puppydogknits

Weavers Wool Mini Shawl

2011-04-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is the Weavers Wool Mini Shawl knit from 3 skeins of Rowan Felted Tweed. Two balls of a maroon color were used for the body, and a navy blue for the edge. It is warm and versatile, and the design of the shawl means that it stays on your shoulders very easily. I highly recommend this pattern, and will definitely be knitting another.

Purple scrap mittens

2010-03-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

I used up scraps of purple Cascade 220 to replace some mittens that had been lost. Underneath them is a blanket in progress, with walnut-dyed yarn. When done, that one will go to afghans for Afghans.

New puppy

2009-11-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

My family's dog whose picture graces this website passed away; it has been almost two years since that sad day. Now a new puppy has come along, a black and tan dachshund - very sweet and a bundle of energy. He is going to puppy training class with my mom.

stripey socks

2009-08-30T20:37:00.001-07:00

Some stripey socks. Instead of doing a regular symmetrical decrease at the toe, I tried making the sock toe shape more similar to my actual toes, by decreasing more often on the outside edge than the inside one. Yarn picked up at Sock Summit: Lana Grossa 6 fach stripes; 80% wool, 20% nylon.

ArtFibers yarn tasting

2009-07-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

A local knitter Natalie organized a "yarn tasting" where we got to try yarns from a company called ArtFibers. It was held on a sunny day at a local park. We knit swatches, choosing from many yarn colors, textures, and fibers. After a few hours of knitting, our swatches got to come home with us - that's mine above. Following are some more details on the yarns that I tried (click on pictures to makes them bigger).

From top to bottom, the above includes: Pacino 7 (merino wool, nylon), Satori (silk, mohair, wool), Ming 11 (silk, merino wool), Pacino 6 (merino wool, nylon), Udon 4 (merino wool, nylon), Zoftig 4 (merino wool, nylon).

Continuing from top to bottom, these are: Casanova 18 (silk, mohair), Zoftig 13 (wool, nylon), Chanteuse (wool, nylon), Kyoto 20 (silk, mohair, wool), Kyoto 23 (silk, mohair, wool).

All yarns were beautiful... but as for my favorites... the colors of Kyoto were stunning, but I think I overall liked the Pacino/Zoftig 85% merino 15% nylon best - for ease of knitting, texture, and colors.

Another water bottle holder

2009-07-11T15:02:00.001-07:00

A lot of steps for this simple water bottle holder. First unraveled the yarn from the Tasmanian sweater posted previously. Then dyed it into self-striping green and maroon colors (actually was trying to get blue and pink, but that's another story). Then knit into a generic water bottle shape with strap, using a feather and fan pattern to make the stripes curvy. Finally felted the whole thing by hand. Voila another water bottle holder for the collection - I use them a lot.

Summer socks

2009-06-28T19:48:00.001-07:00

Spending some more time learning socks. It's slowly getting easier. Here are a pair for myself for summer. Yarn: Panda cotton: 55% bamboo, 24% cotton, 21% nylon

Purply blue hat

2009-02-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

I had a piece of a thrift store sweater left over (bottom front) - not yet unraveled. I dyed it that way (progressive-type dyeing), and only unraveled it thereafter. It was an interesting effect, with color gradation from top to bottom, but also within each stitch - outside of stitches took more red dye, inside of stitches more blue.

I knit it into a hat of my own design. The seed stitch border looks nice, but is not quite as warm as a ribbed border which draws in close to your head. I like the way the purl-diamonds turned out.

Train tam

2008-12-28T17:35:00.001-08:00

This hat was a Christmas present - very well received and fun to knit. I followed the pattern very closely, and added some embroidered flowers. The pattern is a free one: http://cosymakes.com/2007/08/18/train-tam/

Second socks

2008-12-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

A second pair of socks, made from a pattern in the two-socks-at-a-time book. These were a lot more difficult than the first pair. The yarn was thinner, and the dark blue color made it hard to see the stitches. The heels also got messed up at first, which took a while to undo and redo. Whew, I am glad they are done.

2008-11-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

Fingerless gloves adapted from a pattern in the book "Homespun Handknit". The yarn is recycled from a thrift store sweater - the label said it was knit in Nepal. The original yarn color was undyed off-white, and I dyed it with food color. This yarn was interesting in that it was very "sticky" - lots of little grasping hairs on each thread. Undoing a row felt like taking apart velcro.

