knancyknits

Past knitting commissions

2011-08-15T14:27:00.005-06:00

Below area a couple of commissions I have done in the past year. Prices are a flat rate that include all materials and labor.

Pedicure Socks
Wool/Cotton/Elastic blend (machine washable)
$40
To fit adult woman, size 8 foot

Baby Sweater/Jacket
Wool/Acrylic blend (machine washable)
To fit 6 mo. old
$80
(zoom in! the buttons are little bunnies!)

Any and all commissions can be customized, ie, socks can be made for any foot size, baby sweaters can be sized up for toddlers or sometimes children, etc. Prices depend on size, complexity, and materials of the item, and these are merely an example of a couple of works I have done. Please bear in mind, a basic wool blend item will be less expensive than alpaca or another more rare fiber. Most knitting I have done on commission has been with basic wool or cotton blends and the customers have been very happy.

Please drop me a comment if you are interested in a commission. Some other typical items and range of prices are as follows (the prices here reflect items knitted in basic wool or cotton blends, typically machine washable:

Basic adult socks - $40-$60
Baby sweaters - $45-$100
Basic adult scarves - $20-$40
Complex adult scarves - $40-$100
Adult hats - $20-$80
Children's hats - $20-$40
Baby blankets (make a great heirloom gift!) - $50-$200

All items require significant lead time of at least a few weeks. Rush pricing would be quoted on an individual basis.

Thanks!

Blog revival and taking commissions

2011-08-12T15:49:00.003-06:00

Now that I have joined the ranks of unemployed architects everywhere, I am reviving this blog in attempts to generate some income. I have done knitting commissions in the past for friends, and will post images of the items I did on commission soon.

A word about knitting commissions - they are not cheap. Affordable - yes, depends on what you want and the level of complexity. Cheap, no. If you want a machine knit acrylic sweater, save your money and go to Target. If you want a one-of-a-kind item for a gift, for a baby, or because you appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of a hand-knitted item, then a commissioned knit might be what you are looking for.

Please leave me a comment if you are interested and I will find a way to let you know how to send me a message. I need to get that set up on the blog.

Thanks for your patience, and it's good (in light of everything) to be back.

T-shirt yarn swatching

2009-10-28T20:59:00.002-06:00

Even though the t-shirt yarn class I am taking (which ends next Monday) comes with four custom (and customizable) patterns that Stefanie designed specifically for the class, I wanted to swatch some of my yarn just to get an idea of how it looks. I knitted up one of the balls on size 10.5 needles:

Click photo to enlarge!

As you can see, the lowest portion is garter stitch, which looks good. The middle section, the stockinette, I am most impressed with. It looks really nice for what this yarn started out as! However, seed stitch (the uppermost portion next to the needle) is not this yarn's friend. It looks like crap. Which is OK, not every stitch is for every yarn.

The lightest weight yarn you can really make without breaking the material is about a heavy worsted. I would say what I have knitted up here is a bulky. The most WPI I have been able to get is 6.5, and this yarn is about 5.5 WPI (wraps per inch - wrap the yarn around a ruler and it helps you get an idea of yarn weight - fewer wraps = heavier yarn).

Upcycled T-shirt Yarn Class

2009-10-18T18:09:00.008-06:00

I am taking Stefanie Japel's online class for recycling old t-shirts into yarn. Well, I guess it's really any t-shirt, not necessarily old. I am really enjoying the techniques we are learning. Basically, you chop up a cotton tee into a spiral (she shows us a really quick method for doing this) and pull the strip of cotton and it curls into a tube. I made and dyed my first batch of yarn this weekend.

This is what I am starting with. A pile of my husband's old undershirts. I had been collecting them for dust cloths, and really don't need 57 dust cloths.

They have a future as beautiful cotton yarn. Well, the torso from the armpit down of each of these does, at least.

I used one of those teenybopper tie dye kits. The color stays bright and you just add water.

I had a couple of hanks already cut into yarn.

I also had some shirt torsos and dyed those. They will be cut into yarn after dyeing.

Yarn burritos!

The finished product (some of it):

First time dyeing yarn, I'm pretty happy with it. I am learning a lot about dyeing plant fiber versus animal fiber (like wool). You can't dye cotton with things you would dye wool with, like Kool-Aid, acid dyes, or cake dye. I watered the dye down in cups and applied it with foam brushes, as I wanted a muted color. I might overdye some of this with tea to see how that mutes it even more. Hopefully I will have some FOs from this yarn to show soon!

Another sewing project, and more!

2009-04-27T18:57:00.007-06:00

I made another knitting needle roll-up case, this time for my straight and double-pointed needles. Prior, they were all just jumbled in a drawer, and a pain in the butt to dig through. So, I headed over to Jo-Ann (where they are having an awesome sale, btw) and went a little nuts in the fat quarters. I did have the project in mind, though, so in addition to looting all their cat-themed prints, I got fabric for this:

(I haven't snipped all the threads yet)

Ta-da! It holds all my needles! With some room to add more needles, as I like bamboo straight needles in anything over a size 5. Less than that, and I break them. The back has batting and is quilted like the other one I made; it gives it just enough structure and support. And now I have an empty drawer to organize all the fat quarters I seem to be amassing.

You probably noticed all the Knitpicks needles in the bottom row and are wondering, "Knitpicks? But Nancy, weren't you just hating on them?". Well, yes, however, I must admit that one product of theirs that I have been very impressed with is their nickel-plated DPNs. Sharp, pointy, sturdy, don't bend - they are awesome. I'd buy DPNs from them any day.

I put the Everlasting Bagstopper to the test on Sunday, and boy does it stretch! To the point where it is hard to carry if the stuff is too heavy and stretches it down to your knee, or past it. If I ever make another one, I will make it about half the length.

And a third thing. Does anyone know how to frost a cake? I suck at it. Yes, I have tried warming up the frosting and the cake is always completely cooled before I try to frost it, but for some reason, I just can't frost a cake! I have a special spreader and everything (thank you Cutco wedding registry). When I try to frost across the top of the cake, the top if it just rips off. And then the whole thing just goes to crap. This also happens with cupcakes. This is very bad, as I love cake. It doesn't stop me from eating said dilapidated cake, but I plan to have kids, and I heard that they have birthdays, and at these things called "birthdays" they eat cake, and I would really like to make it for them, because I am too damn cheap and stubborn to call Baskin Robbins. I know I can master this, but I need serious guidance:

It looks like someone has already chewed it up. If anyone out there has cake frosting tips or advice, I need it! Help!

New Yarn and Fiber Shop in ABQ!

