the great stash-bust of 2011

i've made a resolution for perhaps the first time in history. i have an obscene (and surprisingly high-quality, considering my budget) stash of yarn, 95% of which was bought just because i liked it in the moment. now it is taking up space and doing nothing to curb my desire for more yarn... so i must be rid of it! and since i have been SPINNING--yes! it's amazing! addictive!--i have to find some excuse to do it more... "i am out of yarn" sounds like a good one to me. :) :) :)

so. the plan is to knit right on through my stash, give away the random leftovers, and spin my own when i need yarn for projects. from here on i will spin and dye yarns specifically for a given project, with as few exceptions as possible. as fiber is cheaper than yarn, i feel justified. plus i get to be twice as productive by doing it all myself. *rawr*

i'm quite proud of my planning skills at this point too, since i have managed to choose a project ahead of time for almost all my stashed yarn. i wonder if they are happier knowing their destinies are predetermined...

morale builder stockings PDF

Morale Builder Stockings pattern

ravelry store!

i finally designed a pattern worth selling, i think... so now i have a ravelry store :). "twilight knitting"

first pattern for sale - modesty

grandpa slippers

*this pattern is a slight variation on Anna Peck's "Lightning Quick Slippers" published on Knitting up a Storm. Thank you to her for allowing me to post a man-sized version of these great slippers!*

grandpa slippers

these guys should fit a typical man's foot - yarn is stretchy. but if your guy has smaller feet, size down the needle (or use wool and felt them!) and see what happens.

materials:
at least three DPNs of the same size - 10.5 or 11 US
aran or heavy worsted weight yarn, held double (i used red heart super saver), less than one skein (~250y)
tapestry needle

foot/toe section
CO 17 stitches
rows 1- 25 garter stitch
row 26: RS: SSK, knit to the last 2 stitches, K2tog. (15 sts)
... now work 6 more rows in garter stitch. put a marker on this row.
row 31: k 13, turn, sl 1, k10, turn, sl 1, knit to the end.
...work in garter stitch for 44 rows.
row 76: RS: SSK, knit to last 2 stitches, k2tog. (13sts)
work 5 rows in Stockinette Stitch.
row 82: k5, skpo, k6 (12sts)
work 7 rows in garter stitch.
BO.

sewing the foot/toe section
with WS facing, fold on the row where your marker was placed. sew both sides of the foot together and turn right-side out.

heel section
pick up 10 stitches along the right side of the heel with one needle, then 9 stitches along the back of the heel with a second, and 10 more stitches along the left side of the heel with a third needle. DO NOT JOIN... they are worked back-and-forth.
rows 1-6: knit/garter stitch
row 7: knit 21, turn, sl 1, knit 12, turn, sl 1, knit to end
row 8: BO

finishing
sew the sides of the heel to the sides of the foot, weave in all ends, and voila. slippers to keep grandpa's (or dad's, or hubby's, or uncle's...) feet nice and toasty.

woodland denizens mobile project - done!

whew! this was fun and made me feel very productive--i so rarely finish knitting projects, and this one took less than two weeks. it's for my gestating son, since he will be sharing a room with his older sister and as of now the room is all fairies and butterflies... here come the bugs! hehe.

patterns are a mix of originals and ravelry patterns - see the project for details or my patterns on this blog. there are two mushrooms, a snail, a dragonfly, and a caterpillar, with a large mushroom as the centerpiece.

erythemis simplici-knittus : dragonfly pattern

another original from my "woodland denizens" mobile project. he lives in the enchanted forest and eats dewdrops from the many mushrooms found amongst the undergrowth.

knit in two colors and about 5" long finished. i used a bit of mystery scrap yarn for the wings so unfortunately i cannot say what it is or where it was from... pretty colors, though, no?

yarns
vanna solid worsted in ? (purple) - body
?? sport/baby weight - wings & eyes

needles
set of 4 DPNs size 2 or 3

pattern for body
CO 6
join and knit one round
kfb all
k all
kfb all - 24 st
next 4 rounds: k all
[k2, k2tog]
k all
[k2tog] - 9 st
next 20 rounds: k all
k2tog, [k]
k all
k2tog, [k]
k all
k all
k2tog, [k] - 6 st
k all
[k2tog]
k last 3 st, break and pull yarn through to close up tail

pattern for wings
(knit flat, make 2)
CO 2
[k]
[kfb]
[k]
[k]
kfb, k, k, kfb
next 10 rows: [k]
k2, k2tog, k2
[k]
k, k2tog, k2
[k]
k2tog, k2tog - 2 st
next 5 rows: [k]
kfb, kfb
[k]
k, kfb, k2
[k]
k2, kfb, k2
next 10 rows: [k]
k2tog, k2, k2tog
[k]
[k]
[k2tog]
[k]
bind off

construction
arrange wings in an x-shape on the back just behind the head, attach with yarn needle as you like. eyes were done by wrapping yarn around a few stitches on the head. legs could be made using small i-cord or even just looped yarn...

