It's that time of year again. I'm drowning in school, but I've also been spinning:
And baking:
It doesn't look like much, but this was delicious apple cobbler. The apples were gifted to us from our knitting group organizer Velma and the delicious recipe came from here.
And of course, the gift knitting:
I wish I had pictures of these modeled, but it's quite difficult to take pictures of your own hands, and Kellen is at work. But you get the idea.
Pattern: Fetchings from Knitty.com
Yarn: Noro Kureyon, color no. 188
Needles: US 5, Susan Bates dpns
This is my second pair of fetchings, first pair blogged here. I absolutely love this pattern, and in the noro, they're squishy and wonderful. I hope the recipient likes them! (I'm not going to reveal recipients on the blog, just yet...)
Again, sorry they're not modeled, but you get the idea.
Pattern: Corazon Mittens from Knitty.com
Yarn: Telemark from KnitPicks in Passion Heather and Drift.
Needles: US 3s and 4s. Susan Bates dpns.
I'm not totally thrilled at my tension on these, but I think they still came out pretty nice. The chart keeper Kellen got my from Knit Picks for Christmas last year helps a lot with colorwork. I find it super enjoyable but I defnitely could use more practice. I hope the recipient doesn't mind!
Finally, a WIP:
This is a sock leg, distorted because I photographed it on my hand. It's the Almost Argyle pattern by Susan Lawrence. It was available at Knitpicks, but is now discontinued. I knit these once before, for Kellen, but I'm not sure if I blogged them. You can see them on Ravelry, though. I enjoy this pattern, but with all the other Christmas knits on the list, we'll see how much I like it by the end of the second sock.
So that's about it for now. I'm off to do some homework, and think about how much I'd rather be knitting.
Labels: Christmas, FO, spinning, WIP
¶ 12:47 PM 1 Comments
Today is my 21st birthday. I snapped this picture shortly after I finished my 8 AM final, although This is a more accurate example of my appearance today. It's been a mellow birthday, I took the aforementioned exam, came home, and knit on this for awhile:
Just a plain vanilla hat in my handspun. It was going to be an Urchin, but I just wasn't feeling it. . .plus I thought I *might* run out of yarn. So I went for this instead. Then I spent a ridiculous amount of money getting a much-needed hair cut and a very painful eyebrow wax, and now I'm home again, and (suprise!) getting ready to take another exam. Oy.
But this too shall pass. And in a few days, I'll be blogging from the road on our way to Idaho. I have a ton of LYS's to visit. I can't wait.
Labels: self portrait, WIP
¶ 2:04 PM 0 Comments
The end of another semester is approaching, full of term papers and final exams and stress. To top things off, I've been fighting a cold (although I feel much better today), Kellen had jury duty (but didn't have to serve), and some scary things have been going on in the community. So, between papers, I've been working on this blue frothy wonder. Size 15 needles, fluffy alpaca. It's just what I need, especially paired with a cup of tea in my matching mug.
Labels: WIP
¶ 3:47 PM 0 Comments
Remember back in June(!), when I said I'd post more details as soon as we were all finished. Well, ask Karla what happened. Anyway, here's mine. It's gotten lots of wear this past winter. Pattern: Bzzz Hat for Queen Bees from SNBN. Yarn: Wool Ease by Lion Brand. Needles: US 5 Susan Bates circ and dpns. I actually knit this twice, once on 7s, then frogged and reknit with 5's in an attempt to reduce the gappy-ness of all the purling on dpns. It didn't really work, but the hat is still cute. As the daughter of a beekeeper, I'm pretty much in love with anything bee related, and very much concerned about the future of our honeybee. So the hat makes a great conversation piece. Plus, it's pretty damn cute!
Now for something else old:
Pattern: Fuzzy Feet from Knitty.com. Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted in Mulberry. Needles: Brittany DPNs, US 10.5. These, believe it or not, were Christmas gifts, and they are sitting on my counter as I type. I actually knit them on time, but I handfelted, which I realize now works great for toys and bags, but not so much for slippers, which sort of need to be the same size. So, they sat in a drawer for awhile, until I remembered to toss them in with a load of laundry. I didn't even worry about checking on them, since they were so wonky to begin with, so I just ran them through the whole cycle and viola! Perfectly felted, just the right size. This still isn't my favorite slipper pattern, but with one skein of LP you can't complain. They're off to their recipient this weekend. Nothing like Xmas in April, right?
And now to the present:
A top secret pair of socks (Okay, you can probably already tell they're the Embossed Leaves pattern, but I'm not telling who they're for!) and Fetchings for me. The Fetchings were totally spur of the moment. I took a midterm at 8 AM this morning and my hands were freezing, so I decided I needed some handwarmers that would allow me to write. So, this afternoon I came home and cast on.
I think that's just about it from me, how are you?
Labels: Christmas, FO, self portrait, WIP
¶ 4:19 PM 2 Comments
And, because it's Tuesday:
Labels: self portrait, WIP
¶ 4:53 PM 0 Comments
Plus, a very large Knit Picks order should be on its way to me soon. Also on the needles are some RPMs for me, and Jo-Ann's is having a button sale, so maybe a Buttony is looming in my future? There's some Cotlin in that Knit Picks order for a Rusted Root, though, and one look at that Christmas countdown reminds me that maybe sweaters for me should wait a little bit.
That's it for now. I just wanted to quickly check in. Between the Christmas Project and homework, I'm pretty swamped!
It's been all stockinette, all the time at la casa de VioletsKnits. That's all well and good, but sometimes a girl needs a treat when it comes to knitting. Something chunky, squishy, slubby, and woolly. Something quick and easy to knit without being mindnumbing. Enter the Blue Liccorice Scarf and Hat.
