Hello all, it has been a while since I blogged. This has been a hectic month between busy at work, crashed hard drives, and family drama I just haven't had be able to fit blogging in.
I hope that those of you who were affected by Sandy are safe and the waters are receding Speaking of Sandy, we have just gotten a ton of rain and the rivers and streams are flooding but no where near the levels that NY and NJ are facing. As a result though, they have moved trick or treating to Saturday which is my Dad's birthday. We have plans to go to the casino for an American Cancer Society fundraiser and I get to meet my bestie's new boyfriend.
Anyway, between now and then is All Soul's Day and there is a service at church that will honor those who have passed away between the last All Soul's Day and this one, which includes my mother. Please keep us in your thoughts because it's going to be a hard day.
But in the meantime of all of these goings on I have made some progress in my knitting that I would like to show you.
Well I am making good progress on the socks. I love the pattern and doing socks 2 at a time is great because I know when I get to the toe the pair will be finished. Anyway, I plan on getting the heel flap, turn and gusset done by the end of the week. The it's a mad dash to election day to get the foot finished.
I know it may not look like much bu this is a top down raglan cardigan. If you recall, this used to be my Karina Vest that I blogged about earlier in the year. I really was not feeling the pattern and ripped it out and started this cardigan. I will need more yarn but I will cross that bridge when I get to it. However, I am so amazed at how the leaning increases have been able to produce. There is some serious Hogwarts magic that occurs when you knit.
I have to admit, that when I think about the name, the voice in my head sounds like Long Duck Dong from Sixteen Candles....Oh Shapely Boyfriend!!!!!
So I am working on making a blanket with 6 Justice League Characters as an homage to an episode of Big Bang Theory. I have Superman, Green Lantern, and Aquaman done but needed a mindless project for a car trip. So I started on a filler square. This one is half way done but I should be able to finish it soon.
I couldn't help but start this project. I had some stylecraft stashed and matched up the colors to the kit as best as possible and started. Unfortunately, my gauge was wrong and I dropped a stitch so I decided to count this as a swatch and then restart the blocks on 11/1/2012 for the next round of nerd wars. This blanket is made in 4 sections and if I make one square a day I can get a section done before the end of the round. :)
Well, it's not a bird or a plane, it's a Superman Square. I have been working on several super hero squares throughout the year and I finished another one this week. In the past, I made Aquaman and Green Lantern and this is the third in the series for a Justice League Blanket.
These squares play into my idea for a Justice League Blanket. The blanket is made of 6 squares for super heroes and 6 solid color squares. I really need to get on making those solid color squares.
While, I designed the previous squares, this one had an existing chart and so I dove in. Really I started this guy for Tournament 5 of Nerd Wars but didn't finish it and was annoyed by the color work so I ripped it out and started over and resubmitted it for Tournament 6.
To say that I was annoyed by the colorwork did not begin to explain the pain this square was. The black edging and little spots of color left holes in the square. I had to go back and mend the holes to pull them together. I think this is just the challenge of using 4 colors for detail and it may not have been as bad if I did it with only 2 colors.
I think it photographs well and it should be okay in the blanket but I had such high hopes after the other squares I made.
Hello all, as I was about to write "I have been quite busy lately" I realize that is more the normal than being bored or boring. While I haven't done anything considered exciting, work and life keep me pretty busy.
I went home to my parent's (I still never know the proper noun to use now) house this weekend to visit with my Dad and Gram. She has been staying with Dad for a 2 months now but it's weird to see someone else beside my mom around the house.
Anyway, Dad and I met up with my mom's best friend and her sister. Aunt Becky and Aunt Francy are not related but are as good as family. My mom and Becky met each other since they were five. She is super awesome and I always love hanging out with them.
Honestly I can attribute a huge portion of my Nerdiness to them. Aunt Francy had me watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 and other science ficition shows as a child. My favotite was when MST3000 did Gozilla vs Mothra! Bring out the butter!
