Knit-Nerd-Rant

I promise that I am not dead! The first part of this year has flown by in a whirlwind of traveling, hiking, seeing friends, working too much, and generally being a wee bit over scheduled. This cowl is NOT an easy pattern, it has some tricks to it, but I am so happy with the result. I found some yummy merino wool from Mountain Meadows which really inspired me, mostly because it is so lovely and soft that I wanted to make it into something that would be near my face. The Oyster stitch I found from 101 Stitches to Knit (Erika Knight, ed), but it was clearly written for something being worked flat. But with some adjustments, I was able to figure out how to translate it into something that can be worked in the round. There is a set pattern for the rows and a small trick to adjust the steps where the oyster is split across the stitch marker. Basically, you'll knit the last 2 stitches of the previous row, transfer those 2  stitches back to the left needle, then work them into the oyster a

Hello all! I promise I haven't forgotten this blog, or making patterns for others to enjoy.  Part of the delay has been my being too busy, and part of it is that my now 7.5 year old laptop is really starting to show its age. So, the most recent one is designed because I needed to use this absolutely scrumptious yarn I found at Scrap DC's Labor Day weekend sale.  It's called Peru Chunky Luxury (out of production now). It's 70% Merino, 20% alpaca, and 10% silk, and entirely yummy.  The only problem is that all I had was a 73 yard (50 gram) skein, and this needed to be used for something worn near the face because of reasons. That or it would be kept as a pet. I also found at Scrap DC an unlabeled single twist wool yarn that is probably some sort of merino/lambswool and is lovely and soft as well, and a nice contrasting color.  All together, I knew it wasn't going to be able to create anything large. So, after finding some patterns online for similar short sc

Following up on the last post, here's another pattern that I made up, super simple and looks great. It's super soft and stretchy, and like the last one, has no wrong side. I found 2 colors of the Caron Simply Soft that I liked together - a deep red and a charcoal grey - sorry the colors don't look properly dark enough in the photos, but such is life.  I really like the effect of the two strands together!  I learned at one point that the first thing that babies can see is contrasts and edges, so I figure this might help with some visual stimulation to get those tiny brains going. It almost looks like large strips woven together, but it's just squares of alternating sides of stockinette, with a border of garter stitch on the sides for stability. Supplies: Size 13 needles (I used a circular for convenience) Size 15 needles for bind-off 2 contrasting colors of Caron Simply Soft (I used Autumn Red #9730 and Charcoal Heather #9508 in 6 oz. skeins) Row counter

This pattern is for a fun, festive hat made with a couple different types of yarn that create very different effects.  It's simple enough, though the changes between needle sizes and weights of yarn can be a bit of exercise for your fingers.  Depending on how Kaiser Wilhelm-y you want it to be, you can do the tassel or leave it off. So, my mother asked for a hat for Christmas and sent me the following picture as a guide for what I should make for her, but she wanted it in red: Essentially, this would mean felting using variegated yarn with an eyelash yarn around the brim that wouldn't felt and would provide a different kind of fluffy-ness. 2 difficulties with this: 1 - local yarn shop didn't have any eyelash yarn and no access to big box craft shops that would carry it, 2 - I've never intentionally felted anything and the whole process scares me more than it should scare any rational, experienced knitter. When I went to my LYS ( Looped ), I was able to find

So I had to quickly think up some gifts for some of the in-laws-to-be. We went down to visit them for Thanksgiving, and will be up with my family for Christmas this year. So we decided we would bring down everyone's Christmas gifts while we were in town. Sister-in-law-to-be and her fiance are tough to buy for, so we got them a couple gift cards.  I felt really guilty about it, since it's not the first time and it always just feels like a cop-out.  So I decided to use some scrap yarn lying around to make something to put the card in - a gift card cozy. Shout out to my friends at Hudson Trail Outfitters , regional chain in the DC area, and their promotional gift card rebate deal that gave me one to use for demonstration purposes!  It's cute, takes very little time to knit up, and makes it feel less like a cop-out to give someone a gift card.  I made 2 of them on the 2 hour flight there, so definitely very quick! I used these supplies: Scrap yarn (doesn'

