Gifts!

Goodness, it's been quite a while since I posted. I haven't made much progress on my socks, but I'm getting the urge to try again. I was originally stymied by a tiny sock pattern I printed off without realizing there was a weird mistake in the heel turn, got frustrated, and put it down. After some research, I figured out that there was an updated copy, and that most of it was exactly the same except for the part I had the problem with. I made a few gifts before my sock problem, but I didn't want to post the pictures until I actually gave them away. SO! Here they are.

I actually blocked all of these, since I was giving them as gifts! Up first is a nice leaf. It turned out a little smaller than I was hoping despite using worsted weight cotton, so I think next time I will use the largest needle size in the range. I like the subtle variegation in it, though I'm considering making another one in a darker green too.

Pattern found here.

Since the leaf ended up being rather small for a washcloth, I also made one with a rose on it in a more traditional size and shape. It turned out really well, and I am a huge fan of this pattern. The person I gave it to said she thought it should be in a frame, not used, so I might make a second one she can actually use! =)

Pattern found here.

Another aunt and uncle used to raise Labradors, and still have one as well as a wonderful, GIANT mutt they found and couldn't bear to give up. It's safe to say they love dogs. I saw this dishcloth pattern, and thought it would be perfect for them. This aunt also said she thought it should be framed. I'm sensing a pattern here, and as much as I love making these pretty picture dishcloths, I also want to make something people will use!

Pattern found here.

That is where simpler patterns come in. I made this and gave it to my Grandpa because he made me a lovely yarn cone holder. The blue is a little washed out in this picture for some reason, and the red towel I blocked it on didn't help, but you can see the pattern pretty clearly. This pattern is one that looks trickier than it actually is if you're just glancing. It's basically K3, P1(Of course, since it's a pattern with a multiple of 4 + 3, your last three stitches will be knit as well) on one side and K the other until the desired length.

Pattern found here.

I think patterns like this are more likely to be used as actual dishcloths, and I like giving useful things too! Of course, as soon as I give the finished object away, the person I give it to can do with it what they will. On the other hand, I think I'll be trying to find a few more of these simpler patterns so I can package two as a gift from now on. I hope all my gift recipients will enjoy their dishcloths in the way they choose!

I have another gift set to mail off, and hopefully a post about it soon. It doesn't exactly follow my latest idea of giving both a patterned and picture dishcloth, but it does have some other things which I found quite fun to knit.

Dishcloths Galore

Okay, so I finished one of the toys, and have finished the knitting for the other toy. Unfortunately, I've since learned that I HATE post knitting construction and have been procrastinating on it ever since. It's currently sitting in my room, languishing without it's arms, legs, or eyes attached. Instead, I bring you more dishcloths. Because they're my favorite.

First up is a lovely double knit potholder. My boyfriend and I are watching Star Trek from beginning to end, and are currently in the good times for TNG, so I thought this was a rather fitting project. I can't wait to get to Voyager, so I might have a special project to commemorate getting there. Maybe it'll motivate me to watch faster!

Pattern found here.

I've also been interested in making a few little scrubbies, but my attempt at the Tribble ended in a broken string and some severe frustration so I can't show it to you as of now. On the other hand, this little Fleur-de-lis cloth is almost the perfect size for a scrubbie without the difficulty that tightening a string seems to present me.

Pattern found here.

Okay so I haven't sewn in the ends or blocked it yet, shoot me. I've been similarly neglectful of the other two I will be sharing today. It's a small, quick knit and I know several people who either like this elegant design or the football team that uses it as their logo. I can see this being at the top of a stack of homemade, beribboned cloths for a nice present.

This dishcloth is meant to emulate stained glass, and I think it is the best looking variegated yarn usage I've seen yet. Of course, it is helped by the fact that I picked out one with bold colors. Even as I was first joining the color, I knew I loved the vibrant green and blue colors. It was almost decadent to knit.

