To Rib or not to Rib

I’ve been working on this shrug. It started out its life as one of those shrugs knit from sleeve to sleeve, but once I had seamed up the sleeves and tried it on, I remembered how completely unflattering they are…

I decided to go with the classic shape of a bolero, instead. The construction is based on the circular shrug on craftster, which is just a big rectangle sewn so you can stick your arms and head through. The biggest difference is that my ribbing is MUCH less…. dramatic. I’m not really that big myself, and didn’t want to be overwhelmed with ribs.

It’s basically done, but I’m not quite sure how to finish it. Should I had two inches of ribbing on the bottom of the sleeves? I’ve already got two leave-it-alones, and that’s the way I’m leaning too…

Anyway, advice? What do you think?

PS. I also just started with Ravelry! If you have it too, add me as a friend! I think I need a little guidance there, cause I’m still kind of confused by it My name there is tragicheroine.

 

Dracula Jr.

I finished my secret toy! This months theme for the Craftster knitting challenge is “Where the Wild Things Are”, in other words, knitted monsters.

Originally I’d planned on making Dracula himself, but I decided it would be easier -and cuter- for me to make a baby vampire.

He’s knit on size 4 needles using assorted stash yarn. The shape of his body is based on the pattern for Kate from knitty, but I made his head a bit more round. The buttons on his jumper are bobbles that I knit in as I was going along. The cape was knit separately and whip stitched on around his neckline. It flares out at the collar and hem to exaggerate the shape. The little ties are crochet chains. His frilly collar was made by picking up stitches around his neck, then doing a picot bind-off. His hands were picked up along the sides of his body, then sewed them down do they’d “puff up” a bit from his body. I use The Cats Mother’s technique for sewing in hair (tutorial here –naked knitted man if you scroll past the hair!). Even gave him a little widows peak, like Béla Lugosi! His mouth, teeth, and eyes were embroidered on.

Two more pics on my flickr, front and collar.

Here is a link to the challenge board, and here is a link to my post there. The voting start the 25th, but entries can be posted untill the 24th.

Vote for me!

Kelly

 

Beaded cami

It’s not really so beaded now. Maybe if I come across some beautiful ones, I’ll add them.

Pattern: Beaded Cami by Black Dog Designs

Yarn: Patons Grace

Needes: Size 6 circulars; F crochet hook for straps

My cami has finally finished blocking. About a day and a half, which felt like ages because I was so excited to try it on and take photos. Now that it is finished, I can say that I’m completely and utterly in looooveeee.

I knit most of this while watching the film Leon (which is great by the way), downloaded episodes of Big Brother 8 UK, and while suntanning in my garden. I feel so sexy in it, but I’m not sure if that’s the top, or the tan I developed while knitting it.

I made a few alterations to the pattern to suit me better. First of all, I knit it in the round. It seemed like the easiest choice with all that stockinette, and also the lace pattern is worked on every row, so I though it would be easier to work it intuitavely if I were always working with the right side. The measurements of the original seemed a little too drape-y for me, so I narrowed the fit by casting on less and adjusting the lace pattern to have less stitches. The original pattern started with 8 stitches between the leaves, I started with 7. I decreased more than written in the pattern, so my top is also smaller. I adjusted the lace pattern to have 6 stitches between the leaves. Because I had more decrease rows, my top is also a bit longer than the original. Another significant mod I made was to place the bodice seam under the bust instead of over it. I think it makes the fit more flattering and gives it some structure. I added double straps because I thought they were cute (though that isn’t much of a modification). The last adjustment I made was to add some short rows so that the back would hang lower than the front, so I wouldn’t have to tug it up like a lot of low necked camis.

I really loved working on this, but it wasn’t without it’s problems. The pattern calls for the bodice part to be knit separately, then seamed upside down. Well I didn’t notice this point, so when I reached the cast off for the front body, I decided to pick up my bodice stitches and keep knitting seamlessly. I was blissfully unaware of my mistake till I reached the lace at the very top, when I realized that there wasn’t another lace pattern to replicate the first one upside down. I wasn’t about to give up, so I frogged down to just above my short rows, placed the front stitches on a holder, and knit the back of the tank flat. Then I cast on for the top, knit the same number of rows i had for the back, and grafted the 78 tiny stitches on the top to the 78 tiny stitches on the bottom. The result is almost seamless, because I untwist the yarn a bit while I knit with it, but I don’t while I graft, so that row has a different sheen in some light. Then I seamed up the two flat sides and I was done.

Well I think I’ve written enough by now..

If you think you may knit this and are curious about my mods, just comment and I’ll be happy to explain anything further. And don’t be intimidated by my mistake, it can definitely be avoided.

Thanks for reading!

Happy knitting, friends,

Kelly

 

Guess that WIP!

Hint: It’s not a bowling pin in a tuxedo.

Something I’m working on for an online knitting challenge. This is my first time making any kind of knit toy. I’m using Knitty’s Kate as a guide for the shape, because I’ve seen it adapted in to many different characters, and it seems very versatile. Those little buttons are bobbled knitted in contrast yarn, and around the narrow part i picked up stitches around and gave it a picot bind off (a little hard to see in this photo).

That’s all for now, more details coming soon…

-Kelly

 

Lelah

Today is the hottest we’ve seen this year in Toronto. If I were brave, I’d take the train down to the beach to show off my latest finished knit, but I think i got enough sun(burn) yesterday during a long hike(also, I’m pretty content with my air conditioning).

