Thursday, August 30, 2007

mittenz is done, mittenz is started

Paging Ronald McDonald:

Made to match the Gryffindor beret for my friend. They be big!

After making those, I was seized by the spirit of mittenocity. I frogged my Magic 28 socks and cast on for a charity pair forthwith:

I forgot how much I like to make mittens. I made tons last year for my son's school's mitten tree, but those were all acrylic yarn. These are that leftover Paton's classic merino, from the baby blankie. I think I can get a pair off what's left, but I might cheat and put a wide stripe of some other color across the palm.

I really had to experiment around to get what looks like a medium child's size (the size I wear.) I settled on: sz6 dpns for a thicker fabric; cast on 36; 2x2 rib for almost 3 in.; inc. 6 sts on last row of rib. It's going to be like my usual mitten from there, adapting the pattern from Afghans for Afghans website. It's for them, so why not? They've got a call out for items for 7-14 age kids and I just know everyone else is going to do hats & there will be a need for not-hats.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

hatsie oopsie

All done with the Ravenclaw beanie. It's pretty cool, the colors are nice:

Specs: Vanna's Choice, in rust and colonial blue. Used the pattern from Charmed Knits, on sz 7 circs. The ribbing is on 6 straights, which I did for ease of joining plus also I realized afterwards I didn't have any 6 dpns to do the job anyways.

That was so easy, I immediately cast on for another in the colors i wanted in the first place:

THis one came out a little bigger, because guess which dumbbutt forgot to gauge swatch? At least its for someone with a big head. done in Caron Wintuk Jonquil colorway, and Caron one pounder left over from Nick's blankie. I am desperately trying to make matching mittens before wednesday but idon t feell very goodright now. it is tgaking forever to type this post cuz i goota keep going back to correct my spelling and stuff. ugm. so i'm going to forgo correcting because i just want to go lay down. stress and diabetes dont mix.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

So Many WIPS

So many things in progress! and so many things I want to get going on. Here's the state of Margo's blankie:

I'm just going to keep going until it looks long enough. Also going like gangbusters, my Harry Potter Ravenclaw hat:

I started the ribbing on straights, then moved to dpns but constantly feared it would slip off the ends (there's 144 sts, divided on 3 needles? too risky.) So after a quick trip to the LYS I now own some 16" sz 7 circs, so this will now go quick. I also plan a trip back to Joann or Michaels to get more of this yarn; I discovered on the Lion Brand website that this stinkin' Vanna's Choice supposedly has a Brick color, so I should be able to do a Gryffindor hat. If I can (and get it done soon,) I'll just keep this beret for myself and give the Gryff. one to my friend. These colors is purty & match my new coat!

Also, turned the heel on 2nd Pomatomus and gusset decreases are complete:

Also got a start on the Red Scarf Project (I'm only going to do one this year)

I have to look up the pattern stitch I'm using, it's out of that book I picked up in January during our trip to Evanston. Too lazy to go look now... must sleep... too much knitting.

I feel like I should finish at least one of these projects before I try to start my Socks for Soldiers BBS. I feel real guilty tho, because there's a call out for socks for some Ohio soldiers, and I sure wish I could help with that. But they need 'em by Sept. 1 and I couldn't finish them even if I dropped everything else. I may just send them money to help with postage, and submit the socks later. We'll see.

Monday, August 13, 2007

xperimentin wit da photoes

oh noes, ma photoes dont be loadin

I was trying to use my brand new flickr account to load photos and I haven't figured out how to use it to link my photos here. So, you get to see them off my computer. BEHOLD! the Afghans for Afghans baby blankie, complete and ready to send:

A closer-up of the colors:

BBXCO of the corner and edging:

Wooty-woo00t!1!!1

Quick specs: used 8 balls Patons Classic Merino, in purple (2), teal, paprika, leaf green, deep olive, red, and "harvest" colorways. Made 25 6"x8" blocks (25 double crochets across, (?) rows tall.) Edged each block in purple, using hdc to show the color better; blocks were sewn/lashed together, then the whole thing edged with a simple hdc scallop. Took about 2 months, easy peasa.

Oh, and I joined flickr, because I got invited to join Ravelry like just 10 minutes ago, and I am totally stoked to start using it! Gots to go update my profile and get my fps and wips out there for everyone to marvel over (hah)

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Shopping News

Went shopping today, ostensibly to pick up another set of sz2 dpns for sockmaking, but shucky darn, didn't a few more things jump into my basket(s):

I went to Michaels first, which did not have the sz 2's, so I was "forced" to purchase the bamboo 8 dpns. I acutally sorta needed them, to compliment my 8 circs that I plan to whip out many hats with. (uhm, sorry grammar police...)

I headed to Joann's to acquire the 2's, which were hard to find as they moved their stuff around since last time I was there. I also picked up another Licorice yarn, because apparently they're discontinuing the blue so it was $2.97 (reg. $5.99!) And I decided to pick up a couple of the new Vanna yarns. Yes, I KNOW it's acrylic, and it's Vanna, but the colors are kinda pretty, and I need acrylic because it's for a hat for a friend who's allergic to wool. I'm making her a Harry Potter beret, and I really wanted Gryffindor colors, but Vanna failed to provide a burgundy color in her line. (there is a nice gold though.) So I got Rust and Colonial Blue, and Hufflepuff it is.

Friday, August 10, 2007

once again, with pictures

Hooray for new camera batteries. If I'd have known I was going to buy them tonight, I'd have brought home the Afghans for Afghans blankie to photograph. As it is, there's a few works in progress to see:

Margo's blankie, with the pink rows just started. I had originally put in 168 stitches and hooked 3 rows, but it was way too wide so I ripped back to 150 stitches. After 3 rows, it was still too wide, so i reripped back to 129 sts. It's about 43" across, which is about right for a 4 year old, I think.