It's been a while since I posted because I kept intending that the next post would be the pattern for this new sweater... and things got in the way.  I designed it on the needles, as I often seem to do, and just haven't sat down and reverse-engineered it.  It's a super big and floppy neckline, which is just oh-so-cozy. It's a bit theatrical, and perhaps not for the faint of heart. Here goes! The yarn suggestion is a  little tricky.  I rescued some super scrumptious tan lambswool from a Gap sweater that I found at a rummage sale that was just an atrocious pattern (turtle neck sweater with ribbing from the neck to the shoulders, then stockinette, also known as turns fashion model figures into potatoes). It's a chunky yarn - thicker than worsted weight, but probably not a full "bulky" weight. Needle suggestions - I did this all on a pair of straight 10.5s, though, if you have a circular of the same gauge, I would suggest that for the neck. Unless yo

Posting ground to a halt because I wanted to post about an anniversary trip to Montreal with the boyfriend--and a family emergency that has kept me busy traveling to be with them most weekends (and I will not be posting about it here in the interest of privacy). Anyway,  the Montreal info will be up soon, as soon as I can do it justice. We found some really fun and great places to see and I want to spread the word and reward some kick-butt small businesses! I am also working on a new sweater made out of reclaimed yarn from possibly one of the most hideous sweaters ever to come out of an international retailer. And I'm so angry that I didn't take photos before I frogged that sucker. It was amazingly awful. But the yummy lambswool will soon be part of a sweater worthy of its buttery smoothness.

Keep in mind, that this was totally designed on the fly, and I'm going back and re-constructing what I did, so please forgive me for and alert me to any errors you see! Luckily, many years of experience sewing long before I even picked up my first knitting needles helped me confidently make my set-in sleeves.  They may not be the prettiest buttonholes, but dammit, that's who I figured it out. Translations: CO - cast on K - knit P - purl M1 - make one K2tog - knit 2 together P2tog - purl 2 together Equipment: 1 size 6 circular needle (24" long at the very least), 4 size 6 double-pointed needles, some scrap yarn, and a yarn needle for sewing in the loose ends. Making buttonholes: I totally stumbled on this method, so I don't know if it's got a name somewhere, but here is the way I did it Knit full length of body for the particular stage in the pattern, until the last 6 stitches K1, chain bind off next 3 stitches, leaving 2 remaining P2 This is the

A small shop near the hotel with an amazing Mardi Gras display So I just recently returned from a business trip to New Orleans, and I am officially a convert!  The city at the time was in the early throes of Mardi Gras, and also preparing itself for the upcoming Superbowl.  The French Quarter was covered with police, who justifiably expected a lot of crowd to control between Mardi Gras celebrants and Superbowl partiers.  It was a bit of a head trip.  Jackson Square and the river front area were covered with different stages where the CBS folks were filming interviews and talking heads.  Despite the growing insanity, I had an amazing time, and made sure to keep a food journal. It was such an amazing culinary adventure.  Some of the highlights include Crawfish etoufée Coconut custard bread pudding, chocolate bread pudding, and Mother's bread pudding Poboys: Sammy's - roast beef poboy Red Fish Grill - bbq fried oyster poboy Mother's - turkey, roast beef, and debri

I'm happy to share a new pattern, it's pretty basic, and it's my first ever pair of toe-up socks. I've made them specifically for my boyfriend, making the pattern up as I went to fit his feet - haute couture socks :-) These instructions are the way that I think of them, so, as someone discovering toe-up and short-row heels, experts should feel free to skip some of the details. For yarn, I used yarn that I salvaged from an old sweater that had run into the end of its life. Lots and lots of yarn from that puppy! But I liked the color, figured lots of it still had good life left in it. It's green! (It's also cheap) I also was eager to take advantage of some techniques in my new copy of Stitch 'n Bitch: Superstar Knitting   (a Christmas present to myself). So, that's a good place to look up any details of techniques described in this pattern. Gear up: (I used the following for this project) 5 double-pointed needles, US size 4 1 stitch h

