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Monday, July 26, 2010

New Design (Probably): Paulina

I've been experimenting with short-row hats a la Leethal, but with my own twists. Earlier, in my recent FO post, I demonstrated my failed attempt to do an "illusion hat," something that I'd been warned might not work because heads happen to be round. "Round schmound!" I said to that, only to find that I'd wasted a couple days drawing charts and following them and glean the result of a weird, kind of nubbly, hat.

But I prevailed! Not with that concept, because it was drenched in fail-sauce, but I had another idea: what if I cast on a few stitches and made some short row ear-flaps! It would be so cool--you could apply it to any short-row hat you could want! Just add some stitches at the end (or beginning) of a couple wedges and you have an ear-flap!
These guys got a little long:
But that actually made them long enough to fasten to a button at the very center of the crown--a fun touch.
What do you guys think? Should my next try have more reggler-sized earflaps or should I keep them long? (I'll probably try doing shorter ones to compare, anyway.)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Wolcott is Available!



Hello, all my dozens of fans! Wolcoott is now available in the Ravelry store! It's the hat that goes from tam to toque in a tick!

So yes! You can !

eBay, Gartigan

I recently discovered that I could buy yarn on eBay. That was a dangerous discovery! I ended up with 6 skeins of Debbie Bliss alpaca/silk dk, 5 skeins of Malabrigo silky merino, and one skein of sock.
Gorgeous, right? One thing, and it's a big'un: I don't have a ball winder. Is it worth it to buy one? I don't work at a yarn store, so I'd feel like a big pain if I asked if I could use theirs, especially considering how sticky Malabrigo tends to be, what with the kettle-dying. It's so pretty, though!

Anyway, the Debbie Bliss comes in balls already, so I searched and found the perfect pattern for this lovely cardigan:
I love it! It's way way way too warm to wear anywhere these days, but come fall I will get tons of use for it!

Friday, July 16, 2010

And designs!

Also, my Wicker Park has hit the shops! If you buy it now, it's only $5, but I may raise the price to $6, because it's really complex and worth it! It's been so amazing working with the testers, solving their problems (hopefully!) and viewing their progress. I owe them so much!The next pattern to hit the store soon is my Wolcott, a fun, versatile hat that's "much easier than it looks," according to my internet friend Alex who test knit it for me. Mine turned out a lot slouchier than the testers, so I may have to knit another to see if I wrote the instructions wrong. I don't think I did; I may just be a super loose knitter or have an abnormally-small head. We shall see, and the pattern should be ready in a week or so!
This hat can be worn two ways--slouchy:
Or as a beanie! I hope you guys love it and buy it and make me millions of dollars! ;)


Holy FO, Batman!

When I get obsessed with knitting--truly obsessed--I forget to blog about it. Well, I am still obsessed, but I'm working on a cardigan right now and those tend to bore me a little, no matter how soft the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk is on my fingers. Here are a few recently finished pieces!
I test knit this pullover for Jennifer Thompson late this spring. It was a really simple, quick knit, and flattering, too! I'm new to sweaters, and this was a pleasure--changing colors helps with the boredom of knitting a sweater, a tiny bit, and since it was bottom-up, all the exciting stuff happened at the end, making me stay up really late until I'd finished it!
This guy, Vahl, was test-knit for the creative Alexandra Tinsley. I kind of stink at changing colors in the round, so there's a seam-like thing going up the back, but it's way fun! I gave it to my friend Tirzah at her bachelorette party last night! Pom-poms!
And as payment for the test, Alex sent me the Maelstrom Beret pattern I'd been coveting. I gave this as an engagement gift to my brother's fiancee, Liz. This is not Liz wearing it, but I bet it looks great on her!
And then I attempted to design an illusion hat. I failed because head happen to be round and illusions need to be long. Stupid long illusions and round heads! But I like how this stripy hat looks, and I'd probably like it better without the nubbly illusion attempts. I have an idea, but I think I'll surprise you with it!
And down here is Reagan Rush's Leafprints Hat, bought with cold, hard, honest Pay Pal, but it's only $3.50! And I like it a lot.