a pair for myself damnit! lol. I keep giving them away. I may actually gice these ones away too though. I think my mom would like them alot. so who knows.

I have afew other projects on the go too, but I'm heistant to share because at least of of them is a swap spoiler. And while my partner is actually the orginizer thus is very busy, she also sent my package yesterday meaning shes finished and unlikely to actually read my blog between now and then. If she is, Hi Cindy! lol

If you're desperate to stalk my knitting, you can cause I am on Ravelry now! I've been having uber fun. I have pictures of a few of my favourite completed projects, some of my stash (I can't find all of it to photograph it) and all my WIPs.

Find me here:

http://www.ravelry.com/people/Michela

Swap spoilers though! So beware! Don't look if you don't want to know!

I'm off now. today we are putting up the tree, doing some cookie baking and I have about 20 journal articles to reader before Friday for a final and I have to learn aobut socio-lingistics for Tuesday. Wish me luck!

Swaps are fun

I have actually been knitting like a fiend since my last post, but I can't tell you cause they've all been for swaps. Hopefully one of my partners will recieve this week so I can post the coolest swap project I've completed to date. The others you'll have to wait for cause the send outs aren't until the end of the month.

I can tell you that I've found a new pattern for the lorna's laces I bought on a whime this summer that I thought wanted to be jaywalkers socks, but they lied. Now they want to be Tropicana socks (I like magknits sock patterns, so sue me lol). I only have about 4 inches of the first ankle so far, but they look and feel lovely! I'll be bringing them in the car for the long trip to Buffalo next week so maybe I'll get to the heel! I jot of joys! The heae!

Stay Tuned!

I am officialy a sock knitter.

Look! I made some socks! Matching socks that are actually foot shaped! These pair are destined for Jenn's feet (She better realize she has the best sister in the whole world). And no, the one on the left isn't shorter than the one on the right, I was just to lazy to pull it up all the way.

The first sock was made in the 3 week period in June this year, and the second on was done between August and today. It didn't actually take me that long to make each sock (probably about 10 hours a pop) but I got distracted by other projects and I only knit the second sock on the commute to school.

Anyway, the technicals: I used two balls of Paton's Kroy Jacquards on size 2 DPNs using this pattern: http://www.patonsyarns.com/pattern.php?LGC=kroysocks&PHPSESSID=aba5f5a96176b1187569680ee01d6575 with a few minor changes.

Hiatus Ends. I Think.

Two months without a post, wow. That's a long time even for me. Remember than whole 'one summer class ended now I'll have more time' thing? Yeah, that was a total lie. Apparently when I have less time in class, I find more time for things like social outings and shopping and holidays and working and less time for things like sanity saving hobbies and blogging.


so what have I done during my eight week hiatus from the blogging world? Well lets see. I started the second sock for my sister. I've done 3 inches of the ankle. I better get on that since it's starting to get cool in Toronto.


As for that jaywalker made of the beautiful Lorna's Laces? Yeah, I had to frog it. It was the most painful frogging of my life time. As I was knitting it, I thought it looked a little small. I brushed it off and said I always think everything looks small. I made the ankle, turned the heel (my most beautiful turning to date) and started the instep. It looked amazing, if not a bit...teeny. I told myself it's wool, it will give, it will be fine. I needed to put my mind at ease though. I tried putting it on and the bastard was too small. Not even just a little small, it was way too small. I couldn't even get it over my heel! I do not have large feet. They are only size 8. (8.5 at most.). That led me to one of two conclusions. Swatches lie (and I did swatch!) or the pattern sucks. Now since it seems everyone and their aunt has knit a pair of jaywalkers successfully, I am left to conclude that swatches lie and I hate them. That is all. I did take a few pictures of the beauteous sock because I so agonize frogged it. And as soon as I get around to pulling them off my camera (cause I'm a moron and didn't put them on my memory card).

Instead here's some pictures of some other stuff I've knit over the summer.
One of the cupcake clothes. I knit this one for the yummy sweets swap on Craftster. The next one too was for that swap. My partner really liked them.

