Monday, October 31, 2011

Hatober!

After finishing Rupa's baby blanket, I was yearning for some instant gratification knitting, aka hats! First up, an improvised one cable hat using some SWS Stripes yarn from the depths of the stash. Details on ravelry. Crappy PhotoBooth pic:


Next up, an improvised pumpkin hat based on the Kurbis pattern for my friend's kid's 1st birthday, using some Malabrigo merino worsted in "carrot" and a tiny bit of some KnitPicks Bare worsted that I dyed a few years ago. Crappy cell phone pic:


After that came the Slip Stitch Hat from 60 Quick Knits, using some ArtYarns Ultramerino, also from deep in the stash. I love the feel of this yarn, but have mixed feelings about the colors--light pink and a few shades of brown. I'm debating adding a large pom pom to the top of this hat... what do you think?


The last completed hat of Hatober was a special request from Raj: a hat to cover his ears in a more interesting color than his previous hats. He picked the colors for this one--purple and charcoal gray. I picked the yarn, the wonderful Malabrigo Twist, and we agreed on the pattern, Honegart by Stephen West.



I do have one more hat in progress but I'm not sure if I'll finish it by the end of Hatober, just 3.5 hours away. :)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Let's make a Project Pouch

Simple Project Pouch

This little bag works great for corralling your yarn projects. Also doubles as re-usable gift wrap!

Start by cutting out 2 squarish rectangles. Exact size is unimportant, but I would suggest having the width be at least 9 inches. For this example, my rectangles are 10"x12":

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With right sides together, sew along 3 sides--two long sides and one short side--stopping 1 1/4" from top of each long side and back-stitching to reinforce (1/4" seam allowance):

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Mark off then cut out 2" squares at the lower corners of the bag (this is how we create the box bottom):

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Pinch the front and back of the bag apart from each other, opening up the holes at the corners. Taking care to line up the seam lines, pin these openings then sew

Simple Project Pouch

Simple Project Pouch

Simple Project Pouch

And voila, we have our box bottom!

Simple Project Pouch

Now it's time to address the top of the bag, where the drawstrings will happen. For neat drawstring openings, press open then stitch the seam-allowance area at the top of the bag:

Simple Project Pouch

Simple Project Pouch

To create the drawstring channel, fold down and press the top of the bag a little more than 1/2" then stitch a little less than 1/2" from the folded edge:

Simple Project Pouch

Simple Project Pouch

Ok, put away your sewing machine! All that's left is the drawstring. I find that a simple crocheted chain works great. To make your bag easy to cinch up, you'll want two chains, each twice as long as the bag is wide. Smooth cotton yarn works great for this. Alternately, you could simply use ribbon, shoe laces or some other cord.

Simple Project Pouch

Insert the drawstrings through each side the top channel, one at a time (safety pin works great for this), in such a way that the ends of one string are both on the right and the ends of the other are both on the left. Knot the ends of the string together to secure then trim. Add project and cinch up!

Simple Project Pouch

Simple Project Pouch

Simple Project Pouch

Friday, October 21, 2011

FO: Hawthorne Scarf

Hawthorne Scarf

Pattern: Hawthorne from Twist Collective (rav project page)
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter
Needle: US 9

Hawthorne Scarf

This was the only project that was knit entirely in India. I packed the yarn in skein form, and big thanks to my super cooperative husband who helped me wind the yarn into balls on the early-morning train from Delhi to Jaipur (I wish I had a picture of this).

Clever use of short-rows make this a sort of hybrid scarf-shawl. I'm not certain that this was the best pairing of yarn to pattern, because the lace/bobble pattern seems a tad lost with this yarn. But I do love the yarn--so cozy! My only worry is that it won't get cold enough for the recipient to be able to use this thick wool scarf. :)


Hawthorne Scarf

Ugh! My backyard is such a mess!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

FO: Noro Stripe Baby Blanket

Noro Stripe Baby Blanket

Yarn: Noro Taiyo Sock
Needle: US 4
Pattern: improvised (rav project page)

Noro Stripe Baby Blanket

FINALLY!! This project really lingered on the needles longer than it should have. It was that border that did me in. Note to self: no more of these knit-on borders with only 20-30 stitches per row! The constant need to turn my work made it way too easy for me to put this project down after only completing a few rows of border.

As with any Noro project, the colors are the fun part. Overall, I'm pleased with how these two colorways went together, though the maroon and gray stripe area isn't my favorite... Really, it's such a relief to have this thing done. When we got back from India, I told myself I couldn't start any new projects until this was done (this rule did not preclude me from working on things I'd already begun), and with the appearance of fall weather, I was motivated to finish up so I could knit some cool-weather accessories.

Noro Stripe Baby Blanket

Now to pack this up and ship it around the world (and pray that it makes it there safely!)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

FO: Fannette Shawlette

Fannette Shawlette

Pattern: Fannette from KnitCircus (rav project page)
Yarn: Cascade Heritage Silk
Needle: US6

Fannette Shawlette

I'd been thinking about this pattern since I first saw it in the summer KnitCircus magazine when I was in the middle of my shawlette frenzy. It was a great knit for traveling around (here I am knitting it on the Kerala houseboat). Simple design with just enough detail to keep me interested. I would definitely recommend this pattern to someone who wants to venture into shawlettes. Also, this was my first time working with the yarn--and I love it! The feeling of the yarn and the color are delightful.

Fannette Shawlette

Friday, October 14, 2011

FO: Pagona Shawlette

Pagona Shawlette

Yarn: Knit One Crochet Too Crock-O-Dye
Needle: US6
Pattern: Pagona from WestKnits Book 1 (rav project page)

This was the first project I finished on our trip to India. In fact, it was cast off on the plane to Seoul. I enjoyed the unique construction of this pattern and really like the simplicity of the result.

I'm also happy with the yarn. This pattern really lets semi-solid colorways shine.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Yipes!

I totally skipped September! Oops....

I finally got around to blocking the things I made in India. And I FINALLY finished knitting the border of Rupa's baby blanket (though I have yet to block it). So I'll have some pretty knitting content for this here blog soon.

Until then, some pics from our trip...

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

Agra Fort

Amber Fort

You can check out other pictures on my flickr page. Only about half the trip is up so far. We took more than 1500 pics.... editing is taking a while. :P