Fiddle faddle

2008-11-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

Holiday stars made with bits of leftover yarn. Pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmerman in her book Knitter's Almanac.

Basketweave blanket

2008-11-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

The yarn for this blanket was recycled from a thrift store JCrew sweater. The yarn was thick, soft, amazing. The first photo shows a strand of Cascade220 (the thinner strand) compared to the yarn from the sweater.

Now, I usually do a gage swatch, but for this blanket I didn't, I just cast on 144 stitches as the pattern requested, and knit until I ran out of yarn. Well, those 144 stitches produed a blanket over 5 feet wide. And because it was recycled yarn from 1 sweater, I was limited on how much yarn I had. So it's only 2 feet tall. I was originally going to send this to Afghanistan, but the size was outside their requirements, so it's staying here to be my thick, soft, amazing [and very wide :)] futon blanket.

Black walnut dyeing

2008-10-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Black walnut husks make a very strong dye, and I wanted to try it on some yarn. Luckily, my parents have some majestic black walnut trees on their place (above). The nuts fall to the ground (below), which make them easy to harvest.

I used a piece of wood to separate the husks from the nuts, then put the husks into enough water to cover them (below), and let that soup sit outside for a couple days.

Then I strained out the bits and pieces of the husks, and put in the yarn. I put one skein in for 24-hours, and it turned a darker golden brown. The second skein was put in for shorter times - dyed so it would be self-striping. From doing a little research on black walnuts, some folks recommend heating the dye, but I dyed these outside in a bucket and it seemed to work well.

Hunting season hat

2008-10-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's deer hunting season in western PA and my dad requested a (birthday) hat that would let hunters know he wasn't a deer when walking through the woods. The pattern is "a very plain hat" from the blog "feather and fan". It's knit with a double-strand everywhere except the brim, so it's very warm - actually too warm for the 70-80 degree indian summer weather. The black yarn is Knit Picks, and the orange is from a recycled sweater, dyed with food color to make it bright orange.

Vest became a sweater

2008-09-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

I started this as a vest, but when I got to the midpoint I realized I had enough yarn for a sweater, and so here it is. It's a soft but heavyweight yarn, will be very effective against the winter cold in Afghanistan. This is the second of three projects I am making for the current afghans for Afghans campaign. The third project, a blanket made from lovely gray recycled wool (a jcrew sweater) been begun.

Vest colors

2008-08-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the yarn dyed for afghans for Afghans project #2. Can you see a vest in this? I think "yes".

More mittens

2008-08-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

Plan on knitting three things for the current afghans for Afghans "campaign for youth" drive, http://www.afghansforafghans.org/. Here's the first - the snow day mittens from "Knit one, Embellish too". Yarn is navy Knit Picks bulky (merino, I think) with some recycled wool for the embroidery.

The second project is underway. Here's part of the unraveled Polo sweater (i.e. yarn spaghetti) which I will dye (green/blue/yellow) and knit into a vest.

Popsicle Mittens

2008-07-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

Some finished mittens just in time for 90 degree weather. This pattern is also from the book Knit One Embellish two. I added a couple of increases and decreases as I went along to make it fit my hands. The yarn is self-striping (5 different dye colors) that I made up using the last of the recycled yarn from the Talbot's sweater. Usually when dyeing, you soak it beforehand. But I purposely dyed this yarn dry, which increased the variation in color (bottom picture).

Tree Bud Mitts

2008-06-22T16:59:00.000-07:00

Some striped fingerless gloves, made 2-at-a-time on one circular needle. Pattern is from the book "Knit One, Embellish Too". The dark blue yarn is knit picks amethyst heather, the green is recycled from the talbot's sweater and dyed by me. Alone, the green yarn was pretty intense, but I like how it combines with the more sedate blue (pic 2). I get that jog with my stripes via circular knitting (pic 3). I might try another pair trying out a jogless join method. Anyways, a fun knit, they fit great.

First socks

2008-05-13T16:28:00.001-07:00

I am on vacation, went to the local yarn store, and came across this interesting book "2-at-a-time socks" that shows you how to knit socks on one circular needle - a "magic loop" technique. I'd been avoiding trying to knit socks - it was a little intimidating. But I have to say, this book made it fairly easy, and I finished this pair in a couple (vacation) days. Yarn: recycled, hand-dyed, 100% wool.

