tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152712512024-03-07T04:52:33.874-05:00chachaknitsMy adventures in knitting, spinning, dyeing, and other yarn-related activitieschacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-88363357135230121922012-06-24T14:53:00.000-05:002012-06-24T14:55:47.190-05:00New project: Whisper CardiganMy second try at a Whisper Cardigan<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/7434443810/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Start of a Whisper Cardigan by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Start of a Whisper Cardigan" height="375" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/7434443810_e0a3dd297f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The yarn is Madelinetosh Lace, and it's beautiful stuff. And I really hope this one goes better than my first Whisper, which ended with moths... or maybe spiders... something small that eats yarn.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-89882341300733769042012-06-07T21:41:00.000-05:002012-06-07T21:41:26.533-05:00Juneberry TriangleI've been busy...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/7178944474/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Juneberry Triangle Shawl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Juneberry Triangle Shawl" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/7178944474_253f18ac80.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I finished a Juneberry Triangle for J's mom. She has spent quite a while hinting--not subtly, either--that she would love it if I were to knit her something. When I gave her the finished shawl, she looked at it and asked, "Is this something you made?" I told her it was, and the reaction was priceless: "ALL RIGHT!" She was pretty jazzed about it. She's keeping proudly displayed on the back of her favorite living room chair.<br />
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All the different lace patterns kept this project very interesting and challenging. Paying attention to the pattern was key. No working on Juneberry during Game of Thrones!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/7178941018/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Juneberry Triangle Shawl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Juneberry Triangle Shawl" height="375" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7178941018_d394d9d406.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The yarn is some Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine that has been in my stash pretty much forever. I was thrilled to finally find a use for it.<br />
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And look, I even did all of the bobbles: <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/7178941896/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Juneberry Triangle Shawl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Juneberry Triangle Shawl" height="375" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5117/7178941896_97e137844f.jpg" width="500" /> </a> </div>
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The ones on the edging too:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/7178942824/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Juneberry Triangle Shawl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Juneberry Triangle Shawl" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7178942824_8a1748e927.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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I may have to make one for myself one of these days!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-42891267260593242512011-08-28T04:04:00.000-05:002011-08-28T04:04:29.714-05:00Finished object: WindermereIt's been a fairly busy summer. As I've learned, we have winter for a solid 6 months of the year, so summer is a time for doing as much as possible outside the house. J and I went to see Daniel Tosh in Great Falls, and we also saw Kenny Rogers--THE GAMBLER himself--last weekend. We've also been making good use of the fire pit I got J for his birthday, and have had several nights of sitting in the backyard with marshmallows, beer, and fire.<br />
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In the middle of my summer activities, I finished my Windermere scarf.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6064165849/" title="Finished Windermere by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Finished Windermere" height="375" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6064165849_d9970ef155.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The pattern is from <a href="http://www.sweetpaprikadesigns.com/windermere.html">Sweet Paprika</a>, and is a design I've loved since I first saw it in the Ravelry Obscuriosity group's past knitalongs. I got this fabulous hand-dyed yarn from The Yarn Stash in Minot, and it turned out to be a great match for the pattern.<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6064166711/" title="Finished Windermere by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Finished Windermere" height="375" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6186/6064166711_458c44b68a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I made the stockinette sections smaller because I wanted the finished scarf to be a bit narrower than the design called for, especially since I was using a fingering weight yarn rather than laceweight. Beyond that, I did the pattern pretty much as written--even the grafting! I had to undo some of my grafting when I got about halfway through the center lace pattern and noticed that my stitches weren't lining up AT ALL, but it was smooth sailing once that error was fixed (I'd completely skipped grafting some of the YOs).<br />
