If You Want to Destroy My Sweater…

Blah Blah Blah

Hmm, It seems that It’s been a while since I last posted, huh? I’ve finished the scarf I was making for my Scarf Swap (did I already post about that?) and I’ve been working on my Hogwarts Socks, but I have until the end of October to finish them.

Besides knitting on those socks, I’ve been working on a design that I actually sent off to Knitty.com for the winter issue. That’s all I can say about it, really, but I’m really excited!

I’ve also been trying out a new way of Dyeing that doesn’t involve Kool-Aid, which is how I used to dye my Self Striping Sock Yarn. With Kool-aid, I was limited with Colors, no Blue or Green, because no store around me sold those colors. So, I’ve been dyeing a few skeins of Sock Yarn to put up in my shop in a few days.

And now, I’m looking for something else to knit. I know I posted about those mittens and that hat in the last post, but I’m not feeling either of those. I’ll search around on Ravelry for a while an see what I come up with.

Adios!

Stuff I want to knit.

I just finished my Scarf Swap Scarf about half an hour ago! Yay! I’m glad to have it done, it seemed to drag on forever… I can’t post a picture, not yet, I don’t want to spoil the surprise for my partner. After she gets it, though, I’ll post a pic. It turned out awesome, I totally want to keep it for myself…

Over the past few days I’ve spotted a few things to add to my to-knit list. First:

While watching my favorite show, Gilmore Girls, I saw Rory wearing this hat:

(It’s a little bit difficult to take a clear picture of the TV, even off of a Hi-Def one.) Anyway, I really liked it (Again, I’ve got a thing for cables!) So I’m going to try to re-create it, only better. That one looks quite… machine-made?

Second, I spotted these mittens in the latest issue of Knit Simple:

I love them! The little snowflake motif, just a little colorwork, and the contrasting band around the cuff. Yep, I defiantly like them. Before I cast on for either of these, I have to at least get a good chunk done on my Hogwarts socks.

Okay, I’m gonna work on those socks a little and then Hit the Hay. Night!!

20% off Sale, what should I use for Straps? and Hogwarts Sock Swap!

Everything in my little Shop is on sale! 20% off all but the pattern download. So, snatch up the rest of the leftovers in my shop before it goes.

I finished the body of the cabled purse!

I think it turned out very well! I love it! I have a weakness for cable-y things.

For the lining, I used a fat quarter from my stash, Strawberrys! They matched, I thought they where cute.

Now, I just have to figure out something for the straps. The pattern calls for knitted ones, but I don’t want stretched out straps. I think I’ll get some fancy leather ones or something next time I’m at Joann’s.

Today, I have been working on my swap scarf, and I’m a little over half way there. I also signed up for the Hogwarts Sock Swap TWO! Yay! This is so exciting. I’m supposed to post the questionairre on my blog to earn house points, soo;

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into? Hufflepuff!

2. Shoe size? Woman’s size 9.5

3. Foot Length? 10in

4. Foot Circumference? About 9in

5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.

a. Crystal Palace Bamboo, US size 2, 8in

b. Susan Bates Silvalume, US Size 2, 7in.

c. Clover “Takumi” Premium Bamboo, US Size 2, 7in.

6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length? I like to make my socks on Size 2 needles, and I don’t like the short DPNs, 7 in is my favorite length. I’d like to try those Brittany Birch ones, or those fancy Lantern Moon ones.

7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference? N/A

8. Allergies? Do you have any? Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals? I don’t have any allergies. My house has 2 cats, but it’s not like the get all over my knitting or anything. And no smoke either.

9. Are you an international participant (outside US)? Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal? I am not international, and I don’t think I’d be willing to have an International Partner.

If you want to join in the Hogwarts fun, sign ups started on the 14th, so go sign up now!!!

Oy, the purses.

All I wanted was to knit a cute purse that fit my keys and wallet and chapstick. That’s it. I have a nice big fancy purse, but I just wanted to knit a cute little one. Apparently, It didn’t want to be knit.

First was the Squatty Sidekick. It was cute, but a little too small, so I gave it to my mom. Then, I tried out Sophie:

This one was the right size, but there was just something about it that I wasn’t keen on. It’s a bit boring for my tastes, I think. Again, this one went to my mom, and she gave me back the Squatty Sidekick.

Sooo, I looked all over the internet for another purse pattern, and remembered one from Drops Design:

Super Cute! I thought this was the one, but the pattern was a different story. First, you start off by casting on 88 sts. Okay, I can do that. Then, you knit 8 rounds in garter stitch. Okay, I can do that too. Then, you increase from 88 up to 220 stitches in one round. Eh, what? Even if you knit in the front and back of each of those 88 sts, thats only 176 sts. No where near 220. So, I improvised a bit and increased over 2 rounds. Okay, now I have 220 stitches. I start the cable pattern and I realize that 220 sts is way to many for my liking, the rounds are just taking Tooooo long.

Then, I found the “Long” version of the same bag:

It’s almost as cute as the short version. I read the pattern over, and you only have 140 sts on your needle after increasing. Much more reasonable than the 220 of the short version, and I figure I’ll just make it shorter to get the same basic look. We’ll see how that goes. That’s my plan and I’m sticking to it. I’ll keep you posted.

Right now, I’m heading out the door to go see the next Harry Potter movie. Adios!!

Mom’s Squatty Sidekick

I was thinking about felting a purse yesterday, so I jumped on Ravelry to find a pattern and Remembered the Squatty Sidekick. I first saw this knitted by Ruth, and I really loved hers, and have been wanting to make one ever since. So, I did.

Cute, huh? I think it turned out Awesome. I originally started it for me, but It turned out a little bit small for me, and Mom really liked it, so I let her have it.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool. I can never sing the praises of Cascade enough. It’s my favorite all around wool, it comes in a billion colors, and it’s just really great. I had never felted with it before, and I’ll tell you, I’ll never felt with Lamb’s Pride again! Cascade felts perfectly, and quickly too.

Pattern: Amanda’s Squatty Sidekick. For a while this pattern wasn’t available, but now, if you register for the Knitting Daily Newsletter, you can have access to it.

Needles: US Size 10.5 29″ Circular

Button: Vintage from my Great Grandma’s Button Stash.

I’m still in the mood for a felted purse, and since this one went to my mom, I think I’ll try my hand at a Sophie, knit out of Cascade 220, of course!!