For the first time in forever, I wanted to build a doll; you know, knitting is an open door. Okay, that was cheesy, I'll Let it Go ... no really, I'm done this time.
The two things I like most about Frozen, are the soundtrack and the relationship between Anna and Elsa. Growing up in the 90's-2000's version of Disney, stories with sisters were rare to find, and ones with positive relationships were completely missing. So when Frozen, finally broke their mold, I was really quite pleased. It is nice to see Disney go in such a direction (now they need to work on the orphan thing).
This doll is one half of the sister duo I'm planning to cook up right now. I ended up making Anna first because I lucked into the yarn I had been searching for forever and got overly excited.
My absolute favorite part of this doll would have to be her hair. I used DMC floss, and what a difference it makes. It is so much lighter and more hair-like to use than yarn and I love the shade of red I ended up going with (not too red, not too brown). I was most pleased with the fact that it took me less than 1 hour to do, which now thinking about it, sounds like a long time, but trust me, I was originally guessing it would be at least a 4-6 hour ordeal, so I am happy.
The
mouth is still up for debate. I really didn't like any of my results, so
I think I am going to leave her without one (which sounds horrible and mean). While her mind and heart are strong enough, I
don't think her jaw line is able to support a mouth.
I am hoping (as with all my misguided made-up-as-I-went patterns) to write this chick up so others can also enjoy ... so that means I will inevitably have to make a second doll (if not for working out the instructions I didn't write down, but also the special step photos). Maybe I can make a stronger jaw that could support a good looking mouth on the next go around?
As always, thanks for stopping by.
♥
Pattern: My own, hopefully written and released soon
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter MCN Lite in colorway "Sisters"
When I won this yarn from the ever generous IndieString for one of her giveaways, I knew I loved it, but wasn't sure what to do with it.
It was only when it so happened to sit on top of my copy of "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green that inspiration struck. The color of the yarn is almost an identical match to the cover. A few themed cables later and this cowl was born!
Infinities are a theme presented in the movie/book, that really caught my attention. I was sure I wanted to work them into the design.
So after recalling a cable idea my Dad had suggested for the infinity symbol, things just fell right into place.
After some expected trial and error (I knitted and frogged this puppy 7 times), I finally came up with something that used just enough yarn (I only had 4 grams left!) and looked how I wished.
Unlike other patterns I've come up with, I took much better notes this time around (including charting as I went), so I am really hopeful that I will be able to write this up sooner rather than later. It is my dream to put it up for sale with the proceeds going to one of the cancer foundations (I'm going to have to research some to find the best) for at least the first few months.
“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.” - John Green
As always, thanks for stopping by.
♥
T
Pattern: "polished pullover" by Erin Kate Archer (she is amazing, check out her other designs)
Yarn:
Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima in colorway "Jade"
Needles: #6 and #8
I have been in love with this sweater since I first saw it on Eric Kate Archers blog back in 2012.
After doing some minor graphic work, the lovely Ms.Vicki over on Ravelry, offered to
buy me a pattern. I am constantly impressed by the kindness of
Ravelers and the idea that someone could be so sweet and generous, well, it made my month and warms
my heart greatly.
So when IndieString announced her Christmas in July KAL, I was
originally going to put this on hold, but after a rule saying the gift
could be for yourself, I let my excitement get the best of me and went
for it.
The pattern itself is really lovely; there are a few errors, but besides that everything is very clear and concise.
The only yarn I had that fit the bill for this was tied up in another failed FO, so I frogged and soaked the yarn for around an hour to get out all the kinks.
To accommodate being short on the recommended yardage I went up a few needle sizes to make the yarn stretch further.
The only other major mods I made were:
- Starting the neck decreases earlier for a deeper cut.
- To accommodate my shoulder decreases, I made the sleeves slightly different.
I find it very helpful to use a t-shirt or sweater that fits well as a sort of guide when making large pieces like this. Just lay your WIP on top and compare to help with when you need to break for armholes and how far up the back you need to go.
As always, thanks for stopping by.
♥
Pattern: The Cabled Infinity by me!
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in the colorway "Ocean"
Needles: #10
Inspiration: Autism Awareness
When my friend Kay over at IndieString announced her Blue KAL in honor of Autism Awareness Month, I knew I needed to participate.