Pattern found here under April 2011 KAL. Members only, but joining is free.

Back view is pretty too!

Finally, let's talk about the fact that I am still learning to knit. And I might need to work on my pattern following skills. Because when you don't follow the pattern, sometimes bad things happen. Like this:

Same place as last time, it's Aug 2007's mid-month KAL.

Two things went horribly awry in this dishcloth, preventing it from being quite as lovely as it should be. First of all, I held the yarn for the cable in front wrong from the beginning. It is twisting together instead of outwards, and I didn't realize until it was two sets of cabling later and I'm not yet brave enough to undo rows where I've cabled. I thought I could live with it and decided to move on. I even knit some of the middle of this while celebrating St Patrick's Day. No mistakes.

Then I decided to do the last two sets of cabling and finish it off the next morning, and unfortunately made a big mistake. I didn't pay enough attention to my pattern. I obviously cabled too soon, and then ended up knitting the stitches I was supposed to be moving around. Part of the problem is that I didn't listen to what the cloth was telling me.

Back view.

This view is a little difficult, but you might be able to tell that the lines of purling that are on either side of the stitches which are cabled zigzag in a uniform way until the mistake at the top. I saw these while I was knitting. I saw them. And I did nothing. If I'd bothered to look at my pattern as a whole before I got to the last five rows of garter stitch, I would've realized my mistake soon enough to fix it. Instead, I happily knitted along, ignoring my instinct because I totally had the pattern down by the last set of cables.

Obviously I was wrong! I will try to never ignore my instincts again. I don't think this will stop me from ever making another mistake, but it might mean a few fewer. I haven't sewed in the ends and blocked it yet because I'm still debating at least fixing those last two sets of cabling. It's not so very many rows, and I could probably figure out how to backtrack through cabling. Plus, I could document it carefully and make myself a little guide for if/WHEN I need to fix cables again.

I'm heading on another trip next week, during which time I will be giving away several dishcloths. This means I will finally be able to post pictures of them on here! I've done some interesting patterns, and another few picture patterns. I considered saving them for Christmas gifts, but that's just so far away I don't think I can wait that long. I also found a nice deal on some sock weight wool yarn, and I'm going to be attempting to knit a sock or two in the near future. I just need to get myself some size 1 dpns...

Short Update

I disappeared again! This time I have a somewhat legitimate excuse. I was out of town for the funeral of a friend's family member. I wasn't personally close with this person, but my friend needed support afterward so I traveled to my home town for most of a week and was without internet. I was also so busy that I didn't knit at all! Before I left I finished two more dishcloths.

First, since I have plenty of variegated dishcloth material (a Peaches and Creme cone and also two more balls of a different color!) I decided to try out patterns meant specifically for multicolored yarn. The first pattern is fairly simple:

Pattern found here.

I'm not convinced I like it, and feel that despite the intention of the pattern there were still clusters of color. It's easier to see on the back. There are patches of mostly darker colors and patches of lighter colors.

Back view w/color clustering

Then, I decided to take on a more difficult pattern using variegated yarn. I made an entrelac dishcloth! Of course, I don't have cheap cotton dishcloth yarn that has a long variegation, but the pattern I used didn't either. Even so, I think mine had more different colors and I'm a little iffy on using it again for that. I'll have to find another pattern, I suppose!

Pattern found here.

You can see my minor problems with the first decreasing side triangle, which I think was brought about by picking up the wrong stitches. I didn't get quite close enough to the corner to make the triangle fit. Glad I made the mistake on a dishcloth instead of one of those lovely scarves! I think next time, I will make each row a separate color, but otherwise have solid colors. The result is very striking.

To use up a little of the leftover yarn, I decided to fall back on the ever so familiar Grandma's favorite dishcloth. I think it turned out quite well, an am surprised at how great the pattern looks even with the random change of color. I still have a weeeee bit of the purple left, so I think I'll wait until I've used another ball (I have a lot cuz it's my favorite color!) and have a more substantial amount for another leftover dishcloth.

