Sweet Nothings

I love a fast project. There's something magical about sitting down on the couch with nothing but sticks, string and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and getting up two episodes later with a new item.
I had leftover bits from various projects, and decided to get some use out of them by making tiny stuffed things. They really have no function, other than providing that rush of accomplishment in a way that only knitting tiny useless stuffed things can. The finished project really just takes up space--albeit in a rather adorable way.

The heart was adapted from this pattern, using much thinner needles and yarn than the pattern called for, giving the heart a more delicate touch. The pattern just creates a 2-D heart; I made two and sewed them together to create the plush heart here. The yarn is cashmere/silk handspun, which was such a treat to spin and knit. I also stuffed it til the stitches stretched, an effect I rather like.

These two lovebirds are made from this pattern. They are knit in the round, and although gauge technically doesn't matter, I would rather use a thicker (i.e. narrow worsted) than a thinner (sock, fingering weight) yarn. The thinner you get, the more you risk the stuffing poking through. The darker grey bird (handspun, although I don't recall the fiber content--feels wooly) didn't have this trouble, but the lighter grey bird (made from the same yarn as the heart) did--I needed to do a little embroidery work to hide the most egregious holes.

Both of these projects were quick and easy ways to add a little bit of whimsy to my day, and I plan on adding to my army of cute little creatures very soon.

Life...

...is getting in the way of life right now...but thankfully, life is working with knitting to keep me from going insane. ;) My enter key is not working, so there are going to be less paragraphs than there should be today.

Using a compilation of different fibers from my spinning career, I created a little shrug. It was just a rectangular piece of fabric that I sewed part of the long ways together. None of the fibers are dyed other than that big brown strip; that yarn was from a pair of socks I made for my mom a while ago. I am finding out I am actually quite enamored with the natural colors; I should buy more "regular" fiber! Every other strip was in k 2 rows, p 2 rows, and the intermittent strips were in garter stitch. It turned out rather well; this is the first shrug I've made that I wouldn't mind wearing in public.

I am also knitting a vest from the fall issue of Interweave knits; as you can see, the body is done. I just have to block it (the stockinette stitch really rolls!) and add the edging in the neck and arms. There also is supposed to be a strip to tie it off. I have found my interchangeable set, so the confusion of a straight needle being able to go around in a circle will not happen again. For anyone who is being super kind to me and continuing to read this blog, thanks so much for bearing with me. I have lots of other yarny "stuff" I'm working on, and will try to post as often as possible. I don't know how you seniors do blogging and knitting and school; I can barely keep up and I'm just a sophomore!

Stylish Fingerless Gloves

Ta da!!! I finally have a pair of gloves!

I love this pattern because lengthy decreasing is not needed, just a sudden increase to allow room for the thumb, and the ribbing shapes itself to your hand!




Needles: a set of 4 dpn, US size 5
Yarn: thin worsted weight, approx. 80 yards (I used handspun)
Gauge: 32 rows and 20 stitches is 4' square in 2x2 ribbing
Notions: 1 stitch marker
Fits: a medium woman's hand


Pattern:

**Note: Knitting begins at the fingers and works down to the cuff.


Fingerless Gloves (make 2)

-CO 36 sts and divide evenly on three needles. Place marker. Join, being careful not to twist.

-Work in k2 p2 ribbing until the piece measures 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) or desired length. This should fit comfortably from mid palm up to fingers.

-At the end of the next row, BO 4 sts You now have 32 sts.

-At the end of the next row, CO 8 sts. You now have 40 sts.

-Cont in 2x2 ribbing until work from BO/CO section is approx 4 inches (10 cm) or enough length to cover palm and go down the wrist.

-BO all stitches.

I finished the second super secret project, and am on a great start on the third.
School is still crazy, so please bear with me!

Baby Steps

(no pun intended)

I now have both fronts, and the back done and the same length.

