Oh, baby

Well it’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I’ve been so in between on projects. And sometimes being in between isn’t interesting enough to post.

Anyway, I’ve got two new FOs. The first is a Vine Lace Baby Hat, 3-6 mo. size. I used less than half a skein of Patons Grace in Viola. The pattern is from the Knitting Daily blog.

That’s Oskar modeling, by the way
This baby hat is for a friend who’s giving it to a friend. I told him he can pay me in pie or cookies, because I just don’t want to make a practice of being anyone’s personal knitter (I’m no one’s knitter bitch!). Same for the next FO, a Big Bad Baby Blanket from Stitch & Bitch. I used Sugar & Cream, size 9 circs. I am not sure exactly how many skeins were used because I started this thing over a year ago. It sat it my closet for ages until my friend asked for a baby blanket. This is actually my second BBBB, the first BBBB was my second FO ever. Needless to say, I was bored with this one.

Anyway. I am thrilled because I am moving soon, and at the new place I will have my own outdoor space. Yay! Which means I will be able to take outdoor knitting pics, always a good thing. I need some more sun in my life. I am happy about this. Plus I love the neighborhood over there. Yay!

 

Odessa the Third

Guess what? I made a third Odessa hat.

By the way, links on my blog aren’t underlined, but they’re that orangey-brown color (“Odessa hat” is a link up there). I just wanted to clear that up because some people have been asking!

I made this one with Lana Grossa Toccata yarn, which is 100% cotton. I don’t recommend it, though, it was the splittiest yarn I have ever used.

I have also recently decided to send my Lovely Lace Leaf skirt to the frog pond. Now that I have washed it a few times, I HATE the way it fits. It looks terrible and awful and unflattering. I want to re-knit the yarn into a better skirt, though. One that is a lot more flow-y. I ordered a couple more colors of the hemp so I can add some stripes, too. This time I think I will just make it up as I go (no pattern).

I am making progress on the Wheat Ear Cable Yoke, but it’s currently just a bunch of stockinette and not interesting enough for pictures yet.

 

P.S.

I finally decided on the Wheat-Ear Cable Yoke, from the Summer 07 issue of Interweave Knits. I’m a little wary of the color, but I guess that can happen when you order your yarn online. It’s Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL and it is really soft. Well, this isn’t going to be for me, so I guess I don’t have to worry about not liking the color. I guess what I wonder is, is it a likable color? I think the recipient will love the sweater anyway even if the color isn’t great, but I still want it to be perfect. I just can’t decide if the color is good, which is hard because I don’t like it. Hmm.

 

Another Odessa, and my indecision

I finished the second Odessa.

Pattern: Odessa by MagKnits
Yarn: RYC Cashcotton DK, 1 skein
Needles: Size 4 and 6 DPNS
Beads: Clear glass E beads

And now I have a knit dilemma, because I have no idea what to knit next (not knitting is not an option)! I do have two other WIPs, but I don’t feel like knitting them. They may go into hibernation or get frogged. Anyway, here’s what I’m thinking about:
- Foliage. I would probably use some stash Cascade 220.
- Glee. I would use Hempathy (already have in my stash). I know, I said I shouldn’t knit garments for awhile, but maybe I should take that back because they’re currently what I want to knit the most. I would need to buy the pattern though.
- Josephine top. It just looks like an enjoyable knit. I have the pattern but I would need to buy yarn.
- Flair. I have the pattern, I have the yarn. And I think that the FO would be really cute. But I am wondering if it would be a bit too mindless?
- Lacy Little top. So cute, and I’d probably use my stash Hempathy if I can get gage. I already have the pattern.
- Wheat Ear Cable Yoke – this will be a gift. I have the yarn and pattern and future recipient’s measurements.

I have all these patterns in my head, can you see why I can’t decide?

 

FO: Odessa

Conversation overheard at a LYS:
Woman 1: (talking about farm life)
Woman 2: If I had to kill my meat, I would become a vegetarian.
Woman 3: Me too. It’s sort of hypocritical how we all eat meat but we wouldn’t ever kill it ourselves.
Woman 4: I would kill PEOPLE and eat them if there was no meat.

Something tells me I should stick to the other LYS here!

I finished Odessa! And I love it. It’s such a pretty pattern. And I had so much fun with it that I cast on for Odessa #2, this time with some pea green Cashcotton and clear beads. I love this hat. I love this pattern. It was really fun to knit. I think I could knit this hat at least a few more times! It’s so cute and it’s a good gift pattern too.

I know, goofy expression I’m un-photogoenic when I’m taking my own picture. It’s like I can’t concentrate on taking a picture and smiling at the same time. Ah well. The hat’s cute, right?

