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.
♥
Colorful, cheap, fairly easy to make and highly customizable (DMC floss comes in just about every color one can think of), friendship bracelets are a quick and easy gift. A gift that has some thought behind it, without being over bearing.
I don't know about you, but I never learned how to make them when I was younger. If you are in the same boat as I was, don't worry, they aren't as complicated as they might seem.
The multicolored bracelet in the above picture is a simple chevron pattern. The tutorial that I used was from Honestly WTF.
Below, I have the pattern I made up for the other two bracelets (hard to believe but they are the same, just different tension was used on the knots).
Since I'm new to this whole thing, I won't go through the headache of trying to write up an explanation on what a forward and backward knot are (ever heard of the blind leading the blind, lol), so instead I will direct you again to the Honestly WTF tutorial. The biggest thing I had to keep reminding myself was to DOUBLE knot, so I suppose that is the only advice I have for you.
You will need:
2 Embroidery flosses in the main color you like
1 Embroidery floss in a contrasting color (you can find these at most crafting stores, I found mine at Walmart for 30 cents each)
Scissors
Tape
The
bracelet I made used 10 strands of floss. 8 strands will be your main
color (MC), 2 strands will be your contrasting color (CC).
Start by cutting 8 strands of MC and 2 strands of CC at 32 inches. The one I made was 24 inches and just a tad too short for my liking, so i would add a few inches if I were you.
Step 1: Knot all strands together, and then part into three sections (since 10 can not be divided evenly by 3, it is okay for your sections to be uneven).
Step 2: Braid for 2 inches, knotting the end so your braid doesn't unravel.
Note: Tape down the braid well so you can really pull on the floss as you go. It might also be helpful to tape the bracelet down as it grows for added stability.
Step 3: Pull out pieces of your floss so that the pattern is, 2 strands main color, 1 strand contrasting, 2 strands main color, and this repeats on the other side.
Between Step 3 and 4: Here is the unseen work of double knotting the main color across for 2 rows.
Step 4: You should now have your contrasting color on the outside edges. To make the border for your heart, take the strand directly next to CC, and double knot backwards for the left side and forward knot for the right side.
Step 5: Work the CC across remaining 3 MC strands.
Continue working 2 rows of MC, the one special row with CC and then 2 more rows of MC, until bracelet reaches desired length.
Once so, knot the end, braid for 2 inches and then knot again. Clip your uneven strands with scissors. You're done! Try your bracelet on or give it to a friend, either way, this cute accessory will brighten your day.
