i make stuff

One yarn, two projects.

At the beginning of the year, I took on a Pay It Forward project that involved letting several people sign up for me to make them something, and then in turn, they would have to pay it forward to someone else. I've been a wee bit slow to get going on these, but I finally buckled down and got started this summer. I decided to spin up some fiber into yarn and make handknit legwarmers for my friend Alex, who's a yoga goddess and so of COURSE needed legwarmers!!!

I started with this fiber, falkland dyed by Funky Carolina, in a color called Run Into the Fire. 

I had two braids of this gorgeous stuff, so I made two skeins of sport/dk 2-ply yarn, spinning on my Lendrum DT.

Once the yarn was done, I got really excited because I realized I totally had enough for TWO projects. So I decided to knit the legwarmers and also a birthday hat for my friend Marianne. I love how the handspun yarn looked in the two projects.

PATTERN: Improvised
NEEDLES: US 5 (3.75 mm)
YARN: My handspun, Funky Carolina Falkland

I made up this pattern, so feel free to use it. For an average woman, cast on 40 stitches (gauge about 4.5 stitches per inch). Knit 3" (approx. 18 rows) 2x2 ribbing. For the first knit row, increase 4 stitches, evenly spaced (I just did a k1f&b). Knit in the round. Increase 4 more stitches in row 50. Knit to 80 rows. Do another 3" (18 rows) 2x2 and then cast off using the sewn bindoff method. Easy!

PATTERN: Norie by Gudrun Johnston
NEEDLES: US 5 (3.75 mm)
YARN: My handspun, Funky Carolina Falkland

This is such a great hat! I wasn't sure about it in handspun at first, but my friend Tracy convinced me that with a semi-solid handspun, it wouldn't interfere with the lace panels, and she was right. This is a great pattern for a not-too-crazy handspun yarn. I love the slouch factor and the lace panels. It was a very fast knit, and I think it's really cute on my pal! The only change I made was to leave out the last pattern repeat, but it's still very slouchy.

And that's how one gal makes two gifts from the same yarn. Yay!

The little things.

As a knitter, I find that I feel a lot of pressure to knit sweaters. I do enjoy knitting sweaters, but somehow it seems like that's what I'm SUPPOSED to be knitting all the time. But in truth, I get a lot of pleasure from knitting smaller items. When you've been chugging away at a big sweater or blanket project for weeks, it's really refreshing to cast on for something small and nearly-instant in gratification. I'm a little behind on posting FOs, so I thought I would share some of the smaller things I've been making the last few months.

PATTERN: Toast by Leslie Friend
NEEDLES: US 7 (4.5mm)
YARN: Funky Carolina BFL in "Lupin," spun by me

I love these little mitts. I spun up the yarn and knit them as part of a knit-along in the Funky Carolina Ravelry group. I split the fiber up a lot to spin the singles, and then navajo (chain) plied the yarn, which created the skinny striping effect you see. LOVE. Such an easy knit, I think I knit most of them while watching The King's Speech in the theater. :)

PATTERN: Toorie by Carina Spencer
NEEDLES: US 5 (3.75mm)
YARN: madelinetosh DK in Oxblood (1 skein)

LOVE this cute little hat. I made this for my friend Chris. She loves hats and looks adorable in a cloche, so it seemed like the perfect thing for her. This yarn has such a great texture and as always, Tosh dyes are beautiful. This colorway has a lot of red, purple and black in it, very complex and glowy.

PATTERN: Melody by Melody Moore
NEEDLES: US 8 (5.0mm)
YARN: Have You Any Wool Lustrous in Graphite

It's a good rule of thumb to always have a Melody shawl on the needles. It's knit in a plain stockinette round, using a whole skein or more of lace or fingering weight yarn, and then you cut it to make the fringe. Super mindless and easy. I love this delectable yarn from Have You Any Wool. Her dyeing is very special, and I encourage you to try the yarn. If you've ever knit with Sundara Yarn Fingering Silky Merino, this is similar in feel. I wouldn't call this project instant gratification, but it's certainly mindless knitting, great for picking up for small in-between moments or working on while chatting with friends.