A few years ago I knit a hat out of a different colorway, my first hat without a pattern as a matter of fact, and I loved the yarn. It has a thick and thin, almost handspun feeling to it, with two yummy plies. When I saw the gorgeous blue color at JoAnn's last Friday on clearance for $2, I jumped on it.
I cast on the hat Friday afternoon and by Friday evening I had a hat. With a skein and a half left, I cast on for the scarf, and finished it the wee hours of Sunday morning. A cozy set that was easy and comforting to knit.
Yarn: JoAnn Sensations Liccorice, color #120. Needles: US 13 Clover circ and Brittany dpn for the hat, US 15 Susan Bates for the scarf. Pattern: basic hat, CO 47 St, 3 rows of seed st for the brim. Alternated 8 rows of garter st with 4 rows of stockinette for the scarf. I'll enjoy wearing this on chilly days at school this fall!
¶ 2:59 PM 3 Comments
It's not *totally* finished, because we're waiting until everyone is done to sew our buttons on, but you get the idea. This is actually the second time I finished this hat. I frogged my first attempt because I wanted a tighter gauge, prompting Karla to do the same. More about that later, though, when we're all finished. 
I'm still working on my Monkeys, but last night I gave my Sweetarts socks a little attention. I'm also knitting a secret project for my secret pal, but I'll blog about that when it's safely at its destination! ¶ 3:43 PM 2 Comments
I just couldn't stay away!And since I've been on a sewing kick lately, here's a skirt I made a few months ago but never got around to posting:
Pattern: Simplicty 4019. Fabric: Alexander Henry Zodiac close up photo here. I absolutely love this pattern, and I've made 2 more skirts since this one. Maybe I'll post them when I get a chance.
¶ 4:30 PM 3 Comments
I got this far:
I also finished my first Monkey, but I had to pick out my kitchener stitch and redo it because I was talking too much and not paying attention at first:
and for the record, this is how much sock can be knit (by me anyway) during Pirates of the Carribean III:
The girls just left after much excitement. We dyed Brittney's hair (her first big change, ironic since she's friends with me the hair chameleon) and she was a wee bit freaked out. It looks adorable, though. Anyway, now the apartment is quiet so I'm going to go drink my tea and catch up on some blog reading.
Labels: WIP
¶ 6:35 PM 1 Comments
I'll get a better picture soon! My batteries are dead in my camera, and I'm not used to Kellen's. Plus, I'm in my pajamas, so it had to be an indoor pic! Pattern:Sheldon from knitty.com Yarn:Knitpicks Shine Sport in Grass (left over from peapod baby sweater) and mystery acrylic- probably red heart? in dark green. Mods: I gave him smaller eyes because that's what I happened to pick up at the craft store, also, the dark green is a worsted weight, again, because that's what I had around, but I also wanted to give him a slightly plumper shell.
He was such a fun knit! His neck is a little floppy, though, despite the fact that I tried to stuff it as firmly as possible. Oh well. I was absolutely in love with the slipstich shell pattern. It was my first time doing something like that, and I was suprised how easy it is! This was also my first attatched i-cord (around the shell) and while it took a little bit of getting used to (there may have been a few curses uttered here and there) I think it's an awesome technique and I'm glad I learned it!
I'm taking a break from the other things on the needles for awhile. Here's what I plan to relax with today:
¶ 11:22 AM 2 Comments
Click here to see the going price on Amazon! proof you should shop local and used!
in other news, i haven't finished anything lately, but i do have proof of my startitis:
Debbie Bliss' sheep pattern, in worsted rather than DK. this guy is going to be big! my aunt and cousin have also sent me some wonderful knitting books lately, but i'll post actual reviews of them soon.
and today is the 15th, so if you're my secret pal and you're reading this, hello!
Labels: books, secret pal, WIP
¶ 4:15 PM 2 Comments
anyway, here i am to redeem myself.
first, an FO from 2006.When i said i knit 30 things in 2006, i forgot about this little number:
Anthropologie Inspired Caplet by Julsey723. Size 11 needles. SWTC Karaoke in Mermaid Mix. about 1.5 balls.
I luuuurve this yarn. it was my first time using soy silk. and it was yummy. I kind of forgot about the project though, because i didn't like how loose the gauge was (size 11s on worsted) but i added the little abalone button (it's a button glued to a pin back, actually. so it's removable) and it's growing on me.
I knit myself up a quick brainless hat to soothe my back-to-school stress. I call it the Yarn Barf hat. excuse the dorky face.
Joann Sensations Thick and Thin yarn in "dark multi" colorway. Size 13 needles, basic hat recipe. i've had this yarn f-o-r-e-v-e-r, and struggled with getting it into a hat, but this time around it worked. it's silly but i think it's cute. i have the same yarn in a purple/pink colorway too. another hat, perhaps?
I finished my mom's cabled footies:
From One Skein by Leigh Radford. Cascade 220 Superwash. in...red? size 7 needles.
Mike's Slippers are waiting to be felted:
The Swallowtail is one chart away from being done:
And finally, my current SIP:
Knitpicks Dancing in Ballet. discontinued, sadly. this is my first time using a (mostly) cotton sock yarn and it's turning out quite nicely. nothing fancy, just basic sock recipe.
okay, i think that's all the knitting news for now! i spent a few hours knitting with my knitting girl gang (go visit their blogs! Brittney + Karla) Karla is knitting for her kitty and Brittney finished her first non-scarf FO! yay knitting ladies!
did that tide ya over for now?
and ps, the new blogger is a pain in the ass!
