Posted on January 5, 2008 in Knitting & Crafting
Koolhaas, started December 25, 2007, finished December 30, 2007
Pattern: Koolhaas by Jared Flood – Interweave Knits, Holiday 2007
Made for: Intended for self, but given to Dad
Yarn: Cascade 220 (100% Highland Peruvian 100g/220 yards) – 600 Cranberry (variegated red)
Needles: 4.0mm/#6 16″ circs and 4.5mm 4.5mm/#7 40″ circ (Magic Loop)
Modifications: Needle change in ribbing, and I used the slip and switch cable method.
Cost of Project: $8 for yarn
Would I knit it again? Yes, but 4 reps instead of the full five.
Pattern Notes and Comments: Usually, I have to make hats on the larger sizes because they are a bit too small. This hat was a bit too big in the large size, and it’s quite stretchy so I should have just done the normal 4 reps. I’ve given this hat for my Dad. The decreases are a bit ugly because I messed up, but the bottom cables turned out wonderfully. I didn’t realize until after I took these photos that I forgot to block.
The yarn is very nice My first time with Cascade 220, and it really makes Patons Classic Merino look poor in contrast. The 220 is soft, and the variegated red I got it in is a very nice shade. I had to buy another skein since I used the leftovers from the hat to make something else, and then ran out. So another Cascade 220 hat to knit in the near future.
Bought a lot of yarn in the last couple of weeks. It’s a disease I tell you!
Posted on December 26, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Danica started December 12th 2007, finished December 25th 2007
Pattern: Danica by Jesse Loesburg – Knitty, Winter 2005
Yarn: Patons SWS in Natural Earth – 80g 110yds 70% Wool 30% Soy – 4 skeins
Needles: #8/5mm straight bamboo
Modifications: Due to yarn change, no changing of yarn between sections. Added fringe from Lady Eleanor Stole in Scarf Style.
Lessons Learned: Entrelac and knitting backwards (purling on the RS)
Cost of Project: $20 for yarn
Would I knit it again? Yes. Not for awhile though. I want to make the LE stole one day.
Pattern Notes and Comments: For a scarf, this took a long time even though I knit backwards. You should definitely learn to knit backwards for entrelac. I enjoyed it for the most part because I was able to memorise the pattern by the end and watching the squares and triangles shape up was neat. I really do want to make the LE stole one day. This is going to my bulky winter scarf for awhile. I did not block it, but I’ll wash it eventually so then it’ll be blocked.
The fringe I made is really ugly which is why there isn’t a photo of it. I wasn’t in the mood to make a fringe; I just wanted to finish the scarf so I didn’t make the effort. It is the nice knotted fringe from the LE stole in Scarf Style. It matches my Fake Isle Hat now though. It’s definitely over 60″, and when I do wash it, I know I could probably stretch it quite a bit.
Posted on December 1, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Fake Isle Hat, started November 13, 2007, finished November 30, 2007
Pattern: Fake Isle Hat by Amy King from MagKnits November 2006.
Yarn: Less than 1 skein of each Patons SWS in Natural White and Natural Earth (70% wool 30% soy 80g 110yards)
Needles: #6/4.0mm 16″ metal circs and DPNs
Modifications: CO for small size, but I added a few rows it at the rim and in the middle, and then realized it was too long so I skipped a few of the decrease rows.
Lessons Learned: Two handed stranding.
Cost of Project: $10 for yarn
Would I knit it again? Yes, but I’d probably just do the Small size as written, maybe add a couple of rows for extra length.
Pattern Notes and Comments: First colour work project. Started this project on 13/11/07, but had to CO three times. The first time I did it with the big size and it seemed too loose for me (I have a slightly bigger than normal cranium), so I recasted on 18/11/07. That somehow twisted. This actually was actually finished between 19/11/07 and 30/11/07. It’s a bit big because I did knit the large size row wise for a bit, but realised that it was going to be huge so I skipped a lot of decrease rows. It’s not that bad, but this hat knits up larger than most. The good thing is: it covers my ears!
This is my first time using the Patons SWS. I bought a lot of it for this hat and a scarf that I will be making to match. It’s really fuzzy, but not itchy as I’ve heard some people say. My tickle factor is low. I used less than skein of each of the SWS colours so more for the stash.
I love stranding.