Tubey

It's so rare that I make a baby gift and then actually receive photo evidence of the child wearing the gifted item. So when my friends Erin and Bill sent me photos of their new son, Bennett, wearing the hat I'd knit him, I was so excited!

PATTERN: Tubey by Wee Woolly Wormhead
NEEDLES: US 7 (4.5mm)
YARN: Sunshine Yarns Merino Worsted in "Mountain Shadow"

I kind of hate the traditional powder blues and pinks that make up most baby gifts, so I really wanted to dig into my stash for something a little richer. I love this gorgeous green and blue yarn from Sunshine Yarns and thought it would be a great alternative baby color. I made the small, not really expecting it to fit Bennett yet, as he was born a little bit early. But it appears he's already growing at the speed of light!

Here's Bennett with his gorgeous mama...

Scarves and cowls and hats, oh my!

Still playing catch-up, I have a few more items to share from this fall.

PATTERN: Melody's Shawl by Melody Moore
NEEDLES: US 9 (5.5mm)
YARN: Sundara Yarn Fingering Silky Merino in "Poppy"

This is the very definition of a languishing WIP (work in progress). I started in March 2010 during our trip to Paris/Warsaw, and dubbed it "Old French Whore" after the old SNL game show parody. I finished it this September. Yeah...that took a while. The thing about the Melody Shawl is that it's perfect mindless knitting, to cart around in your bag with you and pull out while you're waiting for your food to come at a restaurant or gabbing with a friend. There was really no rush to finish it, but as soon as it was done, it became a staple of my wardrobe for fall. I don't normally wear a lot of purple clothing, but as an accessory, the color is stunning. And the yarn is so luxurious. I get questions and compliments about this scarf all the time. And I've cast on another, which should be finished in roughly October 2011. 

PATTERN: Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West
NEEDLES: US 7 (4.5mm)
YARN: Hand spun yarn from my friend Marianne!

I cast on for this shawl very soon after receiving this gorgeous yarn (spun from Finn wool) from my friend Marianne. The color was "Orchard" so I thought it would be the perfect accessory for my October trip to NYC and Rhinebeck. I didn't finish it before the trip, but during, so I did get to enjoy it! :) Super easy pattern, great for showing off handspun yarn.

PATTERN: Honey Cowl by Madelinetosh
NEEDLES: US 7 (4.5mm)
YARN: Hand spun yarn made from Funky Carolina BFL/Silk in "Dragonskin"

I love this project so much. My knitting friends do these quarterly swaps, and I ended up with my friend Thayer as a swap partner. I wanted to make her something really fun and appropriate to her personality. Thayer is a huge gamer, and she loves big loopy cowls, so when I saw the Dragonskin colorway my friend Carrie dyes, I thought it would be perfect for Thayer. The color reminded me of the blues in World of Warcraft, and the stitch pattern of the cowl really did resemble scaly dragonskin. I found this hilarious button and pinned it to the finished cowl, and Thayer wears it that way. Love! It was a hard one to part with, because the cowl was so snuggly and such an awesome jewel tone. Again - will have to make another for me!

PATTERN: Flicker Socks by Cookie A.
NEEDLES: US 1 (2.25mm)
YARN: Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Yarn in "Bella's Truck"

This is a lesser-loved Cookie A. sock design but I just LOVE the finished socks. I have had this pattern in my faves for a really long time, and the yarn seemed like the perfect match. These are mine all mine!