BBXCO:

Bushy stitch in action. Barbie color explosion!

My 2nd Pomatomous, heel flap started:

We went to the Ohio State Fair on Wednesday and I got a chance to check out the arts and crafts entries. Wouldn't you know it-- in the knitting sock category, sporting the 2nd place ribbon, was a pair of Pomatomous!! They were done in a nice varigated grey/beige. "I know that pattern!" I told my hubby. "Been lookin' at it for months now!" What a hoot.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Goofin' off at the Ref Desk

My long awaited Ref Desk duty is here. And there's exactly NO patrons in the library. Good. I'm starting to get a little less anxious about the upcoming changes in the library, because we've gotten some hints that at least some are just cosmetic/physical space changes, which who cares? we can deal. I was relieved, though, that some of my co-workers share my anxiety about the management's strange secrecy. Seriously, the tighness in my chest is a lot less today, and no migraine.

Yarney stuff:
Still waiting for Afghans for Afghans blankie pictures;
Second Pomatomous sock progressing nicely, 5-6 rows from the heel flap;
Can start my Socks for Soldiers Big Black Socks once those are done;
Working on Toddler Socks in Purple Paton's, to send to A for A or maybe under seperate cover so I can get the blankie sent right away;
Started Margo's pink 'n' purple afghan. I worked up some gauge swatches with my "J" hook and she decided she liked the bushy stitch. After some trial and error about the width, I commenced to hook starting with the lilac (per her request also.) Got about 3 rows done during Barry Bonds' failed attempt to break Hank Aaron's record last night against the Nats. I think I'll go for at least 10 rows before I try the color change; we'll see how it looks!

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Finished! With the Blankie!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand my camera craps out again. I have GOT to stop using those cheap Target batteries. I can't even coax a single photo out of it! I think I'll go to the Batteries Plus store and get a mess o' AAs; I've got to go there for button batteries for the kids' walkie talkies. Also, I'm going to start some Magic 28's to send with the blanket, because I have plenty of purple yarn left over.

So to kill time, behold my needle collection. 2-9 and 10.5 14" aluminiums, with 1-8 dpns:

Some of them, anyways. This is the "pretty" collection, neatly collected in a holder instead of a Popples glass or a storage box.

The first project I ever knit (when I taught myself back in 1987 or so) I bought some cheap ass plastic needles, but they were so bad, I upgraded to aluminium mid-project. Everything I did for YEARS was on aluminium 14" straights, because my technique was to stick the right needle in the crook of my leg at the hip. I was really fast that way, because my right hand was free to throw the yarn superfast. It's why I never knit with dpns or circs, you can't prop them up on your leg.

Behold the rest of the story, my 11-19's, my 10" collection, and all my bamboos. There's even a size 10 in there (but nobody uses 10's! they're vintage!)

Plus, all my extra regular sizes. A needle for every occasion! See the bit of yellow in the topmost pile? That's the one plastic sz 8 I have left from that first project lo those many years ago. I've apparently lost one other one, plus both sz 6's.

I love using 10" for making scarves. And bamboo is my prefered needle these days; it grips the wool just right, and they're lots lighter which is easier on the hands. I'm also starting to prefer bamboo for my dpns, too, so all those nice ones in the holder above don't get out much anymore.

Maybe, if I get that camera working again, I'll show off my circs and dpns. And all my other gadgets. It's not always about yarn around here!

Friday, August 03, 2007

Commencin' ta Sew

So I've laid out all the squares, in the order I like them. I followed the Sudoku principle, so no color appears more than once in any row or column:

Some of the greens are clumped, but I didn't want to have to rearrange it, because shifting one meant shifting like all of them probably. I love the middle row with the solid blocks.

I've started the actual assembly, by rows. I figured it would be easiest to use the tails to attach the blocks down the long sides, then use extra yarn to sew across rather than down. It's reeeeeeeeeally hard to keep them even though! You can't fudge the edges much to make them match, and since they're geometric squares, you can really tell when they don't line up. Granny squares are a lot more forgiving. But uglier. So there's the tradeoff, I guess.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

we are DEVO

D-E-V-O!

Such a doll!

Here are some of the blankie blocks, edged in hdc:

I've done edging in single crochet before, which is fine for a finished edge, but since I'll be sewing the purple parts together I wanted a more substantial border. The half double crochet gives it a visible border after you sew the top loops. Can't wait to see it sewn up, probably by the weekend!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Plugging Along (and quick grouse about work)

New reference desk schedule out-- we were promised to only have to work a 3 hr shift-- so naturally we're scheduled 8:00-10:00, 1:00-2:00. Am I going to have a problem with that? Not NOW, I said, because clearly we're going to be helping out the one poor ref librarian, covering all the desk hours, who would be stuck without a break otherwise (the other 2 are on vacation, as groused about before.) But I WILL have a problem with it in 2 weeks. Stay tuned.

In Re. knitting, I'm still pluggin' away at the 2nd Pomatomous sock. Wanna get that one done so I can a.)give it to its recipient and b.)free up the sz 2 dpns for my Socks for Soldiers "big black socks" as my next charity project.

Also, still working on the charity baby blankie. I've edged about 17-18 of the rectangles in a hdc in purple, and it looks fabulous. Will post pics before I start assembling, if only to get an idea of placement. Looks like I'll have plenty of purple yarn; I'm 2/3rds done with the edging and only just now starting to finish up the first purple ball.