Sunday, October 18, 2009

[pattern] Marge Simpson

After discarding many costume ideas due to lack of time and/or money, I decided to do Marge Simpson this year. Everything was purchased at Walmart.

Dress $3
shoes $5
necklace $2.50
364 yds Red Heart, Blue $1.50
185 yds Lion Brand Homespun, Montana Sky $4.50
Boye crochet hook, size Q (15.75 mm) $3



Total time = 3 hours

HAIR
Holding both ends of Red Heart and one of Homespun together, work in spiral rounds.
To make bobble (MB), work 3 SC in same st leaving 4 loops on hook, draw yarn through all 4 loops at once. Draw yarn through loop tightly to close.
Scs between bobbles are also pulled tight to diminish gaps.

1. Ch 3. Join to start.
2. Mb x 3 in center hole.
3. (Mb, sc, mb, sc) in next gap. Repeat until there are 12 bobbles in outer round, or outer diameter is size of head.
4. (Mb, sc) in each gap until yarn runs out or hair is desired height, weave in ends. About 24 inches. Each round is 1" tall.

Fill finished hair with balloons or bubble wrap to get rigidity without being too heavy.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

[pattern] Doesn't play well with others

In honor of a friend getting her tubes tied, I decided to give her a pair of ovaries in a jar, with googley eyes. Because everybody knows that all body parts that make it into a jar need googley eyes!


Knitpicks Pallete in Blush
Fingering weight
231 yds/50 gr per ball
23.7154 yds/5.1332 gr used

2.5 mm crochet hook
5 cotton balls

3 1/2 hours
Ovaries are 1" around, with 3" tubes.




OVARY (make 2)
Work in spiral.
1. Sc 7 in magic ring.
2. (2 sc in next st) x 7. 14 sts.
3. Sc around.
4. (Sc into next st, 2 sc into next st) x 7. 21 sts.
5. (Sc into each of next 2 sts, 2 sc into next st) x 7. 28 sts.
6-11. Sc around.
Start decreasing rounds. Stuff before hole gets too small.
12. (Sc into each of next 2 sts, sc2tog) x 7. 21 sts.
13. (Sc into next st, sc2tog) x 7. 14 sts.
14. Sc around.
15. (Sc2tog) x 10. 4 sts.
It is now time to work on the tube.
Continue to work 4 sts in spiral until tube is about 3" long, or long enough to tie in a knot. Finish with 4 hcs. Tie knot, break off and hide yarn.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Mind the gap!

I'm trying to consolidate everything I have on ravelry and livejournal, so the next ten or so posts will be created out of chronological order, but placed with the correct date of completion. I mean, it's not like there will be that much to shuffle through!

Monday, October 5, 2009

[pattern] Leaf socks





Araucania Ranco -Solids: PT484 Green

Araucania Ranco -Solids: PT484 Green
Hand painted 4ply sock yarn.
Each hank is unique, so there are no dye-lots.
75% wool 25% polyamide.
Approx 344m (376y) per 100g skein.
Gauge 24st to 10cm on 3.25mm needles.
Final weight 51.9882 g, 195.5 yards on 3.25 mm needles (US 3)
Made sep 12, 09 - oct 5, 09, about one week per sock.

Care instructions:
Dry cleaning is recommended. Gently hand wash with cool water and mild soap. Wash similar colors separately. Dry flat, do not sun dry, soak, spin or tumble dry.


Figure-Eight Toe,
by Knitty
wendy's toe-up sock pattern for the short row heel

This pattern is a combination of the two found on these websites, and a leaf pattern from a book. The leaf lace uses 8 patterned rows plus 8 knit rows, for a total of 16 rows of 12 stitches per repeat, a bit bigger than an inch square. When doing the repeats for the foot and leg, the pattern can be split easily into two 8 row halves to acquire the desired lengths. For a roughly size 41 ankle sock, I did 4 1/2 repeats for the foot, and 2 repeats for the leg.




Figure-Eight Toe
My original plan was to follow these easy instructions from Knitty, but of course I messed up and ended up doing something completely different! Increases are on every row, instead of every other row.
  • 1. Take 2 of your dpns and wrap your sock yarn around them in a figure-eight, leaving 8 loops on each needle.
  • 2. Knit one row on each needle.
  • 3. Begin knitting in the round by picking up next round with 4 dpns.
Round 0 - With needle 4: m1, k4. 5 sts total
Stitch counting will begin in the middle of the row, which will lead to the center of the heel.
R1 - n1: k4, m1. 5 sts total
n2: m1, k4. 5 sts total
n3: k4, m1. 5 sts total
n4: k5. 5 sts total
R2 - n1: k4, m1, k1. 6 sts total
n2: k1, m1, k4. 6 sts total
n3: k4, m1, k1. 6 sts total
n4: k1, m1, k4. 6 sts total
R3 - n1: k5, m1, k1. 7 sts total
n2: k1, m1, k5. 7 sts total
n3: k5, m1, k1. 7 sts total
n4: k1, m1, k5. 7 sts total
R4-R11: keep increasing (m1) one st away from the end, until you have 60 sts, 15 sts per needle.

