Felt like blogging?!

Be nice, this is my first blog. I only mention felt because my first item was also a first for me, a first time felting in the washing machine. I used a technique from Nicky Epstein's book Knitting Never Felt Better to make the bobbles in this tri-colour muffler, it came out better than I expected it to and is toasty warm. Close-up of bobbles below. I put wooden beads inside with an elastic band to hold them so that those parts wouldn't felt.

This next little item is a lavender filled heart shaped sachet made with Koigu yarn. It's made up of 14 separate squares, joined together as you go along. It is 4" square and smells gorgeous now it's filled with lavender.




I made a really easy scarf by weaving yarn through a netting that I bought at the Knitting & Stitching Show in London recently. It's not really a scarf for warmth, but it looks quite attractive and was certainly easy to make. Here's how it looked half-way through, and the end result.

Finally, here's a sweater which I've made 3 of now, and is made from 100% Alpaca. Here's daughter Katy and son's girlfriend Ruby modelling them.

Who knew blogging with pictures was this hard!! Well it was for me anyway.

knit happy

I finished several items this week for the sale, chief among them being--



Ruckuses! These adorkable critters will be available for adoption soon.

Also...if you follow fashion you may have seen the latest thing in jewelry, knitted cashmere bangle bracelets. Well, no one need spend $130 for one when the Striped Sock Sirens are on the job!



(for those with aminal-fiber issues, the pink one is cotton)

And, per a request by SSS Scarlett, a cozy just the right size for an iphone.



I've also made a couple sized for the ipod nano, and one for a regular ipod. Yep, furry creatures of fantasy and pop culture touchstones, my specialties. *g*

Felting is fun!

My model has arrived for a visit!

She loved this felted bowl but was worried about putting milk in it for her cereal. I told her that liquids would not be a good thing for this bowl. It was more for small items like candy or bracelets.

I love the way this variegated Patons Classic Wool Merino yarn swirled around the bowl. The bowl measures 6" in diameter and is 2" tall.

Baby stuff's just too fun!

booties and kimono
Originally uploaded by geekettepeace

I enjoyed knitting the first baby kimono so much, I decided to do another and try my hand at two colors. I also found a pattern for matching booties. Will they both fit a baby? At the same time? I hope so! They're both described as "newborn", but I know there's a bit of variation there...

The kimono's knit from a cotton/acrylic that's machine washable (although I tend to hand wash), and it's 8" across the chest and 6 1/2" tall as it lies. The ribbon ties at the waist add a little adjustability. The booties are about 2 3/4" from toe to heel, and are closed with a crochet loop over little jingle bells instead of buttons. I liked the bells better than any buttons I found, and while they're not loud, they should make an entertaining jingle for baby. Click on the photo for a larger version, and a close up of the booties on my flickr account.

I'm working on some Christmas knits, but I'd better get going since the sale starts early next month!

Down to the Wire...

I'm finally on the fifth and last repeat of the lace stole I'm knitting for the upcoming sale. It's a lovely pattern called "Leda's Dream," designed by Melanie Gibbons (Pink Lemon Twist). The yarn is a pale gray baby alpaca which is feather-light and extremely soft.

I've knitted lace motifs in other projects before, but this is my first real "lace" project. It was slow going at first but I'm making quick progress now.

Still, it's going to be down to the wire, getting the last repeat done along with the two borders, and the blocking finished (so it looks less lumpy!) before the November sale. I'm quite determined, though!

I think it'll make a very pretty addition to someone's party or concert wardrobe this holiday season.

Felted stuff

felted silk lined bag
Originally uploaded by geekettepeace

Finally done! I had this little wool clutch felted and "finished" a while ago. It's about 9" across at the top, and 5" tall which makes it just about big enough to hold your essentials... at least if they're small... I added the little beaded star on one side and thought I was done.

lining
Originally uploaded by geekettepeace

Then someone said "You're going to line it, right? With silk?" Er, sure... Three trips to the fabric store later, and I finally found some blue/green Dupioni silk that shifts color inside much like the color shifts outside. And a magnetic clasp to keep your essentials from cascading out. Do I really want to sell it now? The things I do for Clay... So that's done. But wait, there's more!

felted beaded black bag
Originally uploaded by geekettepeace

This is also a small felted bag, about 6" wide by 4 1/2" tall, with black and silver eyelash yarn felted in on the flap, and just a few dangling beads. Don't want to go crazy, you know. The chain's about 3' long, but could be taken in (or taken off) with little effort.

The photos are all clickable for a closer look.

candy dish
Originally uploaded by geekettepeace

Heh. One more - who can resist a felted candy bowl?

Market Bag

While living in Germany, we followed the local custom of buying cloth bags and using them every time we went shopping. We have tried to do the same thing at home, but the bags seemed small.

When I found this pattern, I knew I this would work. These s-t-r-e-t-c-h. I tested the pattern with this colorful yarn and think it would made a great beach bag!

Purple! Socks!

Columbine Peak
Originally uploaded by geekettepeace

Who's brave enough to wear these?

I wanted to dye the yarn a lovely varigated pastel pink. Unfortunately, the dye had other plans. Wow - hot pink and LOTS of it...so I dunked it in a pot of blue. Hey, not bad (especially if, like me, purple's your favorite color). Although predominantly purple from a distance, the yarn shifts from pale pink through purple to medium blue, with little flecks of colorful donegal, just to make things even more interesting.