Next time I'll be talking about a few little toys I've been working on. One is done except for a teensy bit of construction and stuffing. The other has one small part to be knit, and a little sewing for assembly before I can show it off. Till then, good luck with your own endeavors!

Knitting Gifts

I've recently discovered the anxiety that is knitting a gift for someone. It first struck the day after I started making the Cardinal dishcloth for my boyfriend's mom. I was so gung ho and searching for a pattern that was more complex that I latched on to the first good looking thing I saw within(and at the top of) my skill level. This magnified when I was bolstered by the success of the cardinal, though it did have a few stitches that weren't quite in the pattern.

I went looking for a pattern my own mother would like, and found the perfect flower. It was complicated, but I wasn't afraid. I'd never adapted a pattern before, but it was from a glove and had a chart, so I didn't think it'd be difficult to turn into a flat knit dishcloth. Unfortunately, I didn't take into account the complexity when considering the needle size and went with my straight sevens since my interchangeable needle set hadn't arrived yet. I set off on this new adventure, and it didn't turn out exactly as planned.

It turned out to be more of a dishtowel than a dishcloth, and the pattern was more stretched than I'd envisioned it. It was 120 rows. It took a ball and a quarter of Peaches n Creme, the most I've had to use on a single project so far. It was difficult to get a picture, but here is the finished project:

Flower chart here.

I actually took it off my needles and made several other projects before finishing the last 30 rows just in time to get it to my mom for her birthday. Even though I just threw this in as an additional present beyond what I was planning on getting her anyway, I feel bad because it isn't perfect. I never want someone to feel obligated to use something I made (enthusiastic as I might've been at the start!) if they don't like it, and I also feel bad for spending so much time on something that had problems I could've fixed at the time if I'd only known what I was doing a little more.

One of the projects I did while this was in the wings is part of a wedding present. I am attending one of my high school friends weddings in May, and will at least be sending a present to the wedding of my cousin (not technically related since she's the stepdaughter of my aunt, but it's not so much not blood relation as the fact that we're not close and I'm not sure I can manage travelling home twice in May). For both, I'd like to give them a bottle of wine, a couple of nicely (home)made dishcloths, and one small thing from their registry. This allows me to flesh out my gifts for them without spending more than what's in my limited budget.

I picked out a wine cozy pattern that looked nice and made it. I'm a teensy bit unhappy with it because the pattern says that the maker didn't knit it in a round because she didn't like doing so and I was pretty sure I'd like it better and was capable of doing it round, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and knit it flat. The seam is rather obvious despite my being careful, and I had to go over the ribbing at the top more because it didn't hold together as well. If I do this pattern again, I'm definitely knitting in the round, and I might add a little more to the ribbing to avoid crocheting, which hurts my wrists.

Pattern found here.

Bottom view

I'm happy with the way the yarn looks otherwise, given that it's Red Heart Shimmer yarn. I'm planning on embroidering (or something, haven't decided what will work best yet) their monogram onto the front to complete it and personalize it.

On my needles right now is a double knit pot holder. I decided to try this before I made the double knit bookmark because it's easier to see if I make a mistake and the yarn isn't so expensive as to make me feel guilty if I mess up!

Opening Up Blog

I haven't been writing here because I haven't been writing in my life. I know that my goal for the year is not something I'm going to make. I set it because I was coming down from the high that is NaNoWriMo, and I would still like to incorporate writing into my life more often. On the other hand, there are other creative endeavors I embark upon that I don't feel like I can write about here. SO. I'm going to open up my blog to all the different things I've made and do that are creative. And maybe sometimes non creative things will sneak in here. I make no promises!

