Tag Archive | handmade

IKEA Visit

It finally happened. We’ve had an IKEA store in our area for a while now, but we just made it out there yesterday. It was impressive, but I have to confess, a bit underwhelming for me. The furniture is pretty far from what I prefer, very modern with clean lines, understated and simple. I live in an old house and I like the Craftsman styles, and I like furniture well-made out of solid wood. So I can appreciate the look, and the cost, but it doesn’t tempt me. Maybe that’s a good thing! I was tempted by two things, though. We got the cutest metal trash can for dog toys:

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you’re familiar with Grace’s tendency to chew on…everything. We had a plastic milk crate for toys for a while but she destroyed that. Recently we’ve been using a blue plastic Walmart bucket. It worked but wasn’t terribly attractive in the living room. So I’m delighted with this. I might have to take off the lid though. When it moves, it rattles and the noise scares Grace. I want them to be able to get toys out of it!

My other find was an awesome rolling cart. I’d seen other crafters post pictures of this and had coveted it, but honestly I’d forgotten about it until we came across it yesterday. It’s just as cute and functional as I thought it would be.

The girl ever so kindly offered to put it together for me. Thank goodness! I *could* have done it, but honestly…didn’t really want to. She had a bit of frustration with a screw that didn’t want to go in, but very soon I had a complete cart!

Didn’t take long for me to fill it up, either! These are all my current projects that were piled up on top of the radiator (and various other places, if I’m being honest) so I’m thrilled to have a central location for them. AND it’s cute!!

So, YAY, IKEA. Now I can say I’ve been there and don’t really need to go back.

The rest of the weekend was getting fresh purple hair, making more crochet slippers, and hanging out with the pups. One more slipper to make and then I’m DONE with that project.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend too. Bring on the Monday!

Pink Diamonds: Take Two

Jun3

I blocked my Pink Diamonds shawl yesterday and oh my gosh, guys, blocking is never so magical as it is with lace. I liked the shawl before; now I’m obsessed with it. Brace yourself. There’s lots of photos coming because I couldn’t choose between them.

I think I’m prouder of this than anything else I’ve ever knit. I don’t know why, because it wasn’t more difficult than other things I’ve made. But I just can’t stop looking at it in wonderment. I think it’s official: I’ve become a shawl knitter.

What’s your favorite shawl pattern? (But not lace weight. I can’t handle that craziness.)

If you’re looking for pattern details, check out the previous post.

Pink Diamonds Shawl

Jun2

I have another finished project to share today! This one I finished over the weekend, although I still need to weave in ends and block.

It looks like wings! 🙂 I think it will be stunning once I block out the lace so you can see the beautiful diamond pattern. Here’s a close-up from while I was knitting it:

I loved knitting this one and could totally see myself making it again. The lace pattern was complex enough to keep me interested, but not so hard that I got frustrated. I could watch TV, but nothing that needed a lot of attention. And the pattern was forgiving enough that a few times, when I got to the end of a row and was off a stitch, I could fudge it without it being too noticeable. (Yes, I tried to find my mistake first, but sometimes I just couldn’t and it was easier to knit one instead of k2tog than tink a row or two.)

Pattern: Elizabeth’s Diamond Shawlette

Yarn: KnitPicks Galileo, color Abalone. It took a little over 2 skeins, around 350 yards. I LOVED this yarn. It’s a merino/bamboo blend and it’s heavenly.

In other news, I’m still working on the crochet slippers and they’re going faster now, but to get the stitches tight enough, it’s working my wrist and elbow harder, so I might take a wee break from those. I did notice that the designer has added more notes to the pattern, and they’re good, helpful notes, so future crocheters will have an easier time of it than I did.

Also: I’m going to be a test knitter for the first time!! I have no idea what the protocol is, whether I can talk about details or if it’s a secret, but I’ll let you know as soon as I can. I feel like this is a big step for me, like I’m becoming a “real knitter” now.

Sun is shining and the French Open is on TV today, so my day is bright. Hope yours is too!

Kerr Diamond Cowl

Jun1

It has been a productive week for me. Let me try to catch up by sharing a finished object from a few days ago: the purple Kerr Diamond Cowl. I started it in early April, after getting both the yarn and pattern from Show Me Yarn at the Knitting in the Heartland event. (So amazing. I had SUCH a good time. Shighhhhh…) Then it got pushed aside for other things until finally I realized my WIPs were at an uncomfortable amount and I needed to start finishing some stuff. Ergo, the complete cowl!

