Crafty PScopers? Knitting?

[iwannaprettyone]

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[iwannaprettyone]

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[iwannaprettyone]

Sooooo, what do you ladies think....

 

[Octavia]

Date: 12/10/2007 5:46:50 PM
Author: iwannaprettyone
Sooooo, what do you ladies think....

I think it''s YUMMY!! The colors and pattern are beautiful, and it doesn''t look too complicated for a beginner, especially since you''ll have guidance. Have fun with it!

 

[iwannaprettyone]

I have finals this week, but after that it will be stitch stitch stitch...

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 12/11/2007 10:09:22 AM
Author: iwannaprettyone
I have finals this week, but after that it will be stitch stitch stitch...

Good luck; you will do great!!! Yay for stitch stitch stitch! I love quilts!

 

[Delster]

Oh my goodness iwannaprettyone that quilt looks AMAZING! I am hugely looking forward to hearing about how you get on and to seeing the finished project!

Good luck for your finals, we''ll be rooting for you!

 

[elsie]

I finally finished the cardigan I was making for my MIL (about an hour before we were about to open presents .

Here it is!

Is anyone else working on any fun projects?

 

[lizardofaz]

Wow, what a gorgeous sweater? Would you mind telling who makes the pattern?

 

[DiamanteBlu]

You guys are so talented! I''m jealous!!!!!

 

[elsie]

Date: 12/27/2007 7:38:37 PM
Author: lizardofaz
Wow, what a gorgeous sweater? Would you mind telling who makes the pattern?

Hi lizardofaz!

Sure, the pattern book brand is "Ella Rae" -- here''s a link to pictures from the book: http://www.euroyarns.com/knitpatterns.asp?manu=Ella+Rae&book=Ella+Rae+%236+&prodid=5511&prodtype=book&detail=yes&patid=3274

I bought the book from my local yarn shop.

 

[lizardofaz]

Thanks so much for the info! Think I just found my next project...

 

[VRBeauty]

That''s beautiful, Elsie! What a loving gift for you MIL. What yarn did you use? And since we know when you finished it... mind confessing to when you started?

 

[EricaR]

So happy to find a crafty thread here! I''m a long time knitter and newbie quilter and I always have about a million projects going at once.

Unfortunately I am still on some crafting burnout right now. In late November we had a craft fair at work and I made a few things to sell - quilted table toppers, stockings, wine gift bags, etc. I made so many things on such a tight timeline that I didn''t enjoy it at all. I am starting to feel the crafty tingle again so maybe I''ll pick things up this weekend.

Right now I am working on the Holly Jolly Quilt from Moda and the Pewter Coat from Interweave Knits. The sweater is beautiful, but has so much texture that each row takes me a long time.

I''ll try to get photos of my projects soon.

 

[VRBeauty]

Well, I did it. I finished 11 pair of wrist/hand warmers between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and three pair since then. So far the wrist warmers have received great reviews, and I love that I was able to give meaningful gifts that cost less than $10 each. That's not counting the knitting and finishing time, of course, but all that shopping takes time too...

The tally is: four pair in Claudia handpainted yarn, size 3 needles. One pair in a fine baby llama, yarn, also 3's.

One pair in a Lorna's laces in a fingerling weight. Would have been size 1 needles (EEK!) but I paired it with a fine kid fuzzy yarn, which bumped it up to size 3's. YAY!

Two pair in Debbie Mumm Cashmerino aran, size 7's.

Four pair in Kathmandu Aran, a wool/silk/cashmere tweed, also on 7's. These went to the men.

My best investment: a pair of Addi Turbo circular needles to use with the Kathmandu Aran. This mixture was really sticking on all of my other needles, causing me to develop really bad habits (like pushing the needle through with my right thumb). The Addi Turbos took care of that and made knitting the Kathmandu a breeze.

Part of my struggle with gift-giving is that feeling that anything not homemade is somehow less than.

Needless to say it's a standard that only applies to me; I don't expect homemade gifts from others. I'll have to work hard to buck that next year... or get an early start making next year's gifts. BTW my work schedule would not have allowed me to do this last year or the year before that. This might be a onetime excursion into crafty Christmasland!

 

[elsie]

You''re welcome, lizardofaz! Can''t wait to see what your sweater looks like.

And thanks for the compliment, MINIMS! That''s amazing that you were able to finish all those hand/wrist warmers in time for Christmas. Do you have any pictures of your projects? I do agree with you that I feel like it''s "extra-special" if I make gifts for people -- so much pressure on the gift-giver, though! Although it is wonderful to see how much people appreciate the extra effort.

For my sweater, the yarn I used was Tahki Donegal Tweed, Cream color (#84. If I had been smart, I think I would have used a machine-washable wool, instead (softer and easier to take care of). Even so, the sweater did actually knit up quite soft, and not scratchy!

