The Dude

I finally finished this ambitious project a few months ago.  I'm happy to report it's gotten a lot of use and even a few compliments. Surprisingly, it actually didn't take as long to knit as I imagined it would, but the complicated colorwork did require extra attention so it wasn't the best project for social knitting. 

The most challenging part of this project was the collar.  It calls for short rows, a new tehnique for me, and I found it really difficult to figure out on my own.  I had to watch several you tube videos and knit a couple of test swatches before I finally understood how to do it. 

I'll leave you with one last shot of Josh doing his best Lebowski.

Can you guess what it is?

A few years ago my godson asked me why I never made anything for him.  I explained while his sisters liked handmade dresses and bags, it was harder to come up with ideas that I thought he would like.  Well, I think I've finally made a handmade gift that is just right for my 15 year old godson  -- Star Wars golf club covers. 

I think they were a hit although, in true 15 year old boy style, he informed me that Leia should have been wearing a gold bikini. 

In case you were concerned, it should be noted that I am a good godmother and a video game was included in the box with the club covers.

If you want to make Star Wars golf club covers for the duffer in your life you can find the pattern here.



Heirloom

I come from a long line of crafty women and these beautiful garments were knitted by my grandmother.  Sadly, she passed away when I was only three so I don't have a lot of memories of her but I have learned that knitting was a passion of hers.  My aunt had been holding on to these baby clothes but I convinced her let me have them to frame.

This is not the best photo but if you look closely you can see how delicate the stitches are.  I particularly love that she used a feather and fan pattern on the sweater, a favorite of mine (Check out the feather and fan scarf I made for June here).  I'm sorry I never had the chance to learn from her but I'm glad that I have a few pieces of her work to inspire me. 

Knitting in Progress

 

I'm having a lot of fun knitting up this sweater for a movie lover.  If you are a Big Lebowski fan it might look familiar. 

 

The pattern is fittingly called "The Dude" and is available for free on Ravelry.  It's a challenging knit with lots of colorwork but I'm so happy with how it looks so far.  It's such an iconic sweater that I've even had a couple of folks recognize it even though I'm only halfway finished with the back. 

Matinee Idol

In case you can't tell right away, it's an homage to one of my favorite actors.  I was looking for a quick project to use up some stash yarn and I came across this great chart based on this photo of Heath Ledger.

It knit up quickly and I added a few rows of garter stitch around the edge and knit a simple stockinette back for the pillow. I sewed a muslin pillow form for the inside to avoid any stuffing leaks.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to watch “10 Things I Hate About You.”

Loving lace

I'm a bit late in posting this but I wanted to share this shawl I made. It was a gift for my husband's grandmother on the occaison of her 90th birthday.  I used a lovely sock weight hand dyed Malabrigo yarn I picked up on a road trip to Vermont.  The yarn is beautiful and soft and  this project used less than one skein.  I am very happy to report that my local yarn shop has recently begun stocking this yarn so I look forward to using it in future projects.

The pattern is called In the Land of Oz and is available for purchase from Bellybuttonknits Designs. The pattern really shows off the colors in the yarn and it’s a relatively quick knit.  I would definitely make it again.

Project notes can be found on my Ravelry page.

Pixie hat

 

I made this pixie hat for a friend's new baby. It knit up quickly in an evening and I like that it's easy to personalize with stripes that can be customized to match dad's (or mom's) alma mater or favorite sports team.

The pattern was free on Ravelry and is a great stash buster as it uses only a bit of yarn. More details can be found my ravelry page.

New Sweater

The knitting spree continues and I recently finished this cabled cardigan. It was a free pattern from Lion Brand and more information is available on Ravelry. It was a good challenge and I'm feeling much more confident with cables now. Of course, not confident enough to show you an extreme close-up of the many mistakes that you'll find if you look closely at this sweater.

Overall I like the cardigan, particularly the dramatic collar and the waist shaping. But I'm not sure I'm sold on the sleeves. I only have one coat that can accomodate them and if I were to make it again would probably attempt to modify the sleeves a bit.

The knitting continues but I'm starting to think about spring and there may be some sewing on the horizon. Stay tuned!

My Sweater is Famous

My sweater was featured on the Craft blog today!

My friend asked if I would knit him a sweater and mentioned that it would be great if it had zombies on it. I searched high and low for a pattern but couldn't find anything that I liked. Always up for a challenge I decided to try my hand at designing one myself.

I found this amazing site which allows you print knitters graph paper which you can use to design your own intarsia charts. Originally I had a different design in mind but I would have had to use a much smaller gauge to accommodate the complexity and I would have been knitting this sweater for the next 3 years. I think the 8 bit zombie was a good compromise and my friend seems to like it too. More details on the pattern are available on my Ravelry page.