I had a bit of a scare regarding the gauge; it turns out that the yarn, although it's a similar weight, does not match the gauge in the pattern. Since it makes the bolero bigger, not smaller, I am going to continue on today as if I had the proper gauge, with my eyes shut. I know I am going to be embarrassed about this later, but my logic is that Riley wouldn't be able to wear this for long if it was in the proper gauge, maybe she'll get a couple more wears in it if the gauge is a few less stitches to the inch.

But before you send me "Are you crazy?!?" mental thoughts, just know this: it made sense around 10 last night.....

I'll be seeing the twins tonight, so I can sneak a couple measurements and see if my wonky-gauged version will fit her. If not, maybe I can adjust the pattern a smidge.

When I took a break from my Ravelympics project, I did a little spinning.

This is an alpaca and cormo (cormo is a brand of sheep that is desended from Corriedale and Merino sheep). I Navajo plied the yarn; it's the thickest I've made in a while. After I catch up on Ravelympics projects, this will probably be a hat.

You Know You're a Child of the Internet When...

...your friends check on your blog to make sure you're all right when you don't answer the phone, and panic when you haven't posted anything recently. True story. Sorry guys! Hopefully this will quell your (possible) fears.

I have a couple moments to breathe before buckling down into finals again, so I figured a blog post was in order.
Remember the yarn I won in Ravelry?
It is now a triangular shawl.

The possibilities with this baby are endless.I feel so safe in it--this will be what I wear for the last day of school.

I am also spinning some soy silk. I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet-it's so soft, I'm tempted to just knit a pillow!

Aaaand, compliments of Sarah at Mom's Knitting and her blogiversery contest,(I'll probably have a year-and-3-months contest, so stay tuned!) I got some yummy yarn in the mail!It's all so soft and yummy. Thank you so much, Sarah!! I'm still waiting for it to speak to me about what it wants to be made into. I'm hoping it's a teddy bear. The twins next door would love it to death!

Speaking of the twins, I have yet to start on their birthday presents. Of course, I already have the ceramic shoes, but I wanted something more knitty-related, if you could recall. I found a Debbie Bliss book with an adorable bolero top for the girl, Riley, and a little manly vest for Ryan. The patterns call for cashmerino, which, considering the fact that it's spring, wouldn't be a good idea.

When we go to the yarn store tomorrow, after exams (the one good thing about taking long tests is that we get at least the other half, if not the other 3/4ths of the day off!), I'll be looking for a cotton blend. I found something called "CotLin" on KnitPicks, perfect weight, colors, the whole shibang, but the yarn wouldn't get here in time for their birthday party this Saturday. As it is, the chances I'll give them a half-made gift is far from unlikely. My goal is to post every day this week to make up for the fact I've been a bad blogger.

I Swore To Myself I Wouldn't Forget...

...but it seems Fate had a different idea. What am I referring to? Why, the first blogiversery of this here blog!

To see the first (lame) post I wrote, you can click here.
Now. Let's have some knitting info, shall we?
I knitted a scarf from that silk. This is the first scarf I've made that is actually longer than I am tall:

And I only had a bit of yarn left!

Remember that skirt I made out of the "scrap" yarn? Well, it turned into a tube top, then a tank top type thing. I'm hoping to get the pattern typed up in time for the fall Knitty (it really looks like a homecoming shirt type thing). If I don't get it done before May 16 (I think that's the deadline) you'll be seeing pictures soon!

I do believe a plan for summer knitting is due, seeing as school will be out in a month. (Eeeek! AP test next week!)

1) If I get to Jo-Ann's before the year's end, a certain guy friend at school will be getting a "flying" cape. If not, he'll have to get it next year. Seeing as I promised he would get it before we graduated from high school, I'm covered.

2) Ditto for my brother. Although, I'm guaranteeing him his cape before Christmas.

3) For the twins 1st birthday that is coming up, I have already made little ceramic shoes. They won't fit them, of course; it's just supposed to be a memento. I'm hoping to get something in the yarny nature snuck in, as well. After the AP test, I'll do some sleuthing on Ravelry.

