!!!

The Lewiscraft in Market Mall is going out of business--30% off all wool!

I bring you . . .

A BEANIE!


Actually, my mum says it's a cloche. (that's a 1920s term for, um, beanie). My sister says that tough looking girls with facial piercings are always wearing these sorts of hats at the bus mall. I say fie! It's very warm without being very bulky, doesn't wreak much hat head, and is all around most exciting.

This is a pattern of my own invention--proving just how snazzy I am. It's a bit more complicated than many of the patterns on this site (those all being scarfs of one variety or another thus far) It uses the same diagonal eyelet stitch that I used in this scarf. The wool is Bernat Solo Nouveau ("the yarn that stands alone") in...reddish. The colour number is 57705, and it's a bulky yarn, so bear that in mind should you want to make it and are using a different wool. Hell if I know the gauge--but if you're like me, you'll be able to eyeball the size for yourself without too much difficulty. These measurements are based on my head, so bear in mind that I am partly of Scottish extraction, and consequently my head is of gargantuan proportion. Sigh...

Using size 6 (Cdn) double pointed needles, cast on 70 stitches. Transfer the stitches to four needles in equal numbers, and knit one row in the round.

Begin pattern:
round 1: *yo k2t; repeat from asterisk
round 2: knit
round 3 k1 *yo k2t repeat from asterisk, k1
round 4 knit

repeat these four rows 5 times, then finish off with row 1 and 2, for a total of 22 rows.

Decrease:
*k8 k2t, repeat until there are 30 stitches left
*k4 k2t, repeat until there are 9 stitches left.

Cut the yarn with a long tail, thread through the remaining 9 stitches with a tapestry needle, pull tight and secure on the inside.

And ... When I say Doctor, Y'all say Who!

Here is my Tom Baker Doctor Who Scarf. I didn't follow the BBC official pattern, because though I love the Doctor, I had a bunch of scraps and ends, and I had some colours I wanted to use particularly. However, he had more than one scarf (look at the pics on the internet, they're a wide variety of colours), and I did research it (The stripes go wide, narrow, narrowest, narrow, wide, etc.), so I think it's entirely valid. One measurement I did find though, is that it's twice his height plus three feet. Now, he's 6'4" or some damn thing, and I'm not, so mine's twice my height plus a foot. But it's really a simple scarf, and I'm almost embarassed posting it. Almost. My love of the Doctor far outweighs my sadly lacking knitting skills for importance in my life.

A Bee Sweater

Or a "B" sweater. Originally, I set out to make a Weasley sweater, but like everything I do, the pattern was discarded early in the game and I made up what I was going to do as I went along. I knew it was going to be that blue colour from the beginning, but it was going to originally be my first attempt at cabling (which I still haven't figured out ... if there were a picture by picture step by step set of instructions, I could do it). Then it was going to have a skull on it. Then it was going to be like one of those scandinavian sweaters with the pattern around the neck. I like what it did turn out to be, though. Kind of a "Let's go rowing!" or a nineteenth-century team sweater. Everytime I wear it, someone is amused by it.


The pattern I did use was the Paton Back-to-basics book, which has the basics for set in, drop and raglan sleeves, cardigan fronts, vests, and v-neck, turtleneck or crew-neck. It's really a quite brilliant book. You piece together what you want from all of the different sets of instructions and add whatever you want. My kind of pattern. Even sewing, I don't think I've ever followed a pattern exactly. This is why I'm not a scientist.

I misspelled plethora. I apologize.
Here is the first actual sweater that I ever made.


. . . one for colour . . .

. . . and one to see how it sits on the body. I apologize for this appalingly bad photo--I just couldn't get it to work--, and for the dirty mirror . . .

FINALLY!!

. . . Ladies and gentlemen! I, Sarra the Hutt, tragically unlearned in the ways of technology, have finally learned how to use the digital camera!!The next thing will be learning how to put a link on my blog to find this one.
Here is a plethera of pictures of my knitting from the past year.

