#21 Uptown V-Neck T

I had so much extra Bernat Cot'n Corn after knitting my mom the Scarf Front Cardi, I decided to knit something for myself! The yarn is a joy to knit with and the pattern from knit 1 magazine was a nice, easy consistent pattern to do after work during the last few busy weeks of school. I have finished the back and have started the front.


We have once again started looking at houses, well what really happened is there are 2 places near our house that we can see ourselves living in! So, I have started reading about all the cool projects I will be able to tackle once we buy. Project #1 would be wallpapering the inside of the medicine cabinets! I really like a lot of wallpaper, but not for the walls of a house, I think it would be too busy! So, this is a cool idea to use one that caught my eye, I mean our eye! Or we could use comics!

I can not stop thinking about chairs! We have 2 chairs that do not work at all for our dining room table and we rarely eat there, maybe due to this. I love the looks of the B-Pop Side Chair from Design Within Reach and it priced reasonably, right now it's on sale for $238.00. We need to go the DWR store and sit on it and see how it feels.


Now that I am on Summer vacation, finally! I can begin to hand wash and iron and clean and the list goes on...but I often am baffled by all the symbols on garments that are supposed to communicate how to wash our clothes! I finally found a website, Textile Affairs, which not only enlarges the symbols, but also deciphers the meaning for all. Thank heavens, though today that means I am doing my own hand washing for the first time!

I also bought myself Martha's new book, Encyclopedia of Crafts! I think this will help keep me busy. Looking at directions online for craft projects is just not the same for me, I need a book! And what a book this is, it has beautiful photos and more projects than you can imagine!

Cozy up!

I found a bunch more cozy patterns that I am excited to try...
The Button Up Bud Vase from craft zine online, adorable!
A Wine Cozy, on Knitty.com. Someone asked me for a wine cozy a few years ago, I'll have to try this one!
And here's another one for a different size of bottle. A Bottle Sock from Lunatic Cafe.

I am currently exploring the felting process. I am attempting to felt 5 bottle/pint cozies. (Depending on how small they get.) It seems like they will be for people with small hands, like me, they are a little thin for Topher's hands. Here they are pre-felt:

I found another beer cozy pattern, this one is wool (?) and felted (!). I have no idea if it will work, but decided that some of my yarn needs to be used before I purchase more. The yarn bag turned all of my left over yarn into one huge yarn ball!
Felted Fair Isle Beer Cozy

everything has a place

I drove Topher to work today...it was very early. I was truly awake, so I decided to try a pattern that baffled me when I was a newbie knitter: Mr. Verde the Frog!
And success! Finally...it was easy, now that I know how to knit. And while I was finishing the very last episodes of The Sopranos, I decided to make Timothy too. I wanted to make these for my boyfriend last year and I can tell he will totally love them!


I struggled with the Anthropolgie sweater yesterday...the pattern is flawed, so I am trying to rewrite it as I start it a third time...and the pink bolero is back and I am determined to finish it this summer!

Green Bay Packers Hat

Since before the holidays, I have been struggling to create a Packers hat for my cousin. I was inspired while at the fire sale at Hilltop Yarn and bought two skeins of Lamb's Pride Worsted, one (o85) Lemon Drop and one (035) Pine Shadows for 50% off. Topher was very happy with Alex Zorn's Hot Head Hat, so I based this hat on her design, sized large and in Packer colors, which are also the Supersonics colors!

Packers Hat!
CO 64 holding 2tog in Pine Shadows on size 10.5 (6.5)needles
K2, p2 to end, knit all rows in K2, p2.
Packer pattern:
8 rows in green
2 yellow
5 green
4 yellow
4 green
4 yellow
2 green
5 yellow
Row 35: Begin to decrease K2tog, p2; repeat to end (yellow)
Row 36: K2tog, p1; repeat to end (yellow)
Row 37: K1, p1; repeat to end (yellow)
Row 38: K1, p1; repeat to end (green)
Row 39: K2tog; repeat to end (green)
Row 38: K2tog; repeat to end (green) (break yarn, thread end through remaining stitches. Mattress stitch on the right side.)

mitts for Vespa riders!

dish towels for days...

I have looked and looked for patterns that are as pretty on one side as the other. So far, I have found 2. I decided that I needed to create my own, to satisfy the perfectionista in me.

CO 42 stitches
knit 4 rows
Rows 1 & 3 knit
Rows 2 & 4 purl
Row 5 k1, pl across entire row
Row 6 k1, pl across entire row

Continue knitting in this pattern until desired length and then knit 4 row and BO.

I knit this for someone who is fond of the Southwest and it ended up having a Southwest feel to the design.

Winter in the Midwest

I have escaped Midwest Winter again and hope this time it's for good! But, as I knit for my family, who remains in the cold, cold Midwest, I have to keep in mind that functional outweighs fun. Inspired from the pattern I used for my boyfriend's hat, but instead I knit Tog 2 skeins of Patons Merino to create this big bad hat for my stepdad. I winged it, so no pattern. One thing I did do is knit it inside out so my knit stitch does not pull to one side as I tend to do!

For yet another family member, I decided to make the Windy City Scarf from Stitch 'N Bitch with a few changes. I used Wool Ease in off-white and number 10 needles for a looser posh look. I CO 50 stitches and worked the k1, p1 pattern in 45 rows. For the opening I ribbed 25 stitches and then added a new skien for the remaining 25 stitches, continued knitting for 15 rows and then rejoined the sides with one skien. Continue with rib until 200 rows have been completed. BO in pattern.


I am watching Oliver's Twist 2 today and am intrigued by Champ...I think it will make an appearance at our St. Patrick's Day Feast this year! But, can I make it dairy free and tasty...

:::knitting soundtracks:::

I Y...
None Shall Pass- Aesop Rock
Graduation- Kanye West
Proof Of Youth- The Go! Team

But the best are always the mixes...I recently made 2 and sent them off to a new grad student...yesterday, I uploaded them to the pod and have been enjoying the fruits of my labor. I used to exchange mixes with friends, I miss that. (Hint, Hint!)

Today I tackle yet another new project. I have a scarf I designed sitting on the couch...it's SO pink! And I must finish it, though I have no idea who would wear it! I am going to knit a matching hat too, the yarn overflowth. Here is the other thing I plan on getting into today:


















Looks quick and easy. (in case you are a *blog* newbie, like me, if you click on the pattern, if will take you to a new, bigger image of it, so you can read it and print it off, it you'd like.) I am also going to make the Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies from the "How It All Vegan" Cookbook today, so I better get busy!

San Diego Scarf

Today I finished the scarf for my cousin, it kept getting longer and longer.
Materials:
Size 10 knitting needles
Mystery worsted weight yarn, 1 skien (provided by a free pile in the laundry room of my boyfriend's old apartment building.)

CO 20 sts
Row 1: p4, k4, p4, k4,p4
Row 2: k4, p4, k4, p4, k4 (or knit the knits and purl the purls)
Row 3 and 5: The same as Row 1
Row 4: Repeat Row 2

Row 6: k4, p4, k4, p4, k4
Row 7: p4, k4, p4, k4, p4
Row 8 and 10: Same as Row 6
Row 9: Same as Row 7
Continue in this pattern until desired length then BO in pattern and sew in end of yarn. The scarf pictured is 75 inches long.

I made a Basketweave Scarf for another friend, using Lily Sugar' n Cream in Black. It turned out beautifully, but was a headache to knit. (I used cotton, so that a 14 year old could easily care for it herself.) This pattern was quicker to knit and I like the organic feel this otherwise dull yarn takes on in this pattern.