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When it starts to cool off in another month or so, I have another scarf for my arsenal!<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/6064166289/" title="Finished Windermere by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Finished Windermere" height="375" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6081/6064166289_f8c179a54c.jpg" width="500" /></a>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-11022789894649631702011-05-15T22:43:00.000-05:002011-05-15T22:43:34.048-05:00Yarn RadarJ and I were in Billings for a weekend trip a few weeks ago. While we were driving around, I found <a href="http://www.purlyarn.com/">Purl Yarn Boutique</a>, a brand new yarn store! J joked that I must have some kind of yarn radar... I have a tendency to find yarn any time we go out of town.<br />
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Anyway, we went in, and it's a great store. Very open and uncluttered, friendly staff, and two adorable shop dogs. I'll definitely go back next time we're in Billings.<br />
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J was drawn to the Manos display, and picked out this skein of Maxima in the Arctic colorway:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/5724415222/" title="Manos Maxima by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Manos Maxima" height="375" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2038/5724415222_83fbd1a486.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And I picked up a few skeins of this gorgeous red Spud & Chloe Fine, maybe for a second go at a Whisper Cardigan:<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/5723862947/" title="Spud & Chloe Fine by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img alt="Spud & Chloe Fine" height="375" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5723862947_96d054a849.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I can't get over how smooshy this stuff is!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-58332618611994620542010-11-03T16:49:00.003-05:002010-11-03T17:22:40.896-05:00Starfish shawlMy new shawl. Let me show you it:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/5143490239/" title="Starfish shawl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4107/5143490239_ab3f7369cf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Starfish shawl" /></a><br /><br />I've had the Starfish Shawl pattern from <span style="font-style: italic;">Knitting Nature </span>in my Ravelry queue for almost 2 years. Every time I looked at it, I'd see the words "CO 730 sts", and just couldn't bring myself to start it. I eventually figured out that I didn't want mine to be as large as the original, since anything that's too over-sized just looks ridiculous on me. I ended up downsizing it by about 6" in diameter, and only had to cast on 625 sts. ("Only" 625 sts.).<br /><br />It was an easy knit, though. Once I figured out which row on the chart matched my number of cast-on stitches, the knitting went on auto-pilot. The yarn is Wool in the Woods Frizee, which has sadly been discontinued. It's a rayon yarn that's mostly smooth, but has little frizzy spots every so often. I'm so glad I finally found a pattern to show off these colors. The constant decreases in the pattern broke up any pooling quickly, and the drape of the yarn is just wonderful with this pattern.<br /><br /><br />The shawl has armholes to make it easier for those of us with narrow shoulders to actually keep it on. It can be worn with the longer end on the bottom:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/5144097536/" title="Starfish shawl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/5144097536_b7c13c3eda.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Starfish shawl" /></a><br /><br />Or with the longer end on top as an over-sized collar (which is probably how I'll wear it):<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/5143492643/" title="Starfish shawl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1402/5143492643_1cdda95af8.jpg" width="374" height="500" alt="Starfish shawl" /></a><br /><br />And if I don't feel like wearing it, it makes a great lap blanket. Or cat bed, if I ever let Cleo get a hold of it.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-17826550633042903732010-09-02T13:18:00.004-05:002010-09-02T16:28:41.136-05:00AnnisAs I type this, I am being watched.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4952081254/" title="Destroyer of Yarn by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4952081254_89366e49e3.jpg" alt="Destroyer of Yarn" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />She's sulking because I finished Annis. She thought it would make a MUCH better cat toy than scarf. To demonstrate this, one day while I was working on the shawl, she waited until I left the room, chewed through my working yarn, and then went to hide for the rest of the day so I wouldn't know it was her. She didn't fool me for a second; the kitty saliva gave her away.