Freudian stitch?

I’ve been knitting this as a free-form breather project inbetween larger items, and am having really strange feelings about it. It will eventually be a very simple turban, in the style of this one, but for now it’s just a growing rectangle and every time I look at it all I can think is hot dog. Hot dog hot dog hot dog.

The yarn is a much brighter yellow than this picture would have you believe. That along with the squiggly ribs inbetween cables might make it slightly reminiscent of mustard on a hot dog, but the hot dog that comes to mind when I look at this doesn’t have mustard on it.

In short, I have no idea what’s going on. What I will do: Keep knitting. What I will not do: Eat a hot dog.

FO: Headband for a lady

(For my non-knitting readers: “FO” is knitter-speak for “finished object.”)

This headband is really a story about how wonderful my friends are. I made it with (beautiful) yarn given to me by a friend’s mom, for Olivia in thanks for bringing me soup when I was sick. Everyone I know who knows Olivia agrees; she’s basically Wendy Darling. One of the most caring and kind people I’ve ever met.

Isn’t this pattern the loveliest? It’s Hera’s Headband from Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, designed by Sarah-Hope Parmeter, and I loved knitting every single stitch. It’s a lot of cabling, but they’re all really just 2-stitch twists so you don’t even need a cable needle. I think if I were to knit it again, I’d only change the border to something a little simpler. As it is it’s a slowly winding single-column cable over garter stitch, and I’d prefer either something much bolder or much simpler.

It fastens in the back with a button, and after knitting it I realized I should have made it just an inch or so shorter. My fingers are crossed that Olivia’s head is bigger than mine, but on me it was a little too loose.

 

Coming soon:

• Finally another Pretty Pages!
• Some snuggly toddler cuteness
• Crocheted hats and shawls
• Some summer-nostalgia with a healthy dose of German Shepherd

Someone talk me out of this

I’ve wanted to knit Aidez for a long while. It’s just so pretty and cozy and fast, and I don’t really have any real winter cardigans that I made myself. So when it was chosen for the fall knit-a-long at one of my new favorite blogs, The Sweatshop of Love, the temptation became almost unbearable.

Problems with this need for Aidez:

• Even if I use cheapy Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, it’ll still take about $40 to make. I know I complain about my teeny budget all the time here, but that’s about four days worth of money for me. This is why when I first ventured onto the internet my username was yarnnotfood; because I have to constantly remind myself that that money I want to spend on french fries or fancy cheese could be used for yarn instead. Eating well on a budget is still something I’m trying to learn.
• The next three items on my personal knitting list are cardigans, two for Grady and one for a certain boyfriend with an upcoming birthday. (Like I could possibly keep that a surprise. “Cade, do you have any qualms about wearing wool? Oh, and let me just measure your chest. No reason. Close your eyes while I hold this yarn up to your face.”) So I might be all cardigan-ed out.
• But really? I love cardigans. And the construction of all four patterns is different, so that last bullet is kind of void. And I’m the girl who will make 10 hats in a row from the exact same pattern, so yeah. I don’t think I’ll burn out.
• I really need to focus more crafting energy on the shop. I literally have dozens of almost-finished embroideries that just need to be washed or framed or photographed, and I have some sort of ridiculous mental block when it comes to doing it.
• I didn’t even think about the needles! I’ll probably have to by new needles to make it, so add another $10 or so to the pot. And one more day with no money for anything else.
• I should really be spending that money on stuff for Grady. Winter boots and bath toys and books and organic crackers and junk like that. And the two cardigans I’m making for her totaled about $40, so my cardigan budget has probably already been exceeded.
• But look how pretty it is!

I think if I do make it, it’ll be out of one of these colors:

I’m leaning toward turmeric. The photography at Knit Picks is kind of shoddy, but if you look at the turmeric gallery at Ravelry, you can see it’s a lovely mustardy yellow.

But no! Stop thinking of those gorgeous cables, Mel. Just stop it. Someone tell me what a bad idea this is. Please?

 

 

(Also, I missed Imaginary Shopping Spree yesterday. I was just in no mood, so we’re skipping this week. But next week there will be jewelry!)

Wait, what?

I don’t hate this thing I made as much as I thought I would! I made it specifically for some images for the upcoming redesign and new advertising, but might actually wear it, like, in real life. It’s like a headband, but the knitted part doesn’t go all the way around. Because that bugs me. There’s about a 5″ gap at the back, where I strung an elastic through the short edges of the band and then re-tied the elastic. I’m not doing a very good job of describing this, so I guess I’ll add another picture. But I did it that way so I can put my hair over the headband without that weird bulge in the back.

(I promise I’m not naked in these pictures; just wearing (the most comfortable) tube dress.)

On the needles

Today before her nap, sweet germ-addled Grady was sitting in the sun on the back porch with this ball of yarn saying “knitting, knitting, knitting.” I dare say she did a pretty good job of it for a 1-year-old with no needles.

