Another FO- My first hat!

I finished up this LTK Earwarmer Cap for the husband last night. I'm quite pleased with it. I've had the pattern for awhile now but never got past the cast on. There was something about it that made me think it was far more difficult than it was. Maybe it was the short rows. Who knows? I did have to redo the top of it and I'm still not sure about it. I did it according to the pattern to the T. No questioning it at all. Even when I thought I was running out of yarn. When the husband tried it on this morning he had an odd little gnome style point going on. I frogged back and attempted to fix it. My decreases aren't lined up as a result (I think I only had to do three sets so nothing major) but I think it turned out pretty well. I tried it on myself and the point seems to have gone away. Though the wee one had it on earlier and I could see a slight one still. I even tried it on a ball (as another picture...not because I was worried or anything lol) and there is a slight bump. I'm hopin based off the wayhe wears hats it won't be there but if it is tough. I'm not redoing it again. I'll just sew in some darts or something to kind of anchor it down.

Stats:
LTK Earwarmer Cap
Size XL
Cascade Sassy Stripes yarn: doubled
Diamond texture (though you can't really tell in the picture)

The munchkin has claimed it as her own so I am thinking I need to whip her up one. It only took me about a day. Not being able to sleep until 3 in the morning helps fuel your knitting. :)

Nautie, nautie

Seems I've been a naughty blogger. :)


A reader of this dear blog alerted me after I had posted last that I was a tease. A picture tease. I talked of my love of a simple change yet I provided no proof of it. I did send her comparison pics but thought to myself when I realized I hadn't blogged about a recent FO that I should post them here as well. No reason to hold out on some goodness after all.

Here is the before. I've posted it's details before so no need for that. The cuffs here were done as recommended...a 1x1 rib (for about one inch) in the needles used for the first portion of ribbing (so size 5's here). Since my knit bind off can be tight I used my failsafe icord bind off. I liked it but didn't love it.

And this be the after. I realized one day as I was lanolizing that I had woven in the ends so the night I decided to do that I fixed the cuffs as well. Now they are my standard garter ridge and icord bind off. See how much crisper it looks? It doesn't seem to be drowning in leg cuff. Funny thing is it's the exact same amount of yarn in both pictures. I had done about 10-12 rounds of ribbing and got my basic 4 garter ridges with it. I was surprised. Even the husband thought it looked far better. Best to stick to what you like I guess.










Now for the nautiness. Remember the sock from before? The lovely spiral one in the clown yarn? The yarn is a tad whorish. It's been around my needles a few times. A couple of those times it has even moved into the idea of being an FO only to move out pretty quick. Not a monogamous yarn by any means. It seems to have found a suitable mate though and has only left behind a little bit of itself. Nothing major at all.









Introducing Nautie. From Knitty.

Stats/Mods:
Body yarn: Lion Brand Magic Stripes (Jelly Bean color for those interested): doubled
Head yarn: Tatamy Tweed in Oatmeal
Needles: Size 3 (the pattern calls for larger but I had none at the time)
Tentacles: 6 as opposed to 8. The first three (the ones done in the face yarn) are still attached. The pattern asks you to decrease down to 6 and then bind off those remaining ones. I just kept them live, added one stitch to get my working 3 for the icord and went about my business. Both have them in both yarns.
Face: Also attached. The pattern calls for seaming which I didn't want to do. I placed a purl row on the body to help with placement (the face is placed 4 rounds in) and then continued on with the body until it was time to bind off (I did an icord of course...mostly to give the edge of the shell a sort of rolled edge look without having a rolling edge). Because of my bind off my face was looking small so I added an extra 6 rounds since the original 6 were hidden by the fact that I didn't have a curling edge.
Eyes: Done in the body yarn.

Super easy and loads of fun to knit. The wee one much prefers the straight one though, I prefer the coiled.

Nothing really

It's funny how changing up one or two details in a pattern can completely change the final look of it.

When I had done my curly purly soaker I had done as the pattern suggested and did about an inch of 1x1 ribbing for the cuffs. While I liked it overall it wasn't one of my knits that I was excited to show off. There was something missing that just wasn't me. I had no idea what it was. After I finished up the last two (the larges) I realized it was my cuff choice and I decided to change them out. Up until last night though I never did it. Not because it was difficult but mostly because I'm lazy. :) I am so caught up on everything cleanign and knitting wise that I have nothing to do. The only reason I want to do something is because I feel like I should. I'm so not used to having something that needs to be done that I can't fathom just going with the flow and picking something up when it strikes me. So last night as I lamented this to a friend I decided to fix the cuffs. I frogged the ribbing and did my standard garter ridge and icord cuff. Oh how I love this little soaker! Even the husband commented on how much better it looked. It's crisper looking (for lack of a better term) and appears finished. Not sure why but the original version looked like it was missing something. I think there was just too much brown (I did more on the waist than I wanted remember). In the end its the exact same amount of yarn since I jsut used what was there but 4 garter ridges look less imposing than 10 rows of ribbing you know? I love it now and am actually tempted to make another. We'll see.

