1x1

I knit this 1x1 beanie up for Joe several weeks ago. I sent it to him all nicely wrapped up in tissue patter as a care-package. He knew I was going to send him something, but he was absolutely convinced that I was going to make him a cd mix. Cha-right.

Give the boy some props. I was a dufus and forgot to take pictures before I sealed up his package. Once he received his gift, I asked him to take a few shots for me. Nothing fancy, just something interesting en ought that looks good blurred out.

What I got were several really great shots. Thanks Joey! I actually have no idea if he is just really good at taking pictures of himself with one hand, or he asked his friend to take them. I'm pretty sure he did them himself, so I guess the guy is talented or something. Makes me wonder, though....

Pattern: a generic 1x1 beanie pattern, improvised by yours truly.

Needles: size 8US dpns, I think

Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted Weight Yarn, in a variegated green colorway. He picked it out himself at Loopy Yarns went we went to Chicago. The boy likes his green!

Project: March 12th-13th 2009

Ah...I love that boy. Good thing we are getting married. I finally picked out my Bridesmaids dresses. Click on the "clover" color. Won't they look great? Since they will wear green, they can have an orange bouquet of flowers.

...Pssst!! Check out the post below. :)

The Fake-a-Gamo Clutch

The Fake-a-Gamo clutch is finally completed, just in time for Easter Sunday! The decision of whether or not the top of the clutch should be light brown or darker brown was still half-and-half, even after all of your help (thanks, by the way!!)...so I ended up flipping back and forth between the two choices until it finally seemed obvious that the darker brown looked best. I am now proud to carry around my clutch version of the knitted Ferrogamo purse that sells for 1,600 smackeroos.

Pattern: Kate Sonnick's "Fake-a-Gamo" purse, heavily modified
Click here for my re-write of the original pattern (not the clutch though).
Project focus: April 10th-12th (Actual cast-on: January 09)
Needles: Size 5US straights
Yarn: Under 1 skein Omega Hilos La Espiga No. 18 in the colorway Dark Olive
Other materials: suede fabric for the top, carmel colored satin fabric for the liner, matching thread for sewing & a magnetic clasp

I enjoyed working with the Hilos La Espiga yarn. It's a little tough to adjust to, what with the rope-like texture mixed in with it's silkiness, but the bag is completely durable, unlike my first and second Fake-a-Gamo purse. I would definitely consider making myself another one of these in another color. I'd like to add more definition to the texture by tweaking the pattern a bit. As for the guts of the clutch, I had a bit of an argument with our sewing machine-which refused to work-so I had to borrow my FMIL's sewing machine for the silky liner and sewing part of the suede top. Other than that, I had to hand-stitch the entire top to the clutch. I've got a several holes in my fingers, but the effort was well worth it and all I can say now is: Hello Spring, and goodbye large clothes and bags!

I need your advise, ASAP!!

I'm in a bit of a pickle, and I need your advise before THIS EVENING on which suede fabric looks best with my Fake-a-Gamo clutch I'm making, in time for the Easter celebrations Saturday and Sunday. Please, please comment ASAP about which one looks best. I'm having such a hard time deciding.

A few details: I still have to finish the second pattern repeat (a couple of inches more of work. It will look like the bottom half, but in a different placement.) I will be folding the suede fabric over the top of the clutch...and it will stick out about 1.5 inches.I have a medium-dark chocolate color (almost exactly like this color...maybe a touch less reddish hue, looking through my monitor. See the first picture for a better view), which I think looks great, but does it look better than the lighter brown? This lighter shade looks great, but is it too light? Does that shade of green need something darker against it as a clutch? Am I just redidulous...and the answer should be obvious???

Thanks for your help. I hope to sew it up tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. :)

I Do.

Almost under 5.5 months, dudes. Last week, I headed to David's Bridal to find my bride's maids dresses. I did find a few styles that I like, but I was thrilled when I found out that they had their Bridal Slippers in stock. Aren't they gorgeous? Not only will I have the most comfortable footwear that day, but they will match my dress beautifully.

I spent the better part of yesterday morning making Apple Turnovers. This time, they came out delicate and flaky. I enjoyed a pipping-hot brew of Caribou coffee with my own piece. Too bad they didn't last long with my family. I guess I'll have to make more.

I was inspired by my blogger friend Cassie to repurpose yarn using thrift-shop finds. Well, my buys gave me a bit of a head-ache, but I managed to unravel both of the sleeves of one of the sweaters I bought. I'm in love with my Kromski niddy noddy. I matches my Ashford spinning wheel perfectly, and it feels like it was made very well. The sleeves gave me about 2.2 oz of fiber. Each. (Yeah.) I'll have to do the body of the sweater in batches because I estimate each side to have about 6 oz.

