One Geek to Craft Them All

For some reason that I can’t fathom the bus ride seems to be getting longer. On Monday I was on the bus so long that I was a couple of rows from finishing a fingerless mit, which I finished but for the thumb on the subway.

The on on the right, it started as a way to see if I could get an Iron Man inspired glove going and at some  point turned into that. But as I looked at I couldn’t help but think it looks more Flash than IM. What can I say? I had just spent the weekend at New York Comic Con.  Heroes are on the brain. I mean NYCC is to blame for this and this and that poor marvel scarf if it ever happens.

And it wasn’t as if I wasn’t wrapped in this when I got chilly. I find NYCC to be a mecca of nerdy inspiration. You may have noticed that WIP on the left.  Working on making of glove of big blue.  Seeing this guy walk around (I did a double take) you can’t help but have supes on the brain. I may redo the cuff in red. But these are just ideas I am spewing out on the universe.  I also have green and gold yarn calling out to be Loki.

Yes  I was at the Javits center all weekend, I figured it was safer there for the wallet. But I did send my friends who did head up to Rhinebeck  off with a mission to bring me something nice.  They delivered quite well.

Three skeins of yarn in red, black, and a red orange colorway.

The largest of the skeins being 1120 yards of  a fingering weight yarn.  That will be fun to play with. Possibly a sweater of some kind. My friends are awesome.

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Knitting color-work, DC, gloves, marvel, nycc, NYCComiccon, pattern, plan, rhinebeck

Waves. Happy new year all.

It’s been a busy few weeks in the geek house.  I finished all the stockings with some time to spare, even if I still haven’t mailed off three.  Final tally was 16 full sized socks and 5 mini stockings. Those were about  palm sized. Sadly my SD card reader has died so pictures once I get a new one.

As far as resolutions go I tend to not make them though I often set goals and strike through them throughout the year, with a monthly update. They are not always all knitting related and while I didn’t have a list for 2010 partly because I was unemployed and mostly my goal was JOB JOB JOB.

2011 has started on a much better note.

So goals for then new year.  I add to the list as the year goes on but here is:

2011 Goals

1.      Knit actual socks that I  wear not stuff full of gifts
2. Knit a sweater (I cast on Vivian on 12/25 but since frogged it three times we’ll have to do something about that)
3.      Get the designs out of my head onto paper and you know yarn (have started a double knit cowl to this effect.)
4.      Get an Etsy Schedule – Making and Posting
5.      Organize stash
6.      Organize other craft supplies Fabric and felt are all over the place.
7.      Knit for myself more (while I have a lot of scarves, I only have 1 pair of gloves 1 of which was lost and no hats!)
8.      Use Stash Yarn
9.      Get Tickets (flight) Hotel for D*C
10.  Put together DragonCon Costume be it Cyberwoman or something else
11.  Get a writing schedule down
12.  Finish a writing project

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Knitting 2011 goals, plan

So the first sock became a hat, its a very Christmas-y hat what with the with the ribbed brim and the bright red body. And did you notice the bobble on top? funnily enough the hat fits just fine though i have no idea what I will do with it.  Wear it? Gift it? who knows.

Despite what I thought was the small size it fits me just fine if not a tad bit short.

Yes that is a bobble on top. The hat is wool/mohair – brim/bobble Lamb’s Pride Bulky and the main hat is actually a really shiny skein of Mondial red cotton I had lying around.

And there was barely any pattern, but I know if I don’t write it down I will forget.

CO60 K2P2 rib for about an inch. Switch to red, K in ST for 3 inches or so.SSK every eight stitches  knit next round
SSK every seven stitches knit next round
Continue in this way until you are at SSK  every 1 stitch.

Next round SSK all around Repeat until there is only one  stitch left. Switch to white create bobble.  I did a pretty large bobble of Kfb 8 times into single stitch,   turn sl 1 P7,  turn sl1 k7, turn P2tog, turn  K2tog, K2tog bind off, pull through top of hat and use excess yarn to help stiffen the bobble.