[ via ] First, I've been so overwhelmed by the positive response on Ravelry and the sudden, dramatic uptick in hits that Blogger told me about after I posted my recent knitting patterns! I'm so excited that people actually bothered to look at my silly little posts! So here I present you with one of my favorite new creatures in the world, Grumpy Cat . Grumpy Cat makes me giggle like I've lost my marbles (high likelihood that it's true). And one quick update, I'll be out on a boat with the boyfriend's family for an extended holiday vacation. Should there be some sort of cosmic catastrophe on the 21st, should be interesting. Massive tidal wave/tsunami, I might be more safe than most or get totally destroyed. Zombie apocalypse on land, I'm gonna be just find. Enormous asteroid impact, we're likely all screwed. One way or another, I may be back. Until then, gaze into the infinte grump of Grumpy Cat surrounded by a Christmas wreath.

This is a very simple blanket, and pretty mindless to do.  I had a bunch of donated yarn from a friend - a collection of inexpensive craft store yarn - some boucle and some fleece.  I wanted to get rid of it, and thought this would be a great gift for someone who needed something warm and fuzzy. Supplies: I used a size 8 long circular (and also a size 6 circular, details below) I used up 2 very large skeins of the purple boucle, 2 skeins of pink fleece yarn, and 1.5 skeins of the acid green 4 stitch markers to mark the corners Cast on 80 stitches on a size 8 circular (or straight, depending on preference). I used long-tail/slingshot cast-on. Work 6 rows in stockinette Row A: Knit 5, [yo, k2tog], repeat [] until 5 stitches remaining, knit 5 Row B: Purl 6, [turn stitch around and purl, purl], repeat [] until 5 stitches remaining, purl 5 Repeat Rows A and B until the piece is nearly square Work 6 rows in stockinette Keep 80 stitches on needle - don't bind off! Pi

So this funky little thing is a Moebius plush that I decided to make for my father, a geometer. I had some difficulty wrapping my brain around it, and reached out for help to Ravelry when my brain felt overwhelmed.  Got some great tips that went straight into the pattern for this little guy. Materials: I used size 6 double-pointed needles (4) Ancient, mind-bending green worsted-weight acrylic yarn (less than 1 skein) and about 3-4 feet of a contrasting darker green for stitching. Using a very thick yarn for this size needles meant that the piece is fairly stiff and sturdy.  If you're a looser knitter, try a smaller needle or thicker yarn to get this combo for yourself! Cast on 33 stitches on dpns (I used slingshot/long tail cast-on). Transfer 11 stitches to each of 3 needles for knitting. Row 1: knit, join into round Row 2: [knit 1, slip 1 stitch purlwise at end of dpn], repeat [] 3 times Continue rows 1 & 2 until piece is about 30 inches long and loo

[ via ] Ok, this one has been brewing for a while (there are more long-standing grievances to file, but this is sufficient for now).  I have a deep and abiding hatred for Pinterest.  It's unabashedly gender-role enforcing.  It's basically a place where straight, white women go to collect pictures of aspirational interior design, fashion, recipes, saccharin inspirational quotes, and they accumulate. More accumulation - as if that's what we need to cure the ails of society.  They tack up meaningless quotes that they think are insiprational that are usually historic/literary quotes taken out of context or meaningless drivel. They decorate homes they can't afford, select outfits they will never be able to buy, find makeup tips they will never use, and pin recipes they will never bother with.  It's the ultimate way to feel like a domestic goddess without ever actually trying anything. There are some snarky pins that I run across, including some I don't underst

