Jess: Knit Climb Java

Fixing cables on My Selfish Red Vivian

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:23:00 GMT

For a couple years I've wanted to make myself a cabled hoodie, one where there's cables on the body, the arms and they continue up onto the hood. I'd find a pattern that had one aspect or another, but not all of the features I was looking for. Then Ysolda Teague published her Vivian pattern in the Twist Collective, Winter 2008 issue, and I knew I'd found the one I wanted to make. Over the summer I found some great red yarn: Cascade Yarns Eco+. The only thing I needed was some time in my knitting list to start a project for myself.

2010 seemed like a great time to actually do some knitting for myself. I cast on My-Selfish-Red-Vivian a few days ago, and I'm loving it.

.... but ....

I really need to pay more attention to what I'm doing. I've already had to fix a ton of cables that I had crossing on the wrong rows, and unknit a row or two so that I could place some decreases in the right location. At this rate, I may not finish til the summer. Luckily, the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, posted a tutorial on how to fix cabling mistakes. It's a bit slow -- but its easier on my psyche than unknitting 4 rows and re-doing the whole thing.

By Request: A Purple Hat

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:55:00 GMT

Lucky for me, my daughter loves going to the yarn store. Twice as lucky, my local yarn shop owner (Myra at Woolbearers) doesn't mind my daughter. Amiya loves to run around the shot and point out all the pretty colors.

On our drive to the shop a few weeks ago I asked Amiya what color hat she wanted. "Purple hat" was the reply. She helped me pick out the colors and she also decided "teddy bears" would be an appropriate design.

Mission Falls 1824 Wool is absolutely delectable. It's soft, its plied, its got gorgeous colors. I think I need to make a sweater out of this stuff. But for now, I'll settle for a hat.

Size
- 18-24 month size
Gauge
- 18 sts and xx rows = 4 inches in stockinett
Materials
- 2 balls Mission Falls 1824 Wool in contrasting colors (I chose #023 Amethyst and #024 Damson) or other aran-weight yarn or similar gauge
- 1 size 8, 32" circular needle - to be used in a "Magic loop" or 1 set of size 8 double pointed needles
- Tapestry needle to weave in ends
Pattern
- Cast on 84 sts in color A.
- Rows 1-4: *k1, p1* around in color A.
- Row 5: k around in color A.
- Row 6-25: begin color chart.
- Row 26: k around in color A.
- Row 27: *k2tog, k7* around.
- Row 28: k around.
- Row 29: *k2tog, k6* around.
- Row 30: switch to color B, k around.
- Row 31: *k2tog, k5* around.
- Row 32: k around.
- Row 33: *k2tog, k4* around.
- Row 34: k around.
- Row 35: *k2tog, k3* around.
- Row 36: k around.
- Row 37: *k2tog, k2* around.
- Row 38: k around.
- Row 39: *k2tog, k1* around.
- Row 40: k around.
- Row 41: k2tog around
- Cut yarn leaving 6 inch tail, draw tail through remaining stitches and tie off.
- Weave in ends.

Happy Homemade Halloween

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:17:00 GMT

Growing up, my mom made our costumes every year. I remember being a snowflake, a dog, a pencil, and one half of a pair of dice. I remember my sister being a bear and a spider. All of our costumes were made at home, and they looked pretty dang good as I recall. Fast forward 20 years, and now I'm the mom, trying to make a costume for my daughter.

Her favorite movie these days is Monster's Inc (or "Monsuhs Nink" as she calls it). And with her black hair and blunt bangs --- she's the spitting image of the little girl, "Boo". I don't yet have a sewing machine of my own (nor do I remember how to use one) so I sewed it together by hand. I used 3 yards of light purple fleece, 1 yard of white fleece, 1 bag of quilt batting, 2 styrofoam balls, an old salad bowl, some pipe cleaner, foam paper, a needle and thread.

I even crocheted her a little "Mike Wazowski" toy. I used this Psychotic Tomato pattern, a ball of Cascade Yarns Pima Tencel and some random black and white yarn that I had in my stash.

For the arms I ch 25 stitches, sc’d 3 rows and on the last row, rejoined it to the foundation chain.

For the legs, I did the same process but with a foundation chain of 20 stitches.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with my first attempt at a home-made halloween. I think my mom would be proud. I just hope I can keep up the pace with next year's costume, whatever it may be.

Escher's Horses Tote

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:18:00 GMT

I've had a love for M. C. Escher's work ever since I saw a gallery display when I was in junior high. The mathematics combined so uniquely to produce his art has always intrigued me. After seeing Carol Ventura's "For the Birds" tapestry crochet purse, I had to create my own M. C. Escher-inspired design.