<br /><br />Anyway, even with the extra "help", I still finished:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4949276345/" title="Annis by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4949276345_d10c1458b5.jpg" alt="Annis" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4949868860/" title="Annis by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4147/4949868860_3955293cba.jpg" alt="Annis" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />There's a reason there are currently over 1300 Annises on Ravelry: this is a great pattern! The lace goes quickly, and then you can do the short rows on auto-pilot. I also loved working with the Tess Super Sock & Baby yarn. I couldn't tell in the skein, but it has a very subtle kettle-dyed effect. The stitches and nupps are well-defined, and the thicker yarn gave me a thicker shawl that will work well as a scarf.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-86355728120018538542010-06-29T21:51:00.004-05:002010-06-29T23:42:55.245-05:00Jumping on the Annis bandwagonI absolutely fell in love with the <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss10/PATTannis.php">Annis shawl </a>pattern when it was first released on Knitty a couple of months ago. Judging by the number of Annises (Annii?) on Ravelry, I was far from alone in that sentiment.<br /><br />And how could you not love it? It's a simple, gorgeous pattern, but has enough there to make it interesting. Lace, nupps, short rows... I'm into the short rows now, but the lace was a joy. Yes, even the nupps. There was a great tip in mwhite's Annis project notes to do the nupps not as p7tog, but as slip 4, p3tog, pass 4 sts over, which is what I opted to do. I don't think the shortcut detracted from the nuppulosity at all.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4747005298/" title="Annis shawl in progress by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4747005298_490b374e25.jpg" alt="Annis shawl in progress" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4747005392/" title="Annis shawl in progress by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4747005392_06e193977f.jpg" alt="Annis shawl in progress" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The pattern uses lace weight, but I'm using Tess Super Socks and Baby sock yarn. It worked out to be the same gauge even with the thicker yarn.<br /><br />I hope the short rows go quickly!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-14696844623937017622010-05-27T20:19:00.003-05:002010-05-27T20:45:04.635-05:00Impasto: Finito!I almost went with "Impasto Was Fast-o", but I couldn't bring myself to do it.<br /><br />I finished up Impasto and got it blocked this past Sunday:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4646406982/" title="Impasto Shawlette by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4646406982_d6c5f9991a.jpg" alt="Impasto Shawlette" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Blocking worked magic on this. The fabric is so light and has such a nice drape to it. The AC in our staff area at work has been on the fritz again, but I've been able to wear this shawl without overheating. And it's a wool blend, so that's saying something.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4645792227/" title="Impasto Shawlette by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4645792227_28a6d85195.jpg" alt="Impasto Shawlette" width="500" height="363" /></a><br /><br />It looks so complicated, and was so easy. I love projects like that.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4646407124/" title="Impasto Shawlette by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/4646407124_610753d27f.jpg" alt="Impasto Shawlette" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />I'm loving all the brightly colored projects that are popping up on Ravelry, but I bet this pattern would also look gorgeous in shades of natural wool.<br /><br />Pattern: Impasto Shawlette by Susanna IC, in Interweave Knits Summer 2010 issue.<br />Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, in Flax, Sky Blue, and Woad<br />Needles: Size 10chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-64893515032375753732010-05-09T19:21:00.003-05:002010-05-09T20:17:24.904-05:00Impasto!Last weekend was the annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I was VERY well-behaved; it's possible I've hit stash saturation.<br /><br />Brooks Farm always breaks me. I got a skein of Mas Acero:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4569759912/" title="Brooks Farm Mas Acero by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4569759912_f21e1c26a2.jpg" alt="Brooks Farm Mas Acero" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />And a skein of Willow:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4569760012/" title="Brooks Farm Willow by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4569760012_4da30e069b.jpg" alt="Brooks Farm Willow" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />More pictures from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/sets/72157623847280455/">MDSW 2010 in my Flickr set</a>.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />I cast on a new project last Saturday with my blue/cream Silky Wool stash. When I first bought the yarn, the store didn't have enough of any one color to really do anything with, so I got 3 skeins of an off-white, 3 skeins of sky blue (you saw about a skein of that in the last post), and one skein of a darker blue. I figured I'd someday make a colorwork sweater.<br /><br />Well, it's not a sweater, and it's sort of colorwork...<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4578639606/" title="Impasto Shawlette by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4578639606_19beea7e13.jpg" alt="Impasto Shawlette" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I cast on for the <a href="http://www.interweaveknits.com/preview/summer-knits-2010.asp#Impasto_shawlette">Impasto Shawlette</a> out of the Summer 2010 Interweave Knits. For one thing, I loved it in the magazine. For another, saying the word "IMPASTO" with a thick Italian accent is really fun.