Saturday, October 29, 2011

Fair Isle Finish


I finished my Fair Isle-inspired hat for C. this week and just in time too. There's a Nor'easter in my area and we even have snow on the ground. That's early for these neck of the woods.


It was an involved, but fun project to make. Here's the original inspiration hat again:

Early on I decided that I wanted it to have earflaps. And I decided to minimize the orange color (C. has red hair so I love orange on him, but he has an orange winter coat this year and I didn't want to go overboard.)



The darker gray top was made one night a little impulsively; I wasn't really following the pattern and I didn't have the original picture in front of me. Turns out I had to rip it all out the next day b/c the top was way too long and C. looked like a conehead.



Instead I added a multicolor pom pom.


Here's a peek of it on the Little Man.


It's definitely a departure from the original, but I really like it and it looks cute on him, so I'm pretty happy with the end result. I would like to try more fair isle or stranded knitting sometime soon. It was also really fun to play around with the knitting graph software too. Maybe I'll even design my own original designs at some point? Who knows.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Modern Rib Hat Take 2


I thought I'd give the Modern Rib Hat another try in a bigger slouchier version.


I knitted the child's size this time instead of the toddler. These are all stash yarns.


My model wouldn't cooperate this time, so this is the best shot I could get of it on his head.

It's such an easy and enjoyable pattern that knits up so quickly; I definitely recommend it.

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I think I may be getting over hats now that I've made three in a row, though. (I'm doing some finishing work on the Fair Isle Hat as we speak). I've got some WIPs to work on, and snowflakes to make but other than that I'm feeling a little uninspired. Not quite sure what I want to make next...I'm sure the craft blahs will pass soon enough.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Anthro-Scarf



I finished my Anthropologie-inspired-ruffled scarf and I'm so excited to wear it this winter!


It was a little monotonous, as I mentioned, but overall it's a very interesting design. After knitting the middle, cabled portion, you use a crochet hook to create the broomstick lace around the edge.


I had never heard of this crochet stitch before so I used this video to learn how to do it. It was easy once I got going, but it really is quite an unique method. There are so many different ways you could use this technique. It's always good to learn something new!


I used Cascade 220 wool, so it's pretty thick and warm. I'm hoping the vibrant red color (I couldn't get an accurate shot of the true color at all; it looks different in each picture) will be warming in the coming frigid temperatures too. It was Red #9404.


We've been having an Indian Summer in my area, however I know it won't last. I'm not looking forward to the cold, but winter and knitting kind of go hand in hand, right? So maybe it's not so bad after all.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Homework


I've been such a good student this past week! I've been doing lots of studying and working hard on my homework.
I've been putting tons of thought into the Janie and Jack-inspired fair isle hat for C and plotting out possible designs on knitting graph paper. (I printed mine out from here.)



I studied the Norwegian Star hat pattern and followed its design.



After playing around with graph paper and pencil, I turned to the Internet for a quicker design solution. I found this great website, TricksyKnitter, which allows you to graph your design and print. Much easier to add or delete things you don't want that way.
 

Here's one of my changes: an all white background.


Or gray background.


I still wound up making a mistake on my final print though.

I started the actual knitting this week, and I'm still studying and thinking about the design as I go.  I am probably going to keep it on the simple side, but I'm not 100% sure.


I also completed my sewing homework from P. I entered into this activity completely clueless so this was a big step for me. Above you can see my quilt sandwich and basting pins. Again, I have no clue if I did it correctly.


Here are the strips of binding I made.


And here's the finished binding I ironed, using this cool little tool P. loaned me. I didn't know it's name so I looked online; it's a bias tape maker. It's awesome! Makes it so much easier.
 
All in all it's been a pretty productive week even though I haven't really finished anything. Again, I'm trying to focus on the process and enjoy that as much as the finished product.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Girls Night: September


P. hosted a sewing-intensive Girls Night last week, which gave K. and me a great opportunity to dive into some projects that normally might be a little scary to tackle on our own.


I find that martinis, especially cotton candy-esque ones, really help one deal with fears-craft related or otherwise.


A couple weeks ago I spotted some cute Christmas fat quarters at a local craft store. At $1.49 I couldn't resist snagging a few, even though I had no idea what I was going to do with them.


I threw around the idea of making wine gift bags, but P. suggested a little quilted wall hanging or table runner. I was kind of nervous b/c of my mediocre sewing skills, but P. helped me do the whole thing--from the measuring and cutting to laying out the squares. (By the way, that telephone-looking suction cup thing above? What an awesome tool! It makes cutting so much easier).


Again, I know very little about quilting (so far) but P. told me this is a log cabin design.


While I labored with my log cabins, K. went to work on a Cat in the Hat hat for her daughter for Halloween. (I'm not sure, but I think she was following this tutorial).


Unfortunately, there was a slight mishap: sewing in the lining backwards. I once sewed the hem of my workout pants backwards three times, so I can totally relate. She had to rip out all those stitches, and they were made with a serger! Not fun. I can't wait to see the finished product.


I'm hosting Girls Night next and I have a lot of homework to do before P. shows me how to attach a binding and finish the quilt. I have to sew strips of binding, sandwich the quilt, and quilt it before our next meeting. Gulp. I don't know if I'm ready for this. I feel kind of freaked out. Where's that martini?
 
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