Hangers & Rings

So. The latest projects to come off the sticks: The Sand Dune Hanger Cover from Twinkle's Weekend Knits, and a sweet little 'heart' ring that I improvised.

First, the hanger cover: I knitted this up out of left-over yarn I had from the urchin beret and I love it! Imagine a closet full of these - perfect for holding sun dresses, silk tank tops, etc.

ps: this took about 20 minutes to knit - seriously fast and gratifying!

Next. I'm experimenting w/knitted jewelry and came up with this 'heart' ring made from 3 knitted balls: One silver, one gold w/peridot, and one silver w/peridot. After I knitted the balls, I wove them together into the heart shape & wove in the ends. Then I attached the 'ring' part by twisting some gold wire for extra strength.

I'm pretty pleased w/how this turned out - especially due to the improvisational nature of it all.





This ring has my brain working overtime thinking of more knitted jewelry possibilities! More bobbles to come for sure!

More Triple Play Hat

Because I can't get enough of the triple play hat...here are pics of the lastest version:











modeled by M.Loeb & M.Pollock

Wire Cuff

There are many reasons to give love to Coco Knits. Here's one: The wire & pearl cuff.


This was a fun project - knitting w/materials other than yarn was interesting, and the result were great! It'll be fun to experiment w/different wires and beads. It was a bit tricky getting the fit correct as there is no clasp - it took me two tries to get it. But the project only takes a few hours..so it was no biggie.

FUN!

Materials: Sterling Silver Wire, gauge 26 & Faceted Fresh Water Pearls.

One down. One to go.

Exciting news of the week:

I made my first sock. And it fits!

This is the coolest thing ever - and all I can think of now is making more socks. I'm adding socks to my list of knitting obsessions. Along with cowls.

Just need to knit a mate for this guy and then it's on to more socks from this:

And this:

And this:

And this:

Triple Play Hat

Another great pattern from Craig at Loop: the Triple Play Hat. Very easy, very fast.


This hat is knit with yarn held triple throughout - so a variety of color palettes can be achieved. I made this one with 3 of the same color for a more conservative hat - but I'm excited to start experimenting w/more creative color choices. Many of these will be made for Holiday '08, no doubt!

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight in Light Gray

PS: my latest work in prog is a pair of socks - my first pair to be specific. This is very exciting...in an admittedly nerdy way.

Pom Pom Ped

Check out this new pattern from the Purl Bee

Pom Pom Peds:

They're ridiculously cute. I'm very excited to make them!

Quick Cowl 2

Made another quick cowl:

This one's for Elly.

Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in Pale Blue.

Yarn!

Wait...I thought this week was all about stash busting. But then this happened:








Whoops.

stash bustin'

I'm trying to work away at my ever growing yarn stash. Seriously. It's a little out of control.

So gifts for everyone! Really. If you're reading this -- you'll probably be getting something sometime this Spring/Summer in the mail. :D

Here's what has come off of the needles this week:

Herringbone Neck Warmer from Craig at Loop Yarn in Philly. He's really nice -- you should shop at his store/website!


I made this from Jade Sapphire's 100% Handspun Mongolian Cashmere. And it's soooo soft. I also altered the pattern just a smidge to allow for 3 buttons instead of 2. Even numbers just don't sit well with me.

The whole time I was knitting it, I was thinking of how great this pattern would look made with Manos Handspun Multi in Eclipse. And I just happen to have one in my stash. So...


See? It looks cool already. Love the blues, purples, roses, and yellows.

I'm working on this cowl for my friend Elly. Made from Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in a Powdery Blue. The goal is to have it finish by mid next week so she has some time left to wear it on chilly nights in Saratoga Springs.


And Finally, the disaster of the month. Mary-Jane Slippers.

These were supposed to knit up into a pair of sweet little slippers. Mine however, were a floppy mess. The knitting was smooth - the pattern, easy to read. But the felting went all wrong. They didn't shrink up nearly as much as they should have and are gigantic on my foot. So, out they go! (I'm just happy that I only made one as a test before I wasted any more of my Manos.)

blah.


On the sticks next week: Probably some socks and definitly a shawl/vest for my Mom.

voodoo wrist warmers

I keep meaning to put these babies up on the blog. Finally, here they are. Voodoo Wrist Warmers by Bonne Marie Burns.


These are great! My hands are always cold at the office this time of year - I can wear these and still use the computer. Love them.

I'm also in love with the yarn from Noro. The asymmetrical striping this yarn creates is so cool. You never know when the color will shift. It makes a otherwise mindless knit like this one a bit more interesting.


I'll have to make more of these next season - or maybe this season as a means of stash busting.

Yarn: Noro Kureyon #194

Mochi! Mochi!

I should be working. But I needed a blog break...

So, I made the Mochimochi Land grass. She lives on my desk at work. Oh, I should mention that my Dad named her Astra Turf. (he thinks he's funny.)


And I'm going to make more. Lots more. Or at least a few more for my nephews.

Stitched in a heart on the bum for fun too.

Speaking of hearts:


These knit up in a snap. Think I'll make a ton of these too - but I'll need to change the yarn up. It didn't felt as much as I would have liked. Oh well...

{ps: my mattress stitch is more like a fumble-through-this-'til-I-get-to-the-end stitch. don't judge. I'll work on it.}

Yarns: Grass made from Cascade 220 in Palm. Hearts made from Nature's Palette Fingerling in Owl's Clover.

Grass

Okay. Winter is my absolute, hands-down favorite season. And I'm kind of bummed we didn't get any snow. No, scratch that - I'm really bummed.

But despite how much I love cold weather, these little guys have me pretty psyched for Spring!



They're grass. They're adorable. And despite the constant ridicule from my friends, I'm going to knit a handful up in a few weeks.

Besides, I can't go on making cowls and fingerless mitts forever, right?

I'll post the lil' green jobs as soon as I make 'em. Get the pattern for yourself here.

yay!

Urchin Beret

Made this beret last night and I'm totally happy with how it turned out. You can get the pattern from Wenlan Chia's Weekend Knits (pictured below).



I love this book. You should probably buy it. Or check it out at your local library.

So..here are some pics:




I should mention that I originally made this on US 17 DPN's with a yamika sized hat as a result. So use the suggested US 19's.

Yarn: Twinkle's Soft Chunky in Almond.

Quick Cowl

See that green thing around my neck? Yeah, I knitted it.

You want to knit it too? Then go here. The pattern is super easy, super fast, and if you use the right yarn, super soft.

Do it.



Yarn: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande #1285 Forest