21 posts tagged “fo”
Pattern: Houndstooth Purse by Mary Jane Hall, from Crochet Today! May/June 2009
Yarn: Plymouth Encore in #678 Gray and #217 Black, less than 1 skein each
Hook: H
Skill level: Easy
Satisfaction with end result: Not too shabby! This is the first purse I've made that is tailored, after a fashion: in other words, not a tote or market bag of some sort. Spouse's first thought was "How fast can you make those? I can sell them on eBay!" Sorry, dear, that would be a violation of copyright. I haven't tried carrying it, yet, so I don't know how practical it is, but it sure is cute.
One of the advantages of taking such a long break from blogging is spending more time making stuff to blog about. (When not screwing around on Facebook, that is.) This morning, I finished this blanket:
Pattern: Airy Spring Throw by Marianne Forestal, from Crochet Today! Mar/Apr 2009
Yarn: Bernat Berella 4 in Winter White, roughly 8 1/2 skeins, or 1568 yards.
Hook: H and J
Skill level: Easy peasy
Satisfaction with end result: LOVE!!! I don't think the picture does it justice. This is flat gorgeous, if I do say so myself. And the fabric, once the finished piece had been washed and dried, is soooo soft and cozy, but still lightweight. It's intended as a gift. Now I just have to discover who I made it for.
So, um, I finally return to the world of knitblogs (or crochet blogs, as the case may be). Curse that newfound addiction to Facebook! To make up for the looooooong absence, I have project pics. Completed project pics, even.
My "Denimbrigo Vest", so called because it's loosely based on Julia Vaconsin's Malabrigo Top from Interweave Crochet, but made with Rowan Denim rather than Malabrigo Lace.
Bamboo washcloths, a quickie little gift knit for the sole purpose of using two remaining skeins of Bernat Bamboo.
Two cowls are currently blocking. I'll get those posted sometime in the next couple of days. I'm not even going to try to review the knit and crochet magazines that have accumulated in the last couple of months. We'll start fresh with the fall issues when they show up.
Finished last night....I call it my California Poppy:
Pattern: Ring Around the Posie by Tammy Hildebrand from Interweave Crochet Spring 2008.
Yarn: Bamboozle from Crystal Palace Yarns, color Ember Glow, 9 skeins.
Size: 45"
Satisfaction with end product: LOVE LOVE LOVE!
MODS: Used size K hook because I couldn’t find the J. 11 motifs for
side strips; 5 motifs for back center strip; 4 motifs for center front.
The extra motifs on side and back strips added necessary length; using
4 motifs for the front gave the finished piece a deeper front neckline
which is more flattering to my (ample) figure. Eliminated side gusset
and used single crochet for seaming.
The neckline isn’t really crooked: Just before spouse snapped the pic, I had adjusted the straps on the cami under the shirt so they wouldn’t show and accidentally hiked the neck up a tad too much on one side.
I wore it to work today and loved every minute of it.
First, I'll show you the pretty one:
Pattern: Petunia Tote by Katie Himmelberg, from Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Yarn: Bernat Gloucester Sport (I'd link to it, but it's discontinued) in French Blue, 660 yards
Satisfaction with end result: I really like it. It's the perfect spring/summer casual running around town bag. The lining really sets it off, as you can see in the picture below.
In fact, here's the entire bag turned inside out, so everyone can see the fabulous lining fabric.
The fabric is half a yard of a 60" rayon challis purchased from JoAnn. Other than that, I can't tell you a thing about it.
The only modification to the pattern was making the strap somewhat shorter than the pattern dictated. I'm not tall, you see, and didn't want the bag to hang down to my knees when worn slung across my shoulder. Additionally, I'm thinking about adding a magnetic closure at the top. I'll carry the bag around for a while before making a final decision.
Now, the not-so-pretty one. I finally finished spouse's Treads socks from Son of Stitch and Bitch. The cuffs turned out beautifully:
The rest of the socks, not so much:
Yarn: Cascade's Heritage in #5601 Black, approximately 656 yards (approx. 1.5 skeins)
The foot is so wide you'd think I made them for a hobbit. My fault totally. I didn't pay attention to gauge. If I had, I'd have realized I was using the wrong size needle (a 2 instead of a 0). Even then I probably could have saved them if I had decreased across the instep when I turned the heel. Instead, spouse ended up with a baggy, saggy, shapeless pair of socks. I told him it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he never wore them outside the house. Note to self: not all sock patterns are created equal. One must pay attention to the damn pattern while knitting the foot!
