Category Archives: scarf

March 14, 2011 · 9:47 pm

An End in Sight

Today brought the sunshine here in Minnesota, and as much as I loved the cold, crispy 20F walk to the bus stop this morning, it was nice to enjoy the sunny, warm and very melty walk to the bus stop this afternoon. The end of winter is in sight, and although it is one of my favorite seasons all this snow in the city means it’s a pain to get around. I’m tired of climbing mountains and trying to squeeze small people into the min-van in between piles of snow. I’m also ready to be done with the “where is my mitten??!!! (shriek loudly, repeat, repeat, repeat) saga we seem to go through with at least one boy a day. I’m also ready to be done fighting with Spinner about the fact that yes, you do need to wear a coat outside when it is below freezing, and then even a little above freezing. So and end to winter? Yes, I think I’m ready for it.

I’m also ready for the end of this:

This beautiful, 100% alpaca pile of stockinette and ribbing is destined to be Jared Flood’s Redhook. Did I even mention I cast on for this? Probably not. I think I started it in October? I know I started it at a visit to my parents. Either way, it’s been long enough. But add a button band and I’m DONE.

This item is more painful. Destined to be Xeriscope in Madelinetosh DK, color Mare. Except I do not pay attention to details, apparently, and think that 225 yards is the same as 250. So my scarf is a foot from being done, I am out of yarn, and not a skein of Mare is to be found. And I’m not even sure I want to spend another $20 anyway. Plus it’s not as drapey as I’d like; I think I should go up a needle size. So I might need to frog this one and begin over with a different yarn. Sigh. And another sigh.

You would do……?

8 Comments

Filed under knitting, scarf, sweaters, WIP

March 9, 2011 · 11:00 pm

Pretty Easy

1/2 yard single gauze (I used Nani Iro. You might find some if you dig around on Etsy. Double gauze would work as well.)

1/2 yard silk or silk poly blend.

Cut each in half across the grain, selvage to selvage (so you have two long pieces).

Trim so they are even (mine were about 8.5 inches wide)

Sew each set together (at the ends) so you end up with two very long pieces.

Trim to 72 inches.

Sew right sides together, leaving one end open.

Turn right side out.

Iron.

Top stitch around the edges.

Admire.

3 Comments

Filed under scarf, sewing, tutorial

Tagged as gauze, Nani Iro, postaweek2011, scarf

April 14, 2010 · 9:15 pm

About Hats, Part Three

So I’ve had this little hat series plotted out for the last few months, since it seemed that all I could manage to knit were hats. Hats with problems. That makes for good blog-fodder. And it’s Minnesota in spring; still too early to put all the hats away. (Although the way this spring has been, it won’t be long…)

I fell in love with Shroom over on Knitty but wanted to keep with my pledge to not buy new yarn. The trouble was that the pattern used a very specific yarn and recommended you stick with it. But my spinning skills were improving so I thought I could take it on. Kind of.

I did end up with a ball of Navajo-plied bulky in the colors I was hoping for (remember the blue coat saga?) But I was short on yardage. Again with the knitting, the tinking, the knitting. Add in a stray ball of bulky white and brown and you get this:

Sadly, I’m not sold on this hat either. I love how it looks when I’m holding it. I love it at certain angles. The side is good. But from the front it’s not quite right. The drape is off and I kind of feel like I have a giant piece of popcorn on my head.

Do I rip it all out? Give up on the Shroom? It might just be that this hat isn’t going to work on my head. Or maybe I do need to buy the right yarn. But this yarn is so pretty, I love it. It needs to be worn, not hidden in the bottom of the woolens basket. What would you do?

You’ll notice that the Baktus is also finished. I am completely, totally in love with it. The fact that I spun the yarn, that it was perfect for this project, feels perfect, drapes beautifully. It makes up for the misguided Shroom.

See how lovely it all looks together?

I’m just not quite sure about it on my head…..

