FOs: Shopping Bag & Cotton Candy Scarf

This is the second time I have made a cotton shopping bag using a free pattern from the Lion Brand website. My intent was to improve the length of the strap by using fewer stitches. It turned out great, I just wish I could remember exactly how many stitches I used for the strap! I think it is time to move on to other shopping bag patterns in future, however...

The cotton candy scarf uses one skein of Lana Grossa Dasolo Print on US 13 (9.0 mm) needles. The pattern is as follows:

Cast On 10 stitches
K2, * yo, p2tog, K2; rep from *
Repeat this pattern for every row until you nearly run out of yarn but make sure you save enough for the bind off!

The scarf is the first of what I hope will be several items to donate to a local charity. My deadline is October 1st. I am hoping to make a variety of items, in both knit and crochet :)

WIP update

Nanners socks - still love them, just haven't worked on them lately!

Nemisis (Clapotis) - nearly there, I am decreasing like crazy now and plan to finish no later than Labor Day :)

It's been awhile...

...but I have been knitting! And reading... And Plurking... My Ravelry participation has decreased but I have managed to keep my projects updated there.

Let's see, what is off my needles?
1. Accordion Cowl Hood by Diane Serviss - using gray boucle from stash
2. The Socks of Extreme Angst - using Austermann Step and Ann Budd's basic formula for making socks
3. My Scrap Happy Shawl - using a variety of samples and leftovers from my stash, this project was inspired by Miss Violet's post here. I may have a better picture of this project for the blog at some point LOL!


On my needles:
1. Nanners Socks! I am really loving this pattern, I think WendyKnits is a fab designer and a great person in general!
2. Another cotton shopping bag - using the same pattern as before but shortening the strap considerably so it won't hang down to my ankles when filled. I also went down in needle size to see if that helps too...
3. Nemesis - this is a project which is rumored to be a Clapotis, that's all I will say for now...

What's coming next?
1. More blog posts, to this and my other blogs.
2. Something for myself from More Big Girl Knits.
3. A crochet project... lace or amigurumi...
4. Catching up with the Plurkette Hencircle
5. Working with my local knit group on our ongoing charity projects...

Finally! A project to use up that boucle stuff...

IMG_1503
Originally uploaded by pudmuddles.

I can understand my temporary insanity with respect to the dozen or so balls of fun fur still lurking in my stash. I have a plan for eradication which includes amigurumi crochet creatures.

The other novelty yarn (at least I consider it a novelty) is all the boucle I have laying around. There was the bit I bought to knit up the dreaded never-ending poncho of which I think I still have a full skein, if not more. Then there is a skein of BLACK boucle which is going to be a nightmare, no matter what I decide to do with it. I can't crochet with it, that much I know... Finally, there was a BIG skein of Joann's Rainbow Boucle in pink. This was an impulse buy. I think Joann's had it on sale for $3, marked down from $6. It was a thorn in my side as I had tried to make a hat for my daughter but I wasn't happy with my results so I left the yarn alone for about a year.

As part of my ongoing mission to knit 95% of the time from my stash exclusively, I decided it was time to figure out something to do with this. I tried to hold two strands together but couldn't see the stitches at all! I settled on pairing the pink boucle with a white wool-ease sportweight (oh how I wish this stuff wasn't discontinued).

I used Ann Budd's basic pattern for mittens and though it was difficult to obtain an accurate gauge AND the first mitten came out too large, I am very pleased with how these turned out :) Best of all, I have a plan to deal with the rest of boucle as I will be knitting up mittens for my daughters as well!

FO: ribbed arm warmers

IMG_1504
Originally uploaded by pudmuddles.

I've named these Greensleeves for obvious reasons. Made from LB wool-ease, from my stash. This was a relative quick and mindless knit... at least this incarnation was easy! I originally set out to demo a friend's pattern but soon realized that "one size fits most" doesn't include my small-ish hands. So I tinkered and this is what I came up with :)

Cheap Date

lacesamplershrug
Originally uploaded by pudmuddles.

This project had been languishing in my WIP pile. I think I started and frogged about 3 times before I finally powered through. I purchased the yarn (Lion Brand Suede) about a year ago at the 99 cents only store and used just a bit over 2 skeins. Not accounting for my time and effort, the materials for this project was less than $3. Pretty cool, if you ask me!

The pattern is from an episode of Knitty Gritty (DKNG-510) and it is called the Lace Sampler Shrug.

Flawed but functional

shoppingbag
Originally uploaded by pudmuddles.

I have a bit of cotton in my stash which was screaming to be something useful. I know that washcloths are really popular with a great many crafters but I am just not one. Anyway, I was looking around for patterns and came across this on the Lion Brand website. I liked the strap construction but found that it still stretched a bit more than I wanted and the sides did not match up perfectly when it was sewn together. I will be making this patten again but plan to go down a needle size and cast on 10-20 fewer stitches for the strap.

Bustin' stash and going green... How awesome is that?

