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!

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.

Wicker Park

Wow, I'm really excited. I just finished writing the pattern to this shawl and I posted these pictures in the Free Pattern Testers group on Ravelry--a day and a half later I had to edit the post, allowing more test-knitters, so many wanted to do it. (I have some local testers up my sleeve, as well.)

This is making me think about what other projects I could do. I like the Wicker Park shawl because it has such interesting construction; I love being a short-row architect, which is what I'm calling it now. Maybe I'll make another short-row hat like Lee Meredith, but you know, different. Oh, here's my hat that I made of her design!

Sweater Completed!

So, my first sweater was a success! I finished it a while ago, but I forgot to blog the finished product! Also, I made buttons. Thinking of making more and selling them on Etsy and/or local yarn shops.

Chamber Tie Pattern

The other day my friend Brooke, from the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, mentioned he was starting a blog about ties and wondered if I could knit him a tie. I'd never knit a tie before, but how hard could it be? I took on the challenge and gave it a couple nice personal touches: a seed stitch border and a single cable down the center. I used Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic, which has a nice sheen to it, as well as being very sturdy. I also took some notes so I could write up the pattern for you here!

Materials

Yarn: 1 skein Tahki Yarns Cotton Classic

Needles: US 4 - 3.5 mm

Guage

16 stitches and 22 rows in seed stitch = 2 inches

Abbreviations

CO - cast on

p - purl

k - knit

s - slip stitch from left to right needle purlwise

p2tog - purl 2 stitches together

k2tog - knit 2 stitches together

c4f - slide 2 stitches purlwise to cable needle and hold to front, knit next 2 stiches from left needle, knit stitches off cable needle

c2f - slide 1 stitch purlwise to cable needle and hold to front, knit next stitch from left needle, knit stitch off cable needle.

Pattern

CO 16 stitches

1: s1, (k1, p1) 7 times, k1

2: s1, (p1, k1) 7 times, p1

Repeat two more times.

Cabled area

1: s1, k1, p1, k1, p2, k4, p3, k1, p1, k1

2, 4, and 6: s1, p1, k1, p1, k2, p4, k3, p1, k1, p1

3: s1, k1, p1, k1, p2, c4f, p3, k1, p1, k1

5: s1, k1, p1, k1, p2, k4, p3, k1, p1, k1

Repeat cable rows 1-6 seventeen times, then work from 1-3 once.

Decrease

After row 3 of the cabled area, you'll be starting on the wrong side (ws).

1: s1, p1, k1, p1, k2tog, p4, k2tog, k1, p1, k1, p1

2: s1, k1, p1, k1, p1, k4, p2, k1, p1, k1

3: s1, p1, k1, p1, k1, p4, k2, p1, k1, p1

4 and 5: Repeat rows 2 and 3.

6: s1, k1, p1, k1, p1, c4f, p2, k1, p1, k1

7: s1, p1, k2tog, k1, p4, k1, p2tog, k1, p1

8: s1, k1, p2, k4, p1, k1, p1, k1

9: s1, p1, k2, p4, k1, p1, k1, p1

10 and 11: Repeat rows 8 and 9.

12: s1, k1, p2, c4f, p1, k1, p1, k1

13: s1, p1, k2, (p2tog) twice, k1, p1, k1, p1

14: s1, k1, p2, k2, p1, k1, p1, k1

15: s1, p1, k2, p2, k1, p1, k1, p1

16: s1, k1, p2, c2f, p1, k1, p1, k1

17: s1, p1, k2, p2, k1, p1, k1, p1

18-29: Repeat rows 14-17 three times.

30: s1, k1, p2, k2, p1, k1, p1, k1

31: s1, p1, k2tog, p2tog, k1, p1, k1, p1

The Rest of the Tie

1. (rs) s1, (k1, p1) three times, k1

2. s1, (p1, k1) three times, p1

Work those two rows until they equal the length of the first part of the tie. Bind off.

First Pattern!

Oh boy! I just added my first pattern to the Ravelry store! It's free because I'm not a pro yet. Anyway, you can find it here! (You need to log in to the site, so if you don't have an account, get one!) And here's a picture of my test-knitter and me, wearing hats that the other one knit!