I’ve been feeling pretty lost when it comes to making lately, so I went on the offensive against drifting into making-malaise; I posted on twitter and facebook that the first person to respond to each post would get a free knitted hat, and knocked off two hats in a few days; they’re nothing super special, but I’ll blog about them soon. Then I did a favorite reset-button-technique of mine; I’m knitting something with no control over the colorwork. This is a hat, designed sideways with garter short rows, and I’m doing two row stripes made of worsted-weight yarns; the color pattern is chosen by closing my eyes and reaching into my worsted-weight cotton/acrylic yarn bin.This is what it looked like after the first 8 stripes, and here’s what it looks like now:

Something about relinquishing control over the design really helps me refocus my crafty intentions. I doubt I (nor anyone else, really) will ever wear it, but that’s not the point. The point is in the process.

On another note: Yeah. Look at all those ends. I’m just going to pretend they don’t exist for now, thanks.

Also, check out this giveaway! Shannon*bear is giving away any pair of Blowfish shoes.

I’m a horrible sister.

I have this terrible habit. I tend to make gifts for people and then forget to give them for, oh, years. These mitts have been sitting on my desk for (seriously) a full year, a hat for my bestie Ben has been sitting in my glove compartment since April, an embroidered hedgehog for my sister has been sitting in the drawer for at least six months … the list goes on.

These mitts are even worse than usual, because last July my sisters Jenn and Dani and their children asked me to make them these fingerless mitts. Easy enough; they’re just bulky garter rectangles seamed up the side. They even bought the yarn for me! But, obviously, I’ve still only finished the mitts for Jenn and Dani; leaving 4 pairs of children’s mitts to go.

I blame it on my dislike for making matching pairs. I long ago gave up on making socks; for there are 5 single knitted socks in a drawer with no partners. I can manage sleeves, but just barely. Mitts are easier than socks, for sure. They’re just a definite block.

Anyway, dear Jenn and Dani, please remind me to give these to you.

Release party: The new Niebling

Ta-da! Knitted lace. Made in the round, with thread, on itty bitty bamboo needles.

Obviously, I was a lazy boor while blocking this piece. The irregularity of the circle is due entirely to my lazy blocking; the pattern itself is pretty faultless.

Project details:
Pattern: “Lace Doily,” also known as “Starry Night” or “Erika” depending on which publication you’re looking at.
Designer: Herbert Niebling,  duh. Can I say “Niebling” a few more times?
Yarn: Vintage crochet thread, thrifted.
Needles: Size US0 bamboo Clovers
Time spent: 4 days
Modifications: I followed these modifications for the first few rows & triple-decreases, and did some boring mathy things to switch from four pattern repeats to six. Which just barely worked.

I don’t know what it is about Niebling that makes me love him so much more than most designers. There are certainly other interesting lace designers out there. I just have a connection with this guy; I feel like I know a lot about him just by working on and studying his patterns. There is very little biographical information available about him, but I get the sense he was a little impetuous, stand-offish and quiet; all qualities I admire.

I currently have no actual use for this piece; if I decide to base my tattoo off of it or find some other function, I will re-block it. This time with precision and patience. If you’ve forgotten or missed it, you can see my first swing at this pattern here.

Coming up:

• More shawlette release parties
• An announcement about the Etsy shop
• Vacation pictures
• Outfit posts? Perhaps? If I get the courage/will?

The birds & the houseflies

This photo, unlike most I share here, is current. I am at this moment sitting outside in the mini-hammock, knitting a fair-isle beret & listening to grady’s babbles, the manic songs of birds & the synchronized flight/landing of a nearby swarm of flies.

Sometimes it bugs me how lagged my blog posts are. I know it doesn’t matter, but I just wanted to post something current.

(written from my phone, obviously.)

The loveliest shawlette

This is likely my favorite shawlette of the bunch. The pattern is written as a summer shawl, but I made mine in a cashmere blend so it’s great for transitional weather.

Project details:
Pattern: Summer Flies by Donna Griffin
Pattern availability: Free online
Yarn: Recycled cashmere blend from a thrift store sweater
Needle: US8
Time commitment: 1-2 weeks

In general, I liked knitting this pattern. The increases seem kind of arbitrary, which generally bugs me. But the alternation between stitch patterns was nice, and the yarn was a dream.

I feel just a little bit thrilled.

So, I finished it. I finished my first Niebling. In just one day! I guess I should point out that I used this pattern, in case any of you want to attempt it. I wouldn’t recommend it without at least a dozen hours of lace experience under your belt. But I chose it because it looked like (by far) his easiest available piece; small, every other row is straight stockinette, and there were 20 finished projects on Ravelry for me to use as reference.

Now I’m going to make another one. This time in crochet cotton; a material I’ve never knitted with before. I’m also going to add some modifications to make it more interesting. And a bit larger. I’m writing this on June 13, so with any luck I’ll be finished with that piece by the time this is posted. I’m a little bit obsessive about my post schedule, and I didn’t want to assault you with too much Niebling in a row.