I knit an iPod/camera/cellphone/credit card holder out of the the left over kroy from Jenn's sock for this swap too. With a name like Tutti Frutti, how could I not? lol

Now, the thing that will send me to knitter's hell. Its a knit crochet hook roll. Yet another swap project. This one was for a Harry Potter Swap. Yeah, that's about it. I made a few other dishcloths cause they are just so quick. And calorimetry for yet another swap. I didn't finish that Monica Tank. I got the front piece and the body of the back done, then got bored, put it down and now summer is over. Good thing I knit it a size too big so that by the time I get around to finishing the ruffle and seaming it together, it will be summer again the Adorable Niece will still be able to wear it.

Right now I'm off to finish my RA work for the week, finish an essay that I deferred cause I got food poisoning last month and try to remember why I wanted school to start again.

Yet Another.

I am addicted to socks now. Even more than I was addicted to hats. Don't worry. once winter rolls around again I will be back on the hat wagon by right now its too lovely in Toronto to even think about needing hats again. Back to the point. I started a pair of socks for my sister who had minor surgery last week (Everything is peachy keen with her, don't worry). Sadly I only finished one in time but I have started the second one. I'm using two balls of Paton's Kroy Jacquards in Tutti Frutti. Its a lovely yarn and I now get the wool obsession. Unfortunately I am still a student and thus unable to afford wool if I want to keep knitting.

I can however afford the odd surge on wool blend sock yarn. I bought two skeins of Lorna's Laces in a lovely purple/turquoise/pink colourway last week and at 13 bucks a pop it was the most expensive yarn I have ever picked up. After much deliberation I decided that this yarn wanted to be a pair of jaywalkers. Boy was I ever right! I can't wait to finish the first one so I can post a picture of how beautifully it is knitting up with the zigzag pattern. The way the yarn was dyed gives it a pseudo self striping pattern that looks more like a spiral than striping but none the less it is lovely and looks marvelous.

I did make a minor change to the pattern by only knitting 4 inches from top to heel instead of 6 3/4 because I hate tall socks. They drive me batty. I swear it had nothing to do with wanting left overs to make an ipod sock!

I made a few other purchases this week. I found a yarn shop closer to my home called Mary's Yarns in Unionville. I went in with the intention of just getting size 1 DPNs and I left with a ball of white cotton/wool/some of kind stretchy stuff sock yarn in white that I think wants to be a pair of something cabled for fall ballet flats and 2 balls those a really awesome chunky weight blue tweedy wool/acrylic blend and I had to have despite not having a clue what to make with it. I have 400 m of the stuff. Enough to make a hat and probably a pair of mitts, or possibly a short scarf. Or a Hat and an Ascot and a couple of Hats. I think it definitely wants to be a hat. That much I know. It looks too good close to my face to not be a hat.

I fell off the wagon.

..but don't worry, I'm back on again. I was forced by life to put down my needles for a while. It seems that I am not super student and I cannot find the time to do a full year course in 6 weeks, while doing another full credit in 12 (meaning I completeled a course and a half in 6 weeks) while working part time and still find time to knit.

All that ended last Friday though when I wrote my final exam for the 6 weeks course. Now I only have class 6 hours a week instead of the 21 I was doing before, and I'm getting better at my job so its less stressful then before. Combine that with pay cheques and hello knitting!!

I had my wisdom teeth taken out last Tuesday. Yes, all of them. I had four and apprently two of them really didn't want to come out so I've been home bound and drugged out of my mind since Tuesday afternoon. During that rather unfortunate time I managed to do what I thought was impossible. Yes people, I finally did it. I knit a sock.

There it is in all its crappy glory. And yes it really is a piece of crap. I'm not going to even bother knitting it a mate. The gauge is too loose (even though it was perfect according to the pattern), the ribbing is too slouchy, the heel it too wide and the less said about the toe grafting the better. But it is a sock. A sock that looks like a sock, and had all the nessary parts required to be called a hand knit sock.