Keep your fingers crossed that About Hats, Part Four will able to be published. Because the hat in question is missing. The perfect spring boys hat, complete with new pattern, is lost. And I know it’s a hat you’ll want to knit, if only I could find it.

P.S. Little Man, ahem, I mean Math Boy (he settled on that nickname) says thank you for all the birthday wishes! So kind of you to take the time!

4 Comments

Filed under finished objects, handspun, hats, scarf

Tagged as Shroom. Baktus

November 13, 2009 · 9:51 am

All Matchy-Matchy

Well, I didn’t mean to just fall of the planet there, but I guess I did. I’ve just been too sleepy lately at night to do any computer stuff, or should I say computer stuff that I need to think about. Random clicking, sure. A thoughtful sentence? Not as long at Spinner keeps up this incredibly slow process of getting his molars and waking up at 4:30 in the morning.

But I DO have some FO’s to report that I’m incredibly happy with. And the best part, I actually planned it all out ahead and I now have winter gear that actually matches. Because if you are like me, you just go ahead and knit a sweet pair of mitts and then realize it clashes with your scarf, your hat, or whatever else you’ve got to wear. Not this time. My new green coat was screaming for purple accessories.

First up, Damson by Ysolda Teague. I want to knit every pattern she has written, I love her stuff that much. This was an easy knit, except for the one inch I didn’t notice my YO’s were on the wrong side of the stitch marker. I noticed two inches past and decided it wasn’t noticeable enough to frog, so I went with it.

Next, my Head Hugger from Stitch and Bitch Nation. This has been waiting in my stash for four years to be completed. Guess I needed the green coat to get it OTN.

Lastly, my garter stitch mitts from Weekend Knitting. There aren’t a lot of patterns I knit over and over again but this is one of them.

I knit with my own handspun from Loop in Earth Goddesss (she’s doing a shop update today and had some of this last night as well, you might be able to snag a batt.)
Knitting these was an education in how to spin for a project:
1. I might want to be more aware of what I might be spinning. The color differences would have been fine with a hat but with mitts they look a bit too different.
2. Same with plying and size. Notice how one mitt is bigger than the other?
3. Density matters. My earlier spinning (this is at least a year or more old) was pretty dense. I really like a lighter yarn, but I think recently I’ve solved that problem.

So there you have it, one very matchy-matchy ensemble. And I’m sad to see I have only close ups, nothing of the whole thing!! But trust me, it’s very cute.

Quick question before I wish you all a happy weekend. Is it okay to just do Ravelry links these days? Do I have any regular readers who aren’t on Ravely who would like regular links? Please let me know and I’ll be sure to post them, otherwise I’m just posting Ravelry links from now on.

Now I can say, have a great weekend! I for one will be playing with my new serger. And working on the start of some new reviews on Monday. If you’ve been wondering which sock books to buy, I think I can help you out!

P.S If you are a local sewer, be sure to stop by and visit Sewtropolis, a sweet little sewing studio in South Minneapolis. She’s got a great line up of classes scheduled!!

12 Comments

Filed under finished objects, handspun, hats, knitting, mittens/gloves, scarf, shawls

Tagged as damson, earth goddess, garter stitch mitts, head hugger, loop, mitts

October 5, 2009 · 9:25 pm

I didn’t mean to.

I was being monogamous, really. Diminishing Ribs was flying along, even after that cast off mess, the ribbing mess…. I was sticking with it. And I’ll I’ve needed to do is cast on the second sleeve, whip that puppy out and I’ve got myself a new cardigan.

And then I got a new coat. The cutest coat ever. A coat that was begging for new accessories. And then I happened upon Ysolda’s patterns. It was all downhill from there. Damson has been cast on.

Diminishing Ribs is now waiting patiently in the basket.