Pattern: Cable Rerun from Crochet Today! Sept/Oct 2008 issue.
Yarn: Bernat Berella 4 in Soft Taupe, 12 skeins (2340 yards). I love this yarn.
Hook: Size K
Satisfaction with end product: Very pleased. The throw has substance but is still soft and drapey; and the texture is gorgeous. I just wish I could get a decent picture to show the true color of the yarn. It's not nearly as muddy as it appears. Oh, to have professional lighting equipment....or maybe I should just read the operating manual for my camera.
This throw required some heavy blocking to achieve its 60" x 35" dimension. I crocheted the piece off and on over the last four months: my row gauge apparently varied according to my stress level which, of course, I didn't notice until I was ready to put the pieces together and realized none of them were the same length. (Insert rolling eyes here.) It all worked out in the end, thanks to some heavy duty T-pins and my trusty steamer.
Now I just have to figure out who I made it for!
Okay, I don't play one on TV. I've been on television, yes, but that was a very long time ago and no one in the world remembers it but me. And I wasn't wearing a shawl at the time. I was wearing a 4-H uniform.
However, I made a shawl. As a gift. Because I'm not a shawl person, as you can plainly see from the pictures below:
The pattern: Seashore Shawl by Drew Emborsky
The yarn: Patons Brilliant in Beautiful Burgundy, three skeins (498 yds total)
Satisfaction with end product: I think it's pretty. My main concern is that its recipient likes it (mailed it off today).
This pattern is easy and quick to stitch. I think it took me 4 or 5 evenings of watching TV, plus another day to pin it out and block it. The finished piece is smaller than the pattern exemplar simply by virtue of the sportweight acrylic/nylon yarn I used versus the worsted weight silk/rayon/linen yarn used for the original. I probably could have blocked it out wider and killed the yarn to maintain the blocking, but I liked the elasticity of the finished piece.
As for my other projects, I finished all the squares for the baby blanket and all the strips for the afghan referenced in this entry. The squares need blocking; the strips have all been blocked and are now my sitting-on-the-sofa-and-seaming-while-watching-television project. I also picked up spouse's wayward Treads socks again, fixed their problem, and am proceeding apace toward the toe.
In magazine news, I'm still waiting for Crochet Today! to put up the preview for the May/June 2009 issue I received last week. In the meantime, the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting landed in my mailbox a couple of days ago. Give me another two or three days to go through it thoroughly and then I'll post a review.
At last, I made something for ME to wear:
(Please ignore the fact I'm wearing my yoga togs under the sweater. Yes, I have a shocking pink sports bra.)
Yarn: Duo by Järbo Garn, 1.9 skeins (approximately 650 yards)
Size: 42"
Pattern: Raglan V-neck cardigan from The Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd
Satisfaction with end result: LOVE LOVE LOVE!
It turned out exactly the way I wanted, and I couldn't be more pleased. In fact, it's so perfect, I may wear it to church tomorrow!
And here's a picture of the lovelies:
Details
- Pattern: "Coquette" from 2 At A Time Socks
- Yarn: Zitron Trekking XXL in colorway 160, 1 skein
- Size: Medium
- Satisfaction with end product: *beam* I think they're great. The stockinette foot part seemed to take forever, but that's normal with such skinny yarn. I'll definitely be making more socks!
This morning I found the perfect single button for the Jawbreaker Cardigan, and sewed it on this afternoon. Behold, the loveliness of my sister's Christmas present:
Here's a closeup of the pretty little button:
I feel so accomplished!
Details:
Pattern: Jawbreaker Cardigan by Kendra Cray from Interweave Knits Winter 2006
Size: 37 1/2"
Yarn: Rowan Plaid in "Moonlight Wave", 6 balls (the last ball was used solely for the collar; about half the skein remained when finished)
Needle size: Size 11 for the ribbing, Size 13 for the body. The pattern calls for size 10.5 for the ribbing and 11 for the body, but I knit tightly and had to go up a size to achieve gauge.
Satisfaction with end product: *beam* I like it! I hope Sis does. (I hope it fits her.)
