zombie knitter

The cutest thing I've ever. knitted.

2006-06-20T20:59:00.000-05:00

Take one cute kitty toy (belonging to my friend's daughter) and knit a fuzzy pink winter ensemble (yes- I know it's July. It was a birthday request.) for the kitty. Hat (with ear holes) a scarf and 4 mittens.

You take this:

and you get this:

Finally, a new purse

2006-04-23T22:50:00.000-05:00

Yay! a new felted purse, slightly different than the pattern... but that happens. The monster scarf was finally finished a few weeks ago, and it was kinda successful. He likes it, wears it... but it wasn't quite what I had in mind. And I had to take it apart and start over several times. Which is why it's now April and I finally finished something else. And now, I'm on to a new sweater. I got a subscription to Interweave Knits as a birthday gift, so I'm trying a simple-looking shrug with sleeves. We'll see. So far, so good, and the yarn is large and it knits up rather fast. Fingers are crossed.

The monster grows

2006-01-09T18:48:00.000-06:00

to almost 18 inches. the final length will be 70 inches, but i'm making progress. yay! and it looks pretty nice, too.

Knitted zombies, of course!

2006-01-04T11:54:00.000-06:00

Some very talented soul knit these fine zombie characters from the original Dawn of the Dead. I.am.in.LOVE.

check out all of them!

I am also in love with the knitted Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy figures. of course.
especially the knitted Ford Prefect.

X-mas purse pics

2006-01-03T22:10:00.000-06:00

So... I forgot to post a finished picture of the purse I made for my aunt Karen.

She kindly sent me a picture! (I wrapped it before I realized that I had not taken a finished photo.)

Before:

After:

Other finished projects, and some not-so-finished

2005-12-20T09:46:00.000-06:00

Well, the x-mas presents are getting done... I finished the woven scarf I was making... for dru. I turned out quite nicely, if I do say so myself. I hope she likes it. The warp is varigated-dyed cascade 220, woven with plain white and beige cascade 220 and some great, slightly fuzzy mohair-y stuff she gave me two years ago- vintage yarn from the 1970s!

The felted purse for my aunt is done... but I forgot to take a picture of it before I wrapped it. oops.
it turned out nicely.

the other thing I finished this weekend was a nice new hat, made out of this great alpaca hat, cause my other hats were not warm enough or ugly.

I made it out of Alpaca With A Twist- Big Baby Bulky, which is very very soft. It's a modified pattern of the Fun Flapper Hat, but as I can't seem to remember to actually DO 4 x 1 rib, and invariably end up with 3 x 1 rib (I've made this pattern 3 times. each time, i goof and do 3 x 1 rib.) Anyway, it works with 3 x 1 rib, you just have to change the decrease a bit. I also changed the type of decrease, cause I don't like the way P2tog looks, so it's a K2tog decrease, and I added a few rows so it would cover my ears. Finally found a use for the scraps of bulky brown yarn from x-mas 2 years ago. Really, I save everything.
This hat turned out to be very warm, which is just what I need right now, since it's sub-zero temps out.

The last thing that I've been working on is not-so-finished. It's this crazy monster scarf that danno wanted... special for cold-weather motorcyling. i picked a nice, soft merino superwash... it's Schoeller and Stahl Limbo Superwash... in two nice shades of green... and it's really fine... and it's going to take me forever.

It's about 6 inches long right now. it needs to be much much longer. He wanted it very warm, so I'm doing it in the round, so it's double, but then, it's going to get wider in the middle to cover his chest and it's going to (hopefully) have a chin cup, to fit snugly around his chin. I have several helpful suggestions for than, both of which I'm going to have to try first.

I've named it the Monster.

Further updates will follow.

Nosewarmers!

2005-12-20T08:46:00.000-06:00

The nosewarmers are done!

I had gotten the inspiration from the knitty.com pattern, but as I had never done a toe-up sock, and didn't really have time to learn, I decided to make my own pattern. I think they turned out a little more cone-like than the knitty pattern, which really does look like the toe of a sock.