Overdyed

2008-05-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

I like the effect of overdyeing, in other words dyeing yarn more than once. It produces lots more interesting variations. I dyed this one 3 times, think it's good now. (p.s. It is a different skein than the one in the progressive dye post.)

Tasmanian sweater

2008-05-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

More sweater gathering at the thrift store. From left to right, the top picture shows a very chunky wool hand knit Jcrew sweater, a natural color handspun wool sweater from Tasmania, and a 70% lambswool, 20% angora, 10% nylon sweater. The chunky one would make an awesome blanket for afghans for afghans.

The Tasmania sweater still had the tag on. I wonder how that sweater ended up (never worn) in a thrift store half way around the world.

Progressive dye test

2008-04-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

This test is based on the idea that different dye colors stick to yarn at different rates. Here, I used black McCormick food dye which is made up of red, blue, and yellow primary dye colors mixed together. I put the black dye into a pot with some vinegar, then put an entire skein in there for a few minutes. Then pulled out 1/5 of the yarn, waited a little longer, pulled out another segment of yarn, etc.

This left the yarn various shades of maroon, which was not my favorite, so I overdyed the whole thing with some blue, which got me these browns, blacks, and gray colors - much nicer. The yarn I used here was recycled from the wheat colored Polo R.L. sweater a few posts back.

Finished Linus blanket

2008-04-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

I posted the beginnings (and details) on this blanket previously. Now, 47,520 stitches later (330 rows x 144 across) it is done - whew! You can see all five colors (2 greens, 2 blues, and a purple) in the pictures. I like taking pictures of projects when they're not necessarily all neatly laid out - hence the second picture - lots of interesting texture. (The purple looks different in the two pictures; reality is somewhere between the two).

Felted bag

2008-03-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

A thrift store cardigan with embroidered red, white, and black flowers turned into a felted bag. The cardigan label read "Karen Scott" 100% wool. The button band came off first; I unraveled that and used that yarn to sew the bottom and front shut. Then felted all by hand. The sleeves, with ends cut into three strips, were braided together to form the handle. There's a pocket on the inside, and the top edge is folder over and sewed, so I can thread in a cord if I want to pull it together at the top.

The button is from the vest in my previous post! I kept the lovely shell buttons from this cardigan for a future project.

Vests

2008-03-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

I stopped at the thrift store this week for another sweater to unravel, but ended up with two wool vests, both of which probably won't get unraveled. The top one is a handmade, like-new, gray, basketweave-cable vest knit in the round for $5. My dad likes to wear wool vests, so I'm hoping he will give it a new home (pssst... let me know). The second vest is woven, says "A Dafydd Snowdon Design, by Craftcenter Cymru Wales"... I'd been thinking about a felted project and this may be the raw material for that. Like the black/white/gray graphic design.

Second yarn harlot scarf

2008-03-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

I knit another one of these for a friend in Phoenix - who assures me people in Arizona do need scarves. This time it's 100% wool, Moda Dea Cartwheel, Sea Blues.

Blanket beginnings

2008-03-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

Here's the start of my first project using my recycled and hand-dyed yarn. The yarn was from a Gap 100% lambswool size xl sweater acquired from the thrift store for $3.50.

The original color was a gray blue. I took the yarn divided it into five skeins, and dyed each one a different color. You can see the first two colors here. I'm making this with the idea of sending it to Afghanistan through the "Afghans for Afghans" group. They say that the color green is especially beloved there, so two of the five colors are shades of green.

The pattern for this blanket is from "Knitting for Peace", specifically, it's the "Project Linus Security Blanket". I really like the scalloped edges.

Recycling continues

2008-02-23T12:09:00.000-08:00

More thrift store sweaters have come home with me for recycling. They are pictured here. The label of the dark blue one says "Esperanto, made in Mongolia, 100% cashmere". The white one says "Dale of Norway, pure new wool", and the wheat colored one says "Polo Ralph Lauren, 100% wool".

That last one is gigantic, size xl, with such lovely thick wool. I tried stepping on the scale with and without it, and it's ~3 pounds - heavy too! It's my favorite (and was the most expensive of these three). It would make a great blanket. To be continued...

Kool Aid dye-ing

2008-02-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

Since my post about the $6.99 Goodwill sweater, I've acquired a couple more thrift store sweaters for recycling. The one pictured below was a 100% wool natural-color cabled Talbot's sweater.