But after my little adventure in hat land I have returned to the original plan.  Stockings, it doesn’t help that I also suddenly want to knit dozens of other gifts.  But I’m making progress.

This morning I added a couple more inches on the subway and bus despite falling asleep on the bus for a little while.  I think I will be turning my first heel on the ride into the city or, at Beer and Knitting tonight.

I do seem to be getting extra shed on the red Lamb’s Pride, I have no idea why, but i may avoid it for further socks, but we shall see after blocking.

I’m free handing this first stocking pattern but we’ll see how it goes. Since this is the most traditional sock.  I mean some of my other color schemes include:

1. Purples
2. Slytherin + Celtic cables
3. R2D2
4. Tardis
5.  Guinness
6. Batman

Did I mention the plan is to make 13/14 of these? Technically that’s only 7 pairs of socks in  2 1/2 months. Doable right? *fingers crossed* Its not like I have any large time consuming things in November like National Novel Writing Month or anything.

Maybe I should invest in some super bulky yarn at Geek Knitting on Thursday.

Here is the stitch pattern on the sock:

CO40

1.  K3, p1, *k4 p1* *repeat til  last stitch k1
2. k2, p1, *k4 p1* *repeat til  last 2  stitches  k2
3.  K1, p1, *k4 p1* *repeat til  last 3  stitches k3
4.  p1, *k4 p1* *repeat til  last 4  stitches k4
5.  Purl entire round

Repeat rows 1-5

Current Mood:  amused

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Knitting 31posts, christmas, hat, pattern, plan, socktober, stockings

So I’ve made a few sets of stitch markers based on TOS. I blame this on listening to the Star Trek audio book read by Mr. Quinto himself.

So each set includes 4 red shirts and 1 blue and 1 gold. There are some left over red shirts that may be turned into earrings. I’d say keep your eyes on the Etsy shop for that.

I’m hoping everyone has seen the new spring Knitty? Its very pretty, but what jumped out at me was Anthemion. Its an amazing shawl, and though its possible I should have gone down 2 needle sizes instead of one I’m enjoying my first intricate lace pattern.

Its also amusing how slightly odd knitting habits cause pause. The pattern includes a K1 tbl. I insert my right needle behind my left when knitting, so I’m always knitting tbl but without the twist that it is supposed to cause. This video shows my normal knitting style when flat. So when faced with a k1 tbl like Anthemion I just sit there and look at the yarn and try to figure out what its supposed to look like at the end.  In this case pretty simple.  Though it took some frowning as i tried to figure out how to twist my stitches.

I finally ended up with a S1-knitwise (in the more traditional through the front method. Slip back to LHK then knit and viola! twisted stitch. More work but something I will likely have to keep in mind with the Pantheon project.
What’s that you may ask? Well with all the Greek themed movies that seem to be floating around I have planned to put together some designs basked on the Greek Pantheon, either based on their  myths, their designations, or their symbols/representations in popular culture.

Some examples – Hades – hat/cowl , Hephaestus- Gloves/Gauntlets

I’ve started on a Aphrodite lace scarf, with the reclaimed yarn from a sweater ages ago, that I plan to also make my first try at dyeing once its knit up.  Right now only the first section of lace is done, to look like ocean waves.

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craft, Knitting pantheon, plan, red shirt, shawl, star trek, stitch markers, tbl

First off, Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you all had a good time ringing in 2010. I was at a Steampunk Bar with a TARDIS (Yes it was bigger on the inside)  to the Bathroom and Absinthe  shots at Midnight I had fun.  So I mentioned before my friend’s idea for a stash bust. Well I figure I should keep track of it somewhere. And keep track of my progress or lack there of. And also keep track of any new yarn I buy, which is not allowed until I am employed (fingers crossed on sticking to that).

So  a list of sorts. First up projects started but not finished in 2009. Not sure how I will deal with projects that will used 25yds or less of something like Cascade 220 in a variety of colors but as the months progress I’m sure I’ll think of something. Then a list of all the yarn that I think I would actually use in 2010. So none of my acrylic or odder novelty yarns are on this list.  Sadly my ravelry stash needs an overhaul, so it will likely not be updated at least not right now.

