two hats and withholding.

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(insert witty Arrested Development reference here.)


hello! i know i havent written in awhile but ive been making lots of things but they are surprises for people so i cant discuss them! two of the hats i made have been gifted already, though, so i can share about them:
first up is a trilobite hat made with cascade 220 .

this was a fun, easy pattern to follow. i had never used a chart before in knitting, and its pretty easy– especially if you have the pattern printed out (right now im working on something and i keep forgetting to print it– annoying to have to stay by the computer to read it). it turned out a little snug, but i sent it to my sister for her birthday and she said she likes it.. i haven’t seen it on her yet to verify.
next up is wurm (pdf). this hat turned out a lot bigger than i wanted. i’ve had the ‘hat too small’ problem several times in the past, so i opted to make the largest size for this. it turned out like a rasta hat, which may or may not be a good thing.
the brim was something i haven’t done before: it is double-thick. it was easy, and definitely worth the extra (slight) effort of doing double the knitting and then matching up the fold-over to keep knitting.

i’ve got two more yarn projects in the works, but they are presents for christmas (HOPEFULLY), so i’ll share them after they have been delivered.

halloween report.

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salvador dali fashioned a surrealist art object called “Aphrodisiac Phone” or “Lobster Phone.” it looked like this:

he eventually created six of these working telephones. further reading. 

for halloween i wanted to be dali’s art object. i contemplated making the lobster out of paper mache, but i thought that would be fragile, so i decided to sew it. i went to joanns and looked through the fabric remnants and found some red fleece. next, i sketched out the pieces id need to make (two claws, a body, and some little feet):
and i set to work. i didn’t really follow more of a pattern than this. it turned out a little quirky, but i thought that was part of the lobster’s charm. well, that and the button eyes. when i finished, i sewed on a little friend that a coworker gave to me:
perfect. the one difficult obstacle was figuring out how to get this giant stuffed lobster to stay on my head. i sewed velcro on his stomach, and then also onto a black hat. it was wobbly, but it worked. for the cord i very loosely crocheted a black chain that i sewed into the lobster tail and then pinned to my side, and i made a dial by printing and cutting two pieces of paper reinforced with packing tape. here’s an after-wearing picture (it got sorta beat up with use):
as for the rest, i wore a black dress, tights and shoes and voila! lobster phone! final product (with strongbad boyfriend):


happy belated halloween.

completion!

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i am finished with the arm warmers! they look and fit the recipient very well! they are very difficult to photograph, though. maybe if i used a real camera (not my phone) id have better luck. i still have to sew in the elastic and palm pad/reinforcement, but the knitting part is over. i am very happy with how they turned out. im also very happy i decided to incorporate finger holes.

shades of gray..

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hello! i have made some progress on the arm warmers:

the recipient wants them to be opposite colors.. which im cool with, its much easier to see gray yarn than black. it also photographs much better. the fingers on the first glove came together much more quickly than i thought they would.. they were kinda tricky though. picking up stitches from existing fingers was difficult, and while i had 3 dpns in each finger hole i was scared that some of them would slip out.  i thought it was going to look horrible because the stitches seemed to have wonky tension, but when i completed it, i think they look fine (for my first try at knitting finger holes, anyway). to bind off the fingers i used what i *think* is a double crochet bind off.. the stitches i ended up making dont look like double crochet, but single crochet. so i guess ill just refer to it as ‘single crochet bind off.’
 i want to be finished with this project!! 

forward-thinking.

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i finished the cowl. i like it very much.. i think it will be very practical, especially when cycling. every time ive worn a scarf its wrangled its way away from my neck to dangle in front of me, which distracts and aggravates me, but also could be hazardous (on a bicycle). the cowl can’t come undone– as someone pointed out, ‘its just a tube.’ 


so ive started on some arm warmers for jacob. i am kinda scared they will be difficult to get right, but i got a few rows in last night, and made it through the first try-on phase. lets hope the success continues. he wants me to sew elastic into the tops so they stay up and close to his upper arm. ive been researching online and i dont seem to have come to any particular conclusions about how to tackle this request.

back in the groove.

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here’s a sneak peek of a little guy (a cowl, in this case) im working on..

knitting seems to be growing on me quite a bit, which is a nice change from the awkwardness i used to feel when using multiple needles (instead of one crochet hook). i remember first picking up knitting and getting the strange feeling that i was forcing my way into a grid of needles and stitches that had no desire to bend. crochet has always felt like an extension of my hand; the hook feels pliable and able to maneuver into any stitch. i am so happy that im starting to feel that way with knitting. HOORAY! 

spring makings.

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hello! its been too long! spring is coming and it does nothing but amazing things for my mood! ive started a new bag. i still need to line it, but i am excited about it, so i wanted to share. i used some of cosymakes handspun and some white peruvian wool. i think the colors go well together, but then again what doesnt go with white. i am surprised at how quickly this came together, i worked on it for a week so far maybe?
i forget sometimes how much i love crocheting. it feels much more natural to me than knitting, but i still like the way knitted fabric looks. crochet just fits with how i enjoy creating.

a bundle of joy.

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and we’re back! got some stuff working, but someone has been taking up a lot of my time.. her name is livi, and shes extremely precious.
otherwise, ive been working on the trinity stitch beret. this pup has taken me awhile because i haven’t had much time to devote to it. the trinity stitch is a little tricky at first, but its becoming more fluid and natural for me, and ive been able to enjoy it. its ridiculous how soft the alpaca with a twist feels. i think alpaca is my favorite fiber (although i havent worked with the cashmere my aunt gave me yet.. we’ll see if my opinion changes after that). there is much to be said for learning to love the itchy warmth of rough wool, though. anyway! TTFN!