finally finished - DH's sweater!

I started knitting this sweater back in May... and because I was distracted with knitting my brother's Lebowski sweater and other projects, this got pushed off more and more.

Had I stuck with it, it would've been done for DH's birthday @ the end of June, but it has now become an xmas gift! (He of course knows about it, because he has seen me work on it... but he can't have it until actual xmas!) I also got him some other items, which are a surprise, which will all be gifted with the sweater!

In case anyone's curious, the pattern is Aran Pullover, from the book Knitting with Balls by Michael del Vecchio... love this pattern!

christmas spider legend

Back when I worked @ Lewiscraft, I remember seeing for the first time, beading kids to make Christmas spiders... which was odd, it wasn't something I ever heard of.

It stuck with me though, and once I finish knitting my husband's sweater, I want to knit something spidery for the holidays... so I wound up googling Christmas spiders, and found this bit of information about them - and interestingly enough, explains the reason why we use tinsel on our trees as well! How wonderfully random!

Owl Coffee Cup Cozie pattern

materials:

- aran, dk or worsted yarn (18-20sts =4"),  13 grams

- dpn's (right size for yarn & tension) set of 4

- 10 sew-on eyes, 8mm-10mm

- cable needle, darning needle (to sew on eyes) and crochet hook (to weave in ends)

- optional: scrap yarn in a contrasting colour to sew on a beak

Finished size: mine ended up being 4" tall, and fits a large cup of take out coffee (approx 8-9" in diameter)

Terms used in this pattern:

C4F: put 2 sts on a cable needle, hold in front, k2, then k2 from cable needle
C4B: put 2 sts on a cable needle, hold in back, k2, then k2 from cable needle
C2F: put 1 st on a cable needle, hold in front, k1, then k1 from cable needle

C2B: put 1 st on a cable needle, hold in back, k1, then k1 from cable needle

K_tbl: Knit the stitch thru the back loop; in this case, knit two stitches each thru the back loop

how-to:

Cast on 48 sts. Divide between 3 dpn's, and join.
K2tbl, P2 rib for 4 rows.
Next row (5th row): continue doing k2tbl, p2 rib while increasing 2 stitches evenly around. 50 sts.

Work Owl Cable: (there are 5 owls around)

Rows 1 & 2: *k8, p2* around to end.
Row 3: *C4B, C4F, p2* around.
Rows 4-9: *k8, p2* around to end.

Row 10: *C4B, C4F, p2* around.

Rows 11-15: *k8, p2* around to end.

Row 16: *C4B, C4F, p2* around.
Row 17: *k8, p2* around to end. Or, to make pointy ears: *C2B, k4, C2F, p2* around to end. 

Next row: work k2tbl, p2 rib while decreasing 2 sts evenly around. (48 sts)
Work 4 rows of k2tbl, p2 rib.
Cast off loosely, weave in ends.

To finish: Sew on 2 eyes per owl, just under the third cable that was worked in row 16. Add a beak using duplicate stitch - a tuturial I like can be found here.

Sets of 10 SEW ON EYES available here in my zibbet shop - zibbet is free to sign on, and works just like etsy or ebay does!

© 2009 by Sabrina Thompson - original design and pictures. Please do not sell pattern or copy my pictures. Please use proper descretion with all finished objects, and respect local copyright & trademark laws. Pattern cannot be distributed for sale, or as a 'free pattern' promotional tool for selling yarn or knitting supplies. If posting Finished Items on personal blogs, please link back to this blog and pattern, thanks. :D If you have any questions or concerns about this or any other of my patterns, please contact me by posting your questions in the comments, I'll address them a.s.a.p.!

what is a knittini?

I just love the word... and martinis. What would go into a knittini?

knitted science

I saw this posted, and thought it was brilliant, so I needed to share it on my blog:

Knitted Science

Enjoy!

dog sweater drive

I know that this is a crazy time, everyone's knitting and crocheting for the holidays... but, if you happen to have some time and yarn available, dog sweaters would be greatly appreciated!
I'm collecting sweaters of all sizes, preferably for dogs that are 60lbs or less. Here is what I'm looking for:

- the sweater must wrap around the dog's front legs at least, please stay away from 'cape' looking sweaters. Sweaters that cover the chest as well would be ideal.

- use a warm, machine washable yarn. If it's not machine dryable, that's ok, but at least machine washable. Many dogs are rescued in the winter and suffer from frostbite and hypothermia, so a warm fiber content would be needed for these dogs

I would like to be able to create a care package to donate for around the holidays or by the end of this year, if I can, at least 25 sweaters. These will be going to local shelters, in southern Ontario, Canada. Any colour(s) would be great.

If you could help, that would be wonderful. Please contact me for my mailing address, at purplespirit1 <at> hotmail <dot> com (title the email 'dog sweater donation').

I know, again, that it's late in the year and we're all busy, but this would make a great destashing project, if you have some extra yarn laying around the house and you're not sure how to use it up!

the $3000 scarf

In my mind's eye, hobby farming and sheep hearding would be a fantastic - although unrealistic - idea. Just the idea of having my own sheep to then have full access to all the yarn I want, would be lovely. Then, I came across this article, and I'm now rethinking the whole concept.

no more need for mittens?

If this article about fat people not needing mittens is true... I've been overweight my entire life, and yet my hands and feet are always cold? I've bought mittens every winter, and since I began knitting, I've always made myself mittens, because my hands are always cold! (Even in the summer!) So what's up with this article?!? Is the decrease in mitten sales really linked to obesity, or is it that maybe more people are just knitting their own?

my Dude sweater, finally finished!

Well, after what seems like forever in working on this sweater project... it's done! This is the Big Lebowski-esque sweater I managed to design for my brother for his birthday, which was last week. It's a bit of a snugger fit than what's in the movie, but it fits nonetheless!

If you're coming across this post and want to check it out, my shop is http://www.knitsyoursknotmine.etsy.com/ - the pdf is available there!

finished 2 things!

These are pickled peppers from my garden... 3 different kinds of hot peppers + 1 sweet green pepper. Recipe can be found here. Filled a half litre jar! awesome!

The baby blanket is going to be donated to afghans for Afghans ... used up all my partial skeins of wool for that one. The pattern can be found here - I cast on 6 sts instead of 5, making 12 pinwheel sections instead of 10, and it's about 36" across.