This ridiculous piece of knitting was done on size 3 DPNS with Bernat Sox (75% acrylic 25% nylon) that I'm fairly certain has been discontinued in a colour that I have long forgotten on the name of. But there it is and as much as I insult the sock, I am rather proud of it. I never thought I'd be able to do but now that I can, I think I'm going to be knitting a lot more of them. I've already bought a few balls of Parton's Kroy to make some lovely warm wooly socks for my little sister and freakishly long cold monkey toes.

Also, in my return to knitting I've made a few dishcloths in the shape of cupcakes. I like them. I'll have to remember to take a picture and get around to posting a pattern eventually because they are quite cool. They are actually shaped like cupcakes, none of that purl embossing crap. I made one of those dish clothes and I've decided I am not a fan of them.

And as a finally note on my progess as a knitter, even though I have put the Janda hoodie on hold until fall when I can hold it without my hands getting all sweaty and gross, I have started a new garment. A smaller one for a small person. I'm making the Monica Tank from Knitty.com for my nearly 3 year olf niece (http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring07/PATTmonica.html). She's all excited. I decided to knit it in Lion Brand Cotton Ease because according to her mother, wool of any kind makes her itchy and red, not to mention how much easier a cotton/acrylic blend is to clean. So I let the adorable niece pick which colours she wanted her new 'Princess Shirt' (as she calls it) to me. She picked Pink and Terra Cotta. We all laughed and asked her if she was sure. She said no, then picked purple and yellow. We laughed again and started giving suggestions.

It was finally decided that the princess shirt absolutly must be Pink and White so that it would look like a Sleeping Beauty shirt. So thats what the adorable niece is getting. The body if the tank is white and the ruffle is pink. I've half way though the front of the body. I think its excellent progress. If I keep this up, the niece could be wearing it by Friday!

No progress

Summer classes started. Trying to do a full year credit in 6 weeks while doing another in 12, WHILE working at an actual paying job means I have no time to knit a sweater. I have one finsihed sleeve that I haven't have to rip back cause iscrewed up and 2 inches of the back, Yeah, maybe ill be done by next summer.

I lied, I did get a little knitting done. I joined another craft swap and I knit one thing for that. picture and describtion later, but i will say that I may be going to knitter hell for for blasphmy for making this object.

The First Sweater

My life has been quite stressful recently for a whole lotta reasons that could go on for days. To combat this stress I have decided to knit sweater. Out of the frying pan and in to the fire right? I really hope not.

After looking at dozens of patterns, I decided on the Janda Hoodie from Knit Wit ( http://www.amazon.com/Knit-Wit-Hands-Free-Step-Step/dp/0060740701 ). Yeah I know, there's a copy on knitty.com, but the book version has a more detailed pattern and more sizes. I'm knitting it with Bernat Satin, which regular readers will know is my favourite yarn because its cheap, soft, highly washable and not wool. (Damn wool allergy). Satin had the added bonus of matching the gauge PERFECTLY! I know this because I actually took the time to knit swatches.

Satin also happened to be on sale at Michael's this week. I got all the yarn I need for $18.60 plus tax. Quite the deal for 10 balls of yarn. I had enough cash to buy some scrap booking embellishments and a new pair of straights.

Anyway, I started with a sleeve so I can feel all accomplished before I start the body. Don't mess with my logic. It works for me.

That's about all So far. I haven't hit any major issues so far. But now I've jinxed it...

I miss knitting

I've had no time over the past 2 weeks to actually sit down and knit. My poor needles has sat nearby staring at me as if asking why I don't jsut pick them up and finish whatever project is on them. Oh I wish I could. I've got arm warmers on a set of DPNs that i need to finish because i need those needles to finish a project I'm doing for a swap. Both are near cokpletetion but don't expect anything for at least another week. I also started a feather and fan headband for the spring. I thought it would be a more grown up way to keep my hair out of my face during summer classes than my lululemon headband that jsut manages to slip right off anyway.

Not dead, Just busy.