2009-04-04T20:22:00.003-06:00

I was wandering through Old Town over the weekend and a shop sign caught my eye - Fiber Chicks. I went in and sure enough, it's a new LYS in town!!! Yay!!!!!!! They have only been open a few weeks, but they are very friendly, and the best part is that the owner wants to know what people in ABQ want to knit and crochet with, and will look for a distributor to get it in the shop! I have already put in a request for Malabrigo. So, please do go check out the shop and let her know what you like to knit with! They (it's 2 ladies that co-own it) also carry some roving, and are working towards carrying more local fiber than you can normally find around ABQ (which isn't much). Anything other than Fiesta would be appreciated by many, I am sure! I chatted with the owner that was there, for a while, and her husband is an architect in town who went to school with one of my bosses, which was very cool.

Needless to say I made a purchase. I got some beautiful mercerized cotton to knit this bag for groceries. While we do reuse plastic bags in our house for trash and when we scoop cat poop, the grocery store bags are flimsier than they were in years past, so I am converting to taking my own bags, not for the social message or any shit like that, but simply because the grocery store bags are crap, and if I can't reuse them, I don't want to just chuck them in the landfill without being able to repurpose them.

So, go forth and visit Fiber Chicks! It's in Old Town, in the little plaza just south of La Placita, off the SE corner of the main plaza. A very cool spot and hopefully to become a staple for the fiberistas of Albuquerque.

Great sewing idea!

2009-03-01T18:05:00.003-07:00

If you are like me and are not a huge fan of mini-blinds, but don't love the retail cost of Roman shades, then this is for you! What a great idea! I love the photo of the living room with the green print shades.

I think next on my sewing agenda will be curtains, as I don't think the landlord would appreciate it if I massacred the blinds in the front picture window.

I am currently studying for the 5th ARE (just took #4 a little over a week ago), and if I keep on my schedule and keep passing the exams, then I will be done and licensed by the middle of the summer! Yay! All this studying throws a wrench in the works of all my crafting projects, but it is definitely worth it.

Fugly

2009-02-22T16:06:00.002-07:00

One of the things I hate about "learn to knit" or "learn to crochet" books is that the patterns are often butt-ugly. And while it makes sense that in the beginning, one can only knit or crochet rectangles, I think garments beyond a scarf should be avoided until one has mastered increases and decreases so as to shape a garment. Beginners patterns have gotten better in recent years, but it bewilders me that anyone would put this kind of crap out there as a free pattern to promote their yarns:

What the fuck? Is it a vest? A tunic? And what's with the preschooly color blocks and gigantic pockets? Could this thing be any boxier? She only remotely has a figure because of the way she is thrusting out her hip. Look at the size of those armholes! Either they were expecting a much larger model, or this pattern is just fucked up. I vote for the latter. If she took the stupid vest off, she would probably have a decent outfit.

Shibori Felting gone bad

2009-02-07T23:17:00.006-07:00

I finally finished knitting a giant swath of stockinette I planned to shibori felt and then sew into a pillow cover for the living room with a zipper and all. Well, it felted, but the shibori part was a bit of a disaster. Most of the bottlecaps fell off in the wash and the finished product looks like a giant piece of felt with a leprosy problem:

With flash. As if that helps:

Patons Merino Wool
More skiens than I care to count

Certainly not my favorite project. I guess I can still make it into a pillow cover, but I'm not really sure I want to. I mean, it's ugly. It didn't cost much money for the yarn, but I was knitting on that thing forever! This being my first foray into felting (if you don't count accidentally felting sweaters in the wash), I am not exactly smitten with the craft.

At least Ginger knows how to make me feel better. Here she is snoozing on her kitty rag quilt, reminding me that all of my projects are not disasters, they are mostly successes:

I can't get the picture to rotate, but she is cute just the same. :)

Frankenknit

2009-01-25T17:47:00.009-07:00

I had my ancient Kenmore sewing machine serviced recently, and have gotten into sewing again (after a many-year hiatus, because the sewing machine needed servicing and I was too cheap to fix it while I was a student). I started with recovering our hideous couch pillows. I kept this felted sweater in my sewing stash for the past few years, and always knew it had aspirations for a second life.
It was a nice sweater, until I washed and dried it at the laundromat. oops. I didn't really know how or why (or that) wool shrunk, when I was in college. I got it at Old Navy years ago, before their clothes started being made with that signature falling apart in the wash.

Here is the butt ugly pillow that needed recovering. What the hell was I thinking when I bought TWO of these in college? Who ever brought back animal prints? Or have they just never gone away?

I cut out the body of the sweater, and seamed it all into a square on the machine, then added the zipper. There really isn't a fancy trick to sewing in zippers - you just turn your pillow inside-out, pin the zipper in, and then sew it on. I didn't really follow any instructions or use a zipper foot (as I had lost mine ages ago and recently just bought one).

Voila! Who's your zipper-sewing daddy?

Here he is next to the other hideous pillow on the couch in the den. The other one will be recovered in a shibori-felted blue to go in the living room. When I get around to it.

I can't get the dang picture to rotate!

We also had two ugly pillows in the living room. They weren't ugly as much as they attracted copius amounts of cat hair, which makes them look gross. So, I wanted to make covers for them that could be removed and washed. Here is the finished result:

The fabric is from Jo-Ann. I was impressed to find something there that isn't country kitsch. I don't like to spend very much on DIY projects, because that defeats the purpose for me, so I am glad to see they are carrying some cuter patterns than they were when I was in college. Or maybe I don't just cruise the clearance table anymore now that I am out of school. Gee, could that be it? The pattern reminded me of India, where I traveled in college, and the fabric is made there. Coincidence? I think not!

Next on the list was wanting to learn to quilt, so I started with a rag quilt tutorial on about.com, and decided to start small and, inspired by Paula's kitty's blanket, I made a blankie to put in the sunny spot Ginger, my assistant, likes to lay in.

Just some standard cotton fleece from Jo-Ann

Chopping it up

Piece it all together, snip all the seams, toss through the washer and dryer, and voila again! Rag quilt!

I haven't gotted a picture of Ginger on it yet, but this guy seems to like it:

I think it's hilarous that the mean cat likes the pink frilly blanket.

In other news, I have been studying for the next ARE. Three down, four to go! After I take the next one in a couple of weeks here, I will have tipped the halfway point. Yay! I didn't study very much while my husband was on winter break (he is a PhD student), as we finally had time to hang out. But now we are both back to studying habits. Sigh. And I have all these sewing projects out of my system so I can concentrate on studying more, but it also makes me think of all sorts of fabulous things to sew!

Dang!

2008-09-21T17:47:00.003-06:00

It's been a month since I posted, just about. Jeez! I have some knitting to show for, but still need to photograph it. But I can show this:

This is the ONLY tomato we have gotten out of our garden this year. It's been a shitty tomato year here in NM, apparently, which makes me feel less bad about my gardening skills. I felt bad eating it. But it was soooooooo good!