I started the sweater sometime in early October, working maybe 2-4 hours a week (keep in mind that this is probably the most advanced sweater I''ve made -- I really had to spend time learning about blocking and sewing pieces together, etc). Around Christmastime, I was so behind that I ended up working on it 4-6 hours a day to get the thing done. (A word of advice -- get knitting gifts done early so the person you''re making the gift for won''t think you''re avoiding them!

)

EricaR, what a beautiful coat! Please post pictures when you''re done!

 

[Delster]

Elsie that sweater turned out gorgeous! Wow! Your MIL must love it

MINIMS I am in awe of you. I bow down before the might of your Addi Turbos! (Aren''t they just the bees knees though? I love my Addi Turbos

)

Here are my most recent projects - a Seaman''s Cap, a ''So-Called Scarf'' (the link for that pattern is on here somewhere), and a pair of men''s toe-up socks (my first ever completed pair of socks, yay!).

 

[Skippy123]

Delster, those are great; you are so talented!! I signed up for garmet making (another sewing class) for fun in March! I love seeing all these amazing creations

 

[jcrow]

oh man! i hope to be joining this thread soon as official knitter. i signed up for a class on jan. 19. whoo hoo! i''m very excited!
i think it''s going to be a creative, fun, inexpensive, low clutter, somewhat quick hobby!

 

[Delster]

Skippy, thank you! And you know we''re still longing to see that denim tote, now don''t you?

Date: 1/9/2008 12:18:08 PM
Author: jcrow
oh man! i hope to be joining this thread soon as official knitter. i signed up for a class on jan. 19. whoo hoo! i''m very excited!

i think it''s going to be a creative, fun, inexpensive, low clutter, somewhat quick hobby!

Woohoo another recruit, welcome jcrow!!! You''ll have so much fun at your knitting class

 

[LitigatorChick]

Here is a gift I made for my sister''s new bambino. I am officially tired of cable knitting now!! The pattern was Debbie Bliss and I used the Debbie Bliss cashmerino:

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 1/19/2008 11:12:01 PM
Author: LitigatorChick
Here is a gift I made for my sister''s new bambino. I am officially tired of cable knitting now!! The pattern was Debbie Bliss and I used the Debbie Bliss cashmerino:

Oh my gosh what a darling little sweater, I love it! I really like the natural color. Cute toesie pic too. heheee

 

[EricaR]

Love those Debbie Bliss patterns! It is an adorable little sweater.

 

[LitigatorChick]

Date: 1/20/2008 1:25:45 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 1/19/2008 11:12:01 PM
Author: LitigatorChick
Here is a gift I made for my sister''s new bambino. I am officially tired of cable knitting now!! The pattern was Debbie Bliss and I used the Debbie Bliss cashmerino:

Oh my gosh what a darling little sweater, I love it! I really like the natural color. Cute toesie pic too. heheee

Hey thanks!!! My mom (the toesies on the left) insists that she has cute toes. I will pass along your message to her!!!

Now, my next project is a little sweater for my boy - debbie bliss again, more cashmerino (I love knitting with the cashmerino, and the results are so great). Pretty basic, although the neck is quite interesting (and an excuse to break out my circular addi turbos!!).

 

[jcrow]

omg! that little cable sweater is too cute!!

well, i''m happy to report that my knitting class saturday was successful and FUN!
so much so that today i am going again to learn the purl stitch and how to finish a piece.

i''m really enjoying knitting and am surprised at how easy it is as a hobby to pick up and understand!

 

[EricaR]

Litagator - I know you said you were tired of knitting cables, but have you seen the Trelis Sweater from Knitty???

Trelis Sweater

 

[EricaR]

Arg, couldn''t get this to show in my previous post. Trying again...

 

[Delster]

Ooooh LitigatorChick I have that pattern book and I've been drooling over that adorable sweater! It's gorgeous, love the sunny yellow colour too. And yes, your Mom does have cute tootsies!

JCrow I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying your classes. Yippee, another knitter on PS!

Erica - that's a really cute sweater. Is that the Knitty image or is that your beautiful handiwork?

So here's my work from January. Two 'So Called' scarves (same pattern, just turned out very different cos of different yarns and different needle sizes), an iPod cosy (I looooove this!!!), and the sweater (Simple Knitted Bodice) that I've just cast on for in a gorgeous wine colour. The yarn is so soft, I'm really enjoying this knit! I'm also knitting a pair of socks for my Dad. Lots of knitting stress there as they have to be done in the next ten days or so! Eeep!

IWannaPrettyOne, how are you getting on with the quilting?

 

[LitigatorChick]

Erica - that sweater is mighty cute!! I love the look of cable knit in baby stuff, but with that fine cashmerino, it takes FOREVER!!! Oh well, the little ones are worth it.

Here is a question for my fellow knitters (maybe already discussed here, but this thread is too long) - what are your favorite needles? Mine were some Australian casien needles - they always felt "warm", were flexible, and smooth. I love love loved them. And then they stopped making them! What are your favorites???

 

[marcy]

I have always used Boye and don''t like the other ones I''ve tried.