riizu.blogspot.com

For the first time ever, I got to knit with Noro. In this case, Noro Kureyon. It's a pretty rough wool, and I understand that most people choose it for the colours… I obviously chose it for the price. There were only two balls left in this colour, but I really do love how it knits up.

The pattern I used is Berry Hill Fingerless mittens by Liz (not me… another Liz), only I made them full mittens, rather than fingerless. I just can't think of a good reason why I would need more than one pair of fingerless gloves. Anyway, they're crazy warm, knit up in just a few days, and I really do love them.

Pattern: Berry Hill Fingerless Mittens (free pattern)
Ravelry: Berry Noro Mittens
Source: thomasinaknits.blogspot.com
Yarn: 3/4 each, two balls of Noro Kureyon
Needles: 4.5mm
Started: December 3, 2008
Finished: December 8, 2008

I love how quickly I am getting through all of these gifts. I finished a cowl on Tuesday night for my fiancé's aunt (who I'm pretty sure doesn't read this XP) that turned out great. The pattern is the Quickie Cowl by Fawn Pea. The pattern is available for free on her website, and through ravelry. My ravelry project page is here. I loved this pattern. It was a quick as promised, knit flat and seamed (I did a 3-needle bind off because I'm lazy). It was easy to memorize and turned out really nice.




I just have to say that all of the comments have really helped me to keep up with the blogging, as well as the knitting. Not only that, but all of you that I've found your blogs, I have now started following you! Thank you for broadening my blogosphere :) We're at 145 entries. Keep 'em coming! I have a shout-out to Dogmommy4: Arbor is available for free here: http://indigomouse.net/?p=82

The next project will be a scarf for my FBIL to match the hat I knit for his birthday last week. The plan is to knit the Gulp Scarf by Donyale Grant. The pattern is available for free through her blog, as well as a free PDF download on ravelry. My project page is here (where you can see the yarn!) Oh, alright. Here is the yarn I'm using. Isn't it pretty?

I really should learn to read patterns before I start them. This scarf is knit the long way, not the short way. ((sigh)) This scarf has a confusing way of describing something as simple as dropped stitches, and it would have helped to clarify that before starting. ((sigh)) This scarf requires that you cast on 250 stitches. 250!!!!! ((sigh)) Overall, I still like how it’s turning out, but felt I should register that I’m annoyed with myself for not reading ahead.




I also finally managed to get some photos of the hat I knit for my fiancé back in October. I never thought I would want him out of the apartment so badly! I'm really happy with how it turned out too. Please ignore my spaced out look, I was having trouble getting a good angle on the hat lol. Pattern is loosely based on the Fibonacci pea cap (free pattern)






1. The last band I saw live was Ukrania!
2. What I looked forward to most on Thanksgiving was getting our apartment mostly unpacked, finally, after 6 months of living with boxes! (Thanksgiving is in October for Canadians)
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is not applicable? I'm knitting for Christmas this year.
4. Thoughts of tea fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear corn based knits.
6. Bagpipes can be awesome.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Rin arriving from Toronto, tomorrow my plans include brunch, the LYS and a knitterly afternoon and Sunday, I want to make pancakes!

First I have to say how AMAZING all the comments have been. We are up to 137 entries. Keep 'em coming! You can enter up until November 30th. You were asking about my FO of the day? lol here ya go!

Alpaca/Bamboo Cowl (ravlink)
Recipient: It's a secret! Shh! (though I don't think she reads this blog)
Pattern: Zig Zag Cowl by Mandy Powers (free)
Occasion: Birthday December 1st
Finished: Nov 16/08
Notes: I started the Gemma Beret pattern first, but got so frustrated with how the pattern was written, and with how it was turning out, that I gave up and started this cowl instead.

I do have a minor complaint with the pattern though. When it tells you to cast on, it really should tell you to do a provisional cast on. I know there are people out there who hate prov. cast ons, but isn’t picking up stitches for a picot hem EVEN WORSE? Anyway, it was a really quick knit, and I love how it turned out.

ETA: I took a few more pics last night! See it in action :)

I finished another Christmas item recently, and finally got around to uploading the pics to ravelry. Don't forget to check out my comment contest for the month of November! You can comment on ANY POST in November for entries ^_^

I started a pair of socks earlier in the week, but realized too late that I didn't have enough yarn to finish them. I did that thing that knitters do where they pretend that there's no problem and just keep on knitting. *sigh* I have come to my senses, ripped it out, and started again with a toe-up pattern. I also had the sense to divide the ball in half, so I would be sure to use the right amount. I'll probably get a nice pair of shorty socks. I'm much happier with the progress I'm getting now anyway.

