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)