I finished the vest, and I need to weave in the ends and post it. I am happy with how it came out. I love Stefanie Japel's patterns! I have been busy cramming for my next registration exam, so I missed SnB last week, but I have my exam this coming Tuesday morning, so I should be there this week!

Something I can post!

2008-08-24T19:58:00.009-06:00

I finished the Welt Fantastic socks I started a while back and put on hold to knit the summer tank and a present I cannot yet blog about. I am very happy with them! The sock on the left however, I had to finish the toe in another blue sock yarn I had leftover stash of, as the second ball of Knitpicks Felici had significantly less yarn in it than the first ball! Grr!!!! While cheap, they do have some serious quality control issues over there.

Welt Fantastic Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks
Knitpicks Felici, 2 balls (and some yardage of a random yarn!)
Size 0 DPNs. I like my socks knitted tight.

Overall, I am happy with them. I am much more impressed with Felici than I ever was with Essential SUCK yarn, their standard sock yarn. Felici is spun more tightly and isn't all fuzzy and bloomy. Which brings me to a review of Swish Worsted. Kind of sucks. It's super-bloomy, and had I known that, I would not have knit the tank out of it. I was disappointed. It kind of pisses me off, because Knitpicks' motto is to bring us affordable luxury knitting, but I would hardly categorize what they produce as luxury, at least what I have experienced. Grr. It's cheap, and it shows. I have even had problems with my interchangeable needle set - the needles don't screw onto all the cords correctly - my size 7's pop right off of the thread where they are supposed to screw on! I can only use those on the 24" cord so far. I think I will call them about this one, because it is a faulty product, and you don't find out until you use a certain needle size. Seriously. Lacking. Quality. Control.

Ginger approves of them, which is of utmost importance:

Isn't she just so damn cute????

I am now starting the U-neck Vest from Fitted Knits. Ginger checked the pattern for errata, though osmosis:

In other news, Hugo thinks everything is an opportunity to go for a ride:

And I made pesto from our bumper crop of basil! Yum! I also made some creamy pesto sauce by mixing a couple of forkfulls of the pesto into some alfredo sauce, and holy Moses, was it good! We had it with four-cheese ravioli, salad and some delish wine! I admit it - I am a foodie.

El Hubbie mail-ordered 3 bottles of wine from Georgia (the county). It is really good, and was relatively inexpensive. This is just a standard dry white wine. Very tasty.

I don't get political on this blog, but what is happening in Georgia is despicable, and as we don't personally have artillery or tanks to lend them, Hubbie, the economist, believes the second best thing we can do is support them by trading with them. We also learned that Georgia is the oldest wine growing region in the world, going back thousands of years! Neat, huh?

Some precious kitty moments to leave you with, Ginger makes pillows out of just about anything:

Mr. Rogers ruled

2008-08-03T09:40:00.001-06:00

And the last reason on this list is, I think, the best.

You must go to this website!

2008-07-31T20:34:00.002-06:00

My dear friend Stephen has a small cookie company, Albuqcookie, and his website just went live and is taking orders! The cookies are amazing and worth every cent! They make great gifts; I buy some for my parents every Christmas. I served bags of Albuqcookies at my wedding as the favors! My favorite are the lavender lemon biscotti. You must try some so you can have a favorite of your own!

It's done!

2008-07-26T10:39:00.005-06:00

The drop stitch lace tank is finished, and I love it! I wore it to work and received many a compliment, especially since no one knew I made it! I love knitted items that don't look "homemade". Handmade is very different from homemade.

I made it in the smallest size in the book, which was like, a 28" bust (which I am not!), and on needles one size smaller than recommended for the yarn (Knitpicks Swish worsted, I used size 6 needles). This pattern is super-stretchy, so I would recommend making it smaller than you normally would knit anything for your size. And I also modified it by knitting into the back loop of every stitch in front of and after the yarn overs so that the lace keeps it shape better. Otherwise, the lace looked kind of scrappy.

* Update - At her request, I am reminded I should credit my fabulous photographer, Katie, for taking the shots. The way she captures emotion through the lens, her ability to set the flash to "on" or "off" and the fact that when you tell her to zoom in and get some detail and she knows what the hell you are talking about (no offense hubbie) makes working with this Einstien of the photographic world a great joy each and every time.

Knit that Knazi!

2008-07-22T20:59:00.005-06:00

Holy crap I HAD to take a break from studying to post this.

Rachel Matthews has created a pattern book so you can knit a doll of your favorite evil dictator! Who hasn't been waiting for this? (sarcastically said).

You can read all about it here.

Although the thighs are a bit femme, that hair and 'stache are pretty right-on, I must say.

2008-07-08T18:44:00.006-06:00

Progress!

2008-07-06T11:25:00.007-06:00

Without the flash

With the flash. Much more true to the color.

The tank top is almost finished! Just some seaming at the top, a few buttons, and then I will have a summer project done! Yay! Then I can start the next one which has to be done by the fall and of which I cannot speak, lest the recipient be an avid knitting blog reader, which I doubt, but you never know. I don't know who reads this thing except for the people who comment, so I can't take any chances.

The kitties are trying to beat the heat. It has been really toasty lately:

Hugo is so cute sometimes. Sometimes.:

I got up early this morning and jogged in the foothills with my friend Susan. Man! That kicked my ass! I run almost daily, but it's just around my neighborhood, which has some hilliness, but is relatively smooth and even. I can't wait to get back out there and run the foothills again. What a great workout! I am doing another 5K in two weeks, the Chunky Monkey, which is in the valley and totally a flat course, so there's not really much to train for, except being able to run in a straight line for 3.1 miles.

I will probably not be at SnB Tuesday, as Melissa is coming to visit and knit on Wednesday, so I am taking that as a knitting night instead. Hope to see some of you Wednesday, same time and place!

2008-06-28T17:35:00.006-06:00

This and That

2008-06-25T18:03:00.002-06:00

The drop-stitch lace tank is coming along nicely. I think I will have it done in the next couple of weeks. Just in time for summer wearing! Although it has been summer here for gee, at least 2 months now! I can certainly wear this top clear into October with the weather we have here.

Hugo was so cute when I got home I had to get a picture of him:

The flash makes him look satanic, but he moved his head too much and there isn't enough light coming in the room (we're hoping some rain will come out of all these clouds):

I can't decide which picture he looks more evil in! Well, I'll leave that for you all, and I'm off to eat dinner then price stuff for my garage sale Saturday with Paula. Toodles!

For anyone wondering...

2008-06-17T21:41:00.004-06:00

Our SnB meets at 7pm on Tuesday nights at the Flying Star on Rio Grande. There are always peeps there, unless it's Christmas Eve or something.