1. Gift Item: Picot Mittens (ravlink) — Rollover
Recipient: Anik (Fiancé's SIL)
Pattern: Picot Edged Mittens by Carolyn (free pattern)
Occasion: Christmas
Deadline: Dec 25/08
Finished: Oct 26/08
Notes: These were actually finished in October, but I finally got the buttons in the mail (which I purchased from pinksupply's shop on Etsy), and sewed them on. Yay!

2 days until the contest!

PSA: If you are family do not read this post!!!

I finished my very first pair of gloves with fingers. I knit a picot edged pair of gloves for my mother in law to-be, and I'm very excited about them. The yarn is a mix of merino wool and silk, and they're really warm and soft. I'm sure she'll love them. Christmas knitting has been plugging along. I've made it really far down my list, and think that I can get a few more done yet before Christmas.

I already have knits done for my parents, my brother and his fiancée, my niece Emma, and my future father-in-law. I'm working on a secret project for my fiancé and have so far been able to keep it a secret from him, and would love to make a pair of mittens for his brother and his brother's wife. A pair of mittens for me wouldn't hurt either.

As of last night, I finished my goals for October.

October Wrap Up:

1. Gift Item: Llama Striped Hat for my brother, Joel (ravlink)
Pattern: Turn A Square Hat by Jared Flood (free pattern)
Progress: I finished this hat in record time. I think I started it on the last day of September, and it was done by the following evening. COMPLETED Oct 1



2. Gift Item: Baby Jacket for my new niece, Emma (ravlink)
Pattern: Buttons Hat and Jacket from Naturally Yarns
Progress: The jacket went surprisingly quickly, and the hat too. I had to wait a few weeks for the buttons to arrive, but once they did, they were adorable! COMPLETED Oct 13






3. Gift Item: Simple Hat for my FFIL, Gerry (ravlink)
Pattern: Jacques Cousteau Hat by Typy (free pattern)
Progress: Another really quick-knit. The yarn is from knit picks, and it's a big, warm hat. I know he'll love it. COMPLETED Oct 12




4. Gift Item: Embroidered Gloves for my FFMIL, Diane (ravlink)
Pattern: Cashmere Picot Edged Gloves by Insaknitty (direct PDF download link)
Progress: These took longer than the others. The picot edging on the first glove took forever but once I figured out the picot, I was much happier. after the edging, they went quickly enough. doing the fingers were a lot of fun, since I'd never done them before, and I learned some embroidery!



5. Gift Item: Striped Hat for my Fiancé, Chris (ravlink)
Pattern: Fibonacci Pea Cap by Lisa Bennett (free pattern)
Progress: Chris keeps complaining about being cold, and I've never knit him anything before. So, I went and bought a skein of some lovely alpaca, used up some scrap yarn, and made him a warm hat. This hat is very loosely based on the pattern above, but I didn't really follow it at all. This item wasn't on my original list. COMPLETED Oct 24

It's done, but I haven't been able to get him out of the apartment, so I haven't been able to get a finished photo.


6. Gift Item: Mittens for FFSIL, Anik (ravlink)
Pattern: Picot Edged Mittens by Carolyn (free pattern)
Progress: These were fun to make, and a really easy pattern. Instead of seaming the cuff, I'm attaching buttons that I bought on Etsy. I'll post photos when it's done. This wasn't on my original list either. COMPLETED Oct 24

At first I absolutely hated this yarn. I wasn’t very fond of the colour-way, it wasn’t all that great to work with, and none of the first three sock patterns I tried wanted to work.

It might have helped, if I had worked with the yarn, instead of against it. This yarn is not stretchy, and so it is very unforgiving. The fourth sock attempt, I chose a pattern that specifically mentions that it is stretchy, and this finished product is absolutely lovely. These socks are pretty, comfortable, and actually really nice. I’ve completely turned around on how I feel about this yarn. I actually love how it feels on my feet, and the colours are really quite nice. I now feel bad about how much I thought I didn't like it at first, and am sad I'm giving these socks away. Now I want a pair for me!

Victorian Lace wrap (rav link)
Pattern: Victorian Ruby by Jane Sowerby
Source: Victorian Lace Today (book)
Recipient: Bridesmaid
Occasion: My wedding next year (September 2009)
Started: July 22, 2008
Completed: Setpember 9, 2008

Yarn: 1 skein of Knit Picks Gloss Lace in 24179 Mermaid
Needles: US 7 / 4.5mm and a crochet hook for finishing (not done yet)
Notions: I'm very happy I decided to block it, I really hope it opens up quite a bit. I'm still toying with the idea of doing a crochet chain edge, but it may look fine after I unpin it.