Foot
It is now time to start knitting up the foot in the round. You can stick to four dpns or any other method you prefer, but since this pattern is made by repeating the leaf pattern five times, I divided the stitches among five dpns.
R12 - n1: k12
n2: k3 remaining on needle, plus k9 from next needle.
n3: k6 remaining on needle, plus k6 from next needle.
n4: k9 remaining on needle, plus k3 from next needle.
n5: k12 remaining on needle.
There should now be 12 sts per needle, 60 total. Time to start the lace pattern.
yo - yarn over
k2tog - knit 2 together
ssk - slip, slip, knit. I knit back-assed permutation of Reverse Continental or something, so this means I slip the first st through the back loop, slip the second st through the back loop, and then return both sts, coming in through the back. Now knit both together.
For the lace pattern, you will pattern every odd row and k every even row.
R13 - n1: k12
n2-4: p1, ssk, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, k2tog. (12 sts each)
note: The ssk and k2tog stitches should mirror each other across the purl st.
n5: k12
R14 - k60
R15 - n1: k12
n2-4: p1, ssk, k2, yo, k3, yo, k2, k2tog. (12 sts each)
n5: k12
R16 - k60
R17 - n1: k12
n2-4: p1, ssk, k1, yo, k5, yo, k1, k2tog. (12 sts each)
n5: k12
R18 - k60
R19 - n1: k12
n2-4: p1, ssk, yo, k7, yo, k2tog. (12 sts each)
n5: k12
R20 - k60
R21 - n1: k12
n2-4: k1, yo, k3, k2tog, p1, ssk, k3, yo. (12 sts each)
n5: k12
R22 - k60
R23 - n1: k12
n2-4: k2, yo, k2, k2tog, p1, ssk, k2, yo, k1. (12 sts each)
n5: k12
R24 - k60
R25 - n1: k12
n2-4: k3, yo, k1, k2tog, p1, ssk, k1, yo, k2. (12 sts each)
n5: k12
R26 - k60
R27 - n1: k12
n2-4: k4, yo, k2tog, p1, ssk, yo, k3. (12 sts each)
n5: k12
R28 - k60
Repeat R13-28 until the foot is about an inch and a half shorter than the desired finished length.
note: This lace pattern can easily be done in 8 row repeats (instead of the whole 16 rows) to get a more accurate length.


Short row heel, by Wendy Johnson
It is now time to divide stitches into 30 instep sts and 30 heel sts. Both Magic Loop and dpn methods work.
R1 - k14. Move yarn as if to purl. Slip the last, unworked st from left needle to right needle. Turn.
R2 - Slip first, unworked st from left needle to right needle. Purl next stitch (it will now have been wrapped by the working yarn), purl to last st. Move yarn as if to knit. Slip last st. Turn.
R3 - s1, knit to last worked st. Wrap last worked st and turn.
R4 - s1, purl to last worked st. Wrap last worked st and turn.
Repeat R3-4 until 8 heel sts are wrapped on left side, 14 sts are "live" in the middle, and 8sts are wrapped on the right. Your heel is half done, and you should be ready to work a right side row.
Note: How many stitches you leave unworked in the middle depends on how wide you want your sock heel to be. If you want it a bit wider, do a couple fewer short rows. If you want it a bit narrower, do a couple more short rows.
For the second half of the heel:
R1 - Knit across the 14 live stitches across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. To work this stitch, pick up the wrap and knit it together with the stitch.
Wrap the next stitch (so that it now has two wraps) and turn.
R2 - Slip the first (double-wrapped) stitch and purl across to the first unworked, wrapped stitch. Pick up the wrap and purl it together with the stitch. Wrap the next stitch and turn.
On subsequent rows you will pick up both wraps and knit or purl them together with the stitch.
Continue until you have worked all the stitches and you once again have 30 "live" stitches. When you have all stitches live again, divide the stitches as you did for the foot.
Leg
Work until the leg is the desired length to the ribbing, then work in ribbing to the desired finished length. Bind off was done with a crochet row at 4.25 mm, one at 2.5 mm, and one at 1.25 mm.
ERRATA
I hated this bind off, so I ripped it out and did 5 rows of 1x1 rib with the same amount of yarn and finished with EZ super stretchy sewn bind off. Here's the video!

Friday, October 2, 2009

[review] Knitpicks Options Interchangeable Zephyr Circular Knitting Needles

found here.

So, with that whole knitting kick, I really wanted to take a sock project on the plane with me, but, oh noes! Metal DPNs are not allowed on an air plane. Or at least, I didn't want to risk it. So I ordered a set of Options Interchangeable Nickel Plated Circular Knitting Needles and a pair of acrylic tips.

Options Interchangeable Nickel Plated Circular Knitting Needle Set by Knit PicksOptions Interchangeable Zephyr Circular Knitting Needle Tips by Knit Picks

Well, they weren't as terrible as I expected them to be... ok, yeah, they were. I bought a Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball CRAZY Sock Yarn ball at Mad About Ewes in Lewisburg, PA a couple of weeks ago, two ply, 75% Merino Wool and 25% Nylon.
(eta: holy shit, that's me freezing my ass off!)



Holy crap did it screech! If there is something that really ticks me off while knitting, it's screeching. Then again, I can't stand it when anything screeches, so I refuse to wear or buy anything that is fleece and synthetic. (Friends don't let friends knit Red Heart!)

So anyway.
- The needles made a lot of noise with the yarn.
- The torquing of the cord constantly made it unscrew, no matter how hard I tightened it before each row.
- The yarn would often catch between the acrylic and the metal.
- The damned needle broke two hours into my flight!

Yeah, that's the one that pisses me off the most. I mean, I know that I'm a tight knitter, but I was purposefully babying the needles for that same reason, and because I had just dropped $70 on them. I'm planning on calling them up next week and hoping they refund my money.