I took one ball of this yarn to try dyeing my own yarn. Using Kool Aid drink mix. The Red #40 and Blue #1 that makes Kool Aid drink so bright and colorful happen to be excellent dye for other things. There are tutorials out there on this. For instance: http://www.knitty.com/issuefall02/FEATdyedwool.html

I used Berry Blue, Grape, and Black Cherry flavors. Used the hand-paint method, and heat set it by steaming it in a pot on the stove. It turned out a lovely mix of blues between turquoise and faded denim.

Holiday knitting wrap-up

2008-01-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

A quick post with pictures of Christmas projects. They include, from top to bottom: a diagonal scarf, multiple hats, a felted belt, and a Noro laptop case pictured both pre- and post-felting. Other holiday projects not pictured include a twisted rib hat and legwarmers. Most pictures here taken by my younger brother.

$6.99 Goodwill sweater

2008-01-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Many knitters start out thinking "I'll be able to save *so* much money by knitting my own things". After a while you think back and laugh at your naivete. Wool yarn is expensive, starting at $6/ball and going up from there.

Then I heard about the idea of recycling yarn. Shop at a thrift store, buy a sweater cheap, unravel it, and voila: much inexpensive yarn. Besides saving money I like the idea of recycling and conserving resources.

So this weekend, I bought the sweater here for $6.99 at Goodwill. The tag says "Hand knitted in Greece for Byzantium, 100% wool". It's beautiful wool, and will produce many balls of yarn. Of course on one hand it's hard to justify unraveling because a) it fits me perfectly b) i can not yet knit something this nice.

But since this is an experiment, the unraveling has begun. It's timeconsuming to get the seams apart, but then zips along. More updates to come.

Yarn Harlot scarf

2008-01-12T18:27:00.000-08:00

The yarn harlot is a well-known knitting author and has an interesting blog: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/. Sometimes she publishes patterns, including the pattern for this scarf. Easy, fun, excellent pattern. It's the first time I knit with Alpaca yarn, and while it's soft, it's a little on the itchy side when worn. Yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca Sport.

Seamingly simple vest

2007-11-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

I picked up this pattern at the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth at the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. It's a really good pattern for a beginner. Someone who has made a scarf, and wants to go the next step. You first knit a really big ribbed rectangle, then pick up stiches along the back, then knit another ribbed rectange. The only seams are the two under the arms. I made a few small adjustments, and will add a button. It feels like wearing a cozy shawl. Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, 100% wool.

Holiday cards

2007-11-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

The local library hosts adult craft events every month. Here are some holiday mosaic cards I made at their last event. It was interesting to see all the creative ideas from the other people there.

Another one

2007-09-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

Another zimmerman jacket. This one is made with a combination of two natural undyed yarns. The dark grey color yarn is from Corriedale sheep, Pit River Wool, CA. The natural white color is from Coopworth lambs, Coburn Creek Farm and Pottery, WV.

I mailed both jackets to San Francisco for the "afghans for Afghans" effort (http://www.afghansforafghans.org/). They collect hand knitted and crocheted wool blankets, sweaters, hats, mittens, socks for people in war-torn (and cold) Afghanistan.

Elizabeth Zimmerman jacket

2007-08-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

This kid sweater design is from Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Opinionated Knitter" book. She is one of the knitting greats, coming up with neat ideas, and encouraging each knitter to be creative and not be a slave to a pattern.

To make this sweater you knit the piece of flat knitting that has some increases and decreases in it (top picture). Then you fold it together, sew/knit the top seam, put on a few buttons, and "voila", you have a sweater.

Uncle Jim

2007-07-28T17:07:00.000-07:00

My uncle Jim passed away a couple of months ago. My dad and I went to northern CA for the memorial service. Though a sad event, I hadn't seen that side of my family for a while, and I learned things about my uncle I didn't know before. It was also a chance to see all the sheep that my aunt and uncle were raising.

The first picture shows a lot of pregnant sheep. Over 100 lambs were born this year.

The second picture is of my dad (left) and uncle (right) when they were young.

The third picture is a more recent picture of my uncle Jim. He was a pretty happy guy.

Finally, a picture of one of the dogs on the ranch and a feral chicken, coexisting in peace.

Garter Stitch Rug

2007-06-16T20:59:00.000-07:00

I knit this rug for my bathroom. Using two strands of thick yarn made it a very quick project. The off-white yarn was chunky Wool-Ease, with a couple of stripes of varigated yarn (can't remember what brand that was).