See main blog for details. Here my vest though. I finished it 12 days ago but its 6 inches too big. see the buckling until my left arm? thas me trying to pull the back together for the picture so it looks right. It shouldn't be so damn big, my gauge was perfect! Perfect I tell you! When does that ever happen? I even knit a size smaller than thier suggestest sizing because its a heavy yarn and i knew it would droop pretty quick.

As for the sock, the first three attmpts failed. ill try again this summer

2 weeks of...

I hate it when life interferes with my various forms of crafting. I had a big paper on Ethnic representation and stereotypes in Grey's Anatomy due last week and it took all my available time for a looooong time! but now its done and I have a few weeks before the next wave of academic hell hits.

I did manage to accomplish something while I was up to my elbows in Grey's Anatomy. I finally finished the Ravenclaw Scarf! Its over 9 feet lone including the fringe. Its about 8.5" without it. pictures will be posted later. I'm too lazy to do it now. I'm at a bit of a lose now. That thing took forever and i had very little else on my needles otherwise.

I took a few days off from knitting while I contemplated my next projects because heaven forbid I actually finished something I started. I wasn't completely idle. I made a Grace Beanie from knitwhits.com. That took about 2 days.It was my 'I'm finally going to learn how to work lace' project. Its not perfect but the hearts actually look like hearts so I'm happy. I kinda wish I hadn't used the crap acrylic I had though. No, I'm not a yarn snob. I actually like synthetics, I sort of have to due to an allergy to all forms of fibre coming off the backs of mammals. This Acrylic is crap though. Its ugly and not very nice to wear. I bought it as practice yarn and that's about all its good for. Back to the point, now that I know how easy the Grace Beanie is, I'm going to make a cotton one for the spring.

On to current projects. Two things were started today after an inpromtu trip to wal-mart to stock up on my favourite Bernat yarns. The first one is a vest from the "Best of Snow" pattern booklet by Bernat (0f course). Its a lovely little book and the yarn it calls for in all the patterns is awesome stuff. It's called Glacier. Its thick and soft and shiny, all the things I love in yarn. It works up soooooooo fat too! I cast on at 10 pm and I already have nearly 5 inches done on the back of the vest. That's taking time to eat, play with my new puppy, and do a little laundry. If I keep this up I can wear it to school on Tuesday.

I'm also making the lace hard from the book too. I refused to buy a book, even if it was less than 2 bucks, without at least using two patterns from it. I'm loving it so much I think I'm going to have to make every last thing in the book lol

My final project it, drum roll please, my first pair of socks! I'm excited. I've done the cuff of the first sock already. It's going faster than I thought It would. I'm hoping the rest of the sock goes as quickly so I can avoid second sock syndrome.

That's all for now, I have to get back to my vest. I just can't stop. Its too soft!

The home stretch is the longest

I have officially pasted the 6 foot mark on the scarf. That was the intended length. Yeah, that didn't happen. I've been forced to start another repeat because the scarf didn't want to end. It wanted to be 8 feet. That's not the point of this blog though because I've already discussed the never ending scarf syndrome and yarn communication.

No the point of this blog is knitting without going anywhere. You know when you first start a project every inch seems like such an accomplishment then by the end you can knit for hours and it seems like you've done nothing even thought you've knit like 18 inches? I'm suffering from that problem right now. I have been watching Grey's Anatomy episodes for a paper I'm writing (Yeah I know, I hate me too) and since I can't just sit and watch TV/computer screen as the case my be, without feeling totally useless, I picked up my ravenclaw scarf that I put in the corner last week as punishment for disobeying my order to finish and started knitting. I knit no less than 18 inches. I haven't actually measured it but it was at least 18 inches yet I still feel like I'm not any closer to finishing. In fact I kind of feel like I'm going backwards.

Yes, I am un-knitting. Not frogging, un-knitting. There must be some magical spell on my needles so that every stitch i knit removed two from what I have already done. That's the only explanation I can come up with as to why after a couple of hours of knitting I am no closer to finishing.

To really drive home this tragedy, Spring has started to open its sleepy eyes here in Toronto. Today is actually a tolerable temperature and it's completely sunny outside. Not that mocking sunshine where it's a completely cloudless day but the temperature is cold enough to make you nose fall off in about 3 seconds. No, the sky is just.... Sunny.