erythemis simplici-knittus, playing with his pals

(patterns for other critters linked on my ravelry project page)

amanita not-so-scaria : large mushroom pattern

the centerpiece of the "woodland denizens" mobile i knit for my gestating son. i wanted a slightly dark feel to it, so i opted for a deeper red and off-white yarns instead of the typical bright red/bright white. the mushroom was knit top-down in three pieces and stitched together. there are patterns out there for knit-at-once mushrooms but they are MUCH smaller than this one. i also gauged it looser than most toys are knit, because frankly i was lazy and wanted it to knit quickly. you may want to use smaller needles for a tighter fabric!


edits were made to the pattern and construction after the piece was finished when i saw all sorts of things i should've done! i.e., the pattern is better than my finished work.

yarns
knitpicks DK swish in hollyberry
red heart worsted in soft white
?? worsted, some sort of tan
?? worsted, some sort of brown

needles
set of 4 DPNs size 9 (see note above)

pattern for red cap
CO 4 to one DPN
work first round in i-cord style: kfb, k1, kfb, k1
distribute to 3 DPNs and join, knit one round
kfb all st - 16 total
k all st
[kfb, k1]
k all st
[kfb, k1]
k all st
[kfb, k2]
k all st
[kfb, k3]
k all st
...repeat pattern, adding one stitch to the k's until the cap is as big as you want it.* then bind off.
i knit my cap to about 36 stitches per needle, end size approx. 6.5" diameter (the size of my hand with fingers outspread).

*revision note: i recommend actually adding 10-15 solid knit rows at the end to give the cap some curve, like a hat. otherwise your mushroom will look like mine - a flying saucer. hehe.

pattern for underside of cap
repeat as above with a different color, but don't add the solid knit rows at the end (if you did for the red cap).

pattern for stem
CO 20 st, join on DPNs
knit 17 rounds - or as many as you like for the stem length
[k2, k2tog] - 14st
k
[k1, k2tog] - 10st
k
[k2tog] - 5 st
...bind off.

pattern for white dots on cap
using the off-white yarn and a yarn needle, wrap 4, 6, or 9 stitches on the red cap. or you could crochet into fabric, or weave spirals. felt dots would work too. use your imagination to style it the way you like!

construction
i sewed the caps together inside-out (leaving a space to stuff with filling) and then turned them right-side out, stuffed, and finished the seam. then i stuffed and attached the stem to the underside.



voila, big fat amanita not-so-scaria. the perfect shelter for a small gnome to get out of the rain :)

hair pics, before and after indigo and dye removal

BEFORE - two-tone crazy hair:


AFTER - ALL RED! (thanks to effasol):

the mermaid's net shawl patttern

i named this one after it was finished and on the model--i realized it kinda looks like a fishing net, and imagined a mermaid finding it, abandoned in the deep, and turning it into a stylish piece of fashion. by pure coincidence the yarn color is "sailor." ha.

yarn: knitpicks shine worsted in sailor, 2.5 balls (75yards/50g ball)
*note--the beauty of this piece comes primarily from the gorgeous drape of this soft, silky yarn. i can't promise a successful result if you use anything that doesn't have a weighty drape!
needles: US15
stitch: garter. yep. that's it.

the pattern

CO about 40st, depending on how long you want it (vertically when worn)

knit every row (garter stitch) for at least 40 inches, or to the length you desire.

bind off loosely.

now the fun part...
the key to this pattern is the seam, which is created by joining the bound off end of one side *perpendicular* to the last 10 or 12" of the long edge of the other side. this creates the asymmetrical hang and diagonal decorative seam in the center. if you knit the shawl too long (i.e. there is too much circumference) you can easily size it to fit by moving your seam a little higher up on the long edge (though this will slightly change the shape of the final product).

hope you like it!

a hair pic

i finally realized my hair is actually super long and i can do all kinds of fun things with it! this is my first attempt at a braided chinese bun (don't mind the flyaways, it's 6 hours old at this point):

you can really see the contrast between dyed/henna'd brown and regular henna!

newborn mitts knitting pattern

these were created for my incubating baby girl, so she doesn't scratch herself with those sure-to-be-sharp little baby nails. they are so tiny and cute and were a really fast knit!

i used two yarns i found in my mom's stash, just some cheap, roughly equal-weight little yarns, probably sport or maybe fingering. gauge is not important as long as you use a small enough yarn and needle so they will fit little hands.

this used maybe 10 yards of yarn… knitted flat and seamed.