The pattern for this is Lelah, by super awesome Craftster user HelenaJane. Knitters have posted many lovely finished tops in the comments of the thread. The one that really inspired my to try this pattern was a beauty by blogger Prettyknit.

I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, which it a worsted weight, cotton-acyrlic blend. I made a few adjustments to the pattern to suit my tastes and size. The pattern calls for size 10.5 and 8 needles for the lace and bust, respectively. I used size 8s for the lace so it wouldnt be too open, and size 6s for the bust so it would be dense enough to to be see though, eep! I also made up my own size small by comparing the other sizes avaiable. Soo….. it turned out pretty small.. but I think it has stretched out a little to a more comfortable fit, hopefully the elastic in the top band wont snap back again. I sewed the hem using a whip stitch (as described in this post) I kept the elastic in the hem as I went so i wouldnt have to thread it through the whole thing once finished (sounds even more annoying that the hemming itself).

I’m going to call Lelah a success, and I will probably knit one in another colour, but next up is the Beaded Cami by Black Dog designs. So pretty! I hope to go to the yarn shop this week and start it soon.

Until then,

Kelly

 

Hemming is painful

I’ve just finished my first turned hem, with the pattern Lelah. Not really the most fun experience, but I’m really happy with the result. I used a whip stitch to seam the live stitches with a row of purl bumps. Because it’s sewn through the back of the stitches, the hem is nearly invisible on the right side (looks pretty nifty on the wrong side too). The seam is also very stretchy, which is a very good thing since it turned out a little small!

The top is finished now, so I’ll have more details and photos for you within a couple days.

Kelly

 

Summer Knitting

I recently loaded up on cotton yarn in anticipation of the warm weather coming. I’ve already finished one project and have a few more planned. The first is the Saturday Market Bag from Magknits. I used some great alterations from disdressed for a two strap bag instead of one, because it seemed sturdier to me (I just realized I’m wearing almost the same shirt as in her picture, whoops!). I stuffed it with beach supplies (small towel, bathing suit, sun screen, lotsa knitting, book, snacks) because it seems to me like the perfect beach bag (if only it were warm enough now to actually go to the beach…). You can fit a TON in this bag, and I didn’t even try stuffing it too much for its photoshoot.
Unstretched it’s a lot smaller, so it can easily fit in to another bag if I ever need to, like if I knit a bunch more (which I plan to) and actually use them as market bags.

The next project I’m working on is a shrug based on this gorgeous one from Anthropologie. The base of it is knit, and I’m using a top down raglan similar to the One Skein Wonder for that. The edging is crochet, and I plan on making a bunch of crochet yoyos in various sizes and attaching them like in the original. I’ll post more details of the shrug soon, but as of now I’m only about half finished knitting the raglan part.

Back to something a little more weather appropriate…
I’ve finished my fuzzy lace sweater and it’s pretty cute. I’ll try to get a photo of it tomorrow. I’ve gotten really caught up on warm weather knits, that I’ve almost forgotten about it.

Please comment and tell me about your summer knitting projects!

 

Fuzz

This is the beginning of what I hope (fingers crossed) will be my first successful sweater. It’s a raglan V neck so it’s so simple to knit, and I’ve practically been making it up as I knit along. The waist in it is a little big, because I haven’t been doing any shaping, in order to maintain the lace pattern. Hopefully I can stretch it in length with blocking, so that’ll make the body a little more narrow. I’m going to leave the sleeves short, probably add a few rows of k1p1 ribbing. I’ve only knit to around my waist in the body, so I still have several inches to go, and I’ll probably make it tunic length, because most of my camisoles are long.

More updates soon!

 

Spring

Spring came a few days ago here and I already feel the changes. People in the city walk with a refreshed confidence. The snow is gone, the trees are budding, and all of summer’s beautiful colours are peaking out from what used to be bleak and grey.
Early morning rain storms clear up into dewy afternoons. We’re more happy, more active, more inspired.
My backyard bird feeder gets its daily visitors: sparrows, doves, even the more rare squirrel. They sing and dance outside my window. They feel spring too.
The winter puts me in to a sort of artistic depression. My world is cold and dark. It’s harder for me to find it’s beauty.
But feeling the sun and seeing the difference the new season has on people and nature is euphoric. I want to create. I want to photograph the renewed beauty. I want to run and shout. I want to better myself. I want my better my world somehow. I want to make some kind of difference.

Springtime resolutions seem more appropriate to me than New Years resolutions for all those reasons.

So what will you change this year?

 

Big Blue Beret Pattern

1 ball Lion Wool
4 & 8 DPNS
guage: (taken in the round, in pattern)
body=4st/inch
ribbing=5st/inch unstretched

Cast on 72 with size 4 needles
Work k1p1 around for 1.5 inches
Next row, k2m1 *repeat for row
Switch to size 8 needles
k8p1 *repeat for row
Work till full length of hat is: 8.5 inches for tam; 7 inches for toque
k2together 4 times, p1 *repeat for row
k2together 2 times, p1 *repeat for row
k2together, p1 *repeat for row
Cut a long tail, and thread it through the remaining stitches 3 times, weave the end inside the hat
Weave in the cast on tail.

For toque, make a two inch pompom, trim, and fasten.

You’re done!
Block lightly or leave it as is

*note, the ribbing is really tight, so if you have a bigger head, or hair with a lot of volume, go up a size or two for the smaller needles.