 

I finished the skirt!

Well, it’s been awhile since I last wrote, hasn’t it?

I finished the skirt!

Pattern: Lovely Lace Leaf Skirt by Hemp for Knitting
Yarn: Hemp for Knitting Allhemp6, 4 skeins in Sprout
Pattern & Yarn Source: Kpixie
Needles: Size 2.5 KnitPicks circs

Despite a LOT of stockinette, I thought this was a fun knit. The hemp did feel rough at first, but it wasn’t hard for me to get used to it. I think I have a higher tolerance for rough yarns, though, since I love the natural non-animal yarns, and I knit continental. Which makes a big difference, I’ve heard.

I felt very ambivalent when I first finished the skirt. I should have never tried it on before I blocked it! I thought it looked HORRIBLE on me at that point. So it sat on my shelf for a week until I finally decided to block it. Phew…I feel much better about it now. I am now only slightly ambivalent about it. I guess I was expecting to looooooove the skirt, but I feel just okay about it. Oh well. I think I need to take a break from knitting garments because I always get unrealistic expectations about them (eg. “This is going to be the best skirt EVAH”).

So. I cast on for Odessa. The pattern is so pretty! And let me tell you, this yarn (Rowan Cashsoft DK) is a DREAM to knit with. It is the softest of soft. It is such a treat after knitting through 600 yards of hemp! This pattern is fun to knit, too. The beads are light blue, it’s hard to tell in the photo.

I’m knitting the whole hat on DPNs. What can I say, I don’t have any 16″ circs and I’m sort of a cheapskate

 

I think she likes it…

I finished the Sno Cone shirt. Actually, I finished a few days ago but I wanted to wait to post it until I had a picture of it being worn.

Pattern: The Ballet Shirt from Loop-d-Loop by Teva Durham
Yarn: JoAnn’s Bellezza Collection Smania, 3 skeins in Tropical Multi
Needles: KP Options size 10.5

It was a really quick knit – I finished it in four days! Turns out it ended up being too short, but I ran out of yarn so that’s that. She had to wear it over a sun dress so her belly wouldn’t show, but she didn’t mind.

When I gave it to her she said “You sewed this?” (“Sort of. I knitted it.”) “Thaaaaaaaaank you!….Will you make me a skirt?” Ha ha. She wants to hire me as her Own Personal Knitter.

 

Almost a year now

I have been knitting away on my skirt!

I was going through my old blog because I was wondering when I learned to knit. Turns out it was the end of August, 2006 (earlier than I had thought)! I don’t have an exact date, but wow! I’ve been knitting for a year. I love knitting! Actually, I learned to knit because I read Sarah’s blog and she learned to knit. And everything she was knitting looked so pretty and fun, I just had to learn too.

Anyhow. Something is a little funky with my skirt. I have knitted through half my yarn, and the skirt is a little over half as long as it’s supposed to be. BUT I have only done 1/4 of the decreases called for. I’m doing everything by the pattern (no mods yet), so this seems weird to me. I am not too worried though as the skirt is going to be drawstring. I may just end up doing less decreases than called for. Gives a little more tushy room anyway

Last week I had my friend’s little girl at my apartment while my friend was at a meeting. She saw me knitting and thought it seemed really cool, and she ever so sweetly asked me to knit her something. I normally don’t like it when people ask me to knit them something, because I want to knit what I want to knit. I do not want to get into a cycle of knitting what other people want me to knit. But my friend’s little one just wanted “something” so I’m happy to pick out a project for her. I noticed this shirt on Ravelry and realized the book, Loop-d-Loop, was at my library. It’s a really cute pattern. These colors remind me of Sno-Cones, so I have dubbed this the Sno Cone shirt.

I hope I have enough yarn! This is stash yarn I bought in Oct 06, maybe, so I don’t think I can get any more if I don’t. We’ll see I guess.

 

Yay!!

I’m finally on Ravelry, check me out there! I’m mallomuffin.

More later.

 

The lovely skirt’s beginning

I am so close to Ravelry I can taste it. Just 368 away now.

I got my order from KPixie last week and promptly started the Lovely Leaf Lace Skirt. Though I don’t know why its title has “leaf” in it – the pattern looks nothing like leaves to me. I saw this pattern on Wendy’s blog, knit and tonic, and knew I just HAD to make it. The hemp felt rough at first but I have gotten used to it now and don’t mind it at all. The lace is taller at the sides of the skirt (that’s the front on the right side of the pic). I am having so much fun with this, it seems to be going really fast so far.