PATTERN: Wurm by katushika
NEEDLES: US 4 & US 6
YARN: Madelinetosh Pashmina in "Tart"

Yep, I jumped on the Tart bandwagon. In case you don't know, Madelinetosh is a maker of gorgeous hand-dyed yarns, and this color was something of an internet sensation throughout the end of 2009 and most of 2010. It appears to be going strong still, because really, it is the perfect deep red. Not pink, not burgundy, RED. So I had to copy my friend Megan, who also made a Tarty Wurm. It's such a great, adorable, slouchy hat. I already had one made with handspun but I just had to have another!

Whew! I was productive this fall, even though I fell off my sweater-a-month kick a bit.

Christmas knitting.

Friends, I am so behind on blogging. OMG. I don't know what's been the matter with me, but I just have been totally comatose when it comes to writing. And now I have a ton of things finished and not shown. Part of this was Christmas knitting, which of course means not showing things off till people receive them. But anyway, let's catch up a bit. 

Jay and I did a mostly non-storebought Christmas this year, which was great. I knit a lot of small gifts, which was also great, since last year I about killed myself knitting two gift sweaters. SO...

PATTERN: Christmas Greens (improvised toe-up socks)
NEEDLES: US 3 (3.25mm)
YARN: Hand spun yarn made from GLBLF Superwash Merino in "Greensleeves"

My sister loves green and hates knitting socks, so I decided to spin up some yarn for her and make her a pair. I contacted my friend Sam of GLBLF and asked her to custom-dye a gradient colorway for my sister, and the result was so beautiful! 

I knit the socks over just a few days, and sort of improvised a toe-up, 48-stitch sock recipe. 

 

PATTERN: Chicklets Socks by Anne Hanson
NEEDLES: US 3 (3.25mm)
YARN: Sunshine Yarns Merino Sport in "Counting Lilypads"

I knit these socks for my mom for a wee Christmas gift. The yarn is special - my friend Dani chose a photo I took in the Asticou Gardens in Bar Harbor, Maine for her annual summer photos-inspired shop update. I knew I had to have some of the color to make something for my mom, who lives in Bar Harbor. I used every single inch of the yarn, and barely made it through the second toe, but I love the finished socks. Super simple, I must make another pair for me!

PATTERN: Dotty by Irishgirlieknits
NEEDLES: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
YARN: The Plucky Knitter Merino Cashmere Nylon Fingering in "Cream Tea"

I love these socks! They knit up so quickly for fingering weight, and I think my mother-in-law, Susan, really loves them too. It's another pair I'll have to do again for myself, because they turned out so great. The yarn was really awesome - I love MCN! It's so stretchy and soft.

PATTERN: Cross-Country Garter (improvised)
NEEDLES: US 7 (4.5mm)
YARN: Hand spun yarn from The Thylacine merino fiber in "Zig-Zag Track"

This scarf took sooo much longer than I intended. I started it last winter during my move across the country, but then put it on hold for a really long time and finally finished cranking it out this fall - just in time for the cold weather. I think Jay likes it, because he wears it all the time :) It's just simple garter stitch, perfect way to show off hand spun yarn.

PATTERN: Seaman's Cap by Brenda Zuk
NEEDLES: US 6 & US 7
YARN: Hand spun yarn from Squoosh Fiberarts Corriedale in "Coffeehouse"

I love, love, LOVE this hat. It's actually a gift for my brother, Jeremy, who is a sophomore in college, but I made Jay model it for me before sending it off to him. The yarn was just so gorgeous and manly, I was really proud of it. The pattern was perfect, too - manly, simple, not dorky. Total success. I made a size large, and really didn't make any modifications.

I have a lot of other projects to catch up on, so stay tuned.

Stripes for Marianne

Sometimes you just find inspiration and have to go with it. I was visiting The Most Amazing Yarn Shop In The World in June, and I saw this beautiful little cowl, knit with a yarn I'd never heard of, and decided it was exactly what I needed to make for my friend Marianne. So I copied the unpublished pattern (with the consent of the shopkeeper) and bought a skein of the yarn, and from there I was on my way.

