Amigurumi and Alpaca

This is an amigurumi, currently possessed by Lily. I made it for Valentine’s Day. Note that it is not:
a. red, pink, or white, even though it was for Valentine’s Day
b. embellished with hearts
c. discernably of any animal species, though the original plan was to make a cat.

This probably tells a lot about me. I think Lily keeps it in her pencil bag at school. I think that it has a name and that it is female, but that is about it.
One of Lily’s friends once said that it looked like a Devil Child, but that theory has since been disaproved.

Anyway, I have nothing recent that is remotely interesting to show you at the moment, so I’ll just have to show you more past FOs.

This is another V-Day thing. The recipent was my (and Lily’s) good friend Drashian:

This was supposed to look like a little red ratty, but both Lily and I firmly believe that this actually does look like a Devil Child (if such things existed).

Amigurumi is addicting!

 

Halter top

Well, this is the first remotely wearable warm weather garment I have created (I made up the pattern as I went along). I’ve made one other attempt at the halter top.

How did it turn out, you ask? Well, it depends. Do you like Geometric Shapes Tastelessly fully Stitches in Acrylic Across One’s Belly?

Remind me to tell you about that one sometime.

Anyway, the purple top was knitted in a nylon/cotton blend, varigated shiney blue and opaque purple. I like the pooling, to be honest. However, this thing is Flawed.
1. The back is supposed to go up to my shoulder blades. It sags.
2. The laces up the sides are uneve.
3. It’s a bit short. Not enought to be a belly shirt, but definately not long.

On the plus side, it’s full of summery promise, if not in the design, in the yarn.

 

Pheonix Handwarmers

Okay, first free pattern of Crazy Knitting Girls! These are the aforementioned One Skein Touch Me Hand Warmers. Now renamed…

Pheonix Handwarmers

These are one of three patterns I know of for that inevitable single skein of Muench Touch Me. The other two are Velvet Oblivion and a knitted flower from some book I can’t remember. Although, as I look back on it, a knitted flower hardly counts. Still, it’s technically a pattern.

My point is, there are very few patterns that can do something vaguely with the 61 yards of velvety rayon goodness that is Touch Me. Well, here is a pattern that is useful in a roundabout way (it protects your pulse points in case they are attacked by someone with a small weapon that could be deflected by a tightly knit chenille), pretty (at least, I hope you think so), and quick to knit (I completed my pair in a day).

The Recipe:
Muench Touch Me [72% Viscose/Microfibre, 28% Wool 61yd per 50g skein];
color: 3620 [Velvet Red]; 1 skein
Size US 6/4.00 mm double pointed needles OR two short circular needles OR one 29″ or longer circular needle
Yarn Needle

Note: The stitch pattern is originally from a stitch dictionary. I modified it for work in the round, renamed it, and fiddled with it to make it fit. So there.
Flame Pattern
1st row: P1, K2, P2, K2tog, yo, K1, YO, sl1, K1, P2, K2
2st row: P1, K2, P2, K5, P2, K2
3st row: P1, K2, P2, K1, yo, K3, yo, K1, P2, K2
4st row: P1, K2, P2, K7, P2, K2
5st row: P1, K2, P2, yarn back, sl 1, K1, psso, yo, sl1, K2tof, psso, yo, K2tog, P2, K2
6st row: P1, K2, P2, K5, P2, K2
7st row: P1, T3F, P1, K1, yo, K3, yo, K1, P1, T3B
8st row: P1, P1, K2, P1, K7, P1, K2, P1
9st row: P2, T3F, s1, K1, psso, yo, sl1, k2tog, psso, yo, K2tog, T3B, P1
10st row: P3, K9, P2
11st row: P3, T3F, P3, T3B, P2
12st row: P1, [P3, K2] twice, K3
13st row: P4, T3F, P1, T3B, P2
14st row: P5, K2, P1, K2, P4
15st row: P5, T5R*, P4
16st row: P to end
*slip next s stitches on to cable needle and hold at back or work, knit next 2 stitches from left handneedle, then p1, k2 from cable needle

Left Glove:

Cast on 28 stitches. Join to work in the round.