Water bottle holder

2007-06-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

In need of summer-time knitting projects, I decided to try some water bottle holders. First I knit one in maroon cotton yarn with a very basic lace stitch. It looked good, but the strap stretched out with that cotton yarn.

So I decided to try making a felted version. The one pictured here is my first effort - Yarn is Cascade 220. I like it, except that it's a little too loose at the top, so the next one I made (sent to my dad), I put some decreases in the last circular rows, and it turned out better.

Bead necklace

2007-05-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

The local library is hosting some craft classes for adults. I went to one last week and made this cool necklace. First we learned to crochet with thin wire. Then we strung the beads onto some fresh wire, and started crocheting that wire, incorporating the beads as we went along. Then we cut the wire, added a clasp, and the necklace was done.

Log cabin test

2007-04-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

The log cabin technique allow you to knit in blocks, by finishing one block then picking up stitches along one side of the finished block and starting the next one. This is a test of that technique that ended up as a washcloth. It's hard to see the blocks here, since I mostly used the same color, but you can see how the garter stitches change direction. Yarn: 100% cotton, Sugar and Cream.

Third hat

2007-04-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

The swirl hat idea didn't work out. Maybe I'll try it again sometime. In the meantime, second hat has been sent to its new owner, and third hat has been born.

Second hat

2007-03-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

Gave the first hat away before taking a picture, but both hats are very similar, based on a pattern in the book "Fashionable Projects for the New Knitter", by Alison Barlow. I have an idea for a swirl hat - that's next on the knitting agenda. Hats are really fast from start to finish - they let you try design or color ideas without a big time commitment.

Sock yarn scarf: Koigu

2007-02-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

Another sock yarn scarf knit on the diagonal, about 6 feet long, 5 or 6 inches wide. What a great raspberry color, with subtle variations; the yarn is hand dyed (and on the expensive side). Finished it yesterday, wore it already today. Koigu yarn, 100% wool.

New materials

2007-02-24T12:44:00.000-08:00

My mom had to go to Germany for some family things, and brought me back this wonderful yarn in great colors as a present. Not sure what it's destiny is yet, maybe a sweater, maybe a hat... Wolle Roedel, superwash merino, 100% wool.

Cactus #2 and #3

2007-02-11T15:10:00.000-08:00

Two more cactuses are blooming! Only one is holding out. Maybe next year...

BOT - The Orchid Thief

2007-02-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

By Susan Orlean, read by Jennifer Myers. Lots of fascinating history of England and Florida, with insight into the world of passionate orchid collectors, past and present.

Stripezag sweater

2007-02-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

Combined some stripes, zig zags, and colors I liked into this sweater. I made it a little oversized already, and when I washed it, it really stretched out. So, I felted it slightly, and I think it will work out okay. Haven't tried it on yet, as it's still drying. Felting a sweater by hand is hard work - but very fun too. Yarn: Cascade 220, 100% wool.

BOT - I Capture the Castle

2007-01-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

I go through a lot of books-on-tape (BOT) while knitting. I'm going to (only) post the ones I liked, in case anyone is looking for recommendations.

I Capture the Castle is written by Dodie Smith and read by Emilia Fox. It's in the form of journals written by 17-year old Cassandra Mortmain who lives with her eccentric family in "not-so-genteel poverty in the crumbling ruin of an old English casle, " as the back of the case tells us. Great to listen to, very funny.

Stripey sleeve

2007-01-20T15:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a sleeve from a sweater-in-progress. The sweater will be a mixture of purple and red stripes and zig zags on a blue background. When that's done, I have some rasberry colored Koigu sock yarn that is destined to become a scarf. I also want to try making some hats while it's still cold enough to wear them.

Mascot

2007-01-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

This is Presto, my parent's pup snoozing in the sun. He showed up on their porch about 10 years ago and ended up staying.

Pit River vest

2007-01-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

This is the final, felted Pit River vest made for my dad with yarn from my aunt and uncle. My dad likes it and wears it often - it is really warm on a cold winter day. I'd make it a little longer if I were to do this again, but overall this vest turned out well.

Sock yarn scarf

2006-12-21T21:06:00.000-08:00

This scarf is my mom's Christmas present, knit on the diagonal. You start by increasing one stitch at the start of every row until it's as wide as you want. Then, you alternate rows of regular knitting, and rows with an increase at the start and a decrease at the end. When it's as long as you want, you end by decreasing by one stitch at the end of every row. It was knit with yarn meant for socks. Thin and slippery yarn, but available in cool colors, and I like the end result. I don't think this will be the last sock yarn scarf I make. Yarn: Regia Bamboo, 45% bamboo, 40% wool, %15 polyamide.