6 Comments

Filed under scarf, shawls, Uncategorized

Tagged as damson, Ysolda Teague

December 3, 2008 · 4:08 pm

Gifts

The gifts are flying off the needles right now. Most I can’t post about quite yet, but these two are gifts that were already given away the other week. I made both our midwives as a thank you for all they did in helping our family to have the homebirth of our dreams.

The first is the morning sun scarf from Spin Off Summer 2008:

MAJOR scare before I gave this to her. Both our midwives were here for our final follow-up appointment. Midwife #1 was admiring Spinner’s longies, when Midwife #2 said she wished should could knit them, but she had developed a wool allergy and couldn’t wear or knit with it anymore!! Immediately I thought of her scarf sitting on the table in a gift bag….what do I do??? Yikes!! Then I remembered it was knit with Atacama Araucania… alpaca!!! I chanced it, gave it to her, and she loved it. She reported back later that she wore it all day and not and itch!

This was a quick knit. There is a similar free pattern on Ravelry if you’re interested.

Next up, for my other midwife, is the Crown Mountain superwash merino I had shown you on the wheel a few weeks ago. I plied it up and it ended up being somewhere between a worsted and bulky weight; maybe a size 9 needle? It turned out lovely and pretty even. A few thick or thin sports here or there but mostly the same thickness. And the color was so nice. I wish it had been sunnier when I photographed it.

Both of these women are such generous, amazing people. I couldn’t imagine going through another pregnancy and birth without them!

7 Comments

Filed under finished objects, giving, scarf, spinning, Uncategorized

Tagged as Auracania, crown mountain, scarf, spinning

November 16, 2008 · 8:53 pm

A cowl problem…

I made a cowl to match this hat, using the rest of the Posh yarn I got from Mrs. Pao. As usual, the yarn is gorgeous! But I think I cast on too many stitches. The cowl is a little wider than I’d like, and it also has a tendency to roll despite the garter stitch I added at the end and beginning. I’d like it to stand up a bit more as well.

So now I’m stuck with a decision. It’s not exactly what I wanted. However, it does the trickand my neck is warm (at least around the house and outside on the not-too-cold days). It looks fine, just not great. Plus I’m working on a cowl for the Skeptic now and won’t feel like re-knitting this one again, so I’ll probably leave it as is for now. Spinner adoes ppreciate the cowl rather than a scarf, which would tickle him as he naps in his favorite hangout.

7 Comments

Filed under finished objects, knitting, scarf

Tagged as cowl, posh yarn

November 13, 2008 · 1:52 pm

Grey…

The Minnesota greyness has settled in for November.

We awoke to snow yesterday. The sun wasn’t even up all the way and the boys were bundled up and outside.

Today we have rain, wet leaves, and more grey. The greyness really doesn’t get to me until late in the winter when I really start craving sunny days and spring flowers. Until then I enjoy it. The grey feels cozy and warm, perfect for tea and sweaters.

It does make it hard to take a good knitting picture.

Blocking. (On an ugly green towel!)

More blocking, with the close up of the area that Knittykid ripped out, I picked up and hoped it would block out evenly. It’s not.

I’ll post more on these projects when I do have a good sunny day and can get some nice finished shots. In the meantime I’m off to make some cornbread and chili for the boys and their uncle and aunt tonight. The Skeptic (and Spinner) and I are out for our anniversary. (Which was two weeks ago and under so much baby brain fog I completely forgot to post about it.)

9 Comments

Filed under family, finished objects, hats, kids, knitting, scarf

Tagged as blocking, Minnesota, weather

June 30, 2008 · 11:34 pm

A Little Something for Me

I haven’t just been knitting for baby. On the way to the wedding a couple of weeks ago, I finished this:

It’s the Mason-Dixon Scribble Scarf, and I have to say it’s a nice quick knit, especially when you want something cute to go with the plain old black maternity dress you just had to buy.