Note: I would highly recommend that you work this pattern on two circular or with the magic loop method, because that allows you to have half the stitches on each side. That makes it easier. This pattern will refer to the “first half of stitches” (on which the main pattern will be worked), and the “second half of stitches”, where the rib and thumb hole will be worked.

Work in 2X2 ribbing for three rounds.

Round 1: Start the Flame Pattern, Row 1 in the first half of the stitches. One second half of stitches (the second half starts with P2), BO 4 and continue in rib as established to end of round.
Round 2: Continue Flame Pattern on first half of stitches. On second half, cast on 4 stitches over the bound-off hole and continue rib as established to end of round.
Rounds 3-16: Continue Flame Pattern on first half of glove, and 2X2 ribbing as established on the second half of the glove.
After the whole Flame Pattern has been worked, work 3 more rounds of 2X2 ribbing. BO.

Right Glove:
Work the same as Left glove, except on the thumb hole BO round. Instead of BO the first four stitches in the second half of the round, BO the last four stitches. Next row, CO 4 stitches over the BO stitches and continue as written.

Finishing:
Weave in ends. This is a pain. It is good to try knotting the ends to the inside of the glove, or else they will come out over and over again.

 

Suprise Party!

Today, Amira, Drashian, and myself threw a suprise party for Lily!

We drove her to a fabulous, remote yarn shop and had a good time (at least I did). I’ll let her blog the details, but I would like to draw attention to the fact that I have discovered a new type of SSS (Second Sock Syndrome, for you non knitters) while knitting her a pair of birthday socks (that sounds so cheesy).

Here is how it happened:

See?

A complex version of SSS. I knit the majority of the Second Sock a few days before the party.

But I made it!

I assume Lily will be happy to fill everyone in on the details, but I will post this picture of us (with serial killer-esque masks so you creepy stalkers out there can’t see us).

Good times.

 

Sleeve Shrug Thing

Once, I tried knitting Tubey. It didn’t turn out to well (The top was the right size but the bottom was HUGE) so I ripped out the bottom and was about to do the same with the top. Just for fun, I tried it on.

I like it a lot, actually. It was fun to knit and I highly recommend it. Also, I got a lot of compliments at school.

(Yes, that is my unnatural disaster room in the background. How did you guess?)

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Or not. Personally, I’m not really into the whole “love” thing, but whatever. To the point. I am notorious for doing things at last minute, including Valentine’s Day Cards. And obviously, I love to knit. So last night, the Knitted (Sort of) Valentine was created! We had a snow day today, so I decided to make a little tutorial. Enjoy!

Materials
Extremely Sharp Scissors
Clear tape
A store bought, mostly plain card (no pictures or saying on the inside)
One ball of super-bulky ribbon yarn, I used Dynasty Yarns Osaka in Bright Multi colorway
Size US 15/10.0 mm needles

1. With sz 15 needles and yarn, CO 6 stitches. Work in St stitch (K one row, P one row) for 6 rows. BO. You should now have a square-ish shaped thing about three inches across. If it’s not exactly three inches, that’s okay.

2. Now take the Extremely Sharp Scissors and find a spot in the center of the front of the card. Cut out a heart shape roughly 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches across or smaller. Save the heart shape you cut out. Later, you will need it.

3. Open the card, and tape the knitted swatch over the heart-shaped hole so the knit side shows through the front of the card.

4.Place it over the bottom of the card to from a sort of mini-border. You can fasten it with tape on the back and inside of the card.
(My card said “Thank you” on it at first, so I taped it over that.)

5. Put a loop of tape on the back of the cut-out heart, and stick it in the middle of the page where the message would usually go.

6. Write in card.

7. Give card to someone, perferably a knitter. Happy Valentine’s Day!