All this work and I won't be able to wear this scarf. Damn it.

Ruthie the Pygmy Puff

This is Ruthie. She is here to keep Richard company.

Ruthie is a bit smaller than Richard is. She's a pygmy pygmy puff lol. Any hoo, on to the more important details. She is made of a ridculously small amount of Patons Cha Cha in Las Vegas, or whatever its called. Sames needles and notions but shes only 22 stitchs wide and 25 rows long. Same seaming and stuffing. Isn't she jsut so cute?

Richard the Pygmy Puff

Meet Richard. Richard is a White Pygmy Puff from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. (It's from the sixth Harry Potter book for all you non-harry lovers out there)

I am really looking forward to the Harry Potter 7 Book Launch. So excited infact that I have started my coustume for the party. I made a Pygmy Puff to go with my Luna/Ginny Coustume (I haven't decided) His name is Richard and he is very very cute and soft. I want to make a big pile of them now.

Richard is also my first pattern posted on the blog! Yay! Here it is!

Needed:
-1 ball Bernat Baby Lash in Wee White. You'll use much less that one ball. You could probably make about 8 with a single ball. You could double up regular fun fur to get similar results. Keep in mind when picking a yarn that Baby Lash has a thick core so you can get a tight fabric.
-size 3 needles (3.25mm). A less experienced knitter, or one with less than perfect eye sight can easily go up a few sizes, so long as you get a nice tight knit. You want as little drape as possible so he is easier to shape at the end.
-strong white thread or fingering weight white yarn. Anything to seam up the sides. Left over baby lash won't work. The fabric will be too thick to sew with yarn that thick. I used white embrodiry floss.
-a yarn needle, one with a sharp point.
-something to stuff him with. I used left over dryer sheets and some cotton balls. Left over yarn or fabric scraps would work jsut fine. You don't need much, about half a cup.
-2 size 10/0 seed beads. Those are the small ones for any non beaders who have now idea what I'm talking about. The larger ones don't really look right. The small ones get right in to the fur and look... well... beady lol.
-a bead needle or a fine sewing needle (It has to fit through the bead) and matching thread OR tacky glue if you really hate sewing.
-SHARP scissors

Directions:

CO 25 stitches in what ever manner you deem suitable. Knit in reverse stockinette for 28 rows. BO however you little heart desires. You could now have a squareish piece of fabric about 4-ish inches by 4-ish inches (I didn't bother measuring it since it really doesn't matter.)

Now comes the part I am having trouble explaining. It's really not hard though. Using the yarn needle and fingering yarn seams the edges closed. The seam itself is like a wonton. That is, bring all four corners together at the top and sew 3 of the edges together with a mattres stitch making sure that the knitside is facing out. You want the purlside, with all the fluff on the inside at this stage. Leave one edge open for turning inside out and stuffing.

Flip inside out and stuff. Sew closed with a whip or running stitch. Something that won't be very visable.

Now he needes some eyes. Using the sharp scissors trim a 1 cm sqaure patch where ever you want his eyes otherwise its just too much fur to see he little face, not to mention ehere you are sewing/glueing. Once you are happy with the trim, sew/glue his eyes on.
Fluff his fur and you are done! Now go make him some friends lol.

Most Awesome hat ever.

I made a cabled hat. it took me 2 days, a damn long time by my standards. My wonderful model, Teddy, is here showing it off. He them stole it. I just got it back but I think he's plotting to steal it again when I'm sleeping

Anyway, It was only my second cabling project. This one was harder since the cables are tighter than the wristers. Both were 6 stitch wide but the wristers cabled every 8 rows where as this one was every 4. It gives it that roped look which is kinda cool but I don't think I'll use the pattern again. There no give in the cables which makes for a slippy hat, esp. on my baby fine hair.