The yarn is amazing, soft without being limp, not splitty at all, and rich colors. It really was a perfect combination of yarn and stitch pattern. I think the whole thing is gorgeous.

Here’s the back, where I grafted the two ends together.

The ribbing at the back of the neck really is a genius feature, decreasing the bulk nicely.

Now, I have to add a couple of caveats: this was not my favorite thing to knit. The pattern is well-written, easy to follow and simple enough for advanced beginning knitters who maybe want to try a couple of new skills like grafting. It’s well-matched to the yarn.

But it just didn’t match my personal knitting preferences. I had already made a bag, two hats, and two scarves with the butterfly/diamond stitch, and it’s a bit fiddly to knit, and I was just over that stitch. Also, I prefer to knit cowls in the round; I just adore knitting in the round. And finally, Kitchener Stitch is evil/amazing/horrible/awesome. I mean, it looks so good when it’s done but man, is it stressful. I go to knitting to get away from stress, not add to it.

Still, the pattern has a lot of great qualities and like I said, I love the finished object. So yeah, it was totally worth it. Just don’t ask me to knit that stitch again anytime soon!!

Pattern: Kerr Diamond Cowl by Kris Carlson.

Yarn: Show Me Yarn Cyclone in color All Dressed Up.

Ravelry notes here.

Crochet Flip Flop Slippers

May31

Guys, this one really challenged me. I didn’t think it would. A friend requested a pair of crochet slippers made from flip flops (see the pattern here) then two more friends saw that request and requested some, and before I knew it, I’d agreed to make five pairs. Crazy, I know. But I read the pattern and it seemed simple. The supplies were cheap: I found flip flops at the dollar store, and Michaels had a great sale on Lily Sugar N Cream cotton over the weekend: 5 for $5!! At the time, I thought I might make a pair for myself, plus I want to make a few new dishcloths and washcloths. Gotta buy the yarn when it’s cheap, right?

The husband had a nifty tool to mark the holes exactly 1/4″ apart as specified, then I used an ice pick to make the holes. It was a little tedious but not difficult. Then it was time to use the small hook (B, 2.25mm) to make the first round, and that was pretty hard to get used to. The holes weren’t quite big enough for the yarn, working around the rubber sole was awkward, and I did split the foam twice. But finally I got to switch to the bigger hook (G, 4.0mm) and away I went. I followed the pattern exactly. I kept going even when it looked suspiciously large, when meant that when I was done, I had this huge clog-type monstrosity. I frogged that without any photos. Second attempt included a decrease row and created this lovely…thing. It’s not a great photo, I know, but I think you can tell it’s still rather tall. Also, it was supposed to be a size 7, and I could get it on my size 9 1/2 foot without stretching the cotton too much. Frogged again. This time I went back and read some comments, and someone else’s slipper came out super-size, and the author mentioned that maybe her holes were farther apart and the yarn was stretching more. So that’s a big thing right there: my holes were exactly 1/4″ apart and that was too close together. Let that be a lesson to you.

Okay, moving on. For the third attempt, I decreased the heck out of the body and only did six rows instead of nine. I made the tapered back one row shorter and left off one row of the decorative top. I *think* it came out okay. Grace approved.

After that, the second one went quickly and smoothly, and I’ve decided these might be okay after all. This was the first time I ever seriously considered saying no to a request. Now, I’m not going to be making a ton of these for craft shows or anything, but I can definitely finish the other four pairs.I can actually admit they’re kind of cute.

If you’re interested, my Ravelry notes are here.

Bonus FO: The Mermaid

May28

Hip Hip Hooray! I finished the mermaid last night! Of course I had to have the puppy model for me. The girl was the photographer since we had to move fast.

As cute as that is, it doesn’t show the blanket that well. Here’s a better shot.

I used this Mermaid Tail afghan pattern (free, and has a video too) and my only quibble was that I think it decreased too quickly at the bottom. Other than that, it was simple to make and looks great. The yarn is Big Twist Value Solids. For the medium adult size (fitting around 5′ 7″) I used almost 1300 yards in Medium Teal and about 370 yards in Light Teal.