A while ago, a woman from my church community gave me a large bag full of knitting odds and ends, since she was no longer able to do it herself.  I had recently started a monthly "Fibre Party", basically a nicer name for a Stitch-n-Bitch group, at the church and this woman decided that I would be able to give these odds ands a happy home. When I opened it up, there were some amazingly kitschy acrylic yarns, a couple random darning needles, a set of very long, straight size 8 needles, and a whole bunch of old patterns.  The patterns are AMAZING. Between the fantastically cheesy (see the photo above) to the fantastically hideous Christmas stockings, it was a real treasure trove.  There were 2 thick books of sweater patterns for men and family full of Scandinavian fair-isle patterns from the mid-1940s, some children's sweater patterns from the 1970s, 1970s christmas patterns and random mimeographed versions, and a couple more odds and ends. Particularly the forced poses

So, since I finished the socks for the boyfriend, I've been having to figure out what I want to do next. The lambswool in the black bag above was reclaimed from a truly hideous GAP sweater found at a rummage sale and is just begging to be knit into a cozy, lovely sweater. The teal is smooth cotton/silk blent that seems perfect for a shirt, and the red and brown cotton/wool blend are going to be socks for me at some point with cheerful stripes. The next question came up when in my new office, the temperature outside plummeted and offices in DC generally don't just flip from AC to heat right away. Ours designates October 15th as the day to switch on the heat. All day on Monday, my co-workers and I were shivering trying to stay warm, wearing our coats around the office, and salivating over the idea of having some nice, hot tea (another thing we're still figuring out in the new space until we can get microwave/water heating system up...). I realized that one thing I re

This is actually the back of my latest skirt, all lovely wool from the bits of thread collection, and it's fully lined. I rarely do true linings, so I'm pretty proud of it. It's the same basic model as the others - tube with darts at top and a slit at the bottom of the hem, but I added an actual waistband this time. That is all.

As with the millions of other self-indulgent blogs out there, this is simply a means for me to gather some random portions of my life. Topics of interest may include but are not limited to: Knitting, quilting, sewing, reading, pop culture, music, religion, international relations, science, space, feminism, philosophy, consumer finance and credit, disability rights, human rights, gay rights, civil rights, fantasy novels, fantasy novels other than Harry Potter, computers and software, movies, tv, science fiction movies and tv, automotive engines, cooking, fresh produce, psychology, football, the other kind of football, and yet the other kind of football, hiking, kayaking, sunburn, and dealing with family. If your interest continues beyond four hours, you should check with your doctor, because clearly there is something wrong with you. Also, I'll probably want to be your friend. So, a bit more about me so that you have some idea who this particular self-indulgent and at least m

As I was trying to find an intarsia pattern for the back of my planned cardigan, I wanted to find something that would be unexpected - not something sweet and wholesome that someone's grandmother would make.  I combed through the internet looking for something, then I realized I could create my own pattern! So I found an image that was from a color-in page for a kid's pirate-themed party of a skull and crossbones.  I increased the size of the image and set it as the background on an Excel spreadsheet.  I then re-sized the cells so that they would resemble that of knit stitches (while now I realize my error, I should have aimed to make them square, but mine were a bit more narrow than that).  Then I carefully formatted all the cells that would be the contrast color for the pattern by selecting them and using the "Check Cell" pre-fab formatting.  This meant that the contrast cells were all dark grey and had an extra border.  Then I took the full field (enough to e

  [Image credit: totally stolen from an ebay listing for Zippy Pins ] Normally, I bring knitting with me on the bus as I commute to and from work, but the past few days, I've been just reading on my Kindle app, since I got a loaned copy of the Hunger Games .  This means I've been knitting a lot less (I have made some progress on the socks for the boyfriend, but not as much as I'd like) and my hands are mostly still during my commute.  I realized today that my hands are totally antsy and just want to knit up a storm again.  Must knit... must knit! Knit and purl!  Ahem... Worst of all, I just learned about a yard sale at an apartment building about a mile from mine... and both fabric and yarn were specifically mentioned in the advertizement.  This could be a very bad... I have to admit, however, that reading the Hunger Games is getting to be a bit of a stressful experience.  I find it a pretty disturbing reading on a lot of levels.  First, how does a society get