I really enjoyed the process of designing the chart and seeing it come together into a finished garment. I think there may be more intarsia in my future.

Oscar Sweater

When I came across this adorable pattern I knew it time to make my first attempst at intarsia. Although the pattern is called "willie" it instantly reminded me of my friend Sara's canine BFF Oscar.

Things started off well enough and I was pleased to discover that the intarsia part was fairly simple. Of course when I got to the yoke construction and attaching the sleeves it was a whole different story. I won't lie, it wasn't pretty and there was much cursing and un-knitting. However, after putting it aside for a time and taking a few deep breaths (and a glass of wine) I was finally able to figure it out and I'm pretty happy with the result.

I went a size up to give her some room to grow. As you can see it's a bit roomy but still cozy enough for a fall afternoon.

For me the ear detail just makes the sweater. It's too cute for words.

Twin Set

I'm definitely still going through a knitting phase. I can't seem to stop. I made these sweaters for my friend who is expecting twins -- a boy and a girl. The pattern comes from my favorite knitting store in Portland (Maine, of course!) KnitWit.

I don't normally like hearts as a motif but the heart pockets on this sweater are so sweet I couldn't resist.

I chose a neutral color scheme that would work for both a boy and a girl and just left the heart pockets off the boy sweater.

A simple button closure in the back will make it easy to slip these on and off when the weather gets chilly.

This pattern was quick to knit up and easy enough for a beginner. It comes in a good range of sizes and a different color scheme would totally change the look.

Clean Sweep

I love my swiffer. Let's face it two cats make it a necessity. What I don't love is buying swiffer cloths and throwing them away so I decided to make my own.

A quick internet search shows I'm hardly the first person to have this idea. After sifting through many different versions I landed on this tutorial which converts a ballband dishcloth into a swiffer cover (instructions for the ballband dishcloth can be found here). It was fast and easy to knit up and a good way to use up scrap yarn. And I'm happy to report it works just as well as the disposable cloths on cat hair.

Sweater for Dad

Okay, so it's not for me but Dad really needed a new sweater. I used a Columbia-Minerva pattern from 1969 contributed by Mom. Some people might consider it a vintage pattern--Mom is not one of those people. The wool was inherited from my Aunt Anne and while it is good quality and made a VERY warm sweater, I can't say I enjoyed working with this particular fiber. It was a bit scratchy and rough on the fingers.


Next up, more sewing. I'm happy to report that I've been invited back to the Thimble Pleasures quilting getaway this weekend. Looking forward to a wild weekend adventure and hopefully returning with a few finished projects.

New wardrobe for 2010

One of my new year's resolutions is to learn more about apparel sewing and knitting. First up a new sweater:

This is my first project using a higher quality yarn. I chose Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light and the difference was noticeable both in price and quality. Fortunately, Windsor Button had a good sale. The alpaca was soft and easy to work with and the sweater is very warm. On the downside, it's a little shorter than I'd like and the sleeves are a bit too full. It's not an everyday sweater but I have worn it with a high waisted denim skirt and with black dress pants. The pattern is called Millet and can be found in the Tapestry Collection book by Rowan.

Next up patternmaking. Stay tuned.

Baby Sweater

I knit up this baby sweater for a friend who is expecting. She doesn't want to know the sex so I thought this turquoisey/green would be a safe choice. I used this pattern purchased at the famous Lettuce Knit in Toronto. It knits up from side to side rather than from bottom to top which I initially found a bit confusing. However once I stopped stressing and just started knitting it came together pretty quickly . Although I must admit I did make a mistake on the waistband and cuffs (I knit when I should have purled).



Here's my second attempt for another friend's newborn son. As you can see I corrected the waistband and cuffs on this version.


I really like this pattern. Knitting from side to side gives the basic garter stitch a unique look and the newborn size can be knit up in just a few days. Athough these two sweaters are quite similar I like that you can really change the look with the choice of yarn and buttons. I would definitely make it again.

Still Sewing

A new hobby means new things to sew. I raided my fabric stash to whip up some helpful knitting accessories.

First up a basket to corral all that yarn.

Next a bag to tote supplies for knitting on the go.

Complete with lots of pockets for needles.

New Obsession

I've started knitting and I can't stop. It started off small with some simple washcloths, then wristwarmers and a scarf. Pretty soon I moved on to sweaters.

He's actually worn this out in public!

I love the portablity of this craft and there's definitely more knitting in my future. After all, all the cool kids are doing it like my talented friend Joanna and my fabulous knitting teacher Lydia pictured below.