These were hand knit in a lace pattern called Columbine Peak, with a pattern of hills that continues down the top of the foot, and some ribbing on either side for stretch.

A ladies size medium, about 8 1/2" from heel to toe, and just about that tall as well. They'll stretch a bit, too. Superwash wool, so they are machine wash/dryable, although I always handwash my handknits, just in case.

I'll say one thing for them - they're colorful!

Silk/wool beaded scarf

I'm working on some felted items (Brandilyne is too!), but for now, this will have to suffice.

Afghanistan beaded scarf
Originally uploaded by geekettepeace

Here's a 5 1/2' long beaded scarf that was knit from our Miss Scarlett's (in the kitchen with a dye pot) own colorway, which she called UNICEF '07, since the colors were drawn from photos published after Clay Aiken's UNICEF visit to Afghanistan.

The browns, tans, and creams of the landscape and clothing contrast beautifully with the turquoise blue to make a very pretty scarf. It's 50/50 silk wool, and beaded throughout with matching beads, which add a bit of heft so it drapes nicely. On each end extra beads dangle to form decorative swags.



Sorry, I don't have any models, and the cats just would not cooperate...

Shrug

While we were in Columbus this summer, my daughter picked up this pattern. She tells me that a shrug is perfect for work because it isn't bulky like a normal sweater, but keeps her shoulders warm where the office air conditioner blows in the middle of winter (oh yeah - I know all about that! She still hasn't chosen which yarn she would like, but I thought I would like to do a test shrug to see how it turned out. I couldn't just let that new pattern sit there! This is the result.

I dug into my recently organized stash and found enough Patons Canadiana in this pretty seafoam colour. It only took a couple of days and it was finished. Then I coerced one of the young'uns at work to model it for me.

It was so easy and lots of fun to make. It is really just a long scarf with the ends sewn into sleeves and a ruffle knit around the edges.

Snowflake Christmas Ornaments

I love to see the first snowflakes of the season begin to fall on a cold, wintery day. Well, it's 84 degrees outside and winter is nowhere in sight, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make it "snow" early.

Now for those of you who cringe at the word "snow", these are the perfect snowflakes for you. They are pretty, they don't melt or make a mess, you can hang them on the Christmas tree, and you can use them again next year.

The snowflakes are crocheted with white crochet thread and small pearl colored beads. This time I tried a new fabric stiffening technique that's easy and costs just pennies per snowflake, hairspray and a hairdryer. It works beautifully and if the snowflake ever begins to lose its stiffness, all you have to do is spray it again and blowdry it to stiffness.

Dropped Stitch "Suede" Scarf

My first (and only, so far!) finished project for the sale! I've been busy knitting, sadly I only have one item to show for my troubles so far :o( I seem to be suffering from knitzophrenia.

Knitzophrenia: An affliction caused by Brandi wanting to make every single solitary pattern from every single yarn ever created in the history of fiber arts. *sigh*

As soon as I finished this scarf, I cast on for a wrap, knit 10 rows and decided it wasn't what I wanted to do. Frogged. Then I started a new baby bootie pattern. Nope, didn't like the yarn. The first half finished bootie still sits abandoned on my coffee table, sad and lonely. Then I started a felted bag, only have the base done, need to get my rear in gear and finish the rest of it! I do have another bag finished, just need to get the lining sewn in before I can call it an official FO for the sale!

So, for now I offer up my 47 gazillion foot long Dropped Stitch Suede Scarf. It's done in Lion Suede, color Spice, double stranded. It's sooooo soft and squishy and is guaranteed to wrap around your neck several dozen times :o) If you aren't an ostrich, you can go for the normal one or two loops and let the rest flow behind you dramatically. Also very good for gesturing emphatically at annoying co-workers, shooing away pushy salespeople or lassoing cute boys!

I made my sister model it for me this weekend in the 90 degree heat, she opted for the double loop around the neck :o)

creating a Ruckus, or two

Yay, we have blog!

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with some friends, and one mentioned 'creating a ruckus'. Being the nut that I am, my first thought was 'hm! Knitting is creating. Wonder if I could knit a ruckus.'

Meet the Ruckuses.



Ruby is on the left, Roscoe on the right. I'm not entirely sure of the nature of their relationship. They may be merely FWB. (friends with benefits). Although Roscoe and his twin brother Rufus nearly came to blows over her. Rufus is now living in the witness protection program, in my office.

In the wild, Ruckuses are very shy, though the results of their presence are clear to all. Female Ruckuses tend to cause catfights; males are more likely to produce effects such as road rage. In captivity, however, they are friendly, absorb chaotic vibes, and are good for squishing when stressed.

Any babies on the way?

baby_kimono
Originally uploaded by geekettepeace

First post! Get it out of the way so others will follow. Beside, this way it'll be pushed down the page real fast...

I'll post my first "FO" or finished object, in fiber speak. Hopefully others will be adding their own FOs soon as well!

This pattern's called "Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono" and yeah, I think it's kinda cute. Knit from a cotton/acrylic blend that's machine washable, it's soft and stretchy, with grosgrain ties for a little extra "wiggle room." Newborn size, so I'm told, at about 8" across the chest (laid flat, as shown), just over 7" from shoulder to the bottom edge, and 2" across the wrists.

Sure wish I could find a baby to model it!