So between that and cleaning and sewing my weekend was pretty jam packed.
So following the weekending, I really cranked it into gear with my knitting. Nerd Wars is on and I am determined to get a few things done each month. In the mean time, I am also moonlighting as the team's blogger. Check out my posts here.
Aside from being focused on some projects, I have to say that I am trying to get to bed earlier to get up earlier. So far, not so good. Ten, Eleven and Mid night come around and I am just so close to finishing my project that I just go a little bit more. Crafting is really my Kryptonite.
After being ripped out once, I am really just ready to get this thing done. I have some follow up work where there are gaps and holes but it's coming along. I think it looks nicer in picture than in person but then again I see the holes that haven't tightened up yet. This should be done tonight.
So this is my car project. I have to go through a detour on my way home from work. What is a 15-20 minute trek to work become 45 minutes on the way home thanks to a bridge backing up. So I sit through a few lights and am at a complete stop between so I use the time to knit. Now I wouldn't cast on in the car or do the gusset and heel but the foot and cuff sections are perfect. To see what it looks like completed, here is the other sock.
Sock #1
So that's what has been my focus this week, what have you been up too?
My fellow knitters, I should have known. Really I suspected but I was naive to the amount of Gryffindor spirit required to embark on a journey of House Color Coordinates. I honestly thought if I worked on it a lot it wouldn't take too long. I started at the beginning of March and just this week finished the entire set of Gryffindor items.
The Finished Set
I made the scarf, hat and wristlets in stunning Burgundy and Gold for the daughter of my boss. She was graduating high school and going to college and I initially thought to make the items in her new school colors but she wanted Gryffindor Burgandy and Gold. I wanted to make these items as a reminder of a new adventure in college and to have a piece of Harry by her as she faces the triumphs and challenges of this new experience. Needless to say, she is already at college but winter is coming and these are just in time.
As an avid Potter fan, I had always wanted to make a set but I myself identify with Hufflepuff. I am honest and hard working and just want everyone to get along. The Hufflepuff colors are black and gold and here in Western PA, those colors mean a different thing entirely (Let's Go Steelers!). I wanted to make something iconic from the films and so making the Gryffindor Set for someone as deserving as Katherine was a treat.
The scarf (and subsequent pieces) is modeled after the stripe pattern in the later movies particularly Movies 3 and 4. I think it has a very adult feel and would work well for a college student.each section has 29 rows of K1P1 ribbing in burgundy followed by an 8 row stripe pattern. There are 14 sets of stripes and 15 burgundy sections which equal 547 rows of knitting. To go further, each row has 60 stitches, totaling 32,820 stitches. That all results in over 6 ft of yarn!
This was a beast in fact, knitting the end of it during August was a bit uncomfortable because the hot summer and the warm wool blend. I got it down that in one knit night on Thursday (round 3 hours) I could get one section complete.
Fringe!
I made the fringe a combination of both the burgundy and the gold because I felt that it really set off the scarf nicely.
I really liked working on this hat (perhaps because it only took 2 weeks). In the entire set, this was by far the most mindless. Perhaps it was due to past experience with knitting hats or just the nice round after round of stockinette. Unlike the scarf where I kept meticulous notes of rows and can then calculate the stitch count, this was more of a wingged effort.
I cast on 128 stitches which was more stitches that it called for to make a large and slouchy hat. I worked the ribbing for 10 rows and then in stockinette until the body was 6 inches from the cast on edge. I made the same 8 stitch patter and then did the written decreases after 8 inches from the CO edge.
The result is a lovely but modern version of the beanie from the movies.
The pattern was actually mittens but in the age of smart phones and touch screens, this would not be a practical item for our college bound grad. Instead I modified the pattern and made fingerless wristlets. I am so please with this pattern that it might be my go to for any fingerless wristlets going forward without the Harry Potter Pattern.