Sorry for the lack of real life modeling shots. It did look cute with the dress. As you can see, it’s shorter than a scarf, I guess it’s more of a stole. I just kept knitting on the drive down and cast off when we got to the hotel. The yarn is Crystal Palace laceweight mohair and some sort of rayon novelty yarn from Knit One Crochet Two. As usual, the labels are lost.

I’ll be back with more soakers in a couple of days. I also purchased a diaper pattern, so we’ll see what I manage to sew up.

To be honest, I’m amazed I can manage to read and understand a pattern these days. I can’t believe what major baby brain I have this time. The other day I actually melted our camera. Lucky for me it still works, especially after all that work the Skeptic put into fixing it the last time I broke it. Little Man had swiped it, and I took it and hid it in what brilliant place? The top of our toaster over. Then I heated up some rolls in it for ten minutes. Yeah, I’m totally on top of things!

6 Comments

Filed under scarf, shawls

Tagged as laceweight, Mason-Dixon, stole

February 18, 2008 · 5:45 pm

Slacker

Yes, that’s me. I haven’t read a blog or updated my blog for over a week now. My free minutes have been few and far between, and probably will be for a few more weeks. But I’m still here and will try to pop in as I can. We’ll see how much catching up I can do today.

The good news is that my own personal genius, the Skeptic, has fixed my camera. So I do have photos to share. Today’s photo? My Fleece Artist scarf, the last photo I took before I dropped my camera and smashed up the lens.

This is from one of their scarf kits, it’s a thick and thin wool and a silk boucle. It’s super warm and perfect for this winter we’re having. The only problem? It sheds like crazy and I’m walking around the city looking like I have a long haired white cat who I let sleep on my coat. I tried to explain to the Skeptic that I needed a new coat that would hide my constantly shedding scarf and he gave me “the look.” That is the “we barely have extra money to order out pizza right now and you want a new coat to go with your scarf?” Um, yeah. Okay, so no new coat right now.

So there you have it, some actual knitting content.

My other main order of business is to catch up with the wonderful award that both Catherine and Lia gave me:

This truly did make my day, and now I get to pass it on to ten others who really do make my day, those who I miss when I have a week like this past one has been. But first I need to say “right back at’cha!” to both Catherine and Lia. Catherine is a wonderful friend who I don’t get to see enough lately (I miss my Tuesday night knitting!). Lia was my first coffee swap partner and a sweet person who dyes beautiful, gorgeous yarn. Her package was the first time anyone ever dyed any yarn just for me, and I felt very spoiled. Thank you both so much for thinking of me!!!

So in addition to the two awesome ladies above, here are ten more very fine bloggers!

Nuttnbunny: Oh, can she spin! And I think she must spin in her sleep, she seems to get so much done.

Jess: A friend that I first met when Little Man and her oldest were both babies. We hadn’t seen each other for while, but then started reading each other’s blogs, both of us wondering, “hmmmm, is that her? ” And it was. I’m glad we’re both running in the same circles again, and her blog is a nice way to keep in touch as we still don’t see each other all that much.

Chris: How else would I keep up with all my knit-blogging news? And you can’t beat cats and knitting!

Paige: A new blogger, she always has great thrifting finds and some beautiful projects.

Jennifer: An all around talented crafter and the Fiberflix queen! (Although now that our tv is busted I’m even worse at keeping up with all those great movies.)

Jody: She knits, sews, spins, and takes lovely pictures!

Marsha: My fellow vegetarian-knitter-mom and another former swap partner. Not just knitting, she’s got a great mix of interesting stuff on her blog.

Sheepish Annie: Funny, funny, funny. And just to be sure you know, she’s very funny.

Dottycookie: A lovely mixture of creative goods!!

Guinifer: You want to keep up on your sock yarn? Then her blog is not to be missed!

Wow, so hard to pick only ten out of the 196 blogs I have in my bloglines. Yeah, I know that’s crazy. But everyone is so talented, I hate to miss it!

12 Comments

Filed under friends, scarf