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29 September 2006

Horizontal Stitch Tutorial

Here's a little tutorial on the Horizontal stitch used in the HBDS (as i've been doing it, any how!). i've never made a tutorial, so if it sucks really badly, i'm sorry! let me know how i can make it better, and i'll do my damnedest to oblige you. For the tutorial, i've used the following pattern: _|_|_|_||O|=|=|=|_|_|_

Step1: knit first 3 stitches, the next stitch will start the horizontal stitch (HS).

Step 2: in the next stitch (the fourth for our purpose) knit f & b. The stitch knitted in back is the 1st HS.

Step 3: Reverse the orientation of the 1st stitch on the LH needle.

Step 4: slip the 1st stitch on the RH needles to the LH needle. Knit the 2nd stitch on the LH needle (the one that you reversed in step 3) TBL, then knit the 1st stitch. Drop both worked stitch from LH needle.

Step 5: repeat steps 3 and 4 for the required number of HS charted.

Step 6: to finish the run of HS, k2tog (instead of steps 3 and 4) on the very last HS stitch.

Results (pic #7): here is what the above chart looks like, all knit up.

27 September 2006

dragon tails

i can't wait to see all the utterly witty titles pertaining to dragons that i can come up with while i'm knitting the HBDS....i appologize in advance! lots of interest in keeping you all updated on the progress, trials, and tribulations of the HBDS, so i will do my best to oblige. i've decided to post WIP pics when i complete a chart set (the pattern has the charts broken into 4 sections). in that vein, here's the pics of Chart 1 (82 rows down!) completed: about 1/10th done as of right now, i'm loving the pattern. it is a great deal more involved that a lot of the knitting that i have been doing, and i'm tinking back a lot. since there aren't really vertical pattern repeats (or horizontal, for that matter) i'm not using any life lines (that and i don't really use them all that much anyhow). the pattern is worked on both right and wrong sides, so there isn't even a purl-respite every other row. that's where a lot of the tinking has come into play. there is a stitch used called the Horizontal stitch that i was not familiar with, and the instructions as written in the pattern were a bit unclear (imho). i did some searching and sussed it all out, and now i'm enamoured of that particular stitch. here's a detail picture that shows how the dragon form is made in a twisted latice type stich and how the horizontal stitches come into gratuitous close-up play. now to print off chart two!

26 September 2006

Enter the Dragon, Part I

i recieved the Heere Be Dragone Shawl (HBDS hereafter) pattern in the mail on Saturday. how fast was that??? (crazy fast is the correct answer) i ordered it on thursday! that's some stellar service, imho. and the shawl is just as cool on paper with all the nutso charts. looking at the charts, i felt something that i haven't felt in my knitting in a loooooong time--a tinge of fear! the dragon motif is made up of lots of different types of twisted stitches, many that i've never seen before. and, as of right now, it looks like it's going to be an interesting and slightly challenging knit. of course, check back as the project moves along, cause you know how that can change over night!
so, as i mentioned before, i got the HBDS pattern to make for a friend (Ms. HBD). after going through my lace weight stash (which is not as large as i would like) i found that i had 1760 yds of KnitPicks Bare that had been previously dyed a sort of washed out mix of purples, fuchsias, and periwinkle-y blues. it lacked a certain "umph", really. so, i thought "well, Ms. HBD likes (and looks good in) blues, why don't we try an overdye and see if we can get some depth and darkness into this washed out mess. that way, stash yarn is used and the project costs a measly $12"! so, i skiened up all 1760 yds, tied it off, mixed up a big ol' pot of blue/purple dye and set the fuckers on the stove to simmer. i ended up with something that looks sort of like this: EEEEEEEE!!! now, i'm utterly in love with how it turned out. the picture simply doesn't do it justice (this is the best out of, oh 35, so...) it's soooo rich. i normally don't like my lace to be verigated at all, but this yarn makes me squeal a little bit. from far off, it's this deeply purple-y red, and as you move in closer, the separate colors begin to assert themselves and EEEEEE!!!! i just love it a lot. however, i've never seen Ms. HBD where anything even remotely similar to the shade, and i became worried. i inquired of a mutal friend (Ms. Skull Vest) "so, how does Ms. HBD feel about purple?" "She likes greens a lot.....(really long pause) I don't know about purple." yeah, that's exactly what i wanted to hear. so, after deliberation, i've decide that i'm going to place a Knit Picks order and pick up some of the Alpaca Cloud in Moss for the HBDS. it's green and alpaca, a good combonation as Ms. HBD has recently discovered how warm alpaca is and seems to be smitten with the fiber. and it green, which apparently she really likes. and, at $16 for the yarn and $12 for the pattern, it's still an affordable project.
Lucky i should have known when i found these yesterday morning taking xavier out, that it would all work out with the yarn. cause now, i get to make myself something out of the re-dyed Bare, which is awsome, cause i was getting sad about giving it away!

