cutting fabric, buying yarn

I had to go to JoAnn today to buy fabric for the textiles class I'm helping to teach at Niels' school. I always have to swing down the yarn aisle because I want to see if they are carrying the Lion Brand organic cotton yet. At least, that's what I tell myself. They weren't carrying it, but they did have the new Sugar 'n Cream self-striping yarn. I'm curious to see how it actually stripes up. I plan to make ball band dishcloths from both of the balls I got, perhaps together, perhaps not.

The rest of my free time today was spent cutting fabric, basically. I had to cut out 100 or so 8" squares of quilt cotton, which had to be ironed first. Then I cut out 30 or so pairs of 9" (sort of) of polar fleece for pillows. I hope I don't have to cut any more fabric for a while. That was kind of a lot of work! Look how pretty, though.

squares galore!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Advertisement

a hat by request

On Thursday Niels' teacher asked me to make her a hat. The funny thing is, I didn't make her a hat for Christmas because I had seen her wearing several knitted and crocheted hats so I didn't think she needed anymore. She told me that those hats belonged to her cousin and she had to return them. So I whipped her up an Unoriginal Hat from two skeins of All Seasons Cotton Printed, one in Grape one in Native. (Project details on Ravelry.)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

hand knit friday

Today's HKF post has turned into a lot of work, I want you to know. I didn't feel like wrangling another self portrait so I started looking for the photos I had of the things I wore today. I couldn't find a picture of the socks I'm wearing. I looked and looked and looked through iPhoto. Then Flickr. Then my blog posts. Finally I found the picture, right in the place I had looked the first time: my socks set on Flickr. I have no idea how I missed it the first time around. Anyway, today I wore Rogue, my cotton Clapotis and my first pair of toe-up socks. Stefan wore the pumpkin hat I knitted for Niels when he was two (that's Niels in the photo, not Stefan).

Suss Cotton Clapotis

Rogue Mosiac

Fixation Socks

pumpkin head, pumpkin butt

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

oink

stefan’s pig

I made Stefan a pig for his birthday (Ravelry project details). I wanted to finish it in time for his party which had a loose animal theme, but I wasn't fast enough. He really likes it and Niels, my mother and one of Niels' friends have all requested pigs of their own.

I also made Nada Nother Bunny Buddy last week for my cousin's wife, who is pregnant (Ravelry project details). I'm hoping that it got there on time for the baby shower yesterday, so now I can post it, since she reads this blog.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

hand knit friday

I was wearing Rogue today but by the time I got around to taking the picture I just had my coriolis socks on. I predict that my Friday posts will feature a lot of foot pictures. 

coriolis socks

So, what handknits did you wear today?

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Justin Other Bunny*

I started making another bunny (Ravelry details), making him slightly larger as I said. Then I realized that i had missed a vital step in the first one, I hadn't made his paws! No wonder I couldn't easily knot the sides like it said in the instructions. So, Justin (as I've named this one) has better paws. I also made his head a bit rounded but I don't think that does anything for him so I'm leaving it off the next one. Yes, I've already started the next one. I think I might be hooked.

* This is from the old knock knock joke about Easter bunnies.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

blanket bunny

I decide that Kate's recipient's baby brother needed some knitted love too, so I whipped up a blanket buddy (Ravelry details) for him. I started it last night and finished it this afternoon. Stefan glommed on to this one too and is currently sleeping with it, so I'm going to make another. I was going to leave it without a face but Niels objected and I'm glad he did! I think the face makes it much cuter.

I'm working on the second one, I'm going to change him a little bit to make the blanket part bigger and maybe try to make his head a bit rounded. I think I'd like to make a few more in different yarns, actually!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

calorimetry and kate

I had a Knitty sort of day. I knitted up a quick Calorimetry (Ravelry project details) for myself and finished up a cute little Kate cat (Ravelry project details) for a classmate of Niels' The only trouble with finishing toys is that the kids really like them. That is good, if I am making whatever it is for them, not so good if I want to give it away. Stefan took it from my hand and gave it a HUGE hug, laying on top of the cat on the ottoman of my mother's glider. He did give it back but I see another one of these in my future.

I am pleased with the Calorimetry too but I wish I had knit it on smaller needles. I got gauge on the 7s, so that's what I used but it's a bit on the big side. I think it would look better on with my hair down. Also, it is surprisingly warm! That will be useful on the cold mornings when I'm dropping Niels off at school.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

organizing le grande stash

I took all of my stash out and tried to organize it today. How very humbling. Here I thought I had done better about acquiring yarn. Well, I probably have not been acquiring yarn but I'm not using it up very quickly either! There was quite a bit off stuff in there I had totally forgotten about. Yarns that need projects! Not to mention yarns that need loving homes. I photographed what needed photographing and put it all in Ravelry. My grand total is now 39661.5 yards, or 22.5 miles of yarn. That doesn't count all the partial balls I have hanging around, nor does it count a kilo and half of the lightweight softball cotton I got from Kristi, because I don't know the yardage on that yarn and I can't find that information online anywhere. So, the estimate is a bit short.

It may still be smaller than some other people's stashes, but it sure looks like a lot of yarn when it's spread all over the living room.
 

Erik was amazed. I was too, actually. I am going to continue my yarn diet. I would say it was a fast, but I have bought some yarn. I got two balls of Maizy to make that boy doll for Niels and three balls of Bamboozle which are in the Ravelry Stash if you're curious. I'm going to use them with the other Bamboozle I have to make myself a short-sleeved Ribbi-Pulli. I shouldn't go to the yarn store, clearly. All I wanted was a magazine! At least, if I use them I will also be using up 10 balls that were already in my stash! (Right?)

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

hand knit friday

It's cold and rainy today so I'm wearing my Rogue sweater (details on Ravelry). I'm also wearing my Baudelaire socks (details on Ravelry). Stefan is also wearing that pumpkin soaker again, but he's napping so you don't get a new picture.

hand knit friday

What are you wearing?

Read and post comments | Send to a friend