Inspiration Redux

A business partner and his wife recently had a baby boy. They brought him by the office and The Spouse got a chance to hold him and oooh and ahh like people tend to do. He also picked that time to pimp out my knitting skills. :)



The blue yarns have been in the back of my mind for years now. They were originally wound together with a green with the intent of being turned into a mermaid tale. When that failed to pan out the way I wanted it went back into the closet.



Every time a toy needs to be made or a boy is born I go back to this yarn. Every time something watery floats into my mind I think of this yarn. It needed to be used so I unwound the ball (what a mess!) and started on some shorties.



The waistband started off in the green but it didn't look so nice on it's own. It was complimented so much in the ball but not so much otherwise. Taking it out also tweaked my plans of stripes. I didn't have enough of the lighter blue to pull it off.

This is where Inspiration Redux hit. The blues are very much water colors (if you get your water from a box of Crayola). As I knit I knew something nautical was in the mix. Not knowing what exactly made it so that the design would need to be duplicate stitched on. Hard to chart a design when that design is lacking. :)



I considered fish and whales mostly. I took them to Knitting Night on Thursday and got the opinions of others. Someone suggested a sailboat and the idea stuck. I wanted some fish in there under the waves but in the end I, and everyone else, decided it looked best on it's own.



I stuck an anchor on front to add a bit more cutesy factor to them. I'm rather pleased with how these turned out. I hope the intended people like them as much as I do.

Stats:
Pattern: Picky Pants- Shorts
Yarn: Random Acrylic- dark blue, turquoise, black, burgandy, and offwhite
Needles: 7's for the waist, 8's for the body
Smaller details: 2x2 waistband, twisted drawstring (more rope like and more fitting for the nautical theme), garter stitch cuff, 2 1/4 inch inseam (not sure where the 1/4 came from).

This was definitely a project where I had set out with my own ideas and had the yarn completely change them. Surely I can't be the only one. Leave a comment and tell me about a time when Inspiration became Inspiration Redux for you.

Inspiration

Where do you get yours?

With Borders closing we have stopped in a couple times. Nothing like cheap books to inspire you! I've made sure to stop by the knitting section each time and up until yesterday nothing had caught my attention.

Yesterday I happened to get lucky. While heavier knits like pictured above are not my cup of tea there is something deliciously inviting about them. I have a few people in mind from the brief flip through I did.

Spin Control was one I was thrilled to find. Being self taught on a craft can leave you wondering if you are doing it right. Yes, I can produce yarns but are they quality? Are they useable? Do they do their fiber qualities justice? I can honestly say, that in all the time I've been spinning (which is short), I have yet to learn the difference between worsted and woolen. I know the difference in looks but only in demonstration. Two swatches side by side. I have a lot to learn about it all and I'm excited to have found a book regarding just that. I haven't gotten far into it. The house is quieting down for the evening and I'm fighting the urge to knit or to read about knitting.

Tonight books about the finer details are my inspiration. What's yours?

Musings on pictures and an FO

I know for many knitters taking pictures of projects can be a time consuming and frustrating thing. Colors (like reds!) are a pain in the butt. Patterns can be difficult to see on a screen but obvious in person. Lines get blurred, colors become washed out or darkened, and drape starts to look bulky.

I took pictures today of a soaker I finished. I took them inside and out. In natural light and with flash. On dark backgrounds and light. No matter what I did my camera seemed to have a spasm of the shutter. I was starting to get peeved. The idea of dragging a camera and knitting around in an attempt to get a good and accurate shot was disheartening. Maybe it's just me but the second I am done I want to show it off. I want to brag and share and squeee! over it. Not being able to because various elements decide not to cooperate makes finishing all the less appealing. Why weave in my ends and tell people I am REALLY done if I can't prove it?

Today was an example of using your resources and patience. I know that can be applied in broader strokes to life so it was a lesson I was willing to take. Not happily mind you but willingly. I have bemoaned the fact that many of my pictures were from a cell phone many a time. They just don't turn out as well and really make showcasing work difficult. Today though my cell phone was my friend.

Perfect example of cell phone quality. In comparison to the final pic above it's small and hard to see but you know what? The color is so dead on here that you could use it as a swatch pic for ordering. I have never had purples turn out so accurately and certainly not on my phone. Luckily I had sent this to myself a couple days ago and had it available to use. There are advantages to my main camera but today they weren't as obvious. Despite having a great one picture taking wasn't any easier than it has been in the past.

Stats:
Pattern: Juliette Skirty...minus the skirt
Size: Small
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needles: US 5s and 7s
Details: 2x2 ribbing for waist, stripes are 2 rows each, and cuffs are 8 rounds of garter stitch.

FO: Skirtie and Longies

First up is a Juliette Skirtie. The non solid is some of my handspun so I'm quite partial to this one. :) It's a tiny newborn one. I love that the handspun comes across as a tweedy color.

Stats: Juliette Skirtie
Newborn
Solid Red: Random wool (either Paton's Merino or Cascade 220)
Body: Handspun
Needles: 5 and 7
Garter trim on a pleated skirt; no cuffs on the undersoaker; 2x2 ribbing for waist with icord drawstring

Next up is some longies. I wasn't sure about this yarn at first. Reminds me of when Yelloow-Green and Spring Green from the box of Crayola melt together on the sidewalk. It was pooling in the body (as you can see) and I was confident the shaping would break that up. Not really. In the end I think it works. Reminds me of grass now. :)

Stats: Picky Pants

Size: Small

Shaping: Backside Increases and Short Rows

Needles:8

Yarn: Manos (unsure of color/number)

Seed stitch cuff; 2x2 waist; icord drawstring

7 inch inseam

I'm quite pleased with both of these. They aren't for keeping but instead will go up for sale here soon. I was hoping to have enough yarn left to make a matching hat for the longies but it's not looking like I won't.

It's nice to be knitting again. My fingers have sat idle for too long.

Alive

It's been almost a year since my last post. I have a few things to post about but for now know that I am alive and well and knitting. I lost my mojo a bit (hence the no blogging) but it is back. :)