Wednesday, May 30, 2007

ribbed hats, yarn markers, & my steller soup

I'm obsessed now with not only cabled knits, but ribbing too. This hat's ribbing pattern is K1, P1, K2, P1 around over 90 sts. I can't decide yet if I'm going to try and sell it or donate it, but I think it turned out awesomely, if I dare toot my own horn.
These yarn markers are made mostly with glass beads ~ you can't tell much detail but I've spent a week putting these 10 sets together. Some of these may go in a stitch marker swap, the rest will be posted next month for sale in my ebay store.
I've recycled these plastic beads to also be stitch markers, which may be swapped in some cases but the balance will also be put up for sale.
And last but not least, I love Campbell's Hearty Noodle Oriental Hot & Sour soup. I hate to plug brand names of anything, but I'm making an exception in this case. I absolutely adore this soup, and I'm not a big soup person! I'd eat a zillion of these if the fat and sodium content weren't so high. Then again, I am a salt junkie...

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

I finally found someone organizing a swap!

I've heard of a few people doing craft-themed swaps, and saw a few blog postings of people who've received great care packages, and I so desperately wanted to get involved! Well, wouldn't my luck have it, that all the swaps have already been signed up for and aren't taking any new people!

But, I finally found someone organizing one here, and I was extatic! Woo hoo! So I've signed up ... and who knows, maybe I'll organize one of my own for later this year!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

my first pair of thick knit socks



Much fidgiting went into this pattern, and these turned out to be just a teeny bit too big - my next pair I'll have to trim down the number of stitches I cast on by around 5 or so to make a more fitted sock. But these have been knit with a worsted weight, and are awesomely warm and cozy for my constantly cold feet!

Saturday, May 5, 2007

small steps to major league publishing

I'm getting published! Well, not a whole book or anything, but a pattern I created is getting published in a book. Other people have submitted all sorts of crafting projects as well which will be published. My pattern, of course, is a knit one! The wonderful folks at www.theanticraft.com have had the opportunity to put together a book a while back, and a pattern I submitted has been included! The book is expected to be released November 30th, 2007. I just got an email yesterday letting me know that the book's on amazon.com available for pre-order! The link to the book on amazon is here, so feel free to check it out!

Friday, May 4, 2007

all felt up...

I love felting, although because it's a bit more time consuming than regular knitting, I don't do it as often as I'd like.

I've a stash of Patons Classic Wool, and ofcourse, it's varigated. So, I had to put it to good use.

The three squares I knit up, I originally intented to give to my hubby after felting so he can use to wash his car with, but think that it may be too abbrasive, so they'll be around-the-house cloths for me :)

And, of course, my experiments-with-felting were a minor flop with the bowl, which was originally supposed to be felted into a pretty knitting-needle vase. It shrunk a lot shorter than what I had hoped, but nonetheless, it's a nifty little felted bowl! So, it's all good.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

yarn weights & tensions

I've been meaning to write this up for a while in my blog, both as a personal note and for anyone who may need the info ~ although 99% of the time I know what I'm knitting with, we all have those brain-fart days where we forget even the most common-knowledge bits of knitting trivia that should be locked in our brains.

Here's a basic guideline of yarn weights and tensions:

1 - super fine - these are also called sock, baby, and fingering yarns. Tension is usually 27–32 sts, using 2.25-3.25mm (US size 1 to 3) needles.

2 - fine - also known as baby or sport weight yarns. Tension is around 23-26 sts, using 3.25-3.75mm (US 3 to 5) needles.

3 - light - a.k.a. DK or Light Worsted weight yarn. Tension is around 21-24 sts, using 3.75-4.5mm (US 5 to 7) needles.

4 - medium - Worsted, Afghan, Aran weight. Tension is generally 16-20sts, with 4.5-5.5mm (US 7 to 9) needles.

5 - bulky - these are Chunky, Craft, and Rug yarns. Tension's approx 12-15 sts, with 5.5-8mm (US 9 to 11) needles

6 - super bulky - better known as Bulky or Roving weight yarns. The tension is 6-11 sts using 8 mm (US 11) or larger knitting needles.

So now we know. :)