Pickin' it back up.

So I have finally picked my lace project back up. I'm not attacking things with as much vigor as I was before, but I'm doing the "slow and steady wins the race" thing. One reason that's good is that I am taking the time to enjoy the process and not just rushing to have something new at the end of it.

There's still that one little hiccup, back before I set the project down for a while, where I had dropped a stitch or something, and ended up with a whole. But by my calculations, I've decided that it's no big deal because a) it's my first lace scarf and your first everything is supposed to have some mess ups and b) it's at the bottom, so I don't think it'll be mega obvious.

My goal is to make it a longer scarf. I imagine it being a nice springtime scarf that I can wear out and about in Evansville. Casual, yet classy.

took you long enough.

on monday i finally lit a fire under my butt and lined my bag so that it is functional. because i got ahead of myself and attached the handles before lining it, i decided not to line them. (they were supposed to be lined before attached.) subsequently, they stretch a fair amount when i put it on with things in it, however it allows for it to then be slung across my chest, which i quite prefer in a purse/bag/satchel. alas, all turned out well! i'll also admit that my hand sewing is shoddy but there again... i don't so much care.

ruffles 1, laura 0

here's just a quick update on my just enough ruffles scarf in aqua. i dug bryans nikon out of the closet and had to fiddle with the settings. hopefully when he gets home he's not bothered! i need a lesson or two in photography. this will do for now. pretty darn good if i do say so myself.

as for the scarfy - so far, so good. i've learned how to wrap and turn and am just doing a simple stockinette stitch for like 12 more rows before i start my ruffles. wish me luck!  

where my babies at?

well it only took me months to finish but HERE SHE IS! all pretty in violet and lime this here baby blanket is far from perfect but she is mine all the same. i learned a lot doing this project - how to add a stitch, pick up stitches, add trim, seam, join yarn, check the dye lot, etc...

but tada! done and done.

fall to pieces

The bag is officially finished.

Well... with the knitting portion anyway. And these are the pictures to prove it.

All that's left is sewing it together and lining it. (You can see the lining right over yonder, next to Oliver.)

That probably won't happen for a few days on account of being pretty super busy this weekend coming up. But I suspect by Monday afternoon/evening I'll have me a new market tote!

black beaufort hatty

so you wanna know what a friggin' rockstar looks like?

knit time: approximately 8 hours (total).  so i'm a slow starter but once i get going - woosh! once you learn the yarn over (which is incredibly easy - i'm just an idiot) this is a really fun and easy knit.  the only stressful part is switching to dpns to close her up - but that's true of any hat.  anyway - this is just a black version of the hat from below.  w00t!

also - please note the tshirt.  what wouldn't jesus do?  

ZOMFG! it's a hooded baby blanket!

she's cute no? tara and trooper's beebee is gonna look so cute inside! she needs her ends hidden, but i'll get to those tomorrow! woot!

ZOMFG! its a hat!

wheeeeeeeee!!!!!

it was panic!  i was in a sweat!  there was a near disaster!  but... i'm a friggin' rockstar and i covered up a few slipped stitches at the end and it's 97% perfection!  

everyone!  everywhere!  PWNED!  oh, and here's the pattern. 

oh THATS what its supposed to look like!

um... so on try #2 i realized that i had been doing the yarn over completely wrong.  now it is much easier to knit and it is looking WAY better.  i should have a completed hatty tomorrow!  i'm setting it down for the night though since my right arm is ACHING from hours of knitting.  YAY! 

she's gonna blow!

that's what he said.

i could not possibly fit one more stitch on here, but all stitches are picked up and the edging is in progress!

halfa finished? hat

i'm really starting to dislike charlie brown.

i. hate. this. hat. 

sure, it turned out just fine after i started over 3 times, only... i followed the pattern too closely and should've done another round of the spirals.  it's too shallow for emily but would probably make a nice hat for a small child... or melon.  i'm thisclose to shoving a dpn into my eye.  

you can't really tell b/c of the absurdity of my cameras flash but the pattern actually did turn out quite well.  let's just call it a learning experience.

halfa hat

i felt left out... so here's an update of half my hat for emily! i'm working on decreasing now. it took me a bit to figure out how to yarn over and not to toot my own horn but... i'd call myself a pro now. well, until i mess up and start over that is... in which case i'm not a pro - i'm a shmo. hip hip!

lace? what lace? i don't know what you're talking about.

