riizu.blogspot.com

So this whole "swap" thing is new to me, but sounds like so much fun that I want in! Yes! Everyone check out

http://cocoaswap.blogspot.com/

and then join in on the swap… whatever it ends up being cause I have no idea ^^;;; Hopefully we're not sending steaming mugs of cocoa in the mail cause that would make the mail man angry. Yes… um yeah ^^;;;

Anywho, go check it out and join in the fun! (Oh, and let them know you found out about it from me please!)

Hooray! I finished Foliage today. I knit it for my grandma and I think it turned out just lovely ^_^ I could block it, but I love the texture and am afraid that I would lose too much of it if I blocked it. So there.

SPECS:

Pattern: Foliage (free pattern)
Source: Knitty.com
URL: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall07/PATTfoliage.html
For: My grandma for Christmas
Yarn: .75 skein(s) of a beautiful alpaca yarn I found at wool-tyme
Needles: US8 (round)
Timeline: started 11.21.2007; finished 11.29.2007

I finished another Christmas knitting project today. Info and pics to come later tonight.

Yet another Christmas gift finished! I couldn't believe how fast this one knit up. I want to make another one, but maybe a little smaller. I tried to adjust for my gauge, but it still ended up a little big. Hopefully that's okay ^^;;

Pattern here:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html

I put this scarf off and off, mostly because I didn't particularly enjoy working with this 100% acrylic yarn. Luckily, it doesn't feel so bad when worn and actually turned out quite nice. The tassels were a nice touch, I think ^_^

Pattern can be found at bellaknitting.typepad.com

I stayed up waaay too late last night and finished the lace-stitch scarf I was working on for my brother's girlfriend. I don't know if blocking really did anything, but I'm very happy with it. Because of the yarn I used, it's pretty short, but I think it works for something so funky looking.

Yarn: I used two 50g skeins of Scheepjes Aspen (5% Lurex, 95% Polyamide) Link (site's not in english, but you get the idea)
Needles: 4.5mm
Pattern: Reversible Lace-Stitch scarf at leesburgyarnshop.com

I finished the blue scarf I'm knitting mom for Christmas!! This is a very big step in the world of scarves for me, since they're very very boring. Behold! Blocking!

I was really frustrated while knitting this piece because every flaw is sooo obvious with this yarn. (Aspen: 5% Lurex, 95% Polyamide). The colour is lovely, the stitch is lovely, and I'm pretty happy with it overall. The second I started to pin it down, I felt better about the shape. (I can't believe how many people don't block their knitting!)

Anywho, more pictures to come after the blocking is complete. Success? I think so!

As promised!


Based on the Vine Stitch scarf at Bella knitting. Pattern can be found at the following website:
http://bellaknitting.typepad.com/bella_knitting/2007/03/vine_stitch_sca.html

I was really unhappy with it until I blocked and now I'm quited happy! I declare it a success!

Progress is being made. This afternoon, I looked at the width of this scarf and realized that I was just knitting a ginormous pink square… and that I would run out of yarn waaaay before the end of the scarf was ever in sight. So, frogged it was, and I have spent the evening redoing all the work I did on the weekend. *sigh*

I must say, that I'm much happier with it now. Thanks to someone's suggestion that I replace the garter stitch with a seed stitch, the whole thing looks better and is knitting up faster so I'm happy. Enjoy! Pics ^^

Jumping right on into gift-knitting fun ^_^ I'm getting this lingo down, I swear. I'm so totally new *sigh*

I currently have three scarves on the go. All of them gifts. You know, I wasn't planning on doing scarves initially, but it's what people seem to want. At least they're not all the same, I'm trying to keep them interesting so I don't go blind with boredom. ^^;;;

On with pictures!!

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Brown Vine-Stitch (yes, I know it looks huge, I did it on purpose)


The scarf is now twice as long as it was on the weekend so there is true progress being made!

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Blue Vine-Stitch (Using much smaller needles)


A very fuzzy blue yarn, I call it my cookie-monster scarf. I figure I'm about a third done this one.

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Pink Fluff reversible lace thing of DOOM (what the hell was I THINKING???)