Drop stitch lace tank

2008-06-14T12:49:00.006-06:00

This top is coming out really cute. After a few failed starts, I finally got started on a version I think will work well. I have modified the pattern to knit it in the round, and I am using a smaller needle size than it calls for. Like many who have made this top, I am knitting through the back loops on either side of the YOs. This pattern is really stretchy, so I am making the smallest size in the book on size 6 needles, instead of 7s. The yarn is Knitpicks Shine Worsted.

Ginger likes to help supervise the knitting:

Just more cute kitty photos:

Where my Stitchin' Bitches at?

2008-06-11T17:58:00.002-06:00

Last night at SnB, there was only one other person there, novice knitter Diane (who is kicking all our asses, btw. She's only been knitting for 6 mo. and has already conquered socks!) Even the waiter/server noticed and asked where all our friends were. What gives? I guess it was just one of those fluke nights when no one shows up.

I have started the Drop-Stitch Lace Tank from Fitted Knits, after starting and frogging it twice before. I have finally modified it and am happily knitting away. I will post piccys soon.

Hubbie and I are off to see Spamalot tonight. I am SO excited! We have had the tickets for at least six months. I listened to our Monty Python Sings CD at work today. EEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! On that note, I am going to get ready to walk down to Popejoy!

New socks!

2008-06-05T18:56:00.006-06:00

In keeping with trying to knit only from my stash, I started another pair of socks a few weeks ago. These are in Knitpicks Felici, a superwash wool. I like this yarn a lot, it is much nicer than their Essential Suck Yarn; the only complaint I would have is that every now and then, at color changes, there is a little white bit of yarn, like the dyeing was getting a little sloppy. The pattern is Welt Fantastic from Sensational Knitted Socks. I have finished one, all but for kitchenering the toe shut. I am getting really good at using up every ounce of the skein. That little bit left is the last bit of a 218 yard skein. WHO'S YOUR (sock knitting) DADDY!?!?!?!?:

And I've started the second one:

I knit socks only for myself. The hubbie doesn't like knitted socks, and they take so much time that I have a hard time imagining gifting them. Plus, they have to fit so exactly, I don't want to guess at someone's foot size just to have all that hard work go down the drain when the socks don't fit.

Below is the Cascade I bought that I mentioned in the previous post. I can't wait to make this into a vest this fall!

Hugo REALLY hates it when we go out of town. When we are packing, he climbs in the luggage and attacks you when you try to put your stuff in, and you have to spray water on him to get him out.

We barbecued on the new ass-kicking grill last night, and Ginger found a blue-and-orange friend. I wonder if she thinks they're related because it's blue and orange like her:

Don't hate me because I'm so friggin' cute

Content

Pensive. Probably pondering great questions in life, like, When do I get fed again? and, When will that goddamn neighbor's dog shut up?

Sox

2008-05-25T20:25:00.004-06:00

They're done!

Yarn: Regia Bamboo (45% bamboo, 40% superwash wool, 15% polyamid).
Pattern: Crossover Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks

I really love these socks. They are comfy for summer wearing, fit great, and super-soft. I hate slouchy socks, and these stay up and the ribbing helps them keep shape well. Unlike the ribbed socks I made out of that pink Tofutsies. I plan to frog those. Too slouchy.

Hugo made another friend in the neighborhood. I don't get this cat at all. He is so mean to people, and then turns into a puddle of love around other cats.

They had a little love-sit in the soon-to-be vegetable garden. There is one tomato plant and one bell pepper plant, soon there will be three more tomato plants, but that's it.

Kitty Cuteness

2008-05-22T20:53:00.006-06:00

Because I have no new pictures of any knitting:

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T09:50:00.000-06:00

Image from icanhascheezburger.com

I have been waiting FOREVER to post this!!!

2008-03-20T18:54:00.012-06:00

My dear friend had her second baby girl recently, and I knit this for her:

It's a pinwheel baby blanket. I knit it in Cotton Tots, and added a picot bind-off to the pattern. A close-up of the bind-off:

I think Cotton Tots is my new favorite, second to Patons Merino. CT is super-soft, and truly machine washable AND dryable, which I did not find was the case with most cottons from the LYS. Plus, they all cost a buttload, and homie don't play that. They actually sell Cotton Tots at the LYS, but for a ton more than at Michael's. Yeah, I know, I don't need the "shop locally" lecture. They are so mean and unhelpful at the LYS here, I'd rather give my money to Michael's anyday. I won't shop locally if it means keeping businesses with bad customer service alive.

In other news, I am taking tomorrow off of work to spend the day with my hubbie, as it is his spring break. I have a ton of personal leave saved up, and have been working my arse off, @ work and studying for the ARE, with no break. So, it's about time for a mini-vacation. We spent the evening searching the MLS. Man! Houses are getting cheap here! And in good areas, too! SO exciting! We're saving up for a down payment, but I think the dream may become a reality sooner than we think!

You knit WTF?

2008-03-19T20:34:00.005-06:00

I saw this story on the Drudge Report today. Wow. That is so messed up. Knitting with dog fur? I don't even want to know what the sweater smells like when these old people work up a sweat.

When we were on our honeymoon last summer, I stopped in a little yarn shop in Colorado one morning. The owner also ran a dog grooming business out of the old house, and she was grooming some big fluffy dog when I came in to browse around. I joked that she could harvest her wool in one business and sell it in the other. Her eyes lit up, and she pointed with her brush to a fluffy white knitted hat, and said, "See that hat over there? It's Samoyed! I got it from my dog!". I thought knitting with dog fur was limited to one eccentric old lady in rural Colorado, but apparently, I was wrong.

Stashbusting

2008-03-16T12:10:00.003-06:00

In an effort to save some dough, I am doing some knitting from my stash. I typically don't stock up on yarn without a project in mind, but this sock yarn was on sale a few years ago online ($4.50 a ball!!!!), but it had not yet decided what it wanted to be until recently.

The pattern is Crossover Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks. It is hard to find interesting patterns for such a variegated yarn that doesn't really have stripey repeats.

In other news, Hugo is recovering from us having people over last night. He had a hard time. He was really crabby, but he refused to leave the room, like he wanted to hang out, but doesn't yet know how to not freak out.

And a funny picture of Ginger. This is how she spends most of her time - flopped out in whatever sunny patch she can find.

Saturday Night's Alright for Knitting

2008-03-09T11:32:00.009-06:00

I FINALLY finished the socks in Tofutsies that I started many moons ago. I finished them up last night while we were watching The Searchers, a great movie. I love old westerns, and I especially love that there are so many you can watch on-demand from Netflix. And what I love most is that I have such a nerdy husband that he hooked our boob tube up to a computer and we can watch the movies in our living room and not in office chairs around the monitor in his office. He's my modern caveman.