4)I also have those two patterns for myself I'd like to sneak in.

5) My cardigan is simply screaming to be slightly redesigned; I'm imagining take two in a bright read Cascade 220.

6) A random piano scarf pattern keeps on popping in my head. The plan is to use the 100% alpaca my aunt gave me. I might have mentioned I wanted to dye it; that plan fell through. I have some extra white yarn from the cardigan I might dye at camp.

Well, that's all folks. In honor of my blogiversery, could any lurkers please make themselves known? I'm curious how many people are actually reading this here blog. Thanks!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny...

....little sweaters for to knitty! (Hah, took me a while to come up with that!)
This is the yarn I have finished for the mini sweaters for my teacher's end of the year presents. I already have three done, two more to sew up. It's really nice to have some quick projects for a change; I knitted two up in one movie!
As you can see, they're larger than my prototype, but no biggie. They're still cute 'n' tiny, as you can see by how bitty they are compared to my lipstick (from the musical, I'm feeling a tad nostalgic).
I am sure I will have plenty of this yummy yarn left over, which means I'll be making something else for yours truly:
Wristlettos/Anklettos! I can't wait to start them; they'll be my first accessory in a while, other than socks. They'll be quite fun to knit (and wear!) at school.
Before I start anything for myself, however, I need to start my little brother's birthday present. He's a real gamer, so I'm going to make a relatively old pattern from Knitty: bmp socks. I'll be using this yarn I just got from this cool yarn shop right by my grandmother's.The grey is Cascade 220, and it'll be the background, whereas the green (which is actually multicolored-each single is a different shade of green) will be the little bad guys and high score and such.
I have simultaneously cast on a get-well scarf for my science teacher. She joked about me making her a scarf last October or so, she even told me she liked navy blue. Since it was a half-joke, I didn't really consider to make one until recently. I got some mercenized cotton, and am making her a simple cotton scarf with an edging of border lace. I'm running out of yarn, however--I probably should have gotten two skeins of the stuff--oh, well. I now have an excuse to go to my grandma's again!

Take A Deep Breath...

***Note: This post was written on the 11 or 12 of March, not in Feburary. Just thought you might want to know.***
...because the Play is officially over! It was pretty freaky and hectic, but I lived through it, and I can say I'm the stronger because of it.
I feel like I have 50 new brothers and sisters. They are all so kind, it's really cool.
What was great was that all of the people who got the leads were really nice, kind people-it was fun putting them in the spotlight. It was especially entertaining when the main female lead came into the dressing room one night with a KNITTED scarf that she had made HERSELF!! I was so proud. Her boyfriend (who was the main male lead) took one look at me with my knitting on closing night and shook his head. "You're a real trooper, you know that? A real trooper," was all he said.
Good times.
Now, back to knitting.
I have the fantastic purse that I got as a sort of kit from my grandmother on Christmas-she bought me the wooden handles and everything. The color is a deep maroon-I didn't really like the yarn, it was itchy and a little too thick for my taste, but it made a pretty cool purse.
I am also spinning on and off this all-American roving I got from the Fold for my birthday. It's really pretty.
I also have had a change of plans. You know that blanket I wanted to make out of all that dyed superwash? And that yarn I bought off the internet that I wanted to make socks out of? Well, those two projects are now one. And that project is neither a blanket or socks; it's a cardigan.
I'm going to hold the handspun with the white yarn together, size 6 needles. Hopefully, I'll have enough to make the cardigan go past my hips to add a bit of style. I'm also planning on having ruffles (like in the skirt) on the cuffs and bottom of the body, as well as a ribbed collar.
With some help from the most recent Interweave Knits, it's designed. Let's just see if I can make it work!
Here's a sleeve already done:
I'm also a ways with the second sleeve.Sorry for being abrupt; I have some homework to do!
Hopefully, I'll get in the double digits with the number of posts I do this month.