CO 40 in multi-colored yarn
rows 1-6 knit in 1x1 rib

switch to white yarn...
rows 7-12 in stockinette
row 13: *k3, k2tog*
row 14: purl
row 15: *k2, k2tog*
row 16: purl
row 17: knit
row 18: purl
row 19: *k1 k2tog*
row 20: purl
row 21: *k2tog*
cut yarn and pull it through stitches to close top appropriately, with knit side facing out.
seam up the side, turn inside out, and voila! note: i wove a piece of yarn through the wrist to create a drawstring closure.

15 minutes to cute mitts!

(this is my first pattern--yes, it is very simple--but i hope it isn't too laughable...)

joining/founding a women's group

last night i was invited to go to some kind of group therapy event, which turned out to be a lecture on how to start a women's group... and while, honestly, i got a bit tired of hearing our presenter speak, it actually seems like it will be a really fantastic way to connect with some awesome chicks. and the presenter will not be in the group, so that works for me.

i'm actually kind of excited, despite not really feeling like i "need" this as much as some of the other ladies... i have karen, traci, kendra, etc, plus this full moon group, plus my mom and sister in town, so i don't often feel like there aren't good women around who 'get me.' but having said that, it certainly can't hurt to make more friends and hang out with them.

it's interesting though, for the first time in my life i feel surrounded by women that i actually like! normally i either do not have many female friends period, or i just don't like them that much to want to actually hang out with them. these days that seems to be changing and i think i am actually starting to prefer women (in general).

i am really hoping these girls knit, or crochet, or something... incorporating a stitch n bitch night every now and then would be the best thing ever.

knit list and reason for absence

i am pregnant, so i've been spending all my free time blogging about that specifically. if you want the link just let me know...

but in the meantime, i have a list of non-baby-related things i need to knit and this seems like the most sensible place to keep it.

priority:
karen's gift
shannon's gift

xmas:
sweater for matt?? at least scarf and mitts
scarf and hat for james
scarf and mitts for melissa
body sock thing for mom? maybe a bolero
slippers for dad? something like that.

the business of being born

update/review: i'm going to use a terrible word to describe this documentary--riveting. seriously. i watched about 3/4 of it last night and only pulled myself away because i was exhausted and needed sleep. i can't wait to go home and finish it... i really felt something connective watching those women (and men) go through the birthing process. i learned a lot, too.

i plan to watch this movie on the oh-so-awesome "instant" netflix tonight. i was intrigued by all the controversy with the AMA and Ricki Lake, and then when i watched the trailer i decided i have to see it. i'm excited; i think it might get me all fired-up though.

i'll post a review tomorrow. btw, eff the AMA for the arrogance of assuming they have any say on how/where/when women give birth. and for getting pissed that this documentary tries to empower women with information. there could be nothing any less their business than an experience as intimate as birth.

a hair post

so. my hair is officially "long" these days, and let me tell you, i am loving it. i was having some issues with fairy-tale ends (you know when it is really fine and straggly at the ends) so i spent about an hour over the weekend snipping away at the splits whenever i found one, and i ended up with some pretty ridiculously uneven ends. enter mom to save the day...

she gave me a mini-trim to even it out and between the two cuts i lost about 1/2 inch *sigh* but my hair does look a lot healthier. i'm crossing my fingers for a fast grow-back.

and while i'm on the subject: henna. i'm getting frustrated by always having orange roots! it wouldn't be a problem--i look ok with orange hair--but since my length is so dark i just look like i am always overdue for a dye. i don't really know what to do about it other than quit the henna altogether... and that would mean y e a r s of weird blonde roots slowly catching up to the dark-brown length. ah, no thanks. :\

new yarn

pretty, huh?

knitting projects (actual)

ok so these are 2 of 3 of my works-in-progress. first is the bag, then the little wallety thing:

note about this blue thing: i used a yarn much smaller than what the pattern called for (i think) so i tried to compensate by doubling the amount of stitches and ended up with a way-too-wide rectangle! so i decided to improvise and re-work the pattern, and i am very proud to say i think it's going to turn out just fine. i should be finished with it tomorrow :)

woodland escapades

i don't know if it was an overdose of alice in wonderland as a child, too many shrooms as an adult, or just a weird obsession of mine, but i really love mushrooms. i love the way they look and the fact that they remind me of fairies and elves and other wee folk... they seem to be growing everywhere i look, lately, so i've been taking photos.

knitting projects

so i am learning to knit, and as usual, already obsessed with it and tackling over-ambitious projects. here's what i'm working on right now...

from glampyre knits (mine will be rust-colored):

from grittyknits (i'm making several in various colors):

and i have one more no-pattern project that i will post when it's done. it's my first attempt at a bag, so i have mediocre hopes that it won't totally suck. lol.

intro

hi, i'm rhiannon and this is my blog. nice to meet you.

until i get around to posting, check out the links on the right... a good mix of the fun and frivolous and the seriously scary.

bye!