Cactus #1

2006-12-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas cactuses are such good plants. Easy to take care of and spectacular flowers. I have four - most started from cuttings, one inherited from a friend. Last year, two of the four bloomed. This is the first to bloom this year, and the first time this particular plant has ever bloomed.

Drop stitch scarf

2006-12-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when you are knitting, a stitch will accidentally fall off the knitting needle, and start unravelling. This is a bad thing, especially if you don't catch it right away. But dropped stitches can also be used to advantage, as I found with this scarf.

For a drop stitch scarf, you first knit a scarf with the most basic garter stitch (first photo). Then right before the end, you purposely drop stitches off the needle, and bind off the ones remaining. You can drop every other stitch, or once every two stitches, etc - various combinations produce various results. Finally, you pull those dropped stitches down to the bottom. This rapidly and dramatically and changes the texture of the scarf (bottom photo), from tight and dense to lacy and pliable.

Though I love the final product, I think I may end up unravelling this one, and use the yarn for something else. Yarn: Plymouth Encore Chunky, 75% acrylic, 25% wool. The first photo is a better representation of the true color of this yarn.

Blackberry case

2006-12-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is a knitted and felted case for my little brother's blackberry - a christmas present. The purple and green mosaic is based on one from a Barbara Walker book. Mosaic knitting has so many cool patterns. Yarn: Cascade 220, 100% wool. In the background is the vest knitted from my aunt and uncle's Pit River wool. It is almost finished. I made it oversize so I could felt it slightly - the last step.

Pit River Wool

2006-11-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

My aunt and uncle have a sheep ranch in California and kindly gave me some of their wool, which I am going to use to knit a vest for my dad (my uncle's brother). They raise sheep that is naturally colored, so this gray wool is the natural color of the sheep - it has not been dyed. Most wool yarn is dyed white wool, but there are a small group of ranchers and farmers who raise naturally colored (black, gray, brown) sheep. I am adding a link for Pit River Wool to the links section on the right.

Basic sweater

2006-11-02T21:00:00.000-08:00

This is the back view of the finished sweater, modified a little from the basic sweater in Fee's book. It was fun to make, and I like the color combination. The hardest part was getting the body size right, I had to restart three times.

To knit this type of sweater, you basically knit three tubes, the body and two arms, then connect them all together on a circular needle and decrease up to the neckline. Fee gives liberal credit in her book to the ideas of Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Pumpkin Day

2006-10-31T21:11:00.000-08:00

Photo credits: pumpkin pictures taken by my brother.

Raw materials

2006-10-30T17:46:00.000-08:00

Yarn for my first sweater: Lamb's Pride 85% wool, 15% mohair. Colors: blue flannel, amethyst, periwinkle (left to right).

Sweater sampler

2006-10-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

This is the sweater sampler from the "Sweater Workshop" book by Jacqueline Fee. The sampler is designed to teach you all the skills of knitting a sweater, condensed into this project that looks like a long, strange neck-warmer. Some of the techniques (from the right) are: garter and stockinette stitch, ribbing, stripe, sweatshirt pocket, regular pocket, button/placket, increases, purl stripes, decreases, two-color knitting, knitted belt, bindoffs.

Multicolor felted bag

2006-10-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

A felted bag based on a free pattern found at http://www.elann.com You can see how the fabric changes after felting in the bottom two pictures. The middle picture is before felting, the last after. The fabric gets thick and dense, and the individual stitches disappear. I felted the bag by hand, washing and rubbing with alternately cold and warm water. Yarn: Brown Sheep, 100% wool.

Mosaic

2006-10-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

Trying out some mosaic knitting, based on some patterns from a book by Barbara Walker. Yarn: Sugar and Cream, 100% cotton.

Mistake rib scarf

2006-10-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

This stitch pattern produces a thick knitted fabric. The stitch is for any multiple of 4 stitches plus an extra three. Every row is k2, p2 until the last stitches which are k2, p1. Yarn: Jo-Ann Fabric's Tesoro, 100% wool.

Bath puppet

2006-10-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Pattern is from the book "Kids Knitting" by Melanie Falick. All the regular knitting books seemed so complicated when I first wanted to learn to knit. This kids book was just right. Yarn: Sugar and Cream, 100% cotton.