<br /><br />The "colorwork" is a 4 row slip-stitch pattern; the picture shows one repeat with all three colors that I have. My colorwork section is shorter than the one in the magazine. I have fewer colors, and while I could have added more rows to match the colorwork length of the model in the magazine, I really liked how it looked with 2 repeats. So, instead of having a shawl that's 16" high in the middle, mine will be 12". I'm using the off-white for the short row section that will make up the bulk of the shawl (which I'm already well into). I can't wait to get this off the needles and blocked!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-40492166606683500332010-04-29T17:44:00.001-05:002010-04-29T17:44:03.631-05:00Old Man of Storr shawletteI don't know about anyone else, but when I know I have a stash enhancement experience coming up--for example, the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival--I start to feel a little bit bad about my existing stash. "Why am I buying more when I haven't used what I already have?"<br /><br />In order to assuage this feeling a bit, I decided to do a little bit of stash knitting. Out came a couple of hanks of "Sky Blue" Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, as well as a free shawlette pattern that I stumbled across on Ravelry. A few nights' worth of evening TV knitting, and...<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4560200799/" title="Old Man of Storr shawlette by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3591/4560200799_4fba6eb589.jpg" alt="Old Man of Storr shawlette" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The pattern is the <a href="http://knitcrush.typepad.com/files/old-man-of-storr-1.pdf">Old Man of Storr shawlette (pdf)</a> by Carie Kottman at <a href="http://knitcrush.typepad.com/home/">knitcrush</a>. It's a mostly-garter stitch triangle shawl, with a 5-stitch repeat lace edging. The pattern calls for fingering weight, but since I was using DK weight, I played around with the pattern a little bit. I added one repeat of the lace pattern in the middle of the garter stitch section, and then only did 28 rows of lace edging. It blocked out to 42" wide, which is just about perfect for me for wearing it with the point in front.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4560201215/" title="Old Man of Storr shawlette by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3395/4560201215_fd92b1af3c.jpg" alt="Old Man of Storr shawlette" width="376" height="500" /></a><br /><br />Even though it's a heavier yarn, the shawl is very light. And since we're expecting temperatures in the 80s this weekend, it'll be a good handknit to wear to Sheep and Wool!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4560201063/" title="Old Man of Storr shawlette by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4560201063_d909ae42b5.jpg" alt="Old Man of Storr shawlette" width="500" height="375" /></a>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-87457866992171322872010-03-26T14:40:00.002-05:002010-03-26T14:54:09.816-05:00Spring is here!After the grey, snowy, slushy, icy, snowy, blah, did-I-mention-snowy winter we had here, I couldn't resist these hyacinths at Trader Joe's.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4465447496/" title="Hyacinths by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2706/4465447496_bac16b4bd5.jpg" alt="Hyacinths" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The lavender and green put me in the mood for SPRING! I decided to finally get a start on the <a href="http://cure.apartmenttherapy.com/2010/kitchen-spring">Kitchen Cure Spring 2010</a>, and have spent most of the day today weeding things out of my freezer and refrigerator. There were some historic finds in there. Historic, and also fuzzy. Eww. Things are much better now.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4465447394/" title="Hyacinths by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2764/4465447394_0ba14b2c8b.jpg" alt="Hyacinths" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Back to work -- the pantry is next!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-64070827176329141172010-02-26T16:30:00.002-05:002010-02-26T17:08:47.705-05:00Ridiculously easy stockinette cowlI got an orphaned ball of SWTC Pure a couple of weeks ago from Jimmy Beans Wool. It's a fingering weight soy silk yarn, and given the softness and the weight and the drape it had, I decided to make a quick cowl. I tried a couple of stitch patterns, but the stockinette won out because it showed off the color the best. The yarn is actually 4 different shades of purple plied together, and the end result is a really nice depth of color effect.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4390801204/" title="SWTC Pure cowl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4013/4390801204_5e07c4615f.jpg" alt="SWTC Pure cowl" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4390801440/" title="SWTC Pure cowl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4390801440_21a6a0719a.jpg" alt="SWTC Pure cowl" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4390031299/" title="SWTC Pure cowl by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2767/4390031299_8d25d7d140.jpg" alt="SWTC Pure cowl" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I cast on 90 stitches on size 7 needles, and just worked in stockinette stitch until I was happy with the length. And now I have a purple cowl to go with my purple winter coat and my purple purse.