Frazzled Knits

Garlic

Another Hansigurumi pattern, knit just for fun! 

• Pattern: garlic from Amigurumi Knits
• Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool
• Needles: 3.5 mm
• Stuffing: Polyester Fibrefill

Little Nessie

Finished the Loch Ness Monster from Amigurumi Knits.  It turned out really cute.  Smaller than I was expecting, about 14 inches long (I didn't pay attention to the measurements in the book, which clearly state a 14 inch length -- it was hard to determine scale from the photos). 

This pattern is pretty fussy, and a lot of it was more chore than fun, but the end result is so sweet! 

I never did get the slip stitch edge to work.  It only worked out on one side.  There aren't any errata for the pattern, so maybe it's just me, but the edge is hidden when you pick up stitches for the sideways-knit belly (see photo at right), so it doesn't matter much.  

I feel a little guilty doing it in acrylic - somehow a good sturdy wool would seem more appropriate for something with so much Scottish influence, butwashability was important too, and I do like this acrylic very much (Red Heart Soft Touch).

My plan is to have this go with the DNA to the USA, for my best friend's son and his soon-to-be-born little brother.  Big brother was originally hoping for a dinosaur instead of a baby - maybe this toy will provide some consolation!

A Pumpkin Hat

• Pattern: Adult-sized pumpkin hat from knitting-and.com

• Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted in Autumn Harvest (orange) and a mystery green

• Needles: 5mm

• Gauge: 18 sts/4" in stockinette

• Size: 9 year old to adult

• Modifications: Cast on 90 sts, knit in pattern until hat was 7.5" long from cast-on edge and then did decreases as follows:
• • Rnd 1: {SSK, K5, K2tog, P1} around
  • Rnds 2,3,4: {K7, P1} around
  • Rnd 5: {SSK, K3, K2tog, P1} around
  • Rnds 6,7,8: {K5, P1} around
  • Rnd 9: {SSK, K1, K2tog, P1} around
  • change to green yarn
  • Rnd 10: {K2tog} around
  • Rnd 11: {K2tog} around
  • Rnds 12+: Knit on these 9 sts until stem is as long as you like.
  • K1, K2tog 3 times.
  • Cut yarn and draw tail through remaining 6 stitches.
  • Put tail to inside and pull it slightly to curve the stem before weaving the tail in.

I also added a curly vine piece by casting on 20 stitches, knitting into the front, back and front of each stitch (60 sts), and then binding off purlwise.

'tis the season for startitis!

It's 2:30PM and I think it's already getting dark here.  Yoiks!  I took advantage of being home during daylight today to take some photos of some of my many WIPs these days:

A Loch Ness Monster from Hansigurumi's Amigurumi Knits book.  I'm using my new favorite acrylic yarn, Red Heart Soft Touch, and 3.5mm needles.  A rear flipper is in progress, as you can see.  I hope he doesn't mind being photographed in snow!

A Multnomah shawl (yes, it's barely in progress, but humour me!) in Fleece Artist Blue Face Leicester 2/8.  This yarn is fingering to sport weight-ish and about 1 kilometre per skein, which makes it excellent value.  I'm really, really hoping to have enough left over for another pair of Fanning the Flame mittens.  I'm not sure what this colourway is called, but I bought it because it has the magical property of looking fabulous with black, brown and navy, a rare thing indeed!

A single Guess Who glove that I knit a few months ago and abandoned, because I thought my children had outgrown it already.  But they've been fighting over the identically-sized pair that I knit last winter, and seem to be able to fit their hands in those just fine, so I'm planning to dig out the yarn again and knit #2.

I've also just finished a pumpkin hat in some Lamb's Pride, but it's at school with DS2 so that photo will be forthcoming.  That's it for now!

I finished the DNA!

This project had been hanging over my head for months.  I did the black spirals pretty quickly, but was dreading the fiddly little base pairs and kept putting it off.  Meanwhile, baby's due date was looming so last night I did a marathon session of knitting while watching 30 Rock and Community on citytv's website, and got the base pairs all finished.  This morning I had a sewing-fussy-pieces-on while listening to Wiretap marathon, and got the thing done, still weeks before the baby's due date.  Yahoo!

I didn't see the point of the stranded transition between colours - it looked bad and the floats got in the way of the stuffing - so in the end I just did 9 rounds of one colour and then switched to the other for the remaining 9 rounds.  I like it.  Did the base pairs on 10 stitches instead of 9.  I knit six of them but only five fit.

It turned out great.  I am going to try to snip off as many of the green fibrebill bits as I can - the black yarn shows *every* bit of lint - and then it's ready for shipping!

• Pattern:  Baby's First DNA by Kimberly Chapman

• Yarn: Red Heart Soft Touch in Black (4614), Leaf (9522), Paprika (9275), Tangerine (4422) and Country Blue (4603)

• Needles: 3.5mm double points

Modifications:  Did base pairs on 10 sts, 9 rounds for each colour with no stranded transition.  To make black spirals:

I cast on 9sts, then:
Rnd 1: knit
Rnd 2: {kfb, K2} on each needle (12 sts)
Rnd 3: knit
Rnd 4: {kfb, k3} on each needle (15 sts)
Rnd 5: knit
Rnd 6: {kfb, k4} on each needle (18 sts)
Rnd 7: knit
Rnd 8: start helix pattern as per pattern

First round:
Needle 1: k1, kfb, k to end (7 sts)
Needle 2: k2, k2tog, k2 (5 sts)
Needle 3: knit all 6 sts (6 sts)

Second and subsequent rounds:
Needle 1: k1, kfb, k until one st remains, transfer last stitch to needle 2 before knitting it (7 sts needle 1, 6 sts needle 2)
Needle 2: k2, k2tog, k2 (5 sts)
Needle 3: k all 6 sts (6 sts)

At the top I decreased in the reverse of the starting increases.

To close up the ladder beside the increase, I treated it like a dropped stitch, laddering it up with a 1.75mm crochet hook and then putting the final loop on my needles and decreasing it out. This turns the ladder into a tight column of stitches and completely closes up the gaps. I did this just before decreasing for the top.

Green Mitts done!

• Pattern:  No. 24 from Lopi Book 24

• Yarn:  Istex Lett Lopi in Spring Green Heather, just over 1 ball

• Needles: 3.5mm for ribbing, 4.5mm for the rest

Knit pretty much to pattern.  Although this is technically the ladies' size, for myself I'd have to use the men's pattern, which switches to regular lopi.  These are a pretty small ladies' size.  Ideal for my 11 year old, though!

The lopi is so great at gripping onto itself that the flaps stay open and closed beautifully.  It's almost like having velcro attached!