I wore it today to cover my greasy hair while I got another blood test (OW! She ruptured my vein. But more on that in the other blog since this really has nothing to do with knitting) and it kept sliding up making my head look pointed. It was knit from a chemo cap pattern though and those are supposed to be quite fitting but I have a slightly smaller than average head (It's because of my fine hair, I do not have a small brain :p lol) so I figured it would fit. Oh well. I'm still going to wear it. It's got too many misakes to give away and it is pretty warm.

For all those who are interested I used Bernat Satin in Ebony. It was less than one ball. Theres enough left over for a pom pom but I did a good job on the decreasing for the first time in my life and I didn't want to cover it up with a pom pom. BTW, the Satin is great stuff for a hat if you're allergic to wool too. It's got a wool like stretch to it, and a lovely shine. I made it on a pair of size 7 16" circs (which broke.) and switched to DPNs for the last 5 or row rows. I probably should have switched sooner though. I modified this pattern: http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt11.htm. I added some extra ribbing at the bottom and instead of decreaing in stright stockinette, I kept knitting in pattern and made some changes so that the cables went higher up the hat so it looks kind of like a flower at the top. Don't ask me how cause I can't remember lol. I couldn't get a decent picture of the top but I'll try again when I can find a human head willing to model it.

Behold! Michela Cables!

Behold the glory of beautifully executed cable! On my first cabled project I ended up with some very cool and totaly werable! These are wrist warmers made in an irish hiking scarf style by the way. I found a pattern that look easy enough so I finally bit the bullet and taught myself to cable. Now I'm addicted. Can't stop, thinking about making a matching scarf which I really shouldn;'t because I haven't even finished the ravenclaw scarf yet.

These totaly awesome wrist warmers were a procrastination project. I admit it. I used knitting to put off writing a research paper, and I used the wrist warmers to put off finishing the scarf that must be magical because it's never ending. I swear, I've been knitting the same 3 inches over and over.

Here's a parting 'action' shot of the awesome wrist warmers. I'm just so proud. While I was knitting them, I'd stop every few inches and think 'Wow, I actually made that!'

The Scarf that won't quit

The Ravenclaw Scarf doesn't want to end. I started the 6th and what should been the final repeat last night, actually while I was on the bus (Yes, I am a public knitter), and it has become clear that this scarf doesn't want to be 6 feet. It wants to be 8 feet. 2 extra feet of knitting. Each foot takes nearly 3 hours. Thats 6 hours longer until I get to wear my scarf.

My sister asked when I was whining about the scarfs strength of will, why I just didn't finish it at 6 feet like I planned. She's a non-knitter. She just didn't understand that yarn can communicate with it's knitter. I may have scared her away from ever wanting to pick up a set of needles.

Oh well, I'll get her eventually.

iKnit

Welcome to Michela Knits! The Ramblings of a slightly beyond beginner knitter who hides under the guise of a University Student. After boring my non-knitter friends and family with my knitting comments, rants and triumphs for many months, I have given up on making them realize the beauty of a well constructed object or the euphoria of a yarn bargain. I must turn to the internet to fulfill my knitting needs and I do so happily! This blog is an off shoot from my ‘real life’ blog (scoff! As if knitting isn’t my real life, Ha!). If you’re just dying to know all about my random comments on non-knitting life head over to http://michelasmind.blogspot.com/. On to the good stuff! My latest project err… projects. I’m working on a Harry Potter scarf for myself.

Note the Tinker Bell makeup bag that is doubling as a yarn holder.

It’s going to be at least 6 feet long, possibly 7 or 8 if I’m feeling inspired. Plus fringe. It’s a very simple pattern which is my most favourite part of it. Garter stitch stripes. Each stripe is 6’ long. That’s it. Switch colours every six (or so) inches. I adore no-brainer patterns. The picture above was taken before I start studying for a Geography test. I nearly doubled that length in the 5 hours I studied/knitted yesterday.

This is the first chance I’ve had all year to actually make myself a scarf. I spent all fall and winter making scarves for other people, whether they be by request or for Christmas, meanwhile my own poor neck is freezing. I got rather desperate a few weeks ago when the cold finally hit Toronto, and I used a too-big Calorimetry (see knitty.com for details)