 

PROJECT: Stripes for Marianne
 YARN: Crystal Palace Yarns Mini Mochi (self-striping), #118
 NEEDLES: US 4 circulars

Here's the recipe for this little cowl - super easy: In any fingering weight, self-striping yarn, cast on 120 stitches. Knit 1.5" 2x3 ribbing, then continue in stockinette in the round until you've reached your desired length (I made mine about 11 inches long). Bind off using your preferred method (I did a long tail sewn bind off). Gift to your good friend and wait for smiles. If you're lucky, she'll model it for you in 100 degree North Carolina heat.

 

  

It was all yellow...

This winter, I went on a spree knitting yellow things.

PROJECT: Super-Secret Snobby Spinner Swap Surprise
PATTERN: Simple Yet Effective Shawl by Laura Chau (Ravel it!)
YARN: Handspun Sunshine Yarns Organic Merino Roving in "Sunshine," fingering weight, approx. 370 yards
NEEDLES: US 5

This shawl was sort of a long slog but the end result was awesome. I knit this with yarn I spun myself, the first fingering weight yarn I'd ever created, so it definitely had some flaws, some slubs here and there and a little bit of overtwisting - so the yarn was rustic and uneven. This seemed like the perfect shawl for that sort of thing, and it was. Once knit up, you really can't see the imperfections in the yarn at all, and it was an incredibly mindless pattern to knit. I would certainly make another, I think it's great for showing off the gentle striping of handspun yarn.

I actually knit this for a swap with some other snobby spinners on Ravelry, so sadly, I had to part with it - which was tough, but that's the thing with yarn and knitting - there's always another beauty just around the corner. Plus, I was working on something yellow for myself...

PROJECT: Shalom
PATTERN: Shalom Cardigan by Meghan McFarlane (Ravel it!)
YARN: Sunshine Yarns Merino Worsted in "Saffron Sarie," approx 3.5 skeins (595 yards)
NEEDLES: US 6, 7 and 8

I love this sweater.

It's my first of 2010 (did I mention I joined a challenge to knit 12 sweaters in 2010?) I made a lot of modifications to it, with the help of other Ravelers and also some of my own intuition, because the original was written for bulky weight yarn and I had worsted. So I've got really extensive notes on my Ravelry project page, but basically I had to change the number of stitches I cast on and throughout the whole pattern. The twisted rib stitch at the top is a really easy pattern, and it was simple to modify, and really easy to fit to my body. The end result is a sweater that fits me really, really well and is a comfortable, versatile weight.

I bought more yarn thinking that I would lengthen the sleeves, but in the end I kept them as originally written - they're so cute! I doubt I would actually wear this without somewhat long sleeves under it, but we'll see - at least this way I have options!

I found the awesome buttons at - where else? - Etsy. They're vintage pinstripe Lucite and I found that at Button Odyssey, which has a ton of cute stuff.

Sometimes you just need a burst of sunshine in the middle of the winter, you know?

Mitered Maples

Look Ma, I made mittens!

PROJECT: Mitered Maples
PATTERN: Mitered Mittens by Elizabeth Zimmerman (Ravel it!)
YARN: Squoosh Fiberarts BFL in Red Maple hand spun
to aran weight, about 130 yards
NEEDLES: US 7

First, let me just say how much I love these mittens. From the delightful, squooshy and soft hand spun yarn to the simple vintage shaping, they are easily one of my favorite knits so far. That said, they weren't exactly a cinch to put together. It's not that the pattern is hard, but it's more of a recipe than a pattern, a la all things Elizabeth Zimmerman, which means you get a perfect fit, but usually after a little bit of tinkering. Coupled with the fact that it's a little harder to predict gauge with hand spun yarn, I ended up having to frog the frst mitten a few times before it fit just right.

