FO: Aria's Cowl

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.

Spring Forward ~ A Free Pattern

A simple, crocheted, zippered pouch, that uses feminine touches and fabric to make it pop.

Sunglasses case, cosmetics bag, or just a cute clutch for your necessities; with dimensions of 7 inches x 4.5 inches, you can be sure to fit just what you need.

Worked in two pieces and sewn together for a more structured look, the super simple single and double crochet stitch pattern makes this small purse an easy and almost instant gratification project. Make several as gifts or just one for yourself.

                   
You will need:

A main color yarn (body)

Two contrasting yarns (flowers)

Hooks: 5.00 mm, 4.00 mm and 3.75 mm

One 7 inch zipper

Fabric (¼ a yard would be plenty)

Sewing needle

         

A word on copyright: This pattern is free for use to recreate. You can sell the finished object you make with this pattern, but if you could please give me credit that would be great. Please do not sell this pattern for profit. Thanks

Note: The reason I use a 5.00 mm hook for the first row is to compensate for my stitches getting looser the longer I crochet. Since the chain you make impacts how wide the bottom of your piece will be, you can combat it being to narrow by starting with a bigger hook, thus creating a more even shape

Body (make 2):

Using your main color and size 5.00 mm hook, chain 26

Row 1: Work one row of single crochet (25 sc)

Row 2: Chain 2, turn work and change to size 3.75 mm hook. Work one row of double crochet (25 dc)

Row 3: Single crochet across (25 sc)

Row 4: Double crochet across (25 dc)

Row 5: Single crochet across (25 sc)

Row 6: Double crochet across (25 dc)

Row 7: Single crochet across (25 sc)

Row 8: Double crochet across (25 dc)

Row 9: Single crochet across (25 sc)

Row 10: Double crochet across (25 dc)

Row 11: Single crochet across (25 sc)

Row 12: Double crochet across (25 dc)

Row 13: Single crochet across (25 sc)

Break yarn and pull through to bind off.

Sew cast on edges and sides together, leaving the bind off edges as the opening of the pouch.

Create your fabric insert by folding your pouch inside out and using it as a template for the size of fabric you need. Cut one piece and then sew sides together. Place your crocheted piece into the fabric pouch you’ve just created. 

Then place your zipper between the fabric and crocheted piece. Using the same color you used as the main body, sew zipper into place. Try to make your stitches even and place the zipper straight for best results. Using pins to hold everything in place and together is a useful trick.

Zipper pull (make two):
With main color, 4.00 mm hook and using the magic loop, double crochet into your loop 10 times. Slip stitch last dc to first dc to create a perfect circle.

After making a second disk, sew together over the pull that is already on your zipper. To make sure it is secure, you might want to sew through any holes several times. Also, sew edges of disks together.

Larger flower (make one):

Using one of your contrasting colors and size 4.00 mm hook, make a magic loop and chain 7. Slip stitch into the magic loop and then chain another 7, slip stitching that chain into the magic loop as well. Repeat the process 3 more times to create 5 “petals”. Pull yarn through on last slip stitch to bind off. Use tails to sew flower purse. You can pull your cut ends in between the crocheted fabric and the cloth.

Smaller flower (make two):

Using one of your contrasting colors and size 4.00 mm hook, create a magic loop and chain 5, slip stitch into the magic loop and then chain another 5, slip stitching that chain into the magic loop as well. Repeat the process 3 more times to create 5 “petals”. Pull yarn through on last slip stitch to bind off. Use tails to sew flowers to purse. You can pull your cut ends in between the crocheted fabric and the cloth.

Finished!

Ravelry pattern page here.

FO: Mother of Dragons

Pattern: Gris de lin by Cailliau Berangere
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in colorway "Pagoda"
Mods: Knitted 4 repeats instead of 8
Inspiration: Daenerys Targaryen
Purpose: Project 3 of (crossing my fingers) a hopeful 4 for the Game of Thrones KAL

So I've been in a rut of sorts recently. I partially blame the cold I have, which has left me tired and just feeling blah and not in the mood to work on much of anything. Or at least, these are my excuses for a second GoT knit in a row. 

Anyway, on to the knit itself. My inspiration for this cowl was Dany Targaryen and for good reason. Dany is straight up fierce, to the highest degree of fierce. The only match to her fire and determination would be her pure and good heart. If anyone has a good claim to the throne, I think Dany just might be the best bet. She has dragons.

This pattern caught my eye, partially because I liked the texture, but also because it reminded me of the dragon eggs gifted to the Khaleesi in season 1. 

The pattern worked up nicely and was very well written. Interesting enough to not get boring but not so complicated it left me frustrated. I would love to make it again, but perhaps with a superior yarn.
 

FO: As Rich as a Lannister

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.

Ahoy Matey! ~ The Pirate

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?

FO: Winterfell

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.