*shrug*

I decided the point of all of this was not to be crabby so I set the lace scarf aside. I'm going to pick a simpler, more beginner friendly pattern to practice lace, I think. But until then, I decided to get to work on my Market Tote. The pattern can be found here. The yarn I'm using is KnitPicks (aka We Take Forever and a Year to Ship) Comfy, color Planetarium. My digital picture and the pictures on the KnitPicks website do not do this justice. It really is gorgeous. Also, it's a blend of Pima Cotton and acrylic and is ridiculously soft and yummy. The whole thing is knit holding two strands of yarn together, I imagine, for extra sturdiness. What you're seeing is the first of two side panels. I put my wallet, which is checkbook sized, next to it so you can see the size with more perspective. I also showed it folded in half at the turning ridge so you'd get an idea of what's going to happen.


Enjoy!
j.e.n.

i'm sew hood.

roundin' the bend! she's nearly done!

bound to be cute!

i bound off on the blankie!! the hood starts tomorrow....and hopefully her edging straightens her out because she'll all curled up on herself.

http://thriftyknitter.com/?p=293 <--- pattern here.

lace makes me crabby

So here's what I've been doing. It took two point five years to actually get my yarn in the mail, so in the meantime I made two cozies, as seen on the right. One has my camera, the other is for Laura! This time instead of using velcro I made button holes. It was much easier than messing around with all the sewing. The base pattern was from Stitch n Bitch but I sorta just made it as long as I felt like and I only used one yarn thing for Laura's and two for my own. I just sorta took creative liberties there. Not that it's difficult with a cozy like such.

The left picture is the beginning of my lace scarf. I'm not so sure how it's going. I've been told to keep trucking and it'll be fine and to wait til I block it because apparently that makes a difference. In the meantime, I'm just trying to get used to looser stitches. For citing purposes, here's the pattern I'm using: http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/a6-pattern.shtm

In a related note, I think it's cruel for the yarn industry to make anything into a hank and expect me to ball it myself. That was nearly 3 hours of my life I'll never get back again.

dueling blankies.

PWNED. 11 inches on top. ....and THAT's what she said.

ohh baby blanket!

okay so the 9 inches below me (that's what she said) is making me feel a little inadequate. i'd say i have about 6 inches done so far. maybe by the time i get it done i'll have a baby to put it in... eep!  just kidding! 

hung like a horse.

9 inches--read it and weep.

Whale Cat Toy

I imagine cat toys will be my favorite way to use scrap yarn up.

tada!

Done and done! Nothing feels quite so great as finishing a project... and not just the knitting bit but the sewing and attaching and this, that and the other. I must profess myself quite proud of my handy work. I don't want to toot my own horn but I really think it looks like i may have bought it somewhere.

Yay!

Jenny's Yoga Mat Bag

Knitting of the Yoga Mat Bag is complete, and you're looking at the proof! So now all I have to do is weave in my ends, then sew the sides and bottom panel together, and then sew on the strap!

Oh and then I need to get a nice li'l yoga mat to carry around in it!

laura's baby blanket - take 1

well here i am! the first to update! the blanket is taking longer than normal as american idol is slowly taking over my life. i'm getting to the point of being able to knit and watch at the same time, however i am still a bit paranoid i'm going ot miss a stitch or something worse if i take my eyes off my needles.

well - anyway - here's update number 1 on the hooded baby blanket in blue!

w00t! ~ duffy