So, my modifications. I cast on 48 stitches on a magic loop and joined for knitting in the round. I knit five rows of garter stitch and then 16 rows of the mitered pattern, but I mitered every row instead of every other and for the m1 stitches I did kf&b. Starting on row 17, I decreased on 17 and 19 and mitered on 18 and 20. I made a thumb gusset over 15 rows, following Kathryn Ivy's mods here. I did 10 rows of the standard mitered pattern, knitting every other row. I began the fingertip decreases over 16 rows till eight stitches remained, at which point you pull the yarn through the stitches to make a point and you fasten off the end.

Elizabeth has some crazy thumb-making method that I didn't like, so as many others before me, I picked up stitches for the thumb and added one at the join (16 total). I then knit five rounds even, then knit another round doing a k2tog for all stitches (eight remain), repeated that on the next round (four remain), and then pulled the yarn through for the pointy finish.

Next time I make these, I'll probably make the thumb a little bit longer, but otherwise I love these mittens so much. They are snuggly and warm and totally cute.

Handmade holiday.

Wow. Just wow. Am I ever behind on project posting. Sheesh! I apologize! It's been such a busy fall, gearing up for our big move took up a lot of time. But I did do a TON of knitting and spinning and have been dying to share all my projects with everyone. Many of them were secret though, because I took on a huge thing this year - a handmade holiday. 

The goal was to make as many of my Christmas/Hanukkah gifts as possible and only use purchased items as extras. That didn't so much happen because I always, always cave and spend a lot of money on people - but the exercise was a good one. For my in-laws, for instance, my handmade gifts were the centerpiece, and the bought items were smaller. Same for my mother and my sister. I sort of failed on Dad, brother and husband - but they're harder to knit for, I think. Next year will be even better, I just know it - making gifts for people gave me more ideas for the future.

So, without further ado, here's what I have been gifting.

 

PROJECT: Handspun Toast
 PATTERN: Toast (Ravel it!)
YARN: Handspun bulky-weight merino
NEEDLES: US 7

This cozy pair of fingerless gloves was knit with yarn I spun myself - only my second spin on my wheel. I am really proud of it, even though it's certainly not perfect - lots of thick and thin spots. But it knit up into a beautiful pair of gloves for my dear friend Jen.

 

PROJECT: Seamless Raglan Sweater
 PATTERN: Elizabeth Zimmerman's Seamless Raglan Sweater (Ravel it!)
YARN: Cascade Wool 220 in Irelande - 7 skeins
NEEDLES: US 6

Last year, I made Elizabeth Zimmerman's Seamless Hybrid for Jay. Basically, her patterns are recipes you follow, and they're really simple and rewarding knits. I liked Jay's so much, I decided to make another one for his father for Hanukkah this year. Jed's has a traditional crew neck, which is more his style. Cascade is a good non-expensive wool - it comes in great colors and is widely available. It's not too scratchy and I was really pleased with the hand and the finished project.

 

PROJECT: Squooshy Cotty
 PATTERN: Cotty by Irishgirlieknits (Ravel it!)
YARN: Squoosh Merino Cashmere Sport in Hibiscus
NEEDLES: US 3

A while back, I tried and failed to make a pair of socks for my mother-in-law. They're her measurements but they somehow turned out far too tight. Susan is notoriously cold, so I really wanted to try again. I thought this Squoosh colorway was perfect for her, and the yarn is nice and stretchy. I have fallen completely in love with sport-weight socks. They're fast and fulfilling! I adore this project, I almost hated to send them away but that's how you know you've got a good gift!

 

PROJECT: Hip to be Square
 PATTERN: Turn a Square by Jared Flood (Ravel it!)
YARN: 1/2 skein Cascade 220 Heathers in Walnut Heather; 1/2 skein Noro Silk Garden in #245
 NEEDLES: US 6, US 7

My brother is hard to knit for. He's in college, and rightfully picky. But I adore this hat pattern. It's so simple, but I love the finished effect. It features a cool jogless striping pattern that was a great trick to learn so your stripes all line up just so. Love it. And I think he loved it too, because he barely took it off after he opened it.