Okay, so after starting to knit about three rows, I'm under the impression that I could have gotten away with a garter stitch just fine… because LIKE YOU COULD SEE THE STITCH ANYWAY! ^^;;;;;; gaaaaahhh… I'm hoping that once I block it out it'll look awesome but we'll see. At least no one will see my mistakes! *cheers*

Back in February, I was home visiting my mom and she was knitting… well, she's tried to teach me to knit time and time again for years and for some reason, it just never "stuck". Well, when I was home, I asked her to show me again how to knit. So we go through the same thing, she teaches me the basic garter stitch, she teaches me to cast on, to knit, to purl, and sends me home with a pair of needles that I promptly toss in a corner and don't think about again.

Well, something hit me in July. I was wandering around Micheal's and bumped into the yarn section. Something made me buy a set of round needles and (way too much) burgundy yarn. I went home, found the internet, and a pattern and started knitting.

Well, now I'm stuck and I've been knitting like crazy ever since. I bought some books, bought some needles, and am now throwing myself unceremoniously into the land of christmas gift knitting. Oh boy.

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I won't post pictures of the first few things I've knitted, as they're not too note worthy, but I will post on what I just completed. The pattern I used was the "Slouchy Copy Cat Hat" at slomoeknits.wordpress.com (pattern at the website). Behold!




I'll repost the pattern in case anyone was interested in giving it a shot:

The Slouchy Copy-Cat Hat

Materials:
Cascade 220 Quattro – colour 9435 Jamaica (Greens)
4mm 16” circular needles for ribbing
5mm 16” or 20” circular needles for main body
5mm double point needles

Gauge:
~ 18 sts = 4” stst in the round on 5mm needles
~ 5 sts = 1” in k2p2 ribbing unstretched (with ribbing, who the heck really knows?)

Cast on 76 sts with 4 mm needles, place marker, and join in the round.

Work 2×2 ribbing (K2, P2) for 1.75 inches.

Next round: M1 *K2, M1* repeat from * to end. 115 stitches.

Change to 5mm needles and work in eyelet mock cable ribbing.

Eyelet Mock Cable Ribbing (multiple of 5 sts):

Row 1: *K3, P2* Repeat from * to end.
Row 2: *K3, P2* Repeat from * to end.
Row 3: *SL1, K2, PSSO, P2* Repeat from * to end.
Row 4: *K1, YO, K1, P2* Repeat from * to end.

Continue in pattern until hat measures about 8.5” from cast on edge, ending after Row 1 or 2 of the stitch pattern (to make sure you still have 115 stitches before starting the decreases).

Begin decreases, switching to double points when needed:

Row 1: *K3, K2TOG* Repeat from * to end. 96 stitches.
Row 2: K all the way around.
Row 3: *K2, K2TOG* Repeat from * to end. 69 stitches
Row 4: K all the way around.
Row 5: *K1, K2TOG* Repeat from * to end. 46 stitches
Row 6: K all the way around.
Row 7: K2TOG all the way across. 23 stitches.
Row 8: K all the way around.
Remove marker, and K2TOG until 8 stitches remain.

Break yarn, leaving a lengthy tail; thread tail through remaining stitches, pulling snug. Weave in ends.

Author's blog: http://slomoeknits.wordpress.com/

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In progress: I'm knitting various items for friends and family. I know, I'm probably crazy, but I'm knitting a scarf for my bro (Pattern at Bella Knitting)

A photo of my progress so far:



I'm using 9mm needles and a heavy acrylic yarn because I wanted it to be bigger/looser so that's why mine looks so odd in comparison to the one at Bella Knitting (love her stuff, by the way!)

The original pattern:
Using US 8 (5mm) needles, loosely cast on 19 stitches. Knit 2, *yo, sl1, k2, psso, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, knit. Repeat for every row until scarf is desired length. Bind off loosely. Block if desired — blocking will open up the scarf and enhance the lacy look.

Here's a closeup of the stitch. Abbreviations:

k - knit
psso - pass slipped stitch over
sl - slip
yo- yarn over

Happy knitting!