Posted on October 22, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Nomad Hat and Scarf, started October 5th, 2007, finished October 18, 2007
Pattern: Nomad Hat and Scarf by Kate Coyle from Interweave Knits, Fall 2007
Made for: Mom
Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed (75% Acrylic 25% Wool 123 yards per 100g) – 3 skeins of Earthy Brown Tweeds
Needles: #9/5.5mm 150cm circs for hat, #10/6mm and 7mm for ear flaps
Modifications: Needle size changes, different cast-on.
Lessons Learned: I didn’t like the tutorials for the Emily Ocker cast-on online, and wished I had looked in EZ’s explaination earlier because it seemed simpler. Anyway, I used this circular cast-on.
Cost of Project: $15 yarn + $6 for needles = $21
Would I knit it again? Bit boring, but it’s good ear flap hat pattern.
Pattern Notes and Comments: My mom has wanted an ear flap hat for awhile now. I was going to do a conventional, tie below the chin sort of ear flap hat when she said she wouldn’t mind the flaps being long. That’s when I remembered that I had just seen this pattern in the Fall IK. I Magic Looped the hat portion of the pattern. I love Magic Loop even though the bamboo circs I used had a cheap cord. The flaps were about 38″ long, and I modified when I switched needles between the 6mm and the 7mm. Each flap took exactly one skein of the Chunky Tweed. I love tweed. This is my third tweed hat in two months. I’m a bit of a yarn snob and this was my first time knitting with acrylic in awhile. My mom wanted it to be brown, and apparently, it was hard for me to find affordable, chunky brown yarn. Besides, I think it’ll be warm enough with the flaps being so long.
Posted on October 10, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Thrummed Mittens, started August 27, 2007, finished October 8, 2007
Pattern: Thrummed Mittens Interweave Knits Winter 2006 by Jennifer L. Appleby
Yarn: 1 skein – Naturally Naturelle 10ply (100g/186yds – 157 – aran/worsted) and alpaca/correidale rovings
Needles: #4/3.5mm and #6/4.0mm DPNs
Modifcations: Needle sizes changes, thrums knit tbl as advised by the Yarn Harlot
Cost of Project: $5 yarn + $6 rovings = $11
Would I knit it again? Maybe, but with pure wool because the alpaca was fuzzy. I also miss having a thumb gusset.
Pattern Notes and Comments: I became sick not too long after starting this project which is why the first mitten took me a month to make while the second one took only about a week. The second mitten is a little longer and a little less than dense than the first one because my thrums for the first one were thicker. I made the Child’s size which makes them quite snug because I also went down needle sizes. The yarn was on clearance, and it’s 100% pure NZ wool. It’s nice, and I think there’s a tiny bit more lanolin in it than other pure wools I’ve used. The rovings I bought were fuzzy. I hope they felt when I start wearing them in the winter.
Posted on September 30, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Tweedy Beret, started September 13th, 2007, finished September 28th, 2007
Pattern: Purl Bee Beret
Made for: No one in particular, but I think I’ll give it to Sandy.
Yarn: Rowan Rowanspun Spun 4ply SH705 – 1 skein
Needles: US#3/3.25mm DPNS and 16″ circular
Cost of Project: $5 for yarn
Would I knit it again? Yes.
Pattern Notes and Comments: The tweed knits up very pretty, but the yarn was a bit persnickety. It’s a bit flimsy, and not as good as other yarns in this weight (sock yarn, etc). It didn’t hold up well on DPNs, and I had more ladder issues than normal so the resulting stitches are not as neat as I’d like. It even snapped at one point which was the first time that’s happened to me. This doesn’t look that bad since the hat is so rustic and tweedy; it masks all the mistakes and shortfalls. I still have another skein of this discontinued yarn so I can make another one for myself or another friend. The pattern is marvelously easy and quick. One of these days, I’ll do it with the intended Koigu.
Posted on August 19, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Ballband Dishcloth, started August 9th, 2007, finished August 17th, 2007
Pattern: Ballband Dishcloth from Mason-Dixon Knitting
Made for: Steph
Yarn: Bernat Handicrafter Yarn in Hot Green and Hot Purple – less than one skein each
Needles: #7/4.5mm (Aero DPNs)
Lessons Learned: Surprisingly, my first time having to actually to switch between two balls of yarn.
Cost of Project: $4 for yarn.
Would I knit it again? Yes, it’s very fun, quick, and nice. Good for gifting.