While I used to not think of Autism touching my life directly, a little insight has helped me believe ASD has touched many.
Not just those that are diagnosed, but anyone that has benefited
from the vast and extraordinary minds that have been post-diagnosed as well.
For anyone that thinks of people with ASD as strange or odd, I ask
them: Don’t you have quirks? Idiosyncrasies? Anything that you like a
certain way? Not having eccentricities is much more strange to me than
having them. We all have quirks, they are what set us apart, define us,
make us special, people with ASD just have them in higher
concentrations, and honestly, I think the world flourishes with people
like that around.
Another great KAL hosted by the ever lovely Kay on her knitting/spinning/life podcast. If you ever have a little time to be entertained, I would definitely suggest giving her podcast a watch. You can find her on her blogspot here and also on the Ravelry group which is here.
To learn more about Autism please visit: autismspeaks.org
As always, thanks for stopping by.
♥
I am really excited. I'm really excited because after 2 months I am finally done designing, test knitting, writing, photographing and producing the pattern for a cowl I came up with.
Around 6 months ago, I found out that the "Pioneer
Woman" Ree Drummond, was going to be coming to my neck of the woods. I
have been a fan of her blog for a few years, and my mom loves her
cooking show. Thus we planned to go to her book signing.
I thought it would be really cool
to make her something, but I wanted it to be original and completely my own design.
I love cables and I adore cowls, so I thought "why not combine the two". After some trial and error, I came up with this.
I came in right under the wire for finishing a charcoal 'Cabled Infinity', just for Pioneer Woman.
After waiting in a very long line (that is a story for another time), I finally got to meet Ree (we're on a first name basis, ha) and presented her gift of which she was very grateful for and even said "I love it when people knit for me".
I knew the minute I finished the one for PW, I would write the pattern. I didn't know, however, it would take so long, lol.
After everything, I am SO excited to finally publish this pattern and make it available for purchase!
You
can get "The Cabled Infinity" on Ravelry for $3. The pattern is 9 pages
long and includes written instructions for two ways to knit the cowl,
corresponding charts and even a photo
tutorial for grafting.
Also available upon request, is a second pdf with just the charts, so if you wanted to print them by themselves you could.
As always, thanks for stopping by.
♥
Pattern: Bandana Cowl from The Purl Bee
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in the colorway "Heather Gray"
Mods: Knit using a smaller needle size and smaller gauged yarn for a more close fit cowl
Inspiration: Aria Stark
Purpose: Project 4 of 4 (yay!) for the Game of Thrones KAL on the Ravelry group
Aria is a lot of things. She is head strong, she is fiestey and most of all she is fearless when it comes to her convictions. She is possibly the most kick-a** Stark and one of my favorite characters.
I wanted to make something inspired by her and fell in love with the simple lines of this cowl. I wanted something that looked like Aria would actually wear it and this cowl fit the bill quite nicely. While the shape has a masculine appeal (something tom-boy Aria would probably appreciate), it still has a touch of feminine charm.
I chose the color gray for Winterfell and for the Stark colors; no matter where Aria goes, she always has Winterfell in her heart, so I thought it fitting to pay homage to the fact she might hold onto a little Winterfell gray.
The pattern is well written and easy to follow. I hadn't worked short rows before and this pattern made them a breeze. The cowl worked up very quickly and was easy to knit on while watching tv, but never became boring.
Seeing as the weather where I am has risen to the late 80's, I'm looking forward to wearing this in the Fall ... or maybe it will end up in the gift pile.
Pattern: The Age of Brass and Steam by Orange Flower
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in colorway "Burgundy"
Mods: None
Knit While Watching: "Vikings", "Game of Thrones", "A Mother's Rage" (don't laugh, Lifetime movies normally suck, but this one wasn't half bad),
Purpose: Project 2 of hopefully 4 for the Game of Thrones KAL
The inspiration for this piece was Tyrion Lannister. He has earned the right as my favorite character for several reasons, a few being: his quick-wit, always interesting dialogues, surprising nobility and kindness, and overall just the fact he kicks a**. Not to mention Peter Dinklage's perfect portrayal and you have a recipe for greatness.