Back to the socks. I was a little wary, as the yarn did not knit up incredibly soft, but after a trip through the washer and dryer, they are nice and soft. I will never buy sock yarn that can't be thrown in the washing machine. These socks are definitely not as warm as wool ones, these are for warmer days.

Ginger needed to inspect them. They do meet her exacting standards. Despite the gusset on one being longer than the other. Which doesn't bother me like different lengths of the cuff would. And apparently doesn't bother her either.

And then she needed to inspect the camera. Good thing we have her to keep an eye on things.

In other news, I HATE DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!!!!!!!! HATE it! It is the stupidest, most antiquated idea, and I have yet to see any hard, scientific proof that in the sunlight-drenched state of New Mexico, it actually saves any energy. If someone can show me proof, I will eat my words. Except for the vowels. Arizona knows what's up. They don't change their clocks twice a year like us idiots next door. I hate losing an hour of my day every spring. And no, gaining an hour in the fall does not make up for it, especially considering I spent my extra hour this past year waiting on the side of the road for a tow truck to come pick us up and didn't get home that night until 1:00 AM. Grr.

What's next on the needles? Well, I still have that giant piece of stockinette to finish up that will soon become a shibori felted pillow cover, but that is really boring knitting. So, I am starting another pair of socks, this time in Regia bamboo. I'm excited to do more summer knitting, and I need to knit from my stash to save some money, so more socks it is!

Pimp My Tree

2007-12-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

We got more ornaments for our tiny tree in the mail from my husband's grandmother. How cool is that? They are cute and just perfect for our wee tree:

Doesn't it look great? Almost like a real Christmas tree! I've added a couple of ornaments that I knitted myself. The first is a pair of wee mittens- I totally made up the pattern. Mittens are so easy to make!

And I made a wee wreath. Found the pattern for this one at knittingpatterncentral.com. You just make three I-cords and braid them together:

And last, but not least, Ginger basking in the sunlight, recovering from the party mom and dad threw the night before. It stressed them out! Hugo is in the background, staring out the window, probably plotting how to escape and eat the birds in the yard:

I'm a snow chicken

2007-12-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

I totally chickened out on S 'n B tonight. I was driving from Michael's to the north valley, and it was like a fucking slurpee machine out there! Pure slush falling from the sky, and I thought to myself, "Self, do you want to see what this turns into in 2, 2 1/2, hours?" Hell no! So I drove home, and of course at our house there was but the faintest whisper of a flurry falling and my husband was wondering where all the snow was that I was talking about.

At Michael's I bought some good cheap yarn for making Christmas ornaments. I found lots of free patterns online, and decided against the felted ornaments. And, acrylic is a hell of a lot cheaper than wool.

You will soon be transformed into tidings of comfort and joy, my pretties!

I also found some wee garlands for our wee tree at Michael's. You can barely see them in the picture. And it is kind of blurry. I got that cheesy tin at work, it was full of popcorn as a suck-up gift from a consultant, and the presents are fake, and that board of pictures is something we had up at our wedding reception.

I also finished the Dashing gloves for my dad. I just have to weave in the ends. They look kind of big on me, but they are for a burly dude. Well, semi-burly. He does live in Santa Fe now, after all:

And I ventured into felting this weekend! Here are my sample swatches. I think I like the shibori effect, when you tie crap in the knit fabric before you felt it and it makes a shape in the fabric. I plan to do blue pillows with shibori felting for our living room:

So, looking at all the shit I've made, including a sweater I've started that I have yet to post, I realize I have way more free time on my hands than I thought. Or I'm a fast knitter. Who knows. What I do know is this means I have enough time to knit and also start studying for my architectural licensing exams (*gasp*!). So, I've taken a step to get my ass in gear and am attending a 9-hour seminar in early January. And I have a goal to get my registration number by then as well, so I can start taking the tests next year. Eek! But it is probably better sooner than later, as a lot of it, I am afraid, I will forget the further I get from being in school.

One last picture. This is Ginger helping me put away holiday stuff (the stuff we aren't using right now), this weekend. Isn't she cute?!?!?!

Good news!

2007-12-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not pregnant. I got my Ravelry invite today! Yay! I signed in and cruised around for a while, joined the New Mexico Knitters and the Gilmore Girls Knitters groups. I hesitate to post projects on there, only because I already do that on my blog and I hate redundancy and doing it twice would annoy me.... and I don't use flickr yet... but Ravelry is pretty cool.

In other news, I started a sweater and we got a Christmas tree. It is small, about 2'. It is a live tree and we will plant it after Christmas. I like the idea of planting a tree for Christmas rather than cutting one down. And I'm not a big 'ol tree hugger or anything, quite the opposite. I just hate wasting stuff, and you can't really use a dead Christmas tree for anything after the fact. Why pay $30-$50 for something you just end up throwing away?

I hope to get my ass to the yarn store and buy some wool to make some felted ornaments. This being our first tree, it has like, 5 ornaments on it so far.

On that cigar like Monica Lewinski

2007-12-03T19:21:00.001-07:00

We went to the Old Town Cat House last weekend and bought early Christmas presents for the kitties. Ginger got some replacement toy mice, and Hugo got his very own catnip cigar. Ginger doesn't react to catnip, but Hugo goes absolutely nuts. He's been carrying his cigar around with him for the last week. It's like his new best friend. Here he is welcoming it into the family:

Don't even think about it, lady.

Anyone who knows Hugo knows this is abnormal behavior for him. He is normally very crabby and skulks around the house, with a very pissed off expression on his face and is exceedingly suspicious and wary of strangers and anyone who lives here that he hasn't seen in the past five minutes. He's known for attacking visitors. I love it when he gets high on catnip - it makes me think he isn't such an asshole after all.

In knitting news, I sent off the wee mittens and hat to my nephew a few days ago. His mom called us and he screeched "THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU!" on the phone to us. So freakin' cute! Here they are completed:

I've started "Dashing" from Knitty. They're the dude version of "Fetching", the women's fingerless gloves. I'm making them as a Chistmas present for my dad. He never reads blogs about knitting, so I'm safe showing them off here:

I've finished the left one, and will hopefully complete the right one in the next week. They are really easy and knit up pretty quickly. I'm knitting them in Patons Merino wool. I love that stuff!

I would next like to venture into felting and make some pillow covers for the million year-old pillows we have that still work fine but look like crap.

We also added some Christmas cheer to our house. I need to pick that crap up off the porch, though.

And one more kitty picture. I am so glad they like their cowskin condo:

You Knit WTF??