I finished up a sock the other day but it's not going to stay in sock form for very long. I was using the fantastically lovely Swirl Sock and just used up a skein of Lion Brand Magic Stripes (only half a skein a sock though) in my stash. I have no problem with this yarn. It was my first official skein of sock yarn even. It just doesn't make for a good sock. The yarn is dry and scratchy and doesn't seem to want to soften up. It makes perfect toys though so it's goign to get frogged and made into something else...I'm thinking the Nautie toy from Knitty. I know it's not worsted like the pattern calls for but I rarely follow directions so who cares? :) Not only is the yarn icky to the feel but it reminds me of a clown. I don't want to think "clown" when I look down at my feet.

So there it is. I do like...I just wish it didn't suck as footwear. I used a thinner yarn, smaller needles, and only did the swirl on the front of the sock (the pattern carries it around the leg). I also did a ribbed cuff with crochet bind off (as opposed to the picot one in the pattern). I love the pattern though and am making a real pair. I found some needles I thought I lost and now I can do it in the right size needle and weight of yarn! The husband has been complaining about his lack of hand knit socks so I suppose he should get a pair. I do have four skeins of sock yarn here that were bought with him in mind. I suppose I should use them. Too bad he won't wear tube socks!

It started as late night boredom..

well kind of. Our current tub is an old claw foot one. We live in an old/former opera house and our apartment was actually one of the original dressing rooms. Over the years the shower has been rigged with some cleverness to also be a shower. Being older we don't have a lip/curb/whatever that goes around our tub where it would be attached to the wall. Our tub just sits there in the bathroom with one lip against the wall. Nothing fancy. As a result we have no where to put things like soap or shampoo etc. Soap has been an issue forever. We normally just stick it in a little tupperware bowl and either balance it carefully on the lip against the wall or carefully on the faucet. It has a tendency to fall. A lot. The husband prefers to shower so not only does it fall but it gets set on the bottom of the tub and gets to take it's own personal bath. Which is good because every time it falls it gets dirty. It's a rough life.



So last night as I was soaking in the tub I was staring at this soap getting more and more irritated. The husband asked for some solution since he too was tired of the life it lives. Why did it not dawn on me before (before you say buy a hanging shower caddy don't think it hasn't been an option...however when we are shopping it's generally the last thing on our minds until we get home...we're slackers) to knit a soap sack? I have talked about it before when I was making my sisters but our tub situation was different then. It wouldn't have been such a highly praised item at the item. It would have been just an item. Here though it's a godsend. For us and the soap. :)

NOTE: This pattern is now a PDF (through Ravelry) available for purchase.
Super simple but with a little oomph in there. Ours is now hanging from the part of the faucet you pull up to switch to shower mode (hence the wet spot on the actual bag in the picture). I started the bottom orange last night and got to my color change and then went to bed. I finished it up in about an hour this morning. The mancub is looking forward to using it tonight. :)

I love small FO's

And copy and paste. Both of which will be present here today. :) I'm sure there are a few of you who will read all about these in a few places. What can I say? I'm a lazy blogger/poster....I like copy and paste. :)

Just another pair of Picky Pants Longies. ONLY this time! the body yarn is Mosaic Moon Organic Wool in the Sunny Days colorway. I have had that yarn forever and have been dying to use it. I had started a pair in the same yarns for DD (size small) but for some reason never got around to getting past the waistband. Not sure what happened.

Stats:

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes for the waist and cuffs

Mosaic Moon Organic Wool (OMG the softness of that yarn....even DH fondles them )

Longer ribbing in the waist

Longer lengths (before the gusset section I bumped the length to 4 inches as opposed to 3 3/4 and the legs are about 4 inches as well I think)

Size newborn

Backside increases only

Garter ridge and icord bind off on cuffs

Crochet drawstring (with a strand of both yarns)

For those who don't like pooling: the only spot where it did anything funny was at the leg split. Once leg (the left) has a section of yellows and orange-yellows and the other leg has the reds and pinks. Not sure how that happened or why since it was still in the body section and not the actual split of the legs. I never had to tweak anything to get it to stay consistent. This yarn rocks!!! It is sooooo soft and the colors are fantastic and don't pool (at least on a newborn size ) and are sooooo soft.