The other fun thing from yesterday was a movie date with the kids. We saw Alice Through the Looking Glass in 3D. Fun movie, not as good as the first of course, but I did enjoy seeing Alice and the Hatter again. I don’t think the 3D was worth the extra cost, though.

That’s all for today, kids. Let’s see what kind of trouble I can get into today!

Finished Object Friday: The Rainbow

May27

I’m officially over the Rainbow scarf: I finished it yesterday afternoon! I’m quite pleased with it. I used a little over a skein and a half, plenty left over for a matching hat and then some. Now I just need to take some better photos outside and get it listed on Etsy!

But that’s not all! Oh no, that is not all! I also finished the body of the mermaid blanket last night! Grace says it smells just fine. I’ve got the tail begun and this project should be complete by the end of the day. Woohoo!

For my U.S. friends, enjoy the long weekend!

Still the Rainbow

May26

But at least it’s getting bigger! I knit on it after working out yesterday, while introducing the girl to the magical train wreck that is Keeping up with the Kardashians. It’s so funny to watch. (“Jump the shark? What does that mean? Don’t they mean jump ship?” and “The girls think you have this disease called colonoscopy.”) I know. I’m sorry. I can’t help it. Please don’t judge me. Actually, you can judge all you want. I’m still going to watch it and laugh. Anyhoo, I knit on the scarf a lot, and it went to flute lesson too, and it’s growing by leaps and bounds. I added on the second skein after flute lesson and knit some more last night while the boys watched The Flash. (Season finale! So dramatic!) I’m in love with this scarf and this yarn.

I could pretend that I’m going to work on the mermaid blanket today, but let’s be honest. I’m going to knit on this scarf until it’s done. Then, and only then, will I return to the mermaid blanket.

Here’s a fun shot of Grace. The hubby took both dogs on a 2-mile run yesterday and wore them out big-time. But they were so happy!

We have had rain for days and it’s still cloudy and gray. Here’s hoping there’s sunshine wherever you are!

Rainbow Scarf

May25

I cast on a new project yesterday. I didn’t mean to, it just…happened. I was near a Joann store, and I had three coupons about to expire, and nobody likes to let those coupons go to waste, right? There was nothing I needed, but I thought I could get some fun acrylic to add more inexpensive items to my inventory. I wandered around, enjoying the colors, and pondering several different yarns. Then I saw THIS yarn, and the choice was made.

Much Pretty! So Rainbow!

As soon as I got home, I perused scarf patterns, wanting something simple and quick to make that would show off the colors. I settled on Diane’s Diagonal Scarf, similar to a candy cane scarf I’ve made before, and cast on. If only it were that simple. That pattern said it made a scarf 4″ wide, and I wanted wider, so I cast on more stitches. My first attempt was too wide and too dense. I switched to bigger needles and fewer stitches. Good fabric but still too wide. Cast on again, settling on 31 stitches. I will note, this yarn does not like being frogged. It’s all fuzzy, so it likes to catch on itself and get stuck together. But I do love the colors, and it’s nice and soft to knit with.

But today, seriously, I’m going to work on the mermaid blanket. I swear. I mean, maybe after a few more rows of this scarf…

Diamond Cowl

May24

We survived another school year; I’m now the mom of a junior and an eighth-grader. After a celebratory lunch at Steak n Shake, where I successfully resisted the call of a milkshake, I managed to find some knitting time. I took a break from the mermaid blanket and picked up a WIP that had been neglected for six weeks. I’d done the easy part, the ribbing, but was waiting for the right time to start the more complicated pattern. Once I got going, I realized it wasn’t that complicated after all! It’s called the Kerr Diamond Cowl but I’ve done the stitch before as a Butterfly stitch. After the first time through the repeat, it’s been smooth sailing. It’s working up nicely and is a lovely way to show off the yarn. But no matter how hard I try to keep the yarn loose, it still puckers up, which is what I noticed the last few times I used the butterfly stitch. It’s just heavily textured, and I’m okay with that. Gives it more visual interest. The yarn is Show Me Yarn’s Cyclone in the All Dressed Up colorway, and it’s marvelous to knit with.

It was a nice knitting break, but now I feel I must return to the mermaid blanket.