I choose the color burgundy because it reminded me of wine, and that has to be Tyrion's favorite beverage.
As for the photos: The gold coins are supposed to represent the Lannister gold and the gold knights helmet Jamie (Tyrion's brother, for those who don't know) which seemed fitting to me because I do think Jamie and Tyrion, honestly care for each other.
When I think of pirates, I think of the romanticized versions of them. Adventure, sailing the world and daring sword fights, these are what I imagine when I imagine a pirate.
In the movies and books, being a pirate is more than just the biggest adventure you'll ever take; its also the most dangerous, adrenaline laden and fun you'll have either. Who didn't want to be a pirate when they were a kid?
Being a pirate is the most exciting challenge you can take and knitting up this pirate toy sure felt like that just that, a challenge.
Two years ago, I set
out to make a pirate doll for my sister's birthday; except, I couldn't seem to
find a pattern that fit what I wanted. So I set out on a challenge of
creating my own.
Two weeks later, The Pirate in the picture to the left was "born".
You might be wondering why there are two dolls, and the answer to that is: writing the pattern (which I'm almost done with and preparing for test knitters).
You see, when I came up with this knitted toy, my notes were, well to put it lightly, lacking.
I find that when I get inspired to make something, there is very little that stops me from going on a working binge of sorts. I'll become consumed by the project, it will be all I think about and work on, until it gets done. In doing so, I find taking notes to be a hindrance (even if I want to take notes); I get so caught up with creating the project, I just forget to or plan to do it later (procrastinator here).
So when I decided that I might want to write the pattern for The Pirate, I realized that I would have to recreate the toy to make the notes. Thus, Pirate II was born (pirate pictured above to the right).
It's interesting to see how much my techniques have changed over the last two years. How things are just a little more polished, a little more tailored. I still think The Pirate I, has his strong points, like personality, and his hair jewelry is a bit better, but Pirate II looks more realistic.
If you can't tell, I went kind of crazy with the photo shoot, hehe. Who knew I had so much "pirate" stuff laying around?
Pattern: Winterfell Cowl (Game of Thrones) by Fancy Tiger Knits
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in colorway "Heather Gray"
Mods: Used needle size of 8 instead of 10, also I knitted 15 pattern repeats instead of 12
Knit While Watching (in order): "Vikings", "Game of Thrones", "Red Widow", "Dallas" and "Bates Motel"
I set out to make this for a "Games of Thrones" KAL started in the Ravelry group called the Season 3 KAL: The KnitGuard. Lots of gorgeous patterns have been chosen, I'm so excited to see what others knit up. It's all sure to be, some beautiful work and FO's.
Winterfell Cowl is a, truly lovely and simple pattern. Good tv knitting (because you don't have to look down), even though it was simple, I still found it hard to work on during my favorite shows.
Alas, Winter is not coming in my neck of the woods, in fact Summer is coming, and Summers are humid, sticky and hot, so I don't know how much use I'll get out of this sweet cowl except for the more chilly Spring nights that might pop up ever so often in the coming months.
So excited to get something done for the KAL. My biggest hope would be to complete the maximum 4 projects and earn all the badges, though coming up with GoT themed knits is surprisingly more difficult than one would think.
Okay, so I swear I'm not obsessed with owls ... though my recent projects might suggest otherwise (a card and now gloves all within a few months).
I knit these up pretty fast a few weeks ago, using a pattern I came up with last year. I had another pair, but gave them away as a gift.
I wanted a glove that was a tight fit, but also comfortable and after playing around a bit with different needle sizes I ended up with these.
I accomplished making the wrist snug by using a #2 needle and then switching to a #8 to create a more loose fabric for the palm. Another plus to doing it this way is that I negated the increases, thus making it a super easy pattern to follow.
I actually came up with these before I realized there was an already a very similar pattern on Ravelry (this pattern right here). The similarity is almost striking, and completely unintentional. Interestingly, I was thinking about writing my technique + pattern and offering as a free pattern, but alas, I'm thinking mine is still too similar to warrant its own pattern.
Oh well ... there are a few more patterns I think would be viable canidates for pattern writing. Hopefully soon.