22 September 2006

Gift Knitting

my sister-in-law celebrated her birthday on Mexican Independance day, and i've made her a little sumpthin': booze it up in style she and my brother have started to go mad for the wine drinking (and really, can you blame them?!?!?!) so i thought a wine cozy/coaster/trivety-thing set was in order. plus, it gave me another chance to work with the DELICIOUS Malbrigio (this is the Purple Mystery colorway). lordy, i love this stuff. i would love a big ol' sloppy sweater out of it, were it not for the fact that it would look like utter shite in 2 seconds because of the pilling. *le sigh* but really, would it matter if i just wore it about the house, using it like a wearable secruity blankie? i would like to add that this entire set took only about 3 hours to knit. seems that, after knitting the skully vest--i do colorwork with the yarn in both hands--continental knitting finally "stuck." which is awsome, since i've been attempting it off and on for, oh, a damned long time now.

between knitting this gift, the slew of impending birthdays, fast approaching yule time, and a post over at Craftster, i got to thinking about gift knitting. i guess it was really the Craftster post that started it all--i'll give you the gist of it. a craftster was questioning making gifts for someone that you don't necessarily *like*. my opinion? you just don't do that. to me, creating anything for a person, be it a meal, an intricate shawl, or a simple felted coaster, should be done with love in your heart. i won't knit on a gift project (or cook, for that matter) if i am feeling down or unhappy about anything let alone the intended giftee. i'm afraid that the negative energy will transfer to the recipiant in some way. i dunno, do any of you have thought on the subject?

20 September 2006

95 days to go

i've been very unproductive as far as knitting goes this past week. the friend that i'd made the Skully Vest for moved, and i helped out. oh...my....god. it really really sucked, but at least it's done with! i failed to get pictures of her wearing the vest (i forgot the camera) but i'll get around to it sometime! i also made another buddy of mine an alpaca hat--there was absolutely nothing excitting about it that's why no pics--but he loved it. the 2 for 2 on knitted gifts this past weekend got me thinking about the Yule season and gift giving. and also the fact that the majority of my friends have their birthdays within the next 6 months or so. i think that i might start giving bigger knitted gifts for birthdays, and smaller ones at holiday time. that way, i don't go insane trying to make 20 sweaters or shawls in the next 95 days. it seems logical to me.
upcoming WIP's are as follows:

Josephine from Knitty.com

Heere Be Dragons shawl

the Argyle Slippers in Weekend Knitting

that's what is definite so far. anyone knit any of these? tips?
since the knitting content is low, i'll give you some Xavier pics. singing lobsters are strange...

here he is checking out my singing lobster (i just found new batteries for him today!) i love the lobster--he's terrible, and kitchy, and my gramma gave him to me. Xavier is a little bit freaked out by it. but the best pic is coming up next. but not as strange as my owner!

doesn't Xav just look like he's thinking "Give me a freakin' break already!" ????

12 September 2006

DONE and DONE

an actual, properly fitting vest..wHooT! Pattern: Eunny Jang's Deep V-neck vest
Yarn: Knitpicks Merino Style; CC nutmeg (4 skiens), MC moss (5 skiens)
Needles: 3.5 mm addis
Start/Finish: 1 sept/ 10 sept 2006
Notes: i added a skull motif to the pattern. i'm wearing the vest in the picture--one with the b-day girl to be added--mostly, i just hate when people post a FO that's just flat and not worn as it's intend to be. makes it hard to visualize it for me. any who, my measurements are different from the intended wearer--i have a bigger rack, and i'm a good 6" shorter than she is, so i think it's going to look alright on her. if i make myself a vest, i have to figure out something different with the shoulder/arm area. the shoulders are so wide and so arm holes are a bit floppy. the vest is also a titch longer than i'd like it to be (i did some finagling to get it to look alright in the picture)
truth be told, meg (the recipiant) and i did a fitting yesterday. i gave her the choice of trying it on in front of many people or just me and G. i was a bit worried about the fit at the waist and hips as i'm a bit smaller than her in those areas and couldn't get an accurate idea of if it would fit her or not. i'm going to block a bit more ease into the waist/hip region, and it's going to be fine. incidently, she really really liked it--she gave me the best compliment ever "Kate, this looks better than store bought!" i was tickled.