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-28348128647567386972010-02-14T15:25:00.003-05:002010-02-14T16:44:14.412-05:00Farpoint 2010Thank goodness for the epic snow removal that's been going on here in the DC/Baltimore corridor. Things were cleared out enough to allow the <a href="http://www.farpointcon.com/">2010 Farpoint Convention</a> to go on as scheduled! It's a small sci-fi convention in Timonium, named after the Farpoint outpost in the series premiere of <span style="font-style: italic;">Star Trek: The Next Generation</span>. Happily, the Timonium Crowne Plaza hotel was not built on top of a giant captive space jellyfish.<br /><br />The convention was able to book several recognizable guests with a lot of sci-fi credits: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0034305/">Lee Arenberg</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pirates of the Caribbean</span>), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1022429/">Sam Witwer</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">BSG</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Smallville</span>), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001245/">Mira Furlan </a>(<span style="font-style: italic;">Babylon 5</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Lost</span>), and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1260407/">Felicia Day</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">The Guild</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog</span>). Laurel and I got to see 3 of the 4 Q&A sessions; we missed Lee Arenberg's because it was happening at the same time as Mira Furlan and Felicia Day's autograph session:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4356995112/" title="Farpoint 2010 by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4356995112_a02e6725e5.jpg" alt="Farpoint 2010" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Yay! We talked WoW with Felicia Day for a couple of minutes, and she was just as sweet as could be... which is probably part of why the charity auction for lunch with her ended up going for $5000. Seriously.<br /><br />I also met Mira Furlan and got her autograph, but didn't get a picture with her. After the autograph session, we wandered through the vendor area and then went to the game room for a little while before heading back to the main room to watch the costume competition and charity auction. This was one of the more astounding costume entries:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4356249635/" title="Farpoint 2010 by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4356249635_11b1339ee6.jpg" alt="Farpoint 2010" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />It's a reproduction of Kaylee's pink frilly dress from the "Shindig" episode of <span style="font-style: italic;">Firefly</span>, and it was absolutely stunning. She did this without a pattern,and had to piece together the bodice by hand, along with custom-dyeing some of the fabric and hand-tying the tassels on the sleeves (she has the details <a href="http://www.cosplay.com/costume/280158/">available here</a>). Just incredible.<br /><br />And the evening was capped nicely by a screening of the new Star Trek movie (it is FARPOINT, after all, so they have to get some Trek in there).<br /><br />All in all, a very enjoyable day!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-47868301037270772402010-02-05T18:20:00.000-05:002010-02-05T19:40:28.440-05:00Again with the snowSnowpocalpyse 2: Snow Harder has arrived, and I'm preparing for a couple of days of being unable to go anywhere. After last Saturday, when I was driving home and ended up skidding into a full 180-degree spin that ended with me facing oncoming traffic, I'm perfectly content to stay right where I am. I prefer less excitement than that in my commute, thank you.<br /><br />I went to Trader Joe's yesterday for my regular Thursday grocery run, and was greeted by empty freezer case after empty freezer case, and empty shelf after empty shelf. I wish I'd had a camera with me; the store looked like it had been looted, and the employees all looked a little bit shell-shocked. The library was CRAZY, so I imagine that places selling food and essentials were much, much worse.<br /><br />Anyway, in sitting here this afternoon, I realized that I never shared this FO from a couple of weeks ago:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4287591555/" title="Voidwalker amigurumi by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4287591555_7272dd440f.jpg" alt="Voidwalker amigurumi" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />He's a voidwalker, one of the warlock minion creatures from World of Warcraft. I made up the pattern, and will need to tweak some things if I want to post it here. His shape isn't 100% correct. However, the recipient immediately knew what this guy was, so it was close enough. The main body is some blue acrylic I had on hand, with some black boucle for his shadow cloud and some gold embroidery floss for his bracers and eyes. He's kind of adorable for a demonic creature summoned from the Twisting Nether.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-33946924682799207902010-01-03T14:08:00.003-05:002010-01-03T14:40:54.995-05:00Wool KerchiefMy first FO of 2010! I finished this and pinned it out for blocking on New Year's Day.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4241633596/" title="Wool Kerchief by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4241633596_dded8b8247.jpg" alt="Wool Kerchief" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />It's about as simple as a pattern gets. Garter stitch in 2 alternating yarns to create stripes, with 4 increases every RS row.