Busy Long Weekend

I don't think anyone in the world would disagree with me when I say that long weekends are fabulous. They are. And sometimes, although they are longer than normal, they just aren't long enough! I know I could use another day! Or two.

Here are just some of the things I've been up to since last Thursday:

Give it a second chance why don't 'cha!

Sweaters, just like people, deserve a second chance in life. Right? Don't 'cha think? Forgiveness is a great thing. And so is recycling. 2nd chances are great all around!

Maybe that's why I loved the idea of this book I got out of the library last week. I just knew that I had to try it!! I didn't love any of the projects I the book, but I do love the idea - Taking old sweaters and turning them into something new. Mittens, scarves, cardigans, shrugs, purses, hats. I think it's one of those, "If you can imagine it, you can do it!" things.

So, here are the steps in case you want to try.

Step 1:

Goodwill.

Yeah. In this case it isn’t, “Step one: Osh.” We are looking for sweaters people, not plants. So that’s what I did this past Saturday morning. I raided my local Goodwill and came away with three sweaters (and a cup and a very cute skirt) for $18.50. Not too bad. Not bad at all! Maybe I should hit up the Goodwill more often!

Another good place to look for old sweaters: Your cupboard. I found three sweaters in mine that I’ve either worn to destruction or that just aren’t in style anymore, but still have a lot of life in them.

So with six possible sweaters to work with I proceeded to…

Step 2:

Planning!

Okay. I admit it. I'm a planner. Well, within reason. I like having a plan of action. I like knowing what the next step is going to be, even before I'm there, so for me this step was key.

So, while not necessary before going to step 3, I think this step helps immensely.

Step 3:

Wash ‘em! Felt ‘em! Block ‘em.

(So, why do you need to plan before you wash? Well, I didn't want to felt all of the sweaters I got, so you want to handle this step differently depending on how you are going to use the sweater.)

I’d never felted anything before, so this was a first time for me. I read the tips in the book, and a few online, and just went at it. I cannot imagine actually hand knitting something and then on purpose running it through the washer/dryer. I shudder at the thought. But something someone else made (or a machine made), I figured, why not. In this case I split mine half-sies. In any case, the book suggests if you don't know what you want to do, put the sweater through the washing machine on a gentle setting.

Step 4:

Wait.

Yup. Wait. While the sweaters are washing, blocking, and drying, you have to curb your enthusiasm. This is also a good time to revisit Step 2 and do some more planning. Get the patterns ready. Depending on what you are doing

(Or it’s a good time to make yourself some lemon cupcakes! Or rice pudding. Or homemade pita chips… Or something like that…not that I did any… or, err… all of those. Nope. Not me...)

Step 5:

Take a deep breath and start cutting!

And then cut some more. And some more. Cutting up the felted material isn’t so tough. Just cut around the pattern. But on sweaters you didn’t felt, I tried to rip the sweater apart at the seams. That’s what I did on the grey sweaters, and although it was a little time consuming, it worked out well.

Step 6:

Sew it up!

Remember how I said I can’t sew well? It’s still true… But I tried. And I'm working on my sewing skills. Hopefully I'll get better with practice.

Step 7:

Wear it, share it, pair it.

Wait. Where's the picture for this step? Well... I'm only mostly done the projects I've been working on. The results from this sewing expedition will just have to wait for the next post... Or the one after that. We'll see how it goes.

Cloches fixed

I have decided that blocking is the best thing ever. (Well, maybe not better than sliced bread.... mmmm... bread) but blocking is pretty great. It can work magic on projects that you think are beyond repair! (Like my February Lady Sweater.)

Similarly, this hat when I finished knitting it was WAY huge. Way huge. Look at it now!

It fits!! Okay - still not perfect, but it's better. (Sorry about the grainy picture.)

It's not close to as cute as in the pattern pictures, but then again, what is? (I finished this hat about a week ago, but didn't want to post about it until I saw whether or not I could fix it with a little blocking.)

The hat was easy to make. Very simple in construction. There was nothing complicated... Yet, it turned out to be too big. And I followed the pattern and swatched it and everything!!! What is up with that?
If I was to make it again, I'd definitely not knit as much before I started to decrease. Maybe I'd knit only 4" rather thatn 4.5". ? And I don't know if I'd increase around the crown of the hat to give it the slouch. I don't like the slouch.But blocking solved all that. Thank you for shrinking the hat! Now it is at least wearable.

But a small note on cloches in general - I think they look better when paired with a short hair cut. Maybe that's why bobs were fashionable in the 20s. So my short haired friends... some of you may be getting these cloches as gifts.

The best gift

It's not a secret. In fact, it's sort of a plain cold truth. I can't sew.

Or at least I can't sew very well. My craftiness ends with knitting, crocheting and maybe some other simple things, like card making. I cannot sew.

But I know someone who can. My BFF is freaking amazing. She made me a quilt a few years ago that still blows my mind. She makes beautiful purses and curtains and all sorts of other things too. So I asked her to make me a needle organizer, because I have lost a few sets of needles recently and really wanted a place to put all of them and I knew she'd do a fabulous job. I'd fallen in love with them in my random etsy searches. She agreed (thanks!), and although I knew the outcome would be good, I just didn't know how good.

Isn't is beautiful? Isn't in the bestest thing for a knitter like me?

(She's also a way better photographer than I am, so go check out her blog for pictures and a description if you are interested.)

I only got it when I was at home on that vacation, so about a week ago, but already most of my needles have made the migration to the organizer. I'm still trying to figure out where to put my short crochet hooks and all of the circulars I have, but all I can say is: Love it.

Loveitloveitloveit!

Bombshell

As I mentioned, I just got back from a trip to visit my family and some friends. It takes a long time to get from PST to EST let me tell you! Anywhere from seven to ten hours, depending on the layover time, since there is no direct flight much to my chagrin.

But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining. Those hours are never lost. It is perfect reading or knitting time! So along with the Hermione hat, during my traveling hours I worked on this Bombshell Betty. It's sort of an adult version of the Aviator baby hat I made a few months ago.

Lucky for me, I was at my parent's when I finished this up. It meant I got to raid my mother's button jar to find something that would match! Err... sort of match. Well, close enough. I even put on a 2nd one for stability.

Yet, I think I must have been overtired while knitting this on the plane. I had woken up prior to 5am to catch my flight. The numbers just didn't match up. I tried to do as the pattern said on the side flaps, but something was way wrong. ... so I fudged it. And that turned out okay. I'm a little worried it won't be overly warm since it only covers the cowl of your head, but it does cover your ears...
50% isn't so bad. Hopefully.

Enoimreh Tah!

Packing can be tricky. What to take? What not to take? To check a bