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Category: Crafts

Craft projects of mine

  • Kitty Kat Cardy Update

    I’ve been dealing with some contrasting impulses this week. On one hand, the cardy bodice could look really cute as a vest. But do I wear vests? Not really. On the other hand, knitting long sleeves in the next ten days is going to kill me. Then last night I had a brainstorm: I could put short sleeves on it! And not just any short sleeves – PUFFY SLEEVES. Yes, that’s going to push the whole thing so far over the cliff into the Land of Twee that the world might implode. But I don’t care! It’s already going to have EMBROIDERED KITTY FACES on it! I think we may even be venturing into Alannah Hill territory here! Maybe I can sell the design to her for next year’s collection! The very concept of puffy sleeves is making me CRAZY!

    But yeah, they’re tricky to knit. Bex gave me some helpful advice and I’ve filled several pages with scribbled calculations tonight. But it just might work…

  • Easter Show Quandry

    I’m looking at the 2007 Arts Schedule here, and under “Special Arts Regulations” it says this:

    9. Exhibits (with the exception of quilts, weaving and spinning) which have been washed will be disqualified.

    Huh? Do they really mean that? I had been planning on giving the Cabled Jacket of Doom a gentle hand wash and then a blocking, but it sounds like they’re saying they’d boot me for that. What’s the problem with washing, anyway? All my stuff is covered in cat hair!

  • Kitty Kat Cardigan Bodice

    Cardy Bodice

    That there is the body of my Argyle Kitty Kat Cardy FINISHED. Well, not technically finished. I have to weave in a million ends and embroider on the white diagonal lines and the cat faces, but the actual knitting is done. (I used a three-needle cast off for the shoulders.) Folks, that is a total of eight days from start to finish for that sucker. And did I mention it’s in BLACK 4-PLY? I’m a little amazed myself. I was helped by the fact that halfway through the week I checked my row gauge and realized that doing five diamonds up the front was going to make it too long. I fretted about the non-symmetry of only doing four, but the girls at the guild meeting today convinced me it’d be fine. So that saved me 20% of the expected time.

    As of this moment, I have exactly thirteen days left before the exhibits have to be turned in. And of course, I still have to knit the sleeves. Anyone want to take bets on whether I make it?

    And in health news, I think I’m feeling better. My temperature seems to have stabilized and my throat isn’t getting any sorer. Of course, this damn bug might just be incubating til my holiday starts…

  • The cardi is growing…

    Cardigan Progress

    My Kitty Kat Cardi continues to grow.

    The two fronts will each have five diamonds, so I’m 30% of the way there…

  • Youth was wasted on me.

    Kitty Kat CardiSo how did I spend the next-to-last weekend of my 20’s? I’m ashamed to say: sitting on my butt and knitting. Saturday morning was the Annual General Meeting of the Knitter’s Guild, and it totally just SAPPED MY WILL TO LIVE. I was surrounded by busybodies who actually spent half an hour heatedly debating the issue of whether we should print annual copies of the Membership Directory. Seriously. (For the record, I think the whole issue would be avoided by putting it on the website, but as A) that would mean work for me and B) I don’t actually care one way or the other, I kept my mouth shut.) My Knitting Nemesis was also in fine form, dominating the debate, waving her camera around, and generally just annoying everyone who was counting down the minutes til Tea Time. Basically, that was ninety minutes of my life that I’ll never get back. (Notable exception: Fiona received her Level 1 Certificate, and a hearty congratulations to her!)

    Afterwards I suffered a major allergy attack and a subsequent headache, so I decided to pike on SSK and the Mardi Gras parade (to which the fabulous Bex had invited me). I then spent most of the next 36 hours working on my argyle kitty-kat cardigan, a teaser of which you see before you. I’m supposed to enter it in the Easter Show, but it’ll never be done in time. If it turns out well though, I might write it up for Yarn. I also watched Freaky Friday and Cat People (both of which were EXCELLENT), four episodes of House, three episodes of My Name is Earl, and the Biggest Loser weigh-in. Yeah, I suck.

  • Cabled Jacket of Doom – FINISHED

    Finished jacket

    It’s done. It’s really and truly done. After an aborted attempt at sewing in the zipper last weekend, I hit upon the idea of sewing down some ribbon along the inside of each front to hide the cut edges and provide a more stable foundation for the zipper. So I got four meters of ribbon from the shop (which turned out to be the perfect amount) and got to work. Unfortunately the Cursed Nature of this project meant that first I had to do things completely wrong. I sewed down one ribbon with the sewing machine (without pinning), then sewed down the other (after pinning). I’m sure some of you can see the problem already. I tried it on and groaned. The side I hadn’t pinned had stretched at least an inch or so in the process of sewing, so it was all ripply and crap-looking. Why the hell didn’t I think to measure and make sure the two pieces of ribbon were the same size? Because of the Curse, obviously. So I ripped out the ripply side and then wet it down for the night, hoping it would spring back into shape. (It did.) The next day I measured out the ribbon, pinned it down, and sewed it into place. It looked good! I then used the rest of the ribbon to face all the seams inside the garment: around the arms, the shoulders, and the hood/neck steeks. Lastly, I sewed in the goddamn zipper. It’s done! This sucker took me exactly SEVEN MONTHS to finish. I learned so much along the way! I learned how Debbie Bliss patterns can SUCK; I learned how photos that don’t show vital parts of the garment – like the collar – are a big ol’ WARNING SIGN; I learned that steeking saves you knitting time but doesn’t necessarily cut down on finishing. And you know what? After all that, the bastards will probably reject it for the Show. That’d be just my luck.

    Didn’t Snookums do a good job of taking Interweave-esque photos?

  • WTC Cross Stitch

    This morning I helped an Australian customer in the shop who wanted to have a photograph turned into a cross stitch. The photograph was of the World Trade Center. (Not smoking or anything – thank GOD – apparently they’d taken it on vacation the year before.) I was a little stunned at first… but then I remembered that we have and sell tapestries with the Titanic on them. Give it another twenty years and nobody will bat an eye, I guess. Still, who hangs something like that in their living room?

    I wonder if they call them freedom knots?

  • Wii Related Stuff

    How much do I love my friends? This morning Eva e-mailed me a link to the forthcoming High School Musical videogame. SQUEEEE! And it’s going to be for Wii! And then Bex sent me a link to a pattern for a drawstring Wiimote carrying bag. Fun Monday so far!

  • Flurry of Finishing

    I had meant to make this weekend a Flurry of Finishing (with regards to my knitting) and I guess I was moderately successful.

    Okay, first up is Argosy, which is a scarf I started a couple weeks ago as a way to use up the leftover Noro Silk Garden from the Cabled Jacket of Doom. It’s a fun little pattern to knit and it grows pretty quickly. I was nearing the end of it at the TC SnB Thursday night when Kate asked if anyone had any scrap wool to use as a stitch holder. I gave her about a foot-long piece. Would you believe that twenty-four hours later I ran short by EXACTLY THAT AMOUNT? D’oh! Rather than frogging back and making it shorter, I laboriously trimmed down all the tails from my joins and then spit-felted them all together. Yes, I spit in my own hand and rubbed the yarn in it til it joined. This scarf is riddled with my very own DNA. Hence, I’m not giving it as a gift to anyone. It’s pretty though, right?

    Argosy

    Next is my entry in the perpetual Best Sister Ever Sweepstakes. My little brother Joey loves the Indianapolis Colts (who just won the Superbowl). So as a surprise, I made him this hooded vest. The pattern is from this great new book and I drew the intarsia graph for the logo and name myself. (It’s here if anyone wants it.) Very cute, huh? I knitted it out of Heirloom Easycare 8ply. Mom predicts he’s absolutely going to love it.

    Colts Vest

    And lastly… I’m thinking of renaming it the Zombie Cabled Jacket That Just WILL NOT DIE. I had planned to finish the damn thing once and for all, but nothing with this project is easy. I did manage to get it steeked though. What’s more, I actually had one whole side of the zipper sewn in and the other one halfway done before ripping it off completely. The little cut ends were poking out, you see. It bothered me. I can’t get them to lie down nicely so I can trap them beneath the zipper. I’m thinking now of possibly ironing on some sort of interfacing just to keep them smooth. Any thoughts?

    Jacket Steek

  • Secret Pal Questionnaire

    Okay, so part of this Secret Pal thing is that I have to fill out this questionnaire. That way my person knows what I like! Here we go:

    1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
    I like anything natural, basically. Wool, cotton, alpaca, etc. I’m not a big fan of novelty wools or things that are excessively fluffy (like angora). I tend to prefer the 8-10 ply thicknesses, mostly (though I do go finer for socks).

    2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
    Uch. I’ve got one old needle roll from the Snook’s grandma that has most of my straight needles in it. Other than that, I have a plastic storage tub that sits under my couch. Inside I’ve got all my circs rubber-banded together based on length. My stitch holders and markers and stuff are all tossed together in a Ziploc bag. It’s a mess!

    3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
    I’ve been knitting for nearly five years now. I moved to Australia at the end of 2001 and I had to wait several months for my visa to be approved before I could get a job. So I got into crafting heavily. I made a couple patchwork quilts and did a few cross stitch. Then my mother-in-law sent me a kids’ “Learn to Knit” book, some plastic needles, and a ball of wool. I was hooked. I’d probably classify myself as a high-level intermediate.

    4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
    Yep. My Amazon Wishlist. I also have a knitting wishlist at my shop, but you shouldn’t buy from that because I’ll potentially see your name!

    5. What’s your favorite scent?
    Not a big fan of patchouli or anything excessively floral. I like vanilla a lot, and I used to have a “berry” candle that I really liked. Mostly clean, fresh scents, like laundry soap or bread baking. I used to love “Aspen for Men,” if anybody knows what that smells like. But I don’t normally wear perfume these days. (Mostly because I don’t really have any!)

    6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
    Not a huge sweet tooth, but you know what I miss most from America? Peanut butter and chocolate stuff. They just don’t really do that combination here. I really miss Little Debbie Nutty Bars and Peanut Butter Bars. Crap that’s horrible for me, basically! (Actually, at the moment I’m trying to break my sugar addiction so any low-carb or Atkins stuff would be appreciated. It’s hard to get here.)

    7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
    I’ve done a little bit of everything. I’m not really interested in spinning, to be honest. Most of my craft endeavours of late have been food/cooking or costume related. And sock monkeys, of course.

    8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
    I like a bit of everything, but my “Top Rated” playlist in iTunes is mostly pop, alternative, and showtunes. Most frequent artists are REM, Ani Difranco, Dar Williams, They Might Be Giants, etc. I can definitely play mp3s.

    9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?
    I like rich, warm colours, like reds and burnt orange. I also really like hot pink. (My hair was pink for a while.) I’m not a big fan of pastels.

    10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
    Just one husband (the Snook) and one cat (Dr. Amy Jones).

    11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
    Scarves, hats, and mittens = yes. Ponchos = not on your life. 🙂

    12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
    *sigh* Whatever I’m not knitting at the moment. Actually I guess jumpers (in the round) are probably my favorite. It’s very satisfying to finish a whole, big, warm garment! I also like sock knitting for its portability.

    13. What are you knitting right now?
    Hooded vest for my little brother, baby blanket for my new nephew, chair cover for me, cardigan for me, socks for whoever.

    14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
    Definitely!

    15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
    Circular. I used to prefer bamboo, but lately I’m enjoying Addis and Knit Picks! I really don’t need any needles, though. I’ve got tons! What I really need are stitch markers.

    16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
    No, but I definitely want them!

    17. How old is your oldest UFO?
    I started the baby blanket well over six months ago, so that’s probably the oldest. No, wait. I’ve actually got a cross stitch that I’m doing for my Mom that I haven’t worked on in a year. (And I’ve only worked on for one day total.)

    18. What is your favorite holiday?
    Halloween! My husband and I have been throwing costume parties for the past four years. We’re always on the lookout for new costume and decorating ideas.

    19. Is there anything that you collect?
    I’ve got every book that Roald Dahl ever wrote. (I run a website devoted to his work.) I’ve also got a fast-growing collection of daggy knitting patterns of the 70’s and 80’s. (Think oversized intarsia jumpers.) My husband and I have also started collecting groovy mid-20th century kitsch to go in our mythical Tiki Basement someday, stuff like anodized aluminum drinking cups and nudie tapestries.

    20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
    No knitting subscriptions, sadly. I’d love to try out some of the fancy sock yarns that you can’t easily get here, like Lorna’s Laces or Koigu. That sea silk stuff sounds amazing too. I’m also somewhat obsessed with the idea of having sock blocking forms.

    21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?
    At the moment I’m still entranced by cables and fairisle. I’ve steeked a few things and I’m interested in exploring its possibilities, but information and books are hard to find.

    22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
    Yes! I love handknitted socks. I wear a women’s size 9 1/2, and I have fairly narrow feet. That equates to a foot length of about 10.5″ or 27cm.

    23. When is your birthday?
    Beware the Ides of March! (The 15th, that is.)