I finished the hat attack hat tonight. WoO!



2. Gift Item: Hat Attack (website)(ravlink)
Recipient: fairyknits(ravlink)
Occasion: crazy swap thing
Deadline: September 16
Notes: FINISHED!

These took me just under 1 week to finish. They're my very first socks, and super comfortable. The pattern was pretty awesome too.

Selfish Footies (ravelry)
Pattern: Mom's Fast Florida Footieds by Lynn DT Hershberger
Source: ColorJoy!
Recipient: Myself
Occasion: First socks
Finished: July 12, 2008
Yarn: 0.5 skein of Lang Yarns Jawoll Cotton Aktion
Needles: US 1.5 or 2.5 mm circulars

[Edited April 29, 2008: Added Pattern and download)
[Edited May 9, 2008: Pattern is being updated for the right-hand side… apparently my instructions of "reverse for right glove" are a bit too ambiguous for some. Stay tuned!)

I knit some cabled arm-warmers for my friend Anna. These were long overdue, and I'm very happy to have them done. We're going to consider them an early birthday present, even though her birthday is in November. The pattern is pretty much my own, and the cable pattern is borrowed from a book even if it is a really simple one. I intentionally off-set the cables and I think they look pretty cool.

Gift Item: Branching Out Scarf (pattern) (ravelry) by Susan Lawrence
Source: Knitty
Recipient: Anna
Occasion: Belated birthday
Finished: April 20, 2008

Yarn: 0.75 skeins of Knit Picks Essential in Grass
Needles: US 3

After a couple hours spent finishing, seaming, and crocheting edges, it’s finally blocking! I had to block it in two stages, because of the ruffled skirt… and I have yet to decide whether or not to sew and create a picot edge or not. The open-lace edge is quite pretty on it’s own, and I don’t think I have enough yarn left anyway…







Gift Item: Tura Maeve Dress in blue (pattern) (ravelry) by Paulina Obregón (scroll down for English translation)
Source: All you knit is love
Recipient: My niece who is due born in April
Occasion: Baby being born
Completed: March 17, 2008

Yarn: 2 skeins of Garnstudio Safran in a pretty blue colour
Needles: US 5 / 3.75mm and a crochet hook for finishing
Notions: I'm thinking of making crochet chains and leave it as a tie-back

What Liz Means

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are incredibly wise and perceptive. You have a lot of life experience. You are a natural peacemaker, and you are especially good at helping others get along. But keeping the peace in your own life is not easy. You see things very differently, and it's hard to get you to budge.

What Your Shamrock Says About You

You are a high achiever. Success comes fairly easy for you. At times, you can be slow to act. You don't like to be outside your comfort zone. You don't really consider yourself a lucky person. In your view, people create their own luck. You are stylish, in a classic sort of way. You are particular about how you like things.

Bristol Neck Warmer

I knit this up in one night using some yarn from my stash. I used the Bristol Neck Warmer pattern (free) as a guideline, really. I only used the pattern for dimensions and button placement… not a whole lot else. I also only did a garter stitch because anything else wouldn’t have showed up in the pretty yarn colour.

Pattern: Bristol Neck Warmer
Source: www.cabledsheep.com
Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/riizu/bristol-neck-warmer
For: Myself
Yarn: 1.5 skeins of a Patons Bohemian in Green Tea that I bought at Wool Tyme on impulse
Needles: 5mm
Notions: I bought the buttons from MaggiesMess’s Etsy store.
Time line: Finished in one night in February

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Tura Maeve Dress in blue

I received the Yarn (from Nordic Mart) on Thursday, and started it pretty much right away. I finished the bodice within hours of receiving the yarn in the mail, and decided to block it before going any further just to make my life a tad bit easier. You can see the pattern here (scroll down for English translation), and the Ravelry link here.





Pattern: Tura Maeve Dress by Paulina Obregón (scroll down for English translation)
Source: All you knit is love
Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/riizu/tura-maeve-dress
For: My niece who is due born in mid-April
Yarn: 2 skeins of Garnstudio Safran in a pretty blue colour
Needles: US 5 / 3.75mm and a crochet hook for finishing
Notions: I'm going to have to figure out something to fasten the back, since I don't want to use buttons for a newborn dress… maybe small strips of ribbon? Or maybe just a crochet chain…
Time line: This needs to be done by March 31st!