After I slipped the fiber off of the niddy noddy, it looked like a wet poodle. After I finish up unraveling the rest of the sweater, I'll wash it in really a concentrated detergent bath. Wherever these articles of clothing were stored, they are flaring up my allergies. And I usually don't have allergies. I'm still pondering what I should do with these skeins. It's about fingering weight.

You can probably tell that I haven't been keeping up with my photo editing, because I worked on this spinning like a week and a half or more ago. It's part of my plan to spin & sell later on in my shop. I'm also working on knitting up items to sell as well. More info to follow on those plans.

I've got some more updates on some real knits. Stay in touch.

Washcloth mania

Well, procrastination can inflict for only so long, so here-be the promised washclothes that I did for charity, minus a few that never made it to the camera:

"The Unique Basketweave Cloth"

(KUAS original)

Updated 4/09: pattern tweaked to be reversible & converted to pdf.
UNIQUE BASKETWEAVE CLOTH (pdf available)

A color-palette of what they could be.


"The Garter Block Washcloth"

(KUAS Original)

Probably not too original, but I really liked the effect. I should have blocked the cloth before taking the photo though.

"The Center-Line Washcloth"

(KUAS Original)

There's eyelets on the outside, with the center line being a two-needle BO. Nothing fancy-schamncy.

"Reverse Miter Washcloth" by Ari Whitlow

Same, but different color.

"The Fountain Lace Washcloth" by Smariek

You'll also have to picture a garter washcloth made out of a silky cotton yarn, and other items like scarves & a baby hat that I made for our library's bake (and now knit) sale that benifited the American Cancer Society.

Thanks for the concern about the foot, peeps. It wasn't really feeling that good until now...but I hope that ache is the growing of bones. It's hard to believe, but I'm only 2 weeks into the 6 week recovery slot. *sigh* I just had my MRI done on my foot, and I'm still waiting to hear the results from my doctor.

Meanwhile, I've got lots and lots of knitting/spinning/reading/wedding detail updates...and if I stop watching all of the 4400 shows....maybe I can start posting about them! Meanwhile, go check out that pdf that I made on the 1st washcloth. :)

Now THAT'S sexy!

Remember about 4 months ago, when I *thought* my foot problems were really just tendinitis-related? Well I've got news: It was just plain fractured the whole time! That's right...I've been walking, pushing heavy objects, kneeling and bending down every day on that fractured foot. Yeah, that's why the pain has been getting even worse, to the point that all of my joints & leg muscles hurt on the good side of my body...because I've been reduced to putting 3/4 of my weight on it recently.

Let's just say that getting new insurance isn't a picnic. That estimate of taking up to 14 days to get it really turns out to be 1 month. Or more. Long story short (cutting out all of the insurance bull-crap) I finally was able to go back to the foot doctor and the X-Ray showed that the fracture was significantly greater than in November. It was time to take serious, yet "conservative," measures.

So it looks like it's the "AirCast" for me, as well as this high-tech piece of equipment on my foot for over 3 hours sesssions a day. Learning how much this "Bone-Growth Stimulator" actually costs for insurance companies makes me wanna cry. If you add up almost everything I own in my room (including yarn, clothing, TV, computer, etc), it probably would be roughly in the same ball-park. Yeah.

10 things I have learned this week while on the boot & crutches:
1. Your workplace will put you on "medical leave" because you are now a "liability" to them. That means that you are out of $$ for 4-6 weeks, and you can be all the more grateful for your second job as a piano teacher.
2. People stare.
3. After the starers are done starring, they will automatically ask you what you did to yourself.
4. Some people will make stupid jokes, like "so, who did you kick?"
5. Don't expect humanity in people (like them helping you open the door, or carry your items...or moving out of the way), even if you're having trouble working your crutches, and when you obviously don't have that "I can do it myself" attitude because it clearly looks like you only use them for your broken bone. A Long run-on sentence, I know.
6. Don't expect store-employees to help you either. They'll only stare until they notice you looking at them. They usually look away like nothing happened.
7. The only good thing that comes from crutches is sympathy and getting buff upper arms. Say goodbye to "bat-wings."
8. Working crutches is hard! And you look STUPID doing it.
9. If your foot isn't completely broken, the temptation to "cheat" (walking without crutches) is great.
10. Because I cheat so much, and the rubber on the crutches reek so much...I'll eventually have to knit me up some boot-socks & crutch-handle cozies!

My time off from work is odd, but slightly liberating. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Maybe I'm not meant to be stuck shelving AV this long...and this is a nudge to do other things. Or, maybe this time is meant to be used planning the wedding (since I'm clearly a procrastinator).
While sipping my coffee this morning, and flipping through a Wedding Flowers magazine, I was inspired to change my theme colors up a bit to be more Fallish. Really original, I know. However, I think that an acidy pumpkin color would look great as bridesmaids dresses. I'm thinking that the colors are now brown, acid orange, green (and maybe hot pink?). Definitely colors that are easy to find now in the stores!