I'm still searching for a job, so after I've perused all of the job boards I am looking through and given up on finding any more, I've been knitting. I started with dishcloths. The learning curve for them was rather wonky, since I just picked the patterns I wanted to do instead of based on how difficult they were to do. The local Wal Mart has super cheap Peaches n Creme yarn, so it was easy on the wallet too (to start with, I've since ordered a mind boggling amount of yarn...)

I also picked up a Mason Dixon knitting book because I liked the style, and they featured this dishcloth:

Pattern can be found on the Peaches and Creme website for free

After having that under my belt, I decided to go for something a little more difficult. I was going to design my own pattern, and decided to make something for someone else since I only need so many dishcloths. I settled on a thank you gift for my boyfriend's mother, who let me stay with them for Christmas and New Years. I searched for a cardinal to use as my reference, but I ended up finding the perfect pattern. So I got to work knitting it right away instead.

Pattern found here. Lots to see there, $2 a piece

I was feeling a little fatigued after the difficulty of having to be directly in front of the pattern to knit, and fondly remembered a dishcloth my Grandma used to make. She taught me how, once, but I'd forgotten. Back to the internet I went, and discovered a lot of people have written up the pattern and it's quite well known. I usually saw it as "Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth" or something similar, though sometimes it was the less nice, "Idiot's Washcloth". In any case, Here's the one I made with a nice variegated yarn.

Pattern found here.

 My last finished dishcloth (whose ends have been sewn in since this picture was taken!) is this lovely number. It was rather similar to the first one I made, slipping stitches to create a pattern. In this case, the slipped stitches are knit after only one row, but it leaves a very pretty pattern behind. I don't have a picture of the back right now, but it's also pretty nice looking on the other side too! After several other things, I made another one in blue and white.

Pattern found here.

Next, I decided to make something for my boyfriend. He'd been sitting next to me patiently on the couch as I elbowed him in the side while knitting long enough without reward, after all. My next project would involve cabling, so I first practiced with this napkin ring (unblocked for the picture!) as a short, sweet little project.

Pattern found here. Mine is right slanting.

Feeling ready for the real deal, I got some Red Heart yarn (also cheap at Wal Mart) as called for in the pattern, took measurements of my boyfriend's Kindle (a Nov. birthday present from his parents) and made him a case. I think it turned out rather well. This picture doesn't do it justice, and I might have to upload a new one next time he's around with his Kindle for me to photograph. This was my first attempt to knit in the round with dpns, and I can barely tell where the joins were!

Pattern found here.

Deciding to celebrate success with another easy project, I picked out another Mason Dixon pattern. I have wanted to make a reusable Swiffer cover since I bought the thing and found out how much the refills cost. Now I have one! I made this with leftover purple from the other cloths, and ran out a little bit before I thought I would. It still looks fine, and it's just going onto a Swiffer, so I don't mind.

Pattern in Mason Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines.

In the process of searching for more patterns, I found something that would be perfect for one of my best friends. She once asked another friend of ours what the chemical formula for popcorn was while studying in high school, and has has to bear many jokes since. This isn't popcorn, it's caffeine, but considering how often she goes to Starbucks it's still appropriate.

Pattern found here.

My latest project was for myself, the third in the round project. I don't have any dice, though I love looking at them in stores, and I don't do anything that requires me to carry around dice, but I couldn't pass this pattern up. Mini Cthulhus! It turned out better than I'd imagined. I used yarn leftover from my boyfriend's Kindle case, and he told me as soon as I was done with it that he was pretty sure it was supposed to be for him too. Haha, no! But I will probably make him one too someday soon, perhaps in slightly different colors to prevent confusion. =)

Pattern found here.

So that's what I've been up to. This post is crazy long. Next time I'll check in sooner. I am most of the way done with a wine cozy for a wedding in May, and I think I'm going to make a few cute little things with more of the Red Heart yarn. I also have some nicer yarn for a few market bags (including one intended as a gift if I can get the pattern to work out better than the first one I started and ripped out!) and even nicer sock yarn for a double knitted bookmark.