in other news, g and i ended up buy a new car yesterday! clive! he's RED! we went to the dealer to check it out in person, and ended up taking it home! (his name is clive--i name everything) he's really really red, and the nicest car that either of us has ever owned!

in closing, for you freaky check-out-the-innards-of-fair-isle people, a gratuitous, inside out shot of the vest!

10 September 2006

scissors + knitting= good times

ready for steeks this is how the v-neck looked at about 5:30 in the morning on saturday. i had a touch of insomnia plus that whole "i'm so freakin' close to being done" so, i knit on into the wee hours of the morning. and then i decided, since i was up and all, i should just do the steeks. trussed up like a turkey i used some spare Rowan Kid Classic that was in my odds-n-ends stash (left over from the scarf that G knit himself), whipped out the crochett hook and got all the crochetting done for the steeks. and then, i did perhaps the most insane thing of my knitting carreer: at 7:30 in the morning, nearing my 24 hour of wakefulness, i whipped out the tiny sharp scissors and cut the steeks on this bad boy. and...... whooOOT! SUCCESS!!!! lovely and all cut up and no mishaps! whooot!! i've started the neck edging, but i had the damnedest time picking up stitches evenly yesterday (i had a bad case of the wah wahs brought on about by the wonky sleep schedule). after 5 (FIVE) attempts i finally got it right. so, had i not been retarded, this would be done by now. i'm feeling sharper today however, so i have faith it'll be done and blocking very very soon.

09 September 2006

if i used bamboo....

i'm certain that my needles would be smokin'. i have 15 rows of the chart to complete before i can start a-steekin' the Skull v-neck. and it is looking good, let me tell you! it's not for an amazon!!!!!! it's not huge at all! in fact, after blocking, it's actually going to be the size that i intended it to be!!!!! i've been knitting on this like a crazy thing all week, cause of the dead line and the fact that i still haven't started the easier b-day gifts that are in the line up. i entirely plan on having this bad boy completly done tomorrow (sunday at the latest) and you better believe a picture-heavy post will be soon to follow! after a couple of inquiries, i decide to give posting the chart a go (check the sidebar). any questions about the chart, drop me a line!
in non-knitting news, g and i are looking into buying a new car. the one we have now--a mercury tracer wagon (shut up!) has put up with quite a lot from us in the past almost 3 years (at one point, g was commuting at least 120 miles a day for a couple of months), but i think that its rapidly approaching that fateful time of "holy shit everything is falling off/breaking down/what's that freakin' noise?" we are looking at pontiac vibes (cause i love a hatchback like no body's business), and we have an appointment at a dealer's on monday. i'm jazzed.

05 September 2006

the month of birthdays

i have four birthdays to try and get ready for this month....gah. it's almost as bad as christmas (which is only 110 days off, btw--eeek!). the skully deep v-neck for b-day 1 is coming along alright. it just may fit i've finished up one repeat of the pattern, and i'm fairly certain that the gauge is going to be just dandy. i'm love love loving how this looks so far. this will be the first large scale piece that i've given as a gift--well, one that has to fit (not like a shawl), and i'm sooo nervous about it. either way, it'll look good, i suppose!
the gift for b-day #2 will be the boring and grey alpaca hat. i made one already, but i wasn't really happy with how it turned out (i think that i'm going to use a swirling decrease pattern). i'm not overly worried about timing on this one, cause seriously, a little hat doesn't take hardly anytime at all.
my sister-in-law's birthday is on Mexican Independance day, and i picked up some more delicious Malabrigo to make her some felted purple mystery yarn lovelies. i also grabbed up another skien of the autumny colorway that i used for the felted mobius basket for a bag for me...cause i tend to get a little antsy just knitting gifts. is anyone else like this? i think that it has to do with being nervous about how the gift will be received. i know that i'll be thrilled when i finish somthing for myself so i usually don't have to worry. gahh..
i also need to think up something to make my mama (who has birthday 4 at the end of the month). any thought?

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