2007-10-27T20:26:00.000-06:00

There are many books with patterns for things to knit for dogs, but none centered around cat garments. Cats aren't stupid enough to ever let humans put them in silly outfits, and even the ones who may be too stupid will fight you off with tooth and nail out of pure instinct that tells them cats don't wear sweaters, even if they aren't sure why or have no shame. All except for the ancient cat we had when I was a kid, Puffy, who I would dress in my baby clothes and ride around with her in my bike basket and all she could do was howl in protest. Would you jump out of a moving vehicle? So, I was surprised to run across these gems online:

How the hell did anyone get these cats in sweaters? Horse tranquilizers? Granted, the poor ugly hairless one could probably use the sweater. But honestly. This is just ridiculous. I can barely get the collar on my cat, and she's one of the dumb ones.

New Project

2007-10-07T14:48:00.000-06:00

Well, the Tofutsies socks are on hold, as I have a plane ride coming up and socks are a good project to have on a plane. They're small, compact, and the needles are small enough that the security idiots at the airport don't protest them, even though TSA's website clearly states that knitting needles are allowed. So, I'll work on those then. In the meantime, I started a sweater from Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits. I absolutely love her patterns, they are so flattering! I hate boxy sweaters, and the whole concept of this book is how to knit things that actually fit your body and are feminine and fitted. Not slutty. I mean, I don't think "knitter" and "slut" really go together in the same sentence. Unless you're willing to sacrifice your honor for a good yarn sale.

The pattern is the Bluebell Boatneck Sweater, except I'm not knitting it in blue. I had a crapload of Wool-Ease in a chestnut heather that didn't yet know what it wanted to be. I think it has found its calling. Yes, it will have sleeves, they are on hold until the body is done.

And now for something not knitting related and totally freaky. I cracked open an egg last night for burritos, and this came out:

DOUBLE YOLK. One egg shell, two yolks inside. Would these have been chicken twins? Or some Siamese-twin two-headed chicken? I mean, conjoined twin chicken, I don't want to offend all the conjoined chickens out there. Either way, it's WEIRD!!!!!!! With that, our egg count was totally off. Did this count as one or two eggs? We finally went with one, as they were two puny yolks.

Chitin - It puts the crunch in bugs

2007-09-23T14:56:00.000-06:00

That's what my high school biology teacher, Mrs. Catron, used to say. She was one of my favorite teachers, for that sense of nerd humor, and her ability to say things like that to help us remember things.

For those who don't know, Tofutsies is a sock yarn that is a blend of wool, soy fiber, cotton and chitin. The tag has a little picture of a crab, saying "chitin is fiber from crab and shrimp shells" and stating it as "naturally antibacterial". Anyone who remembers high school biology, or especially, high school biology with Mrs. Catron, remembers the vague feeling of disgust when learning or realizing that crabs are basically giant spiders living in the ocean. So, if you did not know that, think about it next time at the casino buffet when you are gobbling down the meaty legs of monster sea spiders. Yum!

I thought I'd show an update of the Tofutsies socks:

I just started decreasing the gusset last night while watching "Maverick". Funny movie, btw. Here is my foot modeling the sock, and my knitting assistant, Ginger, trying to clean her teeth with the knitting needle:

And one more picture, this one having nothing to do with knitting. We went hiking yesterday, and this is the view from the foothillls:

I really do love living in a place where hiking like this is, quite literally, in your backyard.

F.O.s fo yo mo fos

2007-09-16T20:16:00.000-06:00

I've been up to a lot of knitting but not much blogging. I started this blog in grad school as a form of procrastination, and since I have finished school, I've had zero desire to blog. I realized that the blog depended on the stress of school in a sick symbiotic relationship, like those little birds that eat the crap out of crocodiles' teeth. So, a friend recently mentioned that the blog could be a good way to make myself photograph and document my knitting, and she's right. I knit four beautiful scarves for my bridesmaids, and didn't photograph them! Argh! If any of you ladies read this blog, send me a photo of your scarf, and I'll put in on the blog.

The first thing I'd like to share is a pair of Jaywalkers, in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, color Bittersweet:

The colorway didn't come out too symmetrical in the pair, but I really don't give a rat's ass. I finished these earlier this summer. Pre-honeymoon, I believe.

So, on the honeymoon, I mentioned I went to three yarn stores. One of my favorites, a small shop in Pagosa Springs called the Edelwiess Needlework Chalet, had Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb 40% off. WOW! So, naturally, I had to buy all four skeins and knit a Clapotis, the famous shawl from Knitty:

I've been waiting to knit this when I could find a good deal on L'nL, because I have seen it knit in other yarns (wool, acrylic, etc.), and it just never has the drape of the wool/silk blend. It is still too warm here to wear it, but soon I will have pics of the Clapotis in action!

At my bridal shower, a dear friend gave me the best gift ever- a knitting book entitled "Never Knit Your Man a Sweater Unless You've Got the Ring", which is all patterns for guys, and some gorgeous Opal cotton/wool self-patterning sock yarn. The colorway of the yarn is based on the paintings of some obscure Austrian architect/artist whose name escapes me. I just finished the socks last week:

I am IN LOVE with self-patterning yarn!!! It is the best for socks if you still want to knit but just finished a Clapotis that took a lot of thought to not screw up the pattern.

And last of all, but certainly not least, I have started more socks, this time in some Tofutsies that I got at the Edelweiss Needlework Chalet:

I'm pretty impressed with this yarn thus far. I am just making a simple pair of 4x2 ribbed socks, thought they'd look good with both clogs and hiking boots.

I'm back, baby!

Blankie!

2006-10-28T08:32:00.000-06:00

I made my first blankie this past summer:

It has been finished for a while, but I just took a photo of it recently. As DFH and I were headed back to graduate school this fall, I was trying to get all the gifts out of the way before classes resumed. I knit this in Bernat So Soft, which is acrylic. Normally I really don't like acrylic, it feels plasticy. Probably because it is plastic. But, this So Soft is really soft, so soft, in fact. Also, this is a gift for a baby. Now, I don't have kids (yet), but I do know one thing about babies. They ooze. Food, milk, vomit, poo, pee, boogers, spit, you name it, babies ooze it. You're always laundering things with a baby. Sometimes you wash the baby, too, apparently. I made this in acrylic so it could be tossed in the washer when the baby oozes. This ain't no sissy hand-wash dry-flat reshape-by-hand blanket. This is a man's blanket! It's also blue, that's how you can usually tell. I call that low-maintenance knitting.

It is knit with 2 strands held together on a size 15 (US) circular. The border is seed stitch, then a section of stockinette, a couple rows of garter with an eyelet row and then garter again. I found the pattern online, I think if you just Google "so soft baby blanket" you could find it. I don't have the link anymore. I think it's funny that "Google" is used as a verb.