This is the most intimidating thing I've decided to try yet, and I actually cast this project on twice. Unfortunately, the first time the yarn slipped off while I was trying to move it to a different room. For the second time, I decided to be more careful and covered the ends when I wasn't working on it, but they came off and so did the yarn! Argh! I had no hope of being able to sort out and pick up all of those stitches, and since I was only a few rows into it I decided to just rip it all out and put it in the bag for another day. A few projects later and I'm beginning to feel up to the challenge again.

Until next time, dear readers!

Shambles, or Not

Apparently I am not in an Apocalypse sorta mood. I know that shouldn't stop me, but it's been so hard to write and I'm currently on vacation. I'll be back in my usual roost in two days, but I'm already quite far behind my goal for the month and I'm a little disheartened. Since it's a rainy day and I've already run into town (15 miles away) I'm going to try to focus on my writing for a bit before and after I make dinner. It's hard to focus on what happens after most of the world is eaten by Zombies with the view I'm looking at, though, and it also doesn't fit with my November NaNo story waiting to be finished.

I am currently presented with a nice fire in a rough stone fireplace and a view out the large glass doors and windows of a bluff overlooking a beautiful green river and the hill across the way as rain and fog rolls across the land. The pine trees still have their needles, with the exception of the bug eaten one missing even it's bark, but the rest of the trees are bare. There are birds braving the rain to eat some seed strewn about on the deck and railing for them. There's a large selection, a cardinal, blue jay, lots of little sparrows and finches, even a squirrel visits every couple of ours. A woodpecker flits about nearby and occasionally pecks one of the deck posts instead of a tree. I've seen at least 10 deer in the last couple of days, though not the friendly fox that normally frequents the area.

It's beautiful in a way that I cannot begin to capture in words, and none of my writing endeavors even begins to appeal to me while surrounded by it. I've been out hiking, cleared logs and leaves from around the house, Geocached, read two books, and almost every meal has been cooked at home (most by me!). It has been a great retreat despite not being entirely necessary or planned. I'm glad I have this time to spend with my mom and boyfriend after the craziness of the holidays, but I'm ready to get back into my life.

I don't know what I'm going to write yet, so I'm not going to set a goal. I'm just going to admit my current word count for the year and scurry back to my hiding hole to enjoy my last two days before stressing or worrying about getting caught up.

Word Count: 1,015

Happy New Year!

I'm back from the holiday vacation and have already flown through the first two and a half days of the new year. I was separated from my planning materials until late evening on the 1st, and we had to unload the car and unpack. In the spirit of last minute decisions, I finally picked a goal of 500,000 words by December 31, 2012 as of the 2nd. With my goal, I finished my tracking spreadsheets and decided what I'd start out with.

Today I've begun writing on my short story about an unwitting zombie, and hope to finish it tomorrow. I'm guessing it will be around 5,000 words in the first draft, given my penchant for long scenes even when trying to condense them. If I finish it tomorrow close to my estimated word count, I'll be pretty much on track so far! It's going a little slow because I'm handwriting it thanks to an undeniable urge to do so, but I'm going to go focus on it as soon as I'm done here!

I hope starting with a short story and being on track in the first week of the year will help me push through difficult times with the realization that I've already finished one story, quite an accomplishment for me! Then, I'm going to move on by going back to my latest NaNo story in order to finish it. That'll be two finished first draft projects under my belt before I start a larger project!

I still need to do outlining for the story I think I'm going to work on next, Lunch Meat. It's less serious than either of the others stories, with all of the characters based on my current or former friends, and pokes fun at the current batch of Twilight inspired books (and Twilight as well). It centers around two girls whose friend begins to date a mysterious stranger and the disappears. Eventually, they connect the stranger with other weird occurrences in their town and decide they have to take him down. I'm looking forward to this fun little romp, even if I decide not to ever revise it.

Current word count: 238
Goal by end of day: 2,500
Goal by end of tomorrow: 5,000