#1 Poncho-ey goodness:
My first Fair Isle project, knitted in two rectangular panels and sewed together. It took me several tries, I assure you.

. . . and closer up

I taught a boy to knit today.
That makes two.
I am slowly converting the masses bwahahahahah!!!

No actually, I am trying to destroy the gender constructs that surround knitting.
haha good luck to me

more cuffy goodness

Both done now--imperfect, certainly: they're too big at the top and keep coming down as a result. (therefore: no pattern yet) I'm making a pattern with buttons on the side now for Rabies. Cufflets more than cuffs, really. I have high hopes for them. I'll post pattern and pics when they are successful

cuff the cait!

I had an ambition to make fingerless gloves--this is the first attempt. My decreasing around the forearm was less than stellar, so once I finish this pair I'm going to do some experimentation--the pattern isn't good enough to post yet, but once I get it sorted, rest assured it'll be up here.

do-over

All right, so I did and undid Professor McDougall's scarf about 5 times. I abandoned the garter stitch and decided on this horizontal scarf. The pattern is pretty simple:

Cast 120 stitches on to size 10 (15 American) needles.
Knit 3 rows.
Row 1: k1 *yo k2t repeat pattern, k1
Row 2: k2 *yo k2t repeat pattern, k2
Repeat until scarf is desired width--I did 12 to make a thin, delicate scarf.
Knit 3 rows and cast off.

And here's what it looks like. I've just finished blocking it and I'll fringe it when it dries. (note the exciting quilt in the background that my aunt made)


This is a ball of wool that I got at Lewiscraft--they were having a sale on remnants, so I got this ball for two bucks. I'm not sure what to do with it yet, because it can't be a particularly big project. I contemplate making something for myself, but I have no idea what it would be.

photo-ish goodness

Projects, past and present:

This is a commissioned scarf that I finished before Xmas and haven't gotten around to giving to its owner--it's double seed stitch (that is: row 1 and 2: k2 p2; row 3 and 4: p2 k2) on size 5 needles. The yarn is acrylic, 26 stitches across, about 5 1/2 feet long. The texture doesn't come through amazingly well on this, but it's actually a lovely scarf, if I do say so myself.



This is the beginning of what I like to term "Caitlin's lazy ass scarf." The wool is alpaca/wool/acrylic blend, doubled and on size 10 needles (that's Canadian sizing--a 15 American), 23 stitches across with garter stitch. There's two rows of eyelet stitch 12 rows into it--just a border detail to add interest. The needles I'm using are too big for the wool normally, but the result is a very loose, soft scarf, which I find is the aim with wool blended yarns, as they lean towards scratchy as a general rule. This one is for Dr. McDougall, who wrote yet another of my reference letters. After this, only one to go! I have ambitions to do a horizontal scarf (that is, cast on a hundred stitches and knit 15 rows) in a diagonal eyelet with doubled or tripled wool. That would be a fast scarf--I'll keep you posted.

I'm here too.

Though I am in no way the calibre of knitter that the other contributors are, I am joining knitwhore because I want to. It's fun. I do like knitting. Maybe you all will get to see my greatest projects to date: my Doctor Who Scarf (because I'm just that cool) and my Weasley Sweater (otherwise known as my Barry Otter sweater because it's got a "B" on the front.) If you're really good.

-- V. Bee

Me too!!

Hi all,

I am joining the knitwhore blog now too!! Only I am technologically challenged, and therefore I have not yet figured out how to use my mother's digital camera.

But when I DO, hoo boy!!

for all my knitting sweethearts:

The Free Pattern Webring

The brown scarf? c'est fini! I already gave it to Dr. Thorpe, though, so no piccies--I'm on to a mohair diagonal eyelet stitch scarf,which I keep buggering up, but I think only I know that, so it's all good. I've never worked with mohair before--it gets tangled up far too easily for my liking, and I'm doubling the strand, which is rarely a happy situation when it comes to tangles, anyhow.

I'll get some pics up when a) it gets long enough to be worth photographing, and b) I find my camera.