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4241634212/" title="Wool Kerchief by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4241634212_67f9e8d235.jpg" alt="Wool Kerchief" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The color changes on the Kauni were surprising. The blue-to-lavender one was very slow, but then the lavender-to-green one was KABLAM. There was a 4th color that I never even got to, which is a deep mauve-y pink. Even with the crocheted border, I was still nowhere near getting to the pink section in the yarn.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4241634692/" title="Wool Kerchief by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2724/4241634692_742a01ba53.jpg" alt="Wool Kerchief" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I liked the borders that several Ravelry members had added to theirs, so I decided to crochet on a scalloped border. I used a new-to-me technique (relief crochet) to give the scallops a little more depth and structure:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4241634834/" title="Wool Kerchief by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/4241634834_932c6ca0a3.jpg" alt="Wool Kerchief" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Raised stitches! On purpose!<br /><br />Pattern: <a href="http://www.kateosborndesign.com/Knitwear/silkkerchief.pdf">Silk Kerchief</a> (pdf) by Kate Gagnon Osborn at <a href="http://zeitgeistyarns.blogspot.com/">Zeitgeist Yarns</a><br />Yarns used: Kauni Effektgarn 8/2, EF colorway and Knitpicks Bare fingering weight.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-60225314110287912472009-11-30T18:25:00.003-05:002009-11-30T18:47:56.025-05:00Wool Kerchief in progressI've been waiting to post about this until the Kauni changed colors:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4145533830/" title="Wool Kerchief by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2531/4145533830_32fb7c4abb.jpg" alt="Wool Kerchief" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />The pattern for this is "<a href="http://www.kateosborndesign.com/Knitwear/silkkerchief.pdf">Silk Kerchief</a>", by Kate Gagnon Osborn. The Kauni is lovely, albeit a bit scratchy; the Knitpicks Bare merino is softer, but has had 3 broken plies so far! Anyway, this is great mindless knitting, with the changing colors being the main point of interest. I loved seeing the green appear! It's currently about 13" tall/26" wide, so I have another 4.5-5" left to go.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-20301649840544793622009-11-29T18:58:00.003-05:002009-11-29T19:17:23.644-05:00Wattle WarmerDo I get wordplay points for using wattle stitch for a neckwarmer? Get it? Wattle... neck...? HA! I kill me. And NO, I don't actually have a wattle.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4145533642/" title="Wattle stitch neckwarmer by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2493/4145533642_cb1879223d.jpg" alt="Wattle stitch neckwarmer" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />What a fun stitch to use with a variegated yarn! The stitch is easy crochet, and doesn't use anything more advanced than a DC. It's a one-row repeat of SC, chain 1, DC all worked into the chain spaces from the previous row. It ends up creating a reversible sawtooth pattern.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4144774389/" title="Wattle stitch by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2745/4144774389_51a868f9d7.jpg" alt="Wattle stitch" width="500" height="375" /></a>chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-4778369385005791652009-11-11T10:38:00.000-05:002009-11-11T11:24:40.823-05:00Ariann22 months was definitely long enough... I decided to finally finish my Ariann cardigan!<br /><br />This picture best shows the actual color, which is this wonderful rosy pale pink. This is as close to a neutral color as I get.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4093229358/" title="Ariann - FINISHED! by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4093229358_8b112c3ccc.jpg" alt="Ariann - FINISHED!" width="500" height="479" /></a><br /><br />I'm hoping that the yarn will stop shedding at some point. It's Ella Rae Shibu (color 25, "Mauve"), which is raw silk plied with a thick-thin single of viscose. The yarn feels a lot like cotton, but isn't as stiff. It has a lovely drape to it, and if I have to deal with little pink silk fuzzies, that's fine. Shibu has been discontinued, but there are still places online that have some.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4094848447/" title="Ariann by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2786/4094848447_6308e40f53.jpg" alt="Ariann" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I envisioned this going into my rotating collection of cardigans for the library, where the indoor temperature can be anywhere from 60 degrees to 90 degrees. We all have sweaters or shawls at our desks. This will be a great addition to my cardigan line-up, which currently consists of a blue cotton cardigan that my mom got me for Christmas 10 years ago. Yeah, definitely time to switch up my work sweater.