Unfortunately I can't find any history about this Escher design, other than it being displayed in the gallery on http://www.mcescher.com/. Escher's work in symmetry has always captured my interest and I have long wanted to try my hand at converting a design into a project of my own.

This purse is made using the tapestry crochet technique. Carol Ventura has done a stellar job of describing this technique in her books “Tapestry Crochet” and “More Tapestry Crochet”. She gives you all the tools you need to design your own creations. If you don't have a copy of the book, her website, tapestrycrochet.com ,will get you started.

The body of this purse is crocheted in the round and the handles are made flat. The handles are reinforced with a thick piece of plastic between the layers of fabric to give it structure. I used a flexible cutting board. The pattern is made across 116 stitches so that there is no visible “seam” between rows. You can adjust the pattern to be tube-shaped, change the height of the pattern, multiply the width, and change the handle.

MC Escher's Horses Print

My version of Escher's Horses as a tapestry crochet chart

[Ravelry Link]
Finished Size:
- Outer measurements: 9 1/4" wide x 9 1/4" high x 1/2" thick
- Inner measurements: 9" wide by 6 1/2" high x 1/2" thick
Materials:
- 3 contrasting worsted weight yarns: I used 3 balls leftover from my stash: 1 skein cascade 220 in orange, 1/2 skein Araucania Nature Wool in green, 1/2 skein Patons Classic Merino in royal blue.
- Size F crochet hook
- tapestry needle
- 1 flexible plastic cutting board
- square ruler
- permanent marker
- scissors
Glossary:
- ch: chain stitch
- sl: slip stitch
- tc: tapestry single crochet stitch
- sts: stitches
- dc: double crochet stitch
Pattern:
- This pattern is worked in the round as a spiral.
- Round 0: Using with the orange yarn, make a slip knot, leaving a 10 inch tail. ch 56 sts. Starting with the 2nd chain and carrying the other two colored yarns along, 54 sc, 4 sc into the last chain (total 59 sts). Continue to sc along the bottom of the original chain until last chain. 3 sc into the last chain (total 116). Mark beginning of round with stitch marker.
- Round 1-36: [Download the Escher's Horses Chart (pdf)] Begin color work according to chart, starting at stitch 1, row 1 (in the lower right corner) Handle prep row: Due to the nature of tapestry crochet, the “start” of the row will have wrapped around to the back of the bag, add enough sc's in color pattern to bring you to the edge of the bag (about 6 sts).
- 1st handle:
- 2nd handle:
Finishing:
- Block the bag, so you smooth out any uneven spots. Lay the plastic cutting sheet over the tapestry crocheted half of the handle and mark out the edge of the plastic handle. The handle should be about 1/8” to 1/4” smaller than the crocheted handle. The measurements used for my handle are given below.
- Cut out both handles out of the plastic. Bevel each of the corners of the handle so that there are now sharp edges that could eventually cut through the yarn.
- With a tapestry needle sew the mesh cover over the plastic handle, attaching it to the tapestry crochet handle.

a Medatative Cabled Sheep

Thu, 21 May 2009 11:14:00 GMT

I've gotten involved in a variety of yarn swaps on Ravelry. For those unfamiliar, a swap is an on-your-honor trade among a group of people. A limit is set for how much your box should be worth as well as a few items that must be included in the box. Each swap usually has a theme, too: tea, earth day, journalimg, etc.

For the yoga swap I did late last year, the rules said you needed to include one hand made item, and something in the package must contain an "ohm" symbol. After a bit of research, I found that my swap partner collected sheep. I remembered a pattern I had picked up at the Black Sheep Wool Company in Salt Lake City. It was a perfect fit.

Pattern: Petite Sheep by Melanie Elizondo, a $4 handout available at Black Sheep Wool Company
Matrials:
- 1/2 ball of Plymouth Yarn Royal Bamboo in white
- 1/4 ball (or less) of Plymouth Yarn Royal Bamboo in brown
- one set of size 3 double pointed needles
- tapestry needle
- two U-bolts for legs
- polyfil stuffing
Modifications:
- added a needle point "ohm" symbol to the belly
- If I make this again, I'll not bind off the belly until after I've added the legs, that way I don't have to pick up stitches and it will produce a smoother transition from body to leg
Ravelry Link

Sandy Sprint 5k

Wed, 20 May 2009 02:48:00 GMT

Last month Amiya and I ran the Sandy Sprint 5k organized by the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. For the third year in a row, Sam was the first Ovarian Cancer survivor to cross the finish line! I didn't finish nearly as fast, but I'm happy to say I ran the majority of the race, and thanks in part to my snazzy new Garmin Forerunner 405 I'm running in the mornings so that I may be able to run (most of) an 8k in a couple weeks.


Sam, Collen, Amiya and I after the Sandy Sprint 5k