Suck Yarn

2006-09-20T23:02:00.000-06:00

Avoid this post if obscene language gives you the vapors.

I finished my first pair of socks. I started them this summer, and figured out the heel on my own with a little online tutorial, Socks 101 (Google it-it rules!). I love the color and pattern, but the yarn sucks ass. Seriouly. It's Knitpicks Essential sock yarn. Suck yarn, really.

- SPLITTY. Loosely spun. I am currently working on Jaywalkers in Lorna's Laces shepherd sock, and that is spun SO much tighter than this bargain basement crap from Knitpicks.

- Socks don't hold their elasticity. They slouch like I'm in junior high after just one wearing. Go 1989!

- Pilled like crazy after one washing. Socks look like shit.

- Did I mention it sucks?

In this image, I am BARELY puling on the sock and it is looser than a cheerleader on prom night. (I was a cheerleader, so before I get a bunch of comments, chill out and get a sense of humor!)

I used a Knitpicks pattern. I even added extra ribbing at the top of the cuff. Compare these assy socks with the Jaywalkers:

Price Difference?
LL: $10 a skien
KP: $3 a skien
Not having your many hours of work turn into crap after one wash and wear? Priceless!
$14 I'd gladly have spent on better yarn so all my hard work didn't go down the tubes!

Fuckers.

Lorna's Laces is like the shiny, beautiful hair on Pantene models, and Knitpicks Essential is like the fried hair on the girl who sat in front of you in study hall who had too many perms and bleachings. Known for being cheap.

Another (albeit blurry) view of the beautiful Jaywalkers.

Wave that shiny mane in her face, girl!!!

Scarf update

2006-09-14T21:46:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm back in graduate school, so I have been a delinquent blogger, and I probably won't be blogging as often-what little free time I have, I'd rather be knitting than blogging. But, I do like posting my projects, so here's an update on the Irish Hiking Scarf.

That's Ginger, my knitting supervisor.

Tape Inspection.

It will be done in time for winter wearing. And we do get a winter here in Albuquerque-not the coldest, but still chilly.

The Curse of Frankie W.

2006-08-09T20:20:00.000-06:00

Since I was an architecture undergrad student, and even as a (semi) professional, there are two things people ask that bug the crap out of me. 1) Have you read The Fountainhead? 2) Boy! You must sure like Frank Lloyd Wright, huh?

No, I have not read The Fountainhead, and people expecting me to since I am in the architecture profession makes me not want to read it at all. Out of stubbornness, I will probably never read the damn book. I have however read this text for my professional practice seminar, which is just as good if you ask me.

And no, I sure don't like Frank Lloyd Wright. His buildings leak. I have been in many of them, some are amazing, but overall, he's not my favorite. Frankie, I'm just not that into you. However, some of his graphic designs are quite beautiful and I would love to become the expert knitter who can someday create something like this, or this.

I would be the hit at all the architecture functions. At least the ones in chilly weather. Otherwise I would just look like a suck-up.

Irish Hiking Scarf Yarn

2006-08-07T21:19:00.000-06:00

I forgot to mention it- this one is also being knit in Patons Classic Merino, color winter white. It's so inexpensive, I love it! I swear I don't work for Patons!!!!! No, really! I don't!

And yet another new project

2006-08-06T09:37:00.000-06:00

I had to start another project. I've wanted to make a cream-colored long wooly cabled scarf for myself, that was one of my goal projects this summer. I had an off-white scarf that was some felty cashmere ripoff, I've had it since junior high. About 15 years, I guess. People who know me well know how cheap and thrifty I am, so this probably does not come as a surprise to them that I still wear clothes from 7th grade. Well, the old scarf was developing holes and getting thin, so I figured it was time to move on.

Here's the scarf. It's the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern from Hello Yarn, which, understandably, is a really popular pattern. I think it will be perfect as my new white scarf. And I'll probably wear it for 30 years. I made some serious mileage on it sitting in the financial aid office this past week. Not as much as I would have liked, however. :(

You know you're a knitting addict when a guy offers to trade you numbers at the financial aid office, meaning you can be out of there an hour earlier, but you are disappointed because it means less knitting time.

Yarn used for Lopi scarf

2006-08-06T09:34:00.000-06:00

Love this pattern, but I am not, however knitting it in the Lopi Lite yarn because I don't like to wear clothes knitted out of barbed wire. For all y'all un-knitters reading, Lopi is a brassy, rough Icelandic wool that is often used in traditional (Icelandic) patterned sweaters. I guess they wear it to remind themselves that there are things that suck worse than the weather in Iceland? Ooh! Snap! I had all this Lamb's Pride superwash in my stash from a project that didn't turn out last winter (Wavy from Knitty- not a good yarn choice for it), so I figured I'd put it to good use. And it's softer than Lopi. So are hedgehogs, but that's besides the point.

Lopi Lace Returns

2006-08-06T09:23:00.000-06:00

After going on the Knitter's Review forums, I got some much-needed help with YOs. And the scarf is turning out!

I know it's only like, .75 inches long. But still! It works!

Lopi Lace Scarf Update

2006-08-03T11:06:00.000-06:00

Ok, I am having problems with the scarf pattern. The first half of the pattern and the second half just don't add up. And neither adds up to the 29 stitches the pattern says to cast on at the beginning, the first half of the pattern adds up to 33 and the second adds up to 35, and I can't see anywhere that you increase or decrease. I know there are yarn overs and ssk, but doesn't a yo with an ssk equal the same number of stitches you start with? If anyone who reads this has done this pattern with success, please help! I am not sure what I am doing incorrectly.

Book Review- Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick

2006-08-02T09:34:00.000-06:00

I purchased this book from a great little shop in Pagosa Springs - Edelweiss Needlework Chalet. It is quite the chalet, on main street in town, tiny little shop. Good yarn selection, but small.

The first thing I thought when the salesman handed the book to me was, my, what an unfortunate last name. After my 8th-grade gutter mind got over that, I paged through and was hooked, happily made my purchase to a small local business and we were on our way to the Old Fashioned Malt Shoppe, which served their machined malts in paper Coke cups and the place was full of flies. But, this is not a restaurant review, I digress.

The title of the book is highly misleading. These are not projects to be completed in a weekend, rather the theme of the book is relaxed, and weekend-y. Like, if you had a whole weekend to do nothing but knit, drink tea and relax, the book captures that essence. I am a sucker for beautiful imagery, and the book has wonderful photographs of multiple angles of each project. And the variety of projects is great. Your standard scarf and sweater fare, gloves, mittens, and then some unique items, beautiful socks, chair and cushion covers, pillowcase lace. And some ridiculous things, like egg cozies and finger puppets, for the masochists, I guess. My eggs don't need tiny sweaters, and I can't imagine knitting tiny finger puppets with insane detail with tiny needles. But those were the only two projects I deemed totally useless. Out of fifty, not bad.