<br /><br />I LOVE this sweater. It's so comfy, and was an easy enough knit that I could work on it while watching TV or while waiting for raid ready checks in World of Warcraft. My only complaint is that the pattern (or at least, the version of the pattern that I have) does not include any instruction about how to work the lace pattern into the raglan decreases. Perhaps this was corrected in later versions of the pattern, but there's absolutely nothing to warn you that, oh yeah, STOP INCREASING or you'll have shoulders that go up to your ears. I remembered both <a href="http://javajem.blogspot.com/">Jody</a> and <a href="http://bysarah.typepad.com/by_sarah/">Sarah</a> mentioning this when they were working on their Arianns, so I was slightly less confused about what was going on. I just kept track of the lace increases and decreases adjacent to the raglan markers, and whenever the raglan decrease "ate" something from the lace pattern, I'd start working its corresponding stitch in stockinette.<br /><br />Other mods: I worked the sleeves flat and then seamed them. I wanted to have a little extra structure to hopefully prevent gorilla arms when the silk yarn starts to stretch out. I stopped my sleeves at 18" for the same reason, and also because a lot of notes on Ravelry said that the sleeves as written were very long. I made my collar 3" instead of 4" because I wanted a smaller collar.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4094848499/" title="Ariann by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2609/4094848499_1ae515a42b.jpg" alt="Ariann" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I originally wanted dark wooden buttons, but these metal ones caught my eye instead. I got them at Hancock Fabrics, and lucked out that I happened to be there while all notions were 50% off.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4094848395/" title="Ariann - button by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2535/4094848395_f47590ff08.jpg" alt="Ariann - button" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Comfy comfy comfy:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/4094848363/" title="Ariann by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2666/4094848363_88feb27c30.jpg" alt="Ariann" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br />Pattern: <a href="http://www.chicknits.com/catalog/ariann.html">Ariann</a> by Bonne Marie Burns<br />Yarn: Ella Rae "Shibu", color 25 "Mauve". 8 balls = 840 yards.<br />Needles: US 7chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-62263334164054670752009-10-08T18:06:00.004-05:002009-10-08T18:22:13.516-05:00Wattle stitch scarfI was looking through the Fall 2009 issue of Interweave Crochet and saw instructions for wattle stitch. The swatch in the magazine was done with a single-color off-white yarn, but I wondered what it would look like in a variegated colorway...<br /><br />It looks like this:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3993525301/" title="Wattle stitch scarf by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2575/3993525301_765dc29764.jpg" alt="Wattle stitch scarf" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I love the zigzag effect! It's a very easy stitch (just one row repeated on both sides) with a complicated-looking result. The yarn is a mini-skein of Ellen's Half-Pint Farm merino/silk that I've had in my stash for many years. After I got a 4" swatch done, I just kept going. I'll apparently have a new scarf for this winter.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-77598470372249886662009-08-22T12:19:00.003-05:002009-08-22T12:45:09.682-05:00Yo-yo afghan!I wanted to wait until I had some progress before I posted this... I finally started my sock yarn afghan!<br /><br />All that Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock that I've been acquiring for the last year? This is where it's going. I started out with one skein of "Blueberry Snowcone" and the <a href="http://sunshinescreations.vintagethreads.com/2009/06/yoyo-afghan-instructions-tutorial.html">yo-yo crochet technique</a> from Sunshine's Creations. One skein gave me 10 squares. Nice round number. I like easy math. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3845247593/" title="Afghan squares by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3517/3845247593_76107d3755.jpg" alt="Afghan squares" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I got done with this skein and immediately dug into one of the other colors, "Gone Fishin".<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3845247629/" title="Afghan squares by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2555/3845247629_9e5618228d.jpg" alt="Afghan squares" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I'm sure I'll be working on this for quite a while. :)chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-80586893092508895642009-08-18T10:22:00.004-05:002009-08-18T10:43:13.820-05:00Huck's RoomI love when the mail at work contains a telltale bag of yarn. I'd have it mailed to my home address, but I no longer trust my mail carrier with anything of value. He's taken to periodically wadding my mail into a ball before sticking it in the mailbox. Seriously.<br /><br />Anyway... yarn<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3833074053/" title="Lorna's Laces Swirl DK - Huck's Room by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3470/3833074053_32af4dddf7.jpg" alt="Lorna's Laces Swirl DK - Huck's Room" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3833074107/" title="Lorna's Laces Swirl DK - Huck's Room by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3833074107_5207f10671.jpg" alt="Lorna's Laces Swirl DK - Huck's Room" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Lorna's Laces Swirl DK in Jimmy Beans Wool August colorway "Huck's Room". I have 4 skeins, which should be enough to make a little shoulder shawl.