Posted on August 10, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting, Photography
Shedir, started July 22nd, 2007, finished August 9th, 2007
Pattern: Shedir from Knitty.com Special Fall 2004
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed (50% Merino Wool – 25% Alpaca – 25% Rayon/Viscose [50g / 191 yards]) – #153 Phantom – 1 ball
Needles: US3/3.25mm 16″ circ and DPNs (Boyle)
Modifcations: 4 repeats instead of 5, knit stitch through the back of the loop for stitch definition
Lessons Learned: Cabling without a cable needle (mini-cables with slip stitch method)
Cost of Project: $13 yarn + $7 for the circs + $6 for the DPNs = $26
Would I knit it again? Yes, but with yarn in a lighter colour and I may graft the top rather than cinch it next time.
Pattern Notes and Comments: One of the reasons I took up knitting was to make a hat for myself because I’ve had trouble finding a winter hat to fit my slightly larger than average head and cover most of my ears. This hat doesn’t protect the ears as well as I’d like, but I think it will stay put rather than slip up on my head as the store bought ones have done. A lot of knit bloggers do only three repeats before decreasing since this hat is long, but I felt safer going with four due to aforementioned reasons. Five would have been too long for me. This hat may be too thin for the upcoming winter, but definitely will look good in autumn with all that tweed.
The yarn is very nice. I liked it right away; I’m partial to DK, and I’ve grown fond of tweed as well. It is also quite stretchy, and I always like alpaca and merino. Rowan wool is expensive around here, but the Felted Tweed is actually less expensive than the patterns’ recommended Rowan Calmer. Still, the most expensive yarn I’ve bought yet. The other gripe is that the wool may be a little scratchy for some people, but I’m usually not bothered by this in the long term. The Phantom colourway may have been too dark, but the cables still pop out. I’m glad I knitted tbl for this as I tried the first repeat with a DPN (lost my small cable needle) and most of the stitches not tbl, and it does look a tad better with the tbl.
Speaking of the cables, it’s almost necessary to know how to cable without a cable needle to make this hat move along faster. It did not take me a long time to actually make this piece, but it felt like it did when I was doing all those mini cables. I don’t frog or rip back things so my decrease cables are a little sloppy, but overall, I’m pleased. The ladies at the LYS were very impressed since I’ve only been knitting for less than 1 1/2 years. Won’t knit this again for awhile, but I like the result.
Posted on July 9, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Monkey Socks, started May 25th, 2007, finished July 9th, 2007
Pattern: Knitty’s Monkey Socks by Cookie A.
Yarn: Regia 4ply Ringel Color 100g/420m (75% New Wool 25% Polyamide)
Needles: US#2/2.5mm bamboo DPNs (5)
Lessons Learned: Lots: heel flap, turn heel, short rows, kitchener stitch, all the goodness of making socks
Cost of Project: $13 yarn + $5 DPNs = $18
Would I knit it again? Most definitely. I would probably reinforce the heel next time because I wear my heels out often.
Pattern Notes and Comments: These are my first part of socks. It wasn’t hard at all! It only took so long because I actually finished two projects and started another one while knitting these socks. They didn’t actually take that long as the pattern is not that difficult. I really liked this pattern which is very well written and with the right details, perfect for a first pair of socks if you’ve already done simple lace projects as I have.
The yarn is from a LYS that was closing; there was not a lot of selection, but it was 100g, nice yarn, and less expensive than usual. The colours are crazy; much louder than I prefer, but I’ll just wear them indoors mostly in the winter. They’re clown colours and remind me of Fruit Loops. I still have a lot of yarn left so I think I will make a beret for a friend’s birthday.
I would block the socks if I had sock blockers because it would make the pattern stand out. I’ve become a sock knitter because I’ve already bought two skeins of 100g sock yarn. I want to try toe up socks and Magic Loop eventually. They are addictive to make. Just as with scarves and hats, I was never big on these items before, but now I love them because I can make them. It’s addictive in the bad way when I go to the yarn store and look for discounted sock yarn for no specific reason to possess it for possible socks. Overall, I have been very pleased with with my first socks and definitely look forward to making more.