So, in case you care, here's the pattern I devised:
I used my trusty no. 5 addi turbo circular, but this pattern could easily be done on double pointed needles.
CO 36 sts, with the addi turbo method, that's 18 sts on each needle.
Row 1 & 2: K1, P1 (for a nice little rib st)
R 3 & 4: K (while knitting one of these rows, place a marker between sts 9 and 10, marking the middle)
R 5: *K until 3 before the marker, K2tog, K1, slip marker, K1, K2tog, K until end of needle*, on the next needle, repeat *-*
R6: K (you should have 16 sts on each needle, 32 total)
R7: repeat R5
R8: K (you should have 14 sts on each needle, 28 total)
R9: repeat R5
R10: K (you should have 12 sts on each needle, 24 total)
R11: repeat R5
R12: K (you should have 10 sts on each needle, 20 total)
R13: repeat R5
R14: K (you should have 8 sts on each needle, 16 total)
R15: K1, K2tog, K1, slip marker, K1, K2tog, K1, repeat on next needle.
R16: K (you should have 6 sts on each needle, 12 total)
R17: K1, K2tog, slip marker, K2tog, K1, repeat on next needle.
R18: K (you should have 4 sts on each needle, 8 total)
Finish with the fabulous Kitchener stitch and add tassle and strings on the side.
Put on nose!
My lovely (and very scary) Polish doll models the finished nosewarmer, though hers could be a bit smaller. It's like a pointy mask on her.

This pattern would work well on 4 dble pointed needles, instead of using a marker in the middle of the row, that would be the end of needle 1, beginning of needle 2, so a pattern row would be:
R 5: K until 3 before the end of needle 1, K2tog, K1, start needle 2- K1, K2tog, K until end of needle, on repeat on needles 3 & 4.

These will make strange stocking stuffers!

Finished two things last night!

2005-12-13T09:18:00.000-06:00

Well, the "Sophie" bag is finally finished, just have to felt it now. I managed to squeak by with just enough beige yarn (after the addition of the green stripes!) and I used up all of the target novelty yarn, so I added a fringe-y top stripe of purple eyelash yarn.

I think it turned out nicely, and am anxious to see how it felts. This is my second experience with cascade 220, and the first bag I made with it was quite successful- it felts wonderfully.

Unlike the brown sheep yarn I used for the evening bag X-mas present, which just won't felt down as far as I want it to. I've washed it probably 6 times and I can still see stitches. grr. It will go in the washer with this one.

I also finished up the baby hat- two pictures- a almost finished pic, then a finished one, with it's little multi-colored stem! It's very soft and fuzzy. Hopefully it will fit Kate's baby when it needs a warm fuzzy hat, not, say, in the middle of summer.

trying this pattern

2005-12-07T13:50:00.000-06:00

i am just starting the pattern "sophie" (it's a purse) for my aunt for x-mas. here's the pattern: http://www.magknits.com/warm04/patterns/sophie.htm
so far, so good. i am positively impressed by the lack of "waste yarn." it's one of those knit-the-bottom of the bag, then pick up stitches around the sides and knit the whole bag, sans seams, from the bottom up. i like those types of patterns, since they
A) make nicely shaped bags
B) are realitvely easy

but most of them have you knit a few rows of garter sts in waste yarn, then when you've finished the bottom of the bag and are ready to pick up stitches around the sides, you are supposed to remove the waste yarn and pick up the "live" sts on that side.

it works, but is a bit of a pain.

this fine pattern has you simply pick up and knit along each side. very simple. i may never use waste yarn again.

i'm working in cascade 220, color 8010, which is a nice off-white, and am going to add in some nice, brightly colored novelty yarn- the type that is little squares on string, changes color- got it in the one spot at target. hope i have enough. i bought it a while ago and the yarn they had is long gone. my aunt likes bold colors, i was told, so hopefully she will like this purse.

knitting for x-mas

2005-12-07T08:49:00.000-06:00

so... holiday crafting is in high gear. finished up 2 pairs of socks, one purse, and another that is in the washing maching felting at this moment.
in process: another felt purse, super-fine knit scarf for my honey (aarrgh! the needles are sooo small!).
planned: baby hat and booties for the baby shower on the 22nd, and maybe a few nosewarmers.
we'll see.
what is a nosewarmer? http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTnosewarmer.html
i really want to make a few for fun stocking stuffers and a kid gift... but i've never tried a toe-up sock before and i'm a little nervous. the pattern says that it only takes an hour, but we'll see.
must start knitting on the bus.