Vacation

I'm on vacation this week. Not much posting going on.

Cables=Braids

Okay, so at some point halfway through this hat, I had a revelation. The cables running down the center in the front and back were the braids, hence the pattern name, Hat with Braids. Duh. I must have read the second part of the pattern about a dozen times because it made no sense to me, in terms of it saying how many decreases should be done, so I sort of did what I thought would work and it looks fine to me. I really like the quasi ear flaps and how the hat is bound off on top. From the side it looks like a kitty hat.

Next

With the holidays and stuff I wanted my next project to be something quick and fun. I think this hat will fulfill those criteria. It's from the latest issue of Rebecca. The pattern is called Hat with Braids, btu I don't see any braids anywhere. It's got some very subtle earflaps though. I have some yarn in my stash that I plan to use. It's actually leftover from another Rebecca project, the sweater with the boatneck and cables. I was also browsing through Rowan 36 and saw some sweater possibilities that I may be interested in.

Sock It To Me

Look what came in the mail yesterday! These gorgeous socks were made by Rachael. I love the simplicity of the pattern. They go well with my couch, don't you think? They were made with Karabella Aurora yarn. Thanks again Rachael!

Linked

Here's some fun stuff to check out:

other denim quilts, one with flannel
crocheted cupcake and sushi ornaments
crocheted pop can purse [all via craftster]
donuts by sew dorky [Thanks Megan! I had been wishing I had bought more of these at the Ella/Posie Bazaar.]

Before & After

I stayed up way too late finishing this project last night. Sewing all the rows together didn't take too long, only about an hour or so. All the squares didn't match up exactly, but it still seems to have turned out okay. It was the seam clipping that did me in. It took about two hours to clip everything and even then I missed one seam. I put it in the washing machine for a slightly longer cycle than I normally would to ensure nice fuzzy chenilled seams. When it was done, the washer and both utility sinks were full of denim bits. The throw also had chunks of denim bits all over it. I threw it in the dryer for about 45 minutes and when I went to get it this morning, there were still some wisps of denim and the lint trap was overflowing. Not very safe! I should have checked the lint trap periodically during this time. However, it was 1 a.m. and I was too wiped!

PS My next project may be another throw made from squares of felted sweaters. I think this idea was in the first issue of ReadyMade.

Cable Scarf Pattern

I hope this makes sense! Email me if you have questions.

Materials: I used bulky weight yarn and size 17 needles.
Gauge: 2 st=1 inch
Note: The first and last two stitches are selvedge stitches that will always be worked the same and the five st in between will form your cable.

Cast on nine st.

Row 1 [WS]: Slip first st knitwise through back loop. P to last two st. K 2.
Row 2 [RS]: Slip first st knitwise through back loop. K to end. Repeat these two beginning and ending stitches for every row. Work three more rows, ending with a WS row.

Next row: Work the first two st in the selvedge pattern, then CB2 or CF2, K to end. Repeat this cable row every sixth row.

Work to your desired length. Work one cable row, and then knit four more rows, then bind off. Make two pompoms, one for each end. To attach pompoms, first fold over ends in a Z or S pattern and sew down with yarn ends, depending on whether you cabled back or forward. Sew on pompoms.

Quilted

I've taken a break from knitting to start a sewing project. I had first seen this Chenille Denim Throw via Currently or not martha a couple years back. Since then, I have been collecting old jeans to start this project. I cleaned out my closet a couple of weeks ago and weeded out three pairs of jeans. I figured I must have enough pairs by now to start the quilt. So, with my rotary cutter and new cutting mat, I cut 103 six-and-a-half-inch denim squares. My quilt will be 10 squares by 10 rows. I finished sewing all the rows last night and I started sewing a few rows together this morning. I can't wait to throw it in the washer and see the chenilled seams!

I was also in Seattle this weekend, mainly to go to IKEA for this.

Look What I'm Wearing at Work Today

Here's my finished cardi. I really like how it turned out. The fit is perfect. After knitting the collar, I did steam block it with my iron to get it to lie flat. The zipper was also very easy to put in using my sewing machine. I did have to tack the ends of the zipper at the top because they were sticking out a little bit past the bands of the sweater, but now it looks great.

Too Lofty

It appears as if my goals were a bit too lofty last night. I sewed the sleeves on the cardi and basted the front opening closed, but didn't actually sew in the zipper. After rereading the directions, the last thing to be done is the zipper. So, I started the collar instead. Thanks to those who gave me information for the online zipper sources. But, of course, I couldn't wait a few days for a zipper to come in the mail. I needed it NOW!

Sew What

I finished seaming up the sides and the sleeves of the cardi last night. So far, everything looks like it will fit together nicely! I thought maybe I could use one of the zippers I had bought, even though the color didn't really match, but it's too long. So, I bought a tan one instead. There was horrible color selection and the tan was the most coordinated color I could find. I was surprised that there weren't even any brown zippers! My goal is to sew in the sleeves and zipper tonight and knit on the collar tomorrow.

Home Dec

Here's a picture of the Christmas tree I trimmed yesterday morning. This tree is from my parents and is what I would have to put up year after year when I was a kid. I hated it then because I always wanted a real tree. But now, it seems, the aluminum tree has made a comeback. When I first assembled it, I was surprised at how sparse it looked, but once I put the ornaments on, it looked better. I didn't have any real ornaments, so I raided my parents basement for these great glass ones. I also put up the clipboards as a way to display art and writing in my living room. Originally, I had wanted to put up two rows of clipboards, but thought that was too overwhelming. I have been collecting lots of pictures and article clippings to put on the boards. Lastly, I am seaming up the Ribby Cardi. The sides are done and I've got to start on the sleeves. Neither of the two zippers that I bought really match, so I may need to buy another one. I should have this sweater finished this week!

Damn It Jim, I'm a Doctor, Not a Magician

I'm no Trekkie, but these knitting charts for Star Trek Characters are pretty cool. Plus William Shatner is on the comeback trail.

Cardi Action

The fronts and back have finished blocking and I managed to get about halfway on the sleeves. I think I'll have more time to focus on finishing this project now!

Relax

The 2nd Annual Ella/Posie Handmade Holiday Bazaar had another successful year! I was exhausted after it was all over, but it was really fun. It was great to share a bed with Megan of The Organized Knitter. There were some brief lulls during the four hours, but they didn't last long. Throughout the day, I was selling stuff here and there, but didn't think I was selling a lot. However, I ended up doing pretty well. I think that because I knitted more items, I had more stock leftover, so I was thinking I hadn't sold as much. Also pictured is a cute pair of earrings that I bought from Jewelry by Jessica on Saturday. Thanks to everyone that stopped by! I'll probably post some of the leftover items for sale here in the next few days.