Yarn Update:
Joe and I went to the Art Museum of Chicago last Friday while he was in for Spring Break. We took the train down there and visited Loopy Yarns first before we spent the greater part of the day cooped upside in the museum. I was really impressed by the size of the shop, and how much they had in stock! Here are some of the better yarns I have recently added to my stash:

From Loopy Yarns:

4 Lamb's Pride skeins for hats & mitts

1 skein of Lamb's Pride yarn in varigated green colorway. This will become another ribbed hat for Joe.

1 skein of novelty yarn. Brand under price sticker (unknown). Will be made into a lacy neckwarmer.

From the Home Ec (in Iowa City):

2 skeins of Cascade's Lana D'oro in a worsted weight. The skeins are darker blue in real life.

2 skeins of Malabrigo yarn that Joe bought me a few weeks ago in a light mint.

Upcoming posts: washcloths (sorry about that again!!), spinning & a wedding shawl!

Footwear

Well, I officially managed to not blow the birthday surprise. Really, I don't know how I did it. I'm one of the world's worst secret-keepers. My mother was completely blown away that she got her own pair of clogs. And in the color that she wanted, as she hinted months ago. (Yes, mother, I do listen to people's favorite colors, and what each and every one of the knuggles [non knitterly folk]wants from me.) She had a good birthday (lots of cake and awesome presents), so I was satisfied. The clogs were literally off the shoe-drier before I wrapped them up. I was very happy they dried in time. Each clog had two hoses emitting warm air for 200 minutes last night, and an additional 60 minutes or so yesterday afternoon.

They are so much smaller & narrower than mine. (Hey,...is THAT what happens when you use size 13's instead of 15's? [in my defense, I got that idea from some other clogger who suggested it]) I really like them. Too bad we had to part. *sigh.* I'm just glad that my mom liked them so much that she felt comfortable bringing them to choir practice tonight. Oh crap. That means everyone else knows I can make them. Double *sigh.*

This post was supposed to be about the charity washcloths, but I decided that since I was slacking a little bit-since I had to make the clogs in under 3 days-I should wait until the next post to display them.

But until then, St. Patricks day is coming up, and I've gotta make some socks to go along with my awesome tee-shirt for the occasion. I've faced the fact that if I don't do socks 2-at-a-time, the second one doesn't get done. I'm a little in a time-crunch to get them done, so here's the full pair of socks so I don't end up wearing only one sock because I started slacking due to "Second Sock Syndrome." (Would the drunks really notice though, I wonder?)
I'm definitely digging the striping. They are on size 3US needles with a 60st CO, and will reduce to 58sts for the main leg part. 64st socks are just too big for me when they're in stockinette.

What? Like YOU don't knit for giants??

Mommy Dearest's birthday is just a couple of days away, so I'm in high-gear for knitting up her present. (You'll have to realize that Mommy Dearest isn't a big fan of wearing the knittables[scandalous, I know], so when I found out that she loved the pair of Fiber Trends' felted clogs I made a while back for myself, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make her a pair of her own.) She likes the naturals, beige & brown, so that's exactly what she'll get.

WIP info:
Started: March 7th 2009
Pattern: Fiber Trends' Felted Clogs (AC-33)
Yarn: Patton's Classic Wool: 2 skeins in beige, 2 skeins in brown
Needles: Size 13 US circs, plus extra circs for later instructions
Clog Size: Average 8 women's

Here is a picture of another project that I started a couple of weeks ago, but have put it on hold since I have a bunch of little knits to take care of first. I'll give more info on it later. All I'll tell you is that it will be fabulous and is a modification of an awesome pattern. ;) I'm sure someone already recognizes what it is. Those people probably has made one themselves too.

Other than that, I've been aweful quiet lately because not only am I charity knitting, but I've been working getting my health insurance finalized, I've recently added a few more piano students (now 13-14 students!) and I've also been working on all sorts of wedding stuff: the guest list, the wedding party, figuring out the catering food choices, honeymoon shopping (It will probably be Oahu) through Travelocity, and searching Truilia.com & Realtor.com for places to live in 5-6 months. Selling has slowed down so much, so I'm hoping that not only will the prices stay low (or lower even more...sorry sellers), but that the places that I really loved are still there. There are a couple of cute townhouse/condos out there that I've fallen in love with for various reasons. Joe comes home this weekend, and our familys plan do the money talk (yikes) over dinner, and Joe and I should start talking about the minute things that need to be taken care of next week: the official wedding party list, the more official wedding list, guest list, vendors & such. Michaels finally has brown invitation choices this season. I might just go with that & spruce it up since I'm having a hard time finding the right scrapbook paper for my theme. I'll be hanging out with the girls this Thursday. Maybe I'll ask them if they wanna go veil-shopping next week. Almost 6.75 months left. :) I can't wait!

Next post: charity knits I've been slowly working on.