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-89642864674433738032009-08-09T09:54:00.000-05:002009-08-09T09:54:00.564-05:00BeholderBehold, the Beholder:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3801371635/" title="Beholder by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2421/3801371635_610384c058.jpg" alt="Beholder" width="376" height="500" /></a><br /><br />This one's more "cute" than" terrifying".<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3801371573/" title="Beholder thinks 3 20s are fishy by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2650/3801371573_bf2f38775d.jpg" alt="Beholder thinks 3 20s are fishy" width="376" height="500" /></a><br /><br />He was a birthday present for one of the guys in my D&D group. The beholder spent most of last night lurking off to the side of our game mat, threatening to shoot everyone with laser eye beams.<br /><br />I crocheted him in a couple of hours using the <a href="http://theanticraft.com/archive/imbolc08/beholder.htm">Beholder pattern</a> from the Anti-Craft. Mine was a mini-version; the body is about the size of a hackysack. We discovered that he occupies a 2x2 area of the game board very nicely, so here's hoping that our lovely GM doesn't decide to have our 3rd level characters fight a beholder just because we have a "miniature" for one... I don't think we'd fare very well.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-77257398310956728892009-08-02T16:24:00.002-05:002009-08-02T16:34:25.015-05:00Little Bear Preemie baby hatTell me this isn't adorable:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3782760380/" title="Little Bear Preemie Hat by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/3782760380_918758893e.jpg" alt="Little Bear Preemie Hat" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3781950187/" title="Little Bear Preemie Hat by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3461/3781950187_9c7129e7b5.jpg" alt="Little Bear Preemie Hat" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I came across this baby bear hat pattern at <a href="http://squishychocolate.blogspot.com/2009/07/little-bear-preemie-hat-free-crochet.html">Squishy Chocolate</a>, and it is too cute, and super fast, and way easy. Basically, everything you could look for in a baby pattern. I'm hoping to make a few of these for a charity hat collection -- this one took me an afternoon, so making a pile of them seems very doable.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-79527173667238104642009-07-16T12:01:00.003-05:002009-07-16T13:05:06.513-05:00Pooling Stripes<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3727212262/" title="Pooling stripes by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3465/3727212262_43155ddf72.jpg" alt="Pooling stripes" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3726407801/" title="Pooling stripes by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/3726407801_a0ca7e867f.jpg" alt="Pooling stripes" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />I ended up putting ties on two diagonal corners. Tie those together, play with the fabric in front, and you get a nice illusion that there's more fabric than there actually is (this came out to be 14" by 8"). The second picture shows it with the short sides pinned together in the back, which is a snug fit! If I had sewn those sides together, I wouldn't have been able to get it over my head.<br /><br />Of course, the unfortunate thing was that I finished this before the midnight release of Harry Potter on Tuesday night, so I no longer had purse knitting... but had finished it too close to the release to be able to wear it, since it was still blocking. A bunch of us went up to Arundel Mills for the release and had a blast. The theater did a great job handling the throngs, which were substantial due to the 10 (!) sold-out screens. They were very nice about switching around one of our tickets so we could all be in the same theater, and we were comfortably in our seats by 10:45. The movie was great, and I'm looking forward to seeing it again on Friday with a bunch of my coworkers.chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15271251.post-35304490334125379062009-07-14T10:07:00.003-05:002009-07-14T10:34:13.355-05:00Pooling can be goodI've been playing around with this "pooling stripes" project for a while. I love how the color sequence of the yarn takes center stage!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3720830352/" title="Pooling on purpose by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3720830352_b31d739887.jpg" alt="Pooling on purpose" width="375" height="500" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3720830464/" title="Pooling on purpose by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/3720830464_f055091630.jpg" alt="Pooling on purpose" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/2chacha/3720830402/" title="Pooling on purpose by 2chacha, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2606/3720830402_d447cbce76.jpg" alt="Pooling on purpose" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />This was done with the leftover "Desert Flower" Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock from my Calorimetry, so I only had enough for something cowl-sized.<br /><br />The stitch pattern was a very simple YO-k2tog done on both sides to make the fabric reversible. It gave me a lot of play in terms of being able to align the color changes. Some variation was inevitable because the color lengths in the yarn didn't stay consistent. The beige in particular would run anywhere from 0.5" to 2.5", so being able to play with the tension and the size of the YOs made a world of difference.<br /><br />More pictures when it's dry!chacha / Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07783666789452617430noreply@blogger.com2