In Which I Crawl Out Of My Black Hole Long Enough To Make This Post

WARNING: I AM TIRED. THIS POST, WHILE LONG, IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE CRAZY AND POSSIBLY MIGHT NOT MAKE ANY SENSE WHATSOEVER.

And then I'll be gone again for the next two weeks.
Blame The Play. The Play has taken over all waking hours of my day. Wednesday of this week, I had to get up at 4:00 in the morning because of The Play. The Play haunts my dreams, as well (or at least, the people in it do). Fear not, however; The Play will leave in two weeks time, and I'll be able to relax more.
And I still want to do all of this next year.
Can you say crazy? (as in, Crazy for You, the musical we're doing)

Well, now for some actual knitting.

Look!

I made a mushroom!
What do you think? Too corny-or is it mushroomy? (can you tell I'm getting tired?)
Well, I had fun making it.
I also finished the socks for my darling little brother. Thank goodness for that-the yarn was starting to get to me. I've gotta pick out happy, bright colors next time.

And that's why I did this!
I am completely and totally in lurve with this yarn. I have gotten more comments on this yarn than any other yarn that has been KIS. These colors make me very happy-just like the time I painted my toenails red.

This guy was finished in English today. I was so delighted, I put it on right then and there and did anything but shove it in my friend's face:
ME: "Look, Paige! I made a sock! And it fits! Isn't that great?"
*as "guy friend"/rubiks cube expert looks on* PAIGE: "That's great, Heather...why don't you go make another one now?"
Ah, well. *note: she's a great person, Paige. The statement above was said in kindness-I don't think Paige has ever said a mean thing in her life.

I also finished spinning the yarn for the blanket-knitting it will be the next step, but only after this weekend's crazy assignment: knitting a mitochondrian. (follow the link-warning: science content!)

And now, seeing as three people (Sarah from Mom's Knitting, Kaya from Sisterly Knits, and FiberFiend6891 from RAchel's RAmblings) tagged me on this, 7 random facts about me!

1. I get up at 5:30 every morning to catch a bus at 6:20 for school, which starts at 7:30. Logic? What's this you say about logic? I don't believe I've heard the term before. (I can hear you mothers out there-no, I don't usually go to bed at 10. This is just because it's a weekend and I wanted this on the internet before I went to bed.)

2. I don't have a boyfriend, but boys don't go below my notice. I have lots of guy friends, and have had several crushes (one crush at a time).

3. Unless I'm really really quiet, I can't sing. Any louder than a few decibels and I sound screechy and horrible and just...uugh.

4.Seriously? The only people who understand me well know how to knit.

5. I enjoy being called a knitting/yarn freak. (who doesn't?)

6. Without knitting, some days I would feel like I haven't accomplished anything. The reverse can also be true.

7. My little brother calls me Hee-duh. He's 11 years old and likes to be silly like that.

And I'll send this off to:
1. A Work In Progress
2. Gentle Sunset
3. Knittypants
4. The Twisted Hare
5. Tinky McFrog
6. Mad For Knitting
7. The Knits Of A Teen

The first appearance of The Play is next Thursday. I'll try to check in, but you know teenagers!

Oh, yeah, and for those of you counting at home?
I'm at 100 blog posts.

Good night, and have a great weekend!

Does Anyone Else Feel Like It's Thursday?

I'm barely into the week, yet I still feel like I haven't posted in at least seven days! Maybe my knit-picky (pun most certainly intended) self is beginning to make sure I post more by making time go faster.
Hey, I'm not complaining!

I have been knitting up a storm, which might account for feeling like every second is a minute....


I have successfully completed yet another pair of socks:
These are for Mom, but are on my feet, which explains why they might look a tad stretched.
It took me several tries to get the foot to be the right length; I am happy that they are finally done!

Now, it's on to Dad's socks!
He has a 11 inch foot--I'll be knitting for a while, although not as long as I thought I would be:

I've done all of this today, and I'll probably be doing a lot more tomorrow, as I have a Spanish test that I'm a tad worried about.