 

PROJECT: Dad's Sleeping Socks
 PATTERN: improvised
YARN: Cascade 220 Heathers in Walnut Heather
 NEEDLES: US 6

This was the only requested hand-knit this year, and it was also the easiest. Living in Maine, my dad likes sleeping in warm woolly socks. Done! I cast on 44 stitches, knit a 2x2 rib cuff for 8 rows, then knit down the tube. The heel flap is knit over 22 stitches in stockinette for 22 rows, slipping the first stitch of each row. Short row turned heel. Picked up 13 stitches on each side for the gusset and decreased every other row till I was back to 44 stitches. Knit down the foot, decreased 4 stitches per round every other row for the toe shaping till 16 stitches remained. Kitchener bind-off. Voila! Warm socks! Dad said he was sweating in his sleep - which I suppose is what he wanted?

PROJECT: Farmer's Market Cardigan
 PATTERN: Farmer's Market Cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio (Ravel it!)
 YARN: Beaverslide Dry Goods Worsted Weight in Mountain Morning, 7 skeins
 NEEDLES: US 7, 8

This sweater was the big kahuna of the year. I started it in August, and it took me till just a few days before Christmas to finish. This was obviously influenced by all the other things I was working on, but still. This pattern was a challenge for me. I'd never seamed a sweater before (i.e. knit it in pieces and sewn it together) and it had a lot of pieces. Plus, it has a lot of positive ease and I knit it as more of a jacket, so it was a big piece. Suffice to say that, although I love it, I'm glad it's done. I have to say that this yarn is DIVINE. I am so in love with it, I just ordered more for a sweater for me. I love the rustic tweediness!

So...that's what I've been up to! I made a couple of other little things in the meantime - a cowl, another pair of fingerless gloves - but this has been eating up most of my time. And now I'm knitting for ME! Which is incredible! And so relaxing!

Stay tuned for another upcoming post with all my spinning so far... 

For Hazel

A while back, a dear friend from college asked me to knit something up for her soon-to-be-firstborn and I of course said of course. Not only did she give me full freedom to choose whatever pattern called to me, she provided me with some yarn she'd found that she really liked and told me to use it or not use it as I saw fit. Well, it turns out the yarn was an incredibly soft and buttery worsted weight alpaca and bamboo blend that was luscious to the touch, so I of course figured out a way to knit it up for her. She sent me three colors and I worked with them as best I could. I think the results are pretty nice.

PATTERN: Mossy Jacket (Ravel it!)
YARN: Mirasol Yarn Qina in Charcoal Gray (3 skeins)
NEEDLES: US 7 & US 8 DPNs and circulars

This is the Mossy Jacket pattern, and it was super easy. I actually love this FO, even though it's really different from the original pattern. The pattern calls for an aran weight bulky yarn, and mine was only worsted, so in order to get a 3-6 month size, I knit the largest pattern size. As far as I can tell, it worked out really well - but Hazel was premature, so it ended up being kind of moot - it'll be a little while before she can wear this anyway. I love that Julie wasn't afraid to put her child in non-traditional colors - I think this sweater is warm and beautiful and it can be re-used if she has a second baby, even if it's a boy. I found the buttons at buttonbliss.etsy.com and they're a little large but I just love them.

PATTERN: Buzzbee (Ravel it!)
YARN: Mirasol Yarn Qina in Cream & Sage Green (leftovers)
NEEDLES: US 7 DPNs and circulars

I adore this little hat pattern, which is one of a set called Wee Woolly Toppers. They are all adorable and I will certainly make more of them in the future, as it only took me a couple of hours to knit this up. It gave me a chance to use some of the oddments Julie sent to me, and I love the stripey result. To make the stripes look better, I modified the pattern so it was entirely knit instead of the alternated knit and purl sections in the original pattern.

These ought to help keep a little Oregon baby warm!