In better news I remembered that I had emailed my Justice League Scarf Pattern around so there should be a PDF in the next couple of days now that the pattern won’t have to be rewritten again (my flash drive killed itself) . I may add a few more files on my version of Double Knitting once I AGAIN get a new camera.

Projects- Cast on ’09

Blanket 2/24 skeins used
Marvel Scarf/ JLA scarf 2 - 1/10 Skeins used
True Blood bag- 2/4 skeins used
Twilight Bag – 2/4 skeins used

Projects Planned

Office Shawl II
Knotty or Nice Hat
Green Lantern Bag
JLA scarf 2
Batman Scarf
Sock Weight Sweater
Cascade 22o Sweater
Dalek Kahn
Purple gloves
Slippers
Cabled hat/scarf/glove set
Armwarmers
Socks
Spiderman Scarf
Dark-Mark bag

Tally

Skeins Likely to Use: 137
Total Yards: 25, 558

Days without a yarn Purchase in 2o10: 4

Completion

Projects -
Skeins -

Below is a list of all the yarn and number of skeins.

Read more…

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Knitting, Lists 2010 goal, January, new year, plan, stash

I may have cheated a little with the bases where I added 2 felt squares at row 17 of the base  patter. One glued to the inside with my glue gun and one stitched to the base with my darning needle.

Dalek Base

M arrives tomorrow.  I need complete exterminknits. Let’s not even discuss that I was supposed to have a third in black and white.

More pictures on stuffing and felting behind the cut.

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Knitting dalek, Doctor Who, FOs, plan

As I currently am trying to make my way through my list and wait for my Knit Picks order.  No I haven’t broken my rule already I made the order over a week ago.  I just took stock of everything on needles. The list is behind the cut.

Waiting for my winder to arrive, though I have not yet gotten a swift. We’ll see how that will work out, pondering making a makeshift one but who knows how well that will work. I seem to still be making yarn related purchases. I just let the Container Store (that store is so addictive) with three containers to hopefully hold my yarn. Once I get that organized I’ll likely post pictures.  But that does cover No 3 on the list, or it will once I actually put the stash in the containers. Let’s hope it fits.
And also another addition to my list. Use my books – I’ve been doing well the Stitchonary Volumes 1 &2 but I have 3 Stitch n’ Bitches, (including the happy hooker) a sweater book, a general stitch guide, Visual basics socks, and a mitten/glove book on the way. I have plenty of books, patterns in queue on Ravelry, and random ideas.

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WIP bag, lace, lantern corps, plan, scarf, WIP, yoga

So I have not reached SABLE level but I’m thinking I have enough yarn for  a few years at least.  So what am I going to do?

1> Keep Knitting – M0st of the yarn was purchased with a project in mind if not pattern (i.e. hat, bag) – and why would this be a problem? Usually it wouldn’t be, but I had Christmas deadlines and made an obscene amount of things in a very short span. All of a sudden I’m making things with no recipient and no deadlines. So its been harder to stay diligent.

2> Stop buying yarn – Now I know myself, this is a lot harder than it sounds. So I will give my self smaller goals. Finish 10 projects before getting more yarn. With the projects cast on, squares, and Geek Gifts for M I should be able to do this. I have 3 scarves and a glove cast on already.

3> Organize the Stash - I think it would help to be able to see how much yarn I actually have instead of keeping it in different rooms and different bags. And I should get a more reasonable stash managment tool, than shopping bags for when the weather gets warmer and the bugs start coming out. While we have never had a bug problem this would be the time it starts.

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Knitting plan, stash, yarn

In no particular order, projects that I am planning on knitting from scratch and creating a pattern. They may become scarves, blankets, or bags, maybe even a sweater.

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Knitting, Lists DC, Doctor Who, harry potter, heroes, Knitting, marvel, plan, todo, villians