02.07.10
Citron
I finished this cute shawl just in time to wear it to the gala for my work last night:
Unfortunately, no modeled shots. After an incredibly long day yesterday, I am staying in my pajamas all day today so I don’t think I’ll be taking any modeled shots now!
Pattern: Citron from Knitty, Winter 2009
Yarn: Bluebonnet Hills Alpaca Ranch, Alpaca
Notes: I was needing an easy pattern to work on and thought this would be perfect for the Alpaca that I’d had in my stash for several years now! It was almost perfect - I ran out of yarn before I was able to do all of the ruffle rows, but it doesn’t really make a big difference. It is very soft and went perfectly with a little black cocktail dress.
On another subject, I haven’t been very good about documenting our cheesemaking attempts. One resounding success was this chevre:
I know it doesn’t look all that appetizing in the plastic tub, but it was so good! And very easy too – only takes about 24 hours. The other cheesemaking attempts have been hit or miss – hard cheeses have been generally good, but the soft cheeses are a bit more tricky. My husband’s been very intent on making some brie, so we’ll have to try to figure out what’s going wrong with those!
01.04.10
No Excuses
I really have no good reason for being away for so long, and being so far behind on my blog reading. I even had all of last week off from work, and still did pretty much nothing. But, I did manage to finish some knitted gifts for Christmas!
Pattern: Nathaniel by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Feza Sera, 1.5 balls
Notes: Cute! I used a thinner yarn so he’s not quite pillow sized, but still a good gift for my squirrel-obsessed sister.
Pattern: Pink Pig by Anita Wheeless
Yarn: Cascade 220
Notes: Another cute, quick gift knit. I don’t think mine turned out quite as adorable as the one in the pattern picture, but I still like him.
And, I actually knit two gifts and didn’t take pictures. Crazy, huh? One was the Jacques Cousteau hat for my dad and a basic slouchy hat for my sister. I think I’m ready to take on another larger project now, so I’ve started on the Apres Surf Hoodie . A bit slow going, but hopefully I’ll have some progress to show soon.
11.21.09
Accessories
It’s nice to have a use for hats and scarves now! And I’ve discovered, unfortunately, that my neck is pretty sensitive to wool. So that means that most of the scarves that I’ve made in the past are unwearable for me. Of course having only worn them for FO pictures in Houston, I wouldn’t have realized that. 
So I knit up a quick bulky scarf that is mostly cotton but will keep me warm:
Pattern: Braided from Spud & Chloe
Yarn: Zoal Big Cash, 3 balls
Notes: Pretty straightforward and quick knit! I made the middle ribbed section longer instead of alternating ribbed and braided sections equally as written in the pattern. The yarn is really not fun to knit with – it feels like knitting with a heavy piece of rope. But it isn’t scratchy, at least!
Pattern: Ripley, from Ysolda’s Whimsical Little Knits 2
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica, my souvenir yarn from Bainbridge Island
Notes: Again, I love this pattern book! And the hat was super quick to knit up. The Manos is rather scratchy, but hopefully I can deal with it as a hat.
I’m liking my new job, but it’s really cutting in to my knitting time! Hopefully I’ll have a chance to work on some of the holiday gifts that I have in mind.
10.30.09
Damson
I’m really enjoying Ysolda’s Whimsical Little Knits 2. Such cute projects!
Pattern: Damson
Yarn: Laceweight from Handpaintedyarn.com, Stonechat colorway, held double
Notes: Simple, well written pattern and a great use for the laceweight from Handpaintedyarn.com that I’ve had in my stash for a while! The yarn worked out nicely doubled on size 6 needles, and I used less than one skein. I had a hard time getting a clear picture that accurately shows the color – I guess it’s just a bit lighter than the middle photo.
I’ve also finished Ripley, but have had a terrible time trying to take a picture of it on my head (and un-modeled hat pictures never look that great, I think) so an FO post for that might be a little while. And isn’t this guy cute? My sister may be getting another knitted squirrel for Christmas this year!
10.26.09
Gathered Pullover
I love this sweater!
Pattern: Gathered Pullover from Interweave Knits Winter 2007
Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style in Storm
Notes: Very happy with this one – I knit the 36 1/4″ size with a different gauge to get a slightly smaller finished sweater. It did grow a little bit after washing, but not enough to be too big. I lengthened the body and sleeves by at least 1″. And despite the fact that I have discovered that I’m pretty sensitive to wool (I never really realized this before since I didn’t wear scarves or wool sweaters much in Houston), the Merino Style doesn’t bother me at all. And I love the color! It bled quite a bit as I was knitting on to my needles, but seemed to be fine when I washed and blocked it.
More good news – I got a job! I start in a week, so perhaps I’ll try to fit in some marathon knitting sessions before then. I’m glad to have a job again, but I’ll definitely miss my knitting time!
