Half finished quilt

Hi this is a quilt-in-progress. It has been in progress since July haha. I just kind of lost momentum on this project somewhere along the way, but I am revisiting it now.
I was going to do two more panels this size--possibly a third if thats not big enough. No more letters or anything, just mostly green and navy with a few more of those multicolored ones stuck in. The pictures really just don't do the colours any justice but what can I do eh?

. . . and a random picture of my dog who often resembles a sheep. Sometimes when I brush her, I get a pile of fuzz as big as she is. I have often wondered if I could spin it and make a sweater. But then I remember what kinds of things she likes to roll in outside and my enthusiasm is lost.

Hello, yes I am still here

I just realized that I haven't checked this blog since last Thursday.
I am very ill, which is the reason that I have not been posting. I have sither mono or strep, apprently. Consequently, I have been knitting a bit--when I even have the energy to do THAT. I will post a little perhaps later tonight or tomorrow. Perhaps.

nano cozy

This one I made a while ago, but I've gotten enough comments on it I thought I should put it up so people can see how it's made. It's mostly straightforward, but there's a couple of tricks in it, too.

I used medium weight acrylic yarn and size 4 needles (slightly small for the yarn). Gauge: 1"=7 stitches vertically, and 5 stitches horizontally with a 1x1 rib stitch. Does anyone actually pay attention to gauge? Well, other than Sarra, that is. Anyhow, with this pattern it's better to be more snug than loose, as the rib stitch will stretch over the nano, so if you have really loose tension (mine's average to snug), you might want to take it down to 10 stitches across, and only cast off three at the important point.

CO 12 stitches
row 1-56: 1X1 rib stitch (k1p1), except slip over the final stitch

This part is to accommodate the jack in the corner of the nano. You may be tempted to knit on either side of the hole you are creating, but this is folly. It's a lot harder to get the iPod out that way--my prototype looked like that, and it was silly.

row 1 (57): cast off the first stitch, rib stitch to the end of the row, slip last stitch over
row 2 (58): rib stitch, cast off final stitch
row 3 (59): repeat row 1 (57)
row 4 (60): repeat row 2 (58); you should have 8 stitches across at this point.
row 5 (61): Cast on one stitch, rib stitch to end of row, slip last stitch over
row 6 (62): rib stitch to end of row, cast on one stitch at end
row 7 (63): repeat row 5 (61)
row 8 (64): repeat row 6 (62); you should have 12 stitch again

At this point, you can do one of two things: just do 18 rows of rib stitch, or make a pattern. The pattern is up to you entirely, of course, but this is what I did:

row 1 (65): p1k1, p8, k1, slip stitch
row 2 (66): k1p1, k8, p1, slip stitch
row 3 (67): repeat row 1 (65)
row 4 (68): repeat row 2 (66)
row 5 (69): repeat row 1 (65)
row 6 (70): repeat row 2 (66)
row 7 (71): p1k1, p3, k2, p3, k1 slip stitch
row 8 (72): k1p1, k3, p2, k3, p1 slip stitch
row 9 (73): p1k1, p1, k2, p2, k2, p1k1 slip stitch
row 10 (74): k1p1, k1, p2, k2, p2, k1p1 slip stitch
row 11 (75): repeat row 7 (71)
row 12 (76): repeat row 8 (72)
row 13 (77): repeat row 1 (65)
row 14 (78): repeat row 2 (66)
row 15 (79): repeat row 1 (65)
row 16 (80): rib stitch, slip last stitch
row 17 (81): repeat row 17 (81)
row 18 (82): repeat row 17 (81)

cast off, leaving a long tail
(the pattern is a small, raised cross)

Now, you've got a long thing-a-mee. Fold the ribbed area in half so that the raised cross pattern is on the outside. I secured the sides by binding it with a contrasting yarn. It can also be crocheted, if you are so inclined.

To fasten the flap, I braided the tail with a long piece of the same contrasting yarn. Of course, you can use velcro or put a button on, but I found the long braid is actually the most practical, because it holds it shut but doesn't force it. In addition, you don't have to worry about the velcro getting at the screen.

**this is specifically for a nano--the fastenings as well as the size would have the be different on a full-size iPod, as it would be for a shuffle (you'll have to get at Sadie for one of those)

so my sister can be john purtwee...

This is one of two ruffled cuffs I'm making for my sister--that's my wrist, so it looks a bit small on me, but Swambo's in bed and I didn't want to disturb her. This pattern is based on a Knitty Pattern with a few alterations. The top ruffle is the same as the "bottom bell edging" except instead of leaving it, I did row 10 14 times instead of twice. After that, I reversed the decrease (added two stitches in the same places one decreased) for two rows. Then, I cast off and turned it inside out. It works right side out, as well, but I like the look of the reversed side better. The ruffle flares a bit more.

I'm going to try the same pattern and a much bigger ruffle (twice the size) at a later date. These ones are nice under jackets, but they're not Doctor Who enough for Swambo yet, I don't think. I might also try to put patterns in the ruffles (eylet stitch, crocus bud, etc) so that they will look more lacy.

sale yarn!

My mother mocked me mercilessly for spending $15 on this yarn, given that we have so much wool at home--I tried to explain to her, the operative word is *wool.* Wool doesn't work for all knitting projects--surprisingly, it works for relatively few, given how scratchy it is (difficult to wear close to the skin) and how easily it often wears out (mittens and socks are out because of the wear and tear). This is all 100% cotton--cotton's my favourite kind of yarn to work with. It's not scratchy like wool, but it's a natural fibre and consequently *wears* like a natural fibre. The navy is for my sister's arm cuffs--they'll be like mine, except I'm putting yellow anchors on the fore-arms in the yellow so that it will be all sailor-like. At least, that's the plan. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the burgundy yet. It was just such a pretty colour that I wanted to get some--and it was only $1.60 a ball (2.5 oz.) so I thought I ought to. I think I might make some short cuffs for myself out of them, trim it with the navy if there's some left over. But then again, I might not need another pair of cuffs. Possibly one of those delicate long thin scarves with lots of decorative stitches. Haven't decided yet.