Posted on June 21, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Wool Hat for Dad, started June 17th, 2007, finished June 20th, 2007
Pattern: New York: A Guy’s Wool Hat
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool in Navy 0026 – less than one skein
Needles: US#6/4.0mm 16″ circulars and DPNs
Cost of Project: $6 for circ + $6 yarn = $12
Pattern Notes and Comments: My father has wanted me to knit him a hat since I started knitting a year ago. This is my third attempt at making a winter hat for him. The first was too big and not really serious effort. The second was a bulky hat from Stitch and Bitch which was way too big for some reason even though I used the recommended needles. Just in case, I swatched for this hat and found my tension was perfect. I knit a lot of this on the road on Monday. It’s very easy since it’s a lot of stockinette and some ribbing. There is nothing difficult about this hat. It’s a great beginner project, and I was attracted to it because I wanted something simple and warm for Dad. This fit him even if he said it could have been tighter (see how persnickety my parents are?). The hat fits me as well because I have a bigger than average female head so one could modify it easily to be tighter or shorter for anyone. All in all, Dad gets his wish as a late Father’s Day present.
Would I knit it again? Yes. It’s simple, quick, stretchy, modifable and looks nice. I would probably use an alpaca mix if I get the chance since I’m not quite convinced this would be warm enough for longer periods of time.
Posted on June 19, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Rose’s Wrist Warmers, started 1 June 2007, finished 17 June 2007
Pattern: Rose’s Wrist Warmers (PDF File) by Christina
Yarn: Wendy Merino DK in Plum #3045 (100% wool) – almost two skeins
Needles: US#4/3.5mm DPNs (Boyle plastic)
Cost of Project: $8 for yarn.
Pattern Notes and Comments: These wrist warmers are from a pattern designed to look like the ones Rose Tyler wears in the season/series two finale of BBC’s Doctor Who. I remember watching the episode and actually liking the look of them. They looked really good on her, and the purple was just a nice colour to complement her black jacket. Afterwards, I stumbled upon the pattern couple months later. It was meant to be. I have this proclivity to knit wrist warmers / fingerless gloves; these are my second pair in less than a year. I like warm hands I guess, and I’m scared of knitting actual gloves. My first pair of mittens sorta sucked, but I did well with Knitty’s fingerless Fetching gloves and these are nice wrist warmers. There is not much of a climate in this part of Canada to wear wrist warmers. It’s either too warm for them or too cold. The diamond pattern is very nice with the moss stitch centres; I also really like that she wrote in a thumb gusset because a lot of patterns for mittens and fingerless gloves seems to forgo on that. It’s oddly appropriate this yarn is from Wendy/Peter Pan because the Doctor/Rose relationship was always reminscient of that. I really look forward to wearing these this autumn. They are already very warm, but then again, it’s high twenties celsius these days. It’s 31C today without the humidex.
Would I knit it again? Unsure. I like the cabling enough, but I had ladder issues due to the cables no matter how hard I tried to avoid them. If I do ever knit these again, I would make them longer, maybe another diamond repeat before the gusset and a couple of rows more after the thumb.
Posted on May 5, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting
Clapotis, started February 26th, 2007, finished May 4th, 2007
Pattern: Clapotis from Knitty
Yarn: 100% mercerized cotton DK
Needles: #8/5.0 mm straight bamboo
Cost of Project: $10 for the yarn
Pattern Notes and Comments: One of the most well known of online patterns. I’ve wanted to knit this for awhile, and considered a lot about the yarn. The pattern uses a lot of it. I found a discounted cone of DK cotton at my LYS. See pictures below to see how much yarn it used. I didn’t intend to to use cotton for this, but this was a great deal and the yarn was even variegated! For $10, I didn’t think it would be bad. The pattern was easy, and I knit it slowly as I would often only knit when watching The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. My clapotis turned out pretty big of course, and I think it’ll be nice as a shawl for evenings in the summer. Possibly a good heavy autumn scarf. It’s just plain big though so we’ll see how I’ll wear it come fall.
Would I knit it again? Yes, as mundane as it is, it’s a nice pattern. It’s a good to knit when watching TV or a movie. I want to use a wool mix (wool/silk) it for it next time, and if I don’t have #8 circs by then, I’m definitely buying them for this project next time. I love my bamboo needles though.
Next Projects: I need to learn how to knit a pair of socks. A tea cozy for tea drinking in winter, and possibly winter gloves and scarf. Oh yeah, my weird attraction to wrist warmers even though there isn’t much of a climate for them here.
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