the fiber fetishist

Pockets are fun.

plaid

This was supposed to be pinwheel/houndstooth, but I accidentally warped it 4×4 instead of 2×2. So. It’s plaid instead!

Occasionally at work I’ll get into a funk where I feel like I’m not getting anything done. In an effort to bring up my confidence, I’ll look for a couple of quick and easy tasks that need doing and accomplish them.

I’ve been looking at my ravelry projects page and grimacing recently, feeling like I’m, once again, not getting anything done. I took some time this week to finally weave ends into this sweater and attach buttons. Low hanging fruit? Sure. But who cares when it’s this cute:

ella funt

This is a sweater for someone I met in junior high school, if you can believe it! He and his fiancée had a beautiful little girl in November. I started the sweater late — though I bought the yarn early! — but it is quite large anyway.

The pattern is Pamela Wynne’s [Flint Knits] Ella Funt [ravelry]. Yes, I was a Ramona fan growing up!

The yarn is Hermosa Fiber Company (etsy; bigcartel) Hermosa Sport in First Place (main blue), Peony (pink), and Banana Cream (yellow) with a few yards of Dale Baby Ull for the contrasting blue-green. I really loved the yarn!

My only minor regret with knitting this is that I wish I’d made the elephants walk in one way on one side & another way on the other side, and meet at a flower or heart or something in the center back.

This pattern is knit flat, not steeked. I was a little nervous to steek this (superwash and very smooth) yarn, so I went ahead and stranded flat. I’ve never really stranded on the wrong side, but I found it very annoying/frustrating. The end result is a-ok though.

It’s super cute and I can’t wait to see the little munchkin in it, maybe in the fall (or fall 2013; it’s pretty big)!

sleeve cuffs

For holidays my wonderful mom gave me Ysolda‘s Little Red in the City. I found myself drawn to Skelf [ravelry], a cute reverse stockinette stitch sweater with some fun detailing. Oddly, I hadn’t been particularly interested in it until I had the book.

I started the sweater in late December with some Rowan Calmer (peacock) in the stash and knit up the body of the sweater fairly quickly. But the sleeves! Oh, the sleeves. I started them in mid-February and I simply cannot get make any progress. I sit down to knit on them and watch some tv. After an hour or two I get up and they’re still the same size as when I sat down!

I’m stranded on sleeve island. Please send provisions. Or sleeve-knitting gnomes.

Pickle This!

You’ll note the first sentence of E’s latest blog at PokingMyEyesOut, “I spent most of the summer on jam and pickles, which meant this year was light on knitting.”

That’s why this was such an apropos last-minute goofy birthday gift for her.

Somewhat modified from the pattern from Subversive Cross Stitch. I changed up the colors, changed the bordering frame to a bracket, and swapped a few stitches around. Stitching on a potholder like this was a pain in the ass — at the bottom of the stitching section, there was no way to get the embroidery hoop on it. But it was worth it!

Happy (belated) birthday, E!

Every time I go to a fiber festival/convention/retreat, I pause at the buttons. I always talk myself out of buying any without the sweater there.

Today I was browsing the Madrona Fiber Arts vendor list and came across the Ernsts. I love their glasswork! I have a few sweaters in progress that will eventually be in need of buttons. I dug through my swatch pile and pulled out a couple to bring with me to help in selecting coordinating buttons.

One sweater is almost done and in need of buttons, but has no swatch. I should say had no swatch. Tonight I quickly knit up a very plain swatch so I can pick out buttons for it. Here’s hoping I find something perfect within my budget!

I hate it when I cast on anew and accidentally start knitting with the cast on end.

Every time I travel I stress about what projects to bring along. Some trips I zoom through two or three small projects (three hats in January!).

Other trips I hardly touch the needles.

coffee & knit

This 10 day trip to Hawai`i was one of the latter. It wasn’t that I didn’t have time or that it was too hot to knit, I was just content to sit around and read or people-watch or sleep when I wasn’t fishing or snorkeling or wandering around.

Thanks to the fabulous Major Knitter for posting about this today! I’m here to spread the word that the Susie’s Reading Mitts pattern is once again available!

mitts

I love mine. Hopefully this will help out everyone out there who has been asking for the pattern.

I finished a bit more in 2011 than I expected, even if at least one of these items is going to be ripped back partially and reknit.

1. fake smile, 2. tomten,

3. buttercup, 4. new hat design,

5. back view, 6. herbivore,

7. lacy baktus, 8. placeholder, knit a shrug for niece but no photograph!,

9. ugly hat, 10. bella’s mittens,

11. invaders hat, 12. boris is feeling seasonal,

13. black cardigan is done, 14. Ruffley ruffles

Onto 2012! Happy New Year!