Second Sock Indecision

I call this project THE SOCK OF EXTREME ANGST. The yarn was a gift of friendship and I loved it so that I decided to make my first pair of "just-for-me" socks. My daughters each have at least one pair of hand knit socks and I thought it was my turn.

Though it seems like I have been working on these FOREVER, they were actually started just after the New Year. From the beginning, I had a series of mishaps. First I swatched and started knitting on size 1s but didn't like how it was turning out so I frogged it, and went down to size 0s. Ok, no problem... right? Wrong! I forgot to swatch again on the smaller needles so the sock was too small. Fortunately, I was only about an inch into the cuff when I figured this out. Rippit, rippit! Still ignoring the need to swatch again, I cast on more stitches and went for it... This time I was up to the gusset when I realized that the sock was way TOO BIG! Rippit, rippit!

Finally, I swatched and started yet again. The yarn was starting to look a little sad and abused but I charged through because by this point my frustration was at a critical level.

About this time, I had a major disagreement with the lady who runs a local knitting group, of which I had been a member for about a year. I refused to be bullied so I prepared to make my exit from that group. For the very first time in my life, a hobby was causing me a great deal of stress but I would not give up...

The sock you see here still seems a little large, especially in the heel. I have not Kitchener stiched it closed. My gauge is fine, I simply picked the wrong size. I think I may actually be in between sizes and if I sat down with all of the numbers could write up my own variation of the recipe.

Now comes the indecision... Do I knit the second sock to match the first? Do I knit a slightly smaller sock with a slightly shorter cuff in an attempt to get two more socks out of the yarn I have left? Do I put the whole thing away and look through my sock yarn stash for a change of scenery, maybe cast on a different pattern in a different yarn? For now, I think I will sleep on it...

BTW, I am now part of another local crafting group which has a completely different vibe to it, it is very refreshing (and inspirational)...

Now, We're Talkin'!

This is my second variation on the popular Booga Bag. I cast on more stitches (48) than the pattern called for, knit a larger bottom panel, and picked up more stitches in the round. I knit until I ran out of yarn and I am thrilled with the results! So these are fall colors? I don't mind!

About the yarn: Patons Classic Merino in Chestnut and a red-orange (I don't know what the color was called).

On a happier note...

Here is my latest finished object... my version of the Booga Bag.

This was made utilizing two different felt-able yarns in my stash: Patons Classic Merino in Chestnut and Bernat Lana in Smoke (I think). A quick easy knit, I think I will be making another soon to take my mind off of my recent WIP disasters. I will likely tweak this pattern a bit to make a larger finished bag.

Also, I am considering embellishing these bags with needle felting, a skill I hope to learn in the near future!

FO: Socks!

socks4a
Originally uploaded by pudmuddles.

This is the fourth pair of socks completed though I had started them before the pink fixation pair. I think I am ready for something more challenging than the ribbed socks but I have just loved making these and I wish I knew what the yarn was... oh well! ...and now... back to Christmas stockings :)

FO: Presenting... The Never-Ending Poncho!

Start Date: Mid-September 2006
Finished: August 27, 2007

Pattern: Bernat Soft Boucle Poncho
Yarn: Bernat Soft Boucle in (26928) Grey Shades
Needles: size US 10

Comments: Why on Earth would it take so long to finish? It was an easy pattern, knitted flat, in two pieces which are seamed together and based nearly entirely on stockinette stitch. In short, BORING!

I bought the yarn after seeing a crocheted poncho in one of the magazines but due to the nature of the yarn, I found it nearly impossible to crochet with. So I decided to knit something similar and this is what I came up with. Despite the simplicity of the pattern, I soon found my attention wavering and I set it aside more than once to knit a variety of hats, etc. Then my knitting group got me hooked on socks! So after almost a year, here it is, my poncho... one less little fuzzy monkey on my back :)

My Sock Yarn Stash :)

Awwwww, isn't it precious? Since I outgrew my sock yarn bag, I felt it was time to refer to my sock yarn as a stash though I know it is still quite small. I wasn't able to get my hands on Panda Cotton during my last trip to Santa Cruz, but I did come away with a few nice selections, including some much needed pink Fixation for my oldest daughter. I'm on a sock fast at the moment while I get my review reading caught up...

And here's sock #3

I really love the yarn, I have no clue as to what it is exactly as it was a gift :) These are for my youngest and I should have enough yarn left to make another pair or maybe two though I will likely make the cuffs shorter!

My first pair of SOCKS!

I'm pretty impressed with myself and grateful to Darcy and Mindy for getting me started... Here's the proof :)

Happy Hat: another project from January

Made with Red Heart "Tropical Fruits" I had purchased years ago and modeled by my daughter :)

What I am working on...

MY FIRST PAIR OF SOCKS (for my daughter)!!!

Thanks to my knitting buddies Darcy (for some wonderful yarn and dpns) and Mindy (for more yarn plus a demo to get me started), I am on the road to what is sure to be a lifelong love of socks. Now, if I only had a picture to post...