The projects are really unique, and challenging, and inspiring. You won't find your standard garter-stitch scarf in here. This is not a book for beginners, but it is really great for intermediate knitters needing a challenge, and some projects I consider to still be too advanced for me. But that means I will be using the book for a while. And it has already inspired me to create some designs of my own. There are notes in each project detailing any difficult parts of the pattern, and the patterns are described pretty well. Apparently there were some errors, you can find the corrections online, I have only started one project, the Lopi Lace scarf, so I haven't encountered errors yet.

The yarns called out in the projects are ridiculously expensive. It is easy to trade out yarn, though, which is what I've already done with the Lopi scarf (even if Lopi was dirt-cheap, it feels like a potato sack). I mean, I would never buy a $200 sweater, why the hell would I knit one?

The most fun parts of the book are the extra things thrown in that really complete the weekend-y mood: cookie recipies, how to prepare a relaxing bath, list of movies that have knitting in them, quotes on knitting, how to make a gift basket for a knitter. Fluff, really, but a nice touch. Certainly would not work if all the patterns in the book sucked, but they don't, so it does.

New Project!

2006-07-31T10:25:00.000-06:00

I'm almost done stitching up the sweater (I swear I am NEVER knitting a sweater in a million pieces ever again), and I was itching to work on another project. So I started the hat that I plan to gift at a later date. This is my first project with cables, which are really quite easy, that is after you figure out for yourself that you only twist the cable every sixth stitch because your Knitting Teacher book does not mention this fact. Bite me, Susan Bates.

This one is Patons Merino, again. I really like that yarn, it's just such a great bargain for merino wool! And this purple color is nice.

Previous projects

2006-07-31T10:14:00.000-06:00

Here are a few things I have done in the past year.

Token eyelash scarf. I spun (spinned?) the fiber from my pet snufalufagus. Modeled by thermostat.

Another scarf. This one is just garter stitch- it's really the yarn that makes it exciting- it's not hard to knit at all. People always compliment me on it, and I tell them, it's all in the yarn. I have no idea what brand this yarn is. It's a wool/nylon/somthing else blend. It's really warm and a little stretchy.

Simple hat and scarf set. I had a bunch of Wool-Ease lying around from my foray back into knitting in college when I produced The Thing. I was planning to make a scarf and hat set, but for some reason I couldn't do K2 P2 ribbing (???????) and I gave up. So, recently I figured I would use up this yarn. I really don't like the creepy fuzz-glow that some acrylics and acrylic blends give to a knitted garment. Like, a little white halo glow. The TG&Y glow.

I first learned hats by stitching them in the back, rather than knit on a circular. I like the finished look of hats knitted in the round, but I'm pretty good at stitching now. I also need to get a shorter circular needle, because I just don't get that whole knitting tiny things on giant circular needles trick. Yet.

Another hat. To be gifted. This one is in Patons Merino. I really do like that yarn.

Booklet Review

2006-07-28T22:54:00.000-06:00

I ordered the Patons Next Steps One, Two and Three booklets from a Canadian company online, since they are not yet available in the US. I LOVE these books, the are really well done. They are small, so they fit right in your knitting bag, and they are easy to understand, good sizing information, great diagrams and illustrations. I re-taught myself to knit a while back from another book, which I thought had good drawings, but the drawings in these little booklets are pretty great. And the sweater styles in Two and Three are really cute, they're fitted with a bell-sleeve option.

The only complaint I have is with book One, a usual complaint I have with almost every How to Knit book I come across, and that is when knitting books teach people how to knit crappy things. Nobody wants to wear headbands or boxy garter-stitch sweaters. So, please, don't teach people how to make them. And putting a plastic squiggle pin on the sweater isn't going to make it any more attractive. I learned how to pick up stitches just fine knitting something I actually want to wear. I will say, though, that some of the projects, like the hats, in book One are cute, and that is why I bought it.

Current Project

2006-07-28T10:18:00.000-06:00

Right now I'm finishing up a cowl-neck long-sleeve sweater that I started at the beginning of June. It's the "Cowl Neck Pullover" from Patons Next Steps Two- Create Your Own Pullover. I'm knitting it in Patons Classic Merino, color Aran (I think it's Aran. Or off-white). I swear I don't work for Patons. I do love their merino, it is a real bargain. I didn't want to spend a lot on a sweater I would probably screw up on, since it is my first.

This is the sweater in pieces. I'm currently sewing it all together. Next time, I think I'll re-interpret the pattern and knit the body in the round. Sorry about the bad light in the photos.

A sleeve. I knit the bell sleeves in the book:

A close up of the end of the cuff:

And an up-close detail of beginning of stitching the sleeve in:

The Thing

2006-07-27T08:59:00.000-06:00

This is The Thing.

This is me modeling The Thing.

The Thing has been frogged.

I think it was garter stitch. I can't really tell. It was the nastiest, knobbiest heaviest piece of crap that snagged on everything, and I was so proud that I had made it that I wore it everywhere in the winter in college. When I told people I knitted it, I got a sympathetic "Oh, that's nice" with a sidelong look.

I have no idea what I am gong to do with all this crappy chenille. I'm not sure what fiber it is, maybe acrylic, but it's definitely something synthetic and gross, because when my knitting assistant, Ginger, plays with strings of it, and gets it all slobbery, and then it dries, it snaps like a twig. So weird.

I am currently working on my first sweater, in merino. I'll post it soon. Unfortunately, it's almost done, and I can't track the progress of it here. I have a few other projects I have completed this summer that I will post soon, as well.

Blog Name

2006-07-26T15:41:00.000-06:00

I think silent letters are ridiculous, but nancynits sounds like I have piojos. I hope that's the way it's spelled.

Blog Inception

2006-07-26T15:07:00.000-06:00

I have been debating whether or not to start a blog about the knitting projects I turn out. I'm not a fan of blogging in general, per se, as a hobby for myself, but I am a fan of knitting and do get a lot of tips, tricks, ideas and patterns online, and especially on the websites and blogs of other knitters. This would be a way for me to have a record of my projects and also share projects, etc. with other knitters.

I learned to knit from my mom when I was about 5 or 6, and spent years knitting various rectangles, dreaming each time that it would someday be a beautiful sweater. ha. I picked it up again in college when I knitted The Thing. Not sure if it was a shawl, scarf, or what, all I know is that I bought a ton of green chenille from Hobby Lobby and I owned one pair of size 10.5 needles, inherited from my mother. I'll post images of The Thing soon.

First Post

2006-07-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

This is the first post to set up the template.