Aaaand spinning progress:
Getting closer! I might be able to achieve my goal of getting all of the spinning done by February!

I'm Baaaack!

And hopefully, I'll post more often in the future.
Thanks for your encouragement; I got good grades on all but one midterm, and the bad one didn't even knock me down a grade level, so I'm good and happy.
I have not one, not two, but two and a half, count 'em, two and a half, pairs of socks.
The socks I made from yarn I got from Christmas from a friend:They have afterthought heels, which I won't be doing again any time soon, but it was fun.
These are for me:
A little big, but they are comfortable.
Currently, I'm knitting my mom's present.
See? I already have a sock done!...and a quarter!
I got a $25 ebay gift card, which I hope (since the money goes through paypal) that I can use on etsy to get sock yarn for my friends' presents, and white yarn for a surprise (for you guys) project.
I am also getting some progress on my blanket:
This is the second third, FINISHED!!
And this is how far I am on the 3rd third.
I'm crossing my fingers on getting all of the spinning done by the end of the month.
Hopefully sometime next week I'll have some information about my brother and his recent introduction to the spinning world. (!!)

The Play Is Fun..

..but December is upon us. It's Christmas/Hannakah/Kwanza/New Year/Holiday knitting time!
This is my list of things to do before I got to bed tonight (yes, I only have a couple hours to do all of this):

1)Update blog (I'm doing that now, see?)

2)Check everyone else's blogs (If I haven't gotten to you yet, it means I've skipped this to do less important things such as sleeping and breathing in between other things on the list. I promise I'll catch up by Friday)

3) Study for science and math tests that are on Friday.

4) Decide what hat pattern for a friend of my moms--She lives in California and likes the color purple, so it needs to be a pattern thats a little more on the summery side... Ideas?

5) Decide what I'm going to do for BBR and BGR. They tried on their sweaters the other day and were SO CUTE in them...I don't have a picture, but at their mother's disgression and when the sweaters fit a little bit better, I might post one! Ideas are welcome in this department, as well.

6) Wrap the super secret presents--I'll be giving them to their owners on Saturday, which means pictures of them wearing them Monday...

7) Figure out what to give my little brother. The yarn I spun for the fingerless gloves is WAY too thin, it won't work, and I don't have any good store-bought yarn to use. Help!

8) Practice cello for at least 15 minutes

Hope your days aren't as hectic as mine!

Progress...

Spinning progress, that is.

I am more than halfway done with the first third of the roving for my blanket. (So how many ounces have I done? You don't have to answer that....)

This is what I have left to spin of the first third. There is no more room on the bobbin, so I am now working on the yarn for my brother's fingerless gloves, which is taking up a bobbin.

However, I have only 10,000 words in NaNoWriMo--must go write now!

UFOctober Wrap-Up

In light of Tinky McFrog's final contest, here is what I have accomplished in the month of October:

Before UFOcober:
-Get Mom's scarf done
-Knit 3 "Super Secret" presents for friends for Christmas
-Finish my "Cut Your Teeth" socks
-Exception: work on dyeing and spinning my blanket

After UFOctober:
-Finished Mom's scarf
-Knit 2 of the 3 "Super Secret" presents for friends for Christmas
-I did not finish the socks, but I did get far enough that I finished them last night! Yay! (pictures to come when I'm not 1,000 words behind in NaNoWriMo
-Exception: I dyed 2/3 of the roving, and began to spin the first third

So, there you go. In my (humble) opinion, I really enjoyed UFOctober and I hope I can do it next year as well!

My NaNoWriMo word count so far is 3,594 words. Seeing as it's the third day, I'm not too worried about being 1,000 words behind, but I probably should be working on it anyway! See ya!