I have to say that when I initially looked at the pattern the thought of dropping off stitches onto scrap yarn and then picking them up again was a bit daunting but I think after socks nothing is unusual anymore.
I did however make a boo boo. I made the first attempt but placed the increases on the thumb seam instead of the crease between the pointer finger and thumb. When I went to make the second wristlet, I realized my mistake far to late. I finished the wristlet and then cast on another one. These in total took about 4 evenings of work. Not bad considering the 45 hours needed for the scarf.
I plan on writing up my modifications on the rav page if you are interested in seeing where I deviated.
So there you have it. My completed set, I am please as punch at the result and my boss (AKA Katherine's Mom) is so pleased with the result. I am sure she will be too...hopefully I will get a picture!
Check out more Finished Objects at Tami's Amis! <3 Heather
I know you all may not realize it but I try and come up with nifty titles for each post. It's my little trailer to my post and I want you be intrigued to read this instead of hitting skip in your reader. That said, I admit this one while intriguing is just a mash up of objects I am working on this week.
Really, I think that I may actually have a post each day of the week this week so my creative snark is a little depleted. Anyway, make sure you check out my commercial debut for Math + Science = Success that I posted yesterday and I have a long long awaited FO on Friday.
So now that we have caught up, let's get to the yarny goodness! I didn't get individual shots but here is what I have been working on.
Usually these squares are done within a weekend and I move on but this one has challenged me. There are a lot of color changes and color blocks. I started this initially back in August but didn't like where it was going and ripped it out. I am back to the point where I ripped it out and have restarted it for the next go round of Nerd Wars. I am relieved that its going better not great but better. I think once I get past the fiddly bottom of the S finally, I will be okay. Keep your Fingers Crossed please!
I finally started this shawl/blanket. I had the swatch done forever ago but just needed the right push to get things going. I had to make a chart to show where the stitches went. The pattern is quite clear but I just could not picture it in my mind where everything went. The chart is a huge lifesaver! Anyway, I am plugging along and can't wait to see it completed.
Mel over at SingleHandedKnits had a great idea to have a KAL for the elections and created Sock the Vote and asked Indie Yarn Dyers to create specific colors ways for Cuff Down socks, Toe Up Socks and the Undecideds.
I have a bit of a connection to both dyers (SpaceCadetCreations and Yarn-vs-Zombies) so I chose undecided to let chance decide which yarn I would receive.
I got a beautify skein of Cashmere and Merino wool sock yarn and had to wait patiently for 10/1/2012 to start my socks. I decided to up the ante and am knitting the socks at the same time using the magic loop. I have never done this before but I jump into things with both feet and a dash of YouTube so hopefully the yarn knot gods are not against me. So far I am kinda pumped about this because I had a heck of a time getting a pair of socks done within a month for NerdWars so hopefully this is a fruitful experiment.
So that is what's going on, betcha thought I designed super flowery socks didn't you?
You may have remembered in July I mentioned that I shot a PSA to promote the study of STEM and STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
That's Me! - Note Just a Picture
As a bit of an update, you my loyal readers really spoke out about how awesome you thought my efforts were. Well, I am happy to tell you that the PSA is done and available on the follow website. I don't usually like to post to much about myself (i.e. whole name) online but since you all asked. I am making an exception.
Fall seems to finally be here. The weather is crisp and cool and the leaves are beginning to change. I know that 30 days have past but I cannot fathom where September went? Can you? I know what I did but it was hectic and mellow at the same time. Lots of time for working on Knitting and Crochet but it was more scattered than in previous months.
I love that I got a good jump on my white centered grannies and that I started on the infinity cowl that has been sitting in my stash for months. Now to start the next tournament of Nerd Wars and get some holiday knitting done.
I feel kinda bad because I broke up with the boy this month. He kept asking what he could do to fix things but there was nothing to fix it just wasn't there. I feel bad but in the long run it was and still is the right decision.
Well onto my mosaic. I love these because it really allows me to review the month and get an idea of where the time went.