10.07.09
Eyelet Cap
No finished sweater yet – I’ve forgotten how long it takes to make something with long sleeves! But I do have an FO to share:
Pattern: Eyelet Cap from Vogue Knitting, Fall 2009
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed (I think, I can’t find the wrapper and it was given to me partially used), around 1.25 balls
Notes: I’m liking this hat! It didn’t turn out quite as slouchy as it was supposed to be, but considering that I didn’t swatch, I’m fine with that. My only modifications were that I changed to a size 2 needle for the ribbing to tighten it up and I only did 6 inches of ribbing rather than 8 (you fold over the ribbing and sew it down once you’re done).
The husband and I enjoy making stuff from scratch, but usually our hobbies don’t intersect – he brews beer and roasts coffee beans, I knit and sew – but he thought we should have a shared hobby and bought a cheese making kit. Here are some of the results:
It really wasn’t too difficult, there’s just a lot of waiting involved. In fact, we won’t really know how these turned out for a while. We made gouda and cheddar, plus there’s a monterey jack I didn’t get a picture of. I’ll give you an update in a few months once they’ve aged!
10.02.09
Placemats!
My exciting sewing project for this week – placemats!
Nothing too fancy, but I think they go nicely with our table. I should have actually measured the store-bought placemats that I have to find out the ideal size, but I used a pattern from Home Sewn as a guide instead. As you can see, they turned out a bit big. I didn’t actually use the Home Sewn pattern, I just cut out rectangles and sewed them together with some interfacing in between. I could have been more careful with my cutting (this fabric really makes crooked cuts obvious) but overall I’m happy with them. The fabric is Alexander Henry’s Maxfield cotton.
The weather has gotten cooler, so I’m hoping to finish up some knitting to wear! The Gathered Pullover is coming together quickly, but I’ve stalled on it lately. Hopefully I’ll have an FO post for it soon!
09.22.09
Just in time for fall
I think I may still get to wear this a few times before I need to pull out the fall clothes:
Pattern: Josephine Top from Interweave Knits Summer 2007
Yarn:Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine, 8 balls in color #27
Notes:I’m quite happy with this! I wasn’t too sure if the sizing would work out, because I used a thicker yarn on small needles (size 4) and, because my gauge was off, knit a size small hoping to get a slightly smaller size than that. It turned out well, despite the fact that it was looking rather big on the needles. As I mentioned before, I knit the bottom portion in the round and split to flat knitting after the eyelet round. I lengthened the distance between the eyelets and armholes by a little bit and I’m glad I did, otherwise it would have fit awkwardly. And I used a ribbon rather than the knitted cord in the pattern, though I may buy a different colored one at some point.
Now, time to begin some winter knits!
I’ve had some Merino Style in this lovely color (Storm) for a while now to make the Gathered Pullover from Interweave Winter 2007. I’ll have to do some fudging with the gauge, but I think it can work!
Oh, and speaking of fall, my husband’s family has an old cider press that hadn’t been used in years, so we drove out to the farm the other week to clean it out and make some fresh cider. It was a lot of work, but worth it for the delicious cider!
Apples…
…and more apples
Pressing the cider
The apple remains after 19 gallons of cider!
09.09.09
OpArt Blanket!
I’m so glad to have this finally finished!
Pattern: OpArt Blanket
Yarn: Lily Chin Chelsea, I think 3 balls of each color
Notes: I don’t think I’ve ever taken so long to finish something! I started this back on November 13, 2008. Along the way, it has changed intended recipients, as the baby this was originally for is about 6 months old now. But luckily one of my best friends is pregnant and I’m sure she will appreciate this gift.
The pattern itself certainly isn’t hard so I’m not sure why it took me so long. It just wasn’t too fun, especially as the rounds got larger and larger. But the finished product is pretty cool looking, I have to say. I ran out of yarn for the last two stripes but at that point I just didn’t care!
Now to try to finish up the Josephine Top:
My new goal is to finish by the end of September, as I kind of forgot that summer ends much earlier here than it does in Houston. I’m using Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine and knit the lace part in the round before splitting for the front and back.
08.10.09
Sewing Frenzy
For me, two projects is pretty much a frenzy, anyway.
Pattern: Spring Ruffle Top Tutorial
Fabric: Some cotton from Joann
Notes: This fabric actually started out as the Mendocino Sundress, but since I cut it way too small, I was able to re-use the fabric to make a top instead. The tutorial is very well written – I omitted the pleats since I didn’t quite have enough fabric and the ruffles because I didn’t feel like doing them.
Pattern: Mini Dress, Tunic and Top pattern from Amy Butler, size medium of the dress
Fabric: Legacy Studio Kimono Collection Cotton Print – Large Mums from Joann
Notes: In all, an easy to follow pattern and a pretty cute result. I made a muslin of the size small and decided it was too tight, so I ended up making a size medium. I think that a size in between would have been best, but I’m happy with the way the medium fits. This was a good learning project for me – I did my first invisible zipper, which was not as invisible as I would have liked, but ok considering I didn’t have an invisible zipper foot. I also should have thought a bit more about the placement of the fabric on the back panels as well. Well, now I know for next time!