End Of (UF)October Rush

I only just realized yesterday that the end of October is in a week-and I don't have my socks done yet!(That would be my second sock-cast on this morning!)
So I'll be knitting like crazy to try and get one more WIP in the FO pile before this cool game called UFOctober is over.
I am also working on my exception for UFOcober, my blanket. This is how far I am on spinning the first third of my roving:The color is a bit brighter than that...but you get the idea.
I'm hoping to get all of the spinning for my project done by the end of this year, then actually do the knitting bit next year-think I can make it?

The really observant of you readers can see I have a new button on my sidebar for some strange thing called NaNoWriMo. November is National Novel Writing Month. The challenge? Try to write a 50,000 word novel just in the month of November-no later, and no earlier. The cool people over there have this website where you can keep track of the number of words you have done, meet other people who are working under the same self-imposed stress as you are. I'm gonna try and do it, so if my posts get more erratic and less often than they usually are, that's why.

I have been planning my story (which is allowed before November starts, thank goodness), and it's turning out pretty good. I can't wait for October to end so I can start it for real!
But first, I should really get that sock done.....

Yes, I Am Alive (Part 2)

WARNING: VERY LONG POST!!
Hello, everyone. I couldn't find the cable that lets the camera talk to the computer-turns out it was on a shelf, right where it is supposed to be when it's not in use. Who'da thunk that?
A library friend of mine asked me to do a review for her blog, and I agreed. You can peek over there and say hello, if you want.

Today, we'll discuss my dyeing venture-I used McCormic blue food coloring, but didn't quite keep track of how many drops I put in-I do have a general recipe I tried to go by, though. (Inspiration from Knitty's Color To Dye For by Julie Theaker--I didn't completely follow her instructions) The wool is superwash from The Fold.I first divided the 1lb roving into 5 1/3 skeins.
For the first third, I let it soak for about 15 minutes in water and 1/3 cup of vinegar. I then transferred it to an aluminum pot, covered it almost completely in water, and put the heat on the stove at medium. I then mixed my dye.
Dye Recipe:
1) In a plastic cup, pour 2/3 cup of water
2) Put 8 drops of food coloring into the cup
3) Microwave for about 15 seconds, or until the temperature of the dye is around 120 degrees
I then poured the heated mixture over the heating roving, trying to be relatively even. I used around 4 of these mixtures, moving the roving around with the end of a cooking thermometer to make sure I didn't miss any parts.
However, I ended up with deep blue spots (below), which isn't necessarily bad, just not what I expected.I let it "cook" for about an hour, then let it cool till it I could hold it.
After squeezing out all of the water, rinsing the extra dye out, and hanging it up to dry for a night , I had a blue speckled roving!
The fiber had kinda matted together, so I predrafted it before I began to spin it.
For the second third, I let it soak like before, but without the vinegar, and just for 10 minutes or so. I also added 4 or 5 drops of food coloring to the water before I put the roving in the soak. I then let it cook for longer than an hour, and with only 2-3 helpings of the poured dye. The roving was so hot, I let it cool overnight, then squeezed out all of the water, rinsing the extra dye out, and hung it up to dry the next night. The result? A 100% pale blue roving! The roving is more the color of the above photo than the below.When it came to the matting factor, I had the same problem with the second roving as the first. There is an obvious difference between the dried just-out-of-the-dye roving (right part of your screen) and its predrafted counterpart (left).
Well, I'm done rambling for now.
¡Buenas noches y hasta luego!

Yes, I Am Alive...

And yes, I have been knitting. Unfourtunatley, it's nothing blog-allowable. I'm close to finishing the 2nd super-secret project, so I will soon have knitting to be able to show you!

In the meantime...

I have been doing a bit of spinning! The white is some wool I did during a spinning demonstration at this museum fall party. The orangey-red is, as all of you recognise, from Mom's scarf. I have some extra silk, so I figure I can make a skein of 50% wool, 50% silk.

Obviously I have a ways to go on the silk-it's a bit harder to take a spinning wheel to school, and with the craziness after school, I don't really have time to spin--I'm lucky to have this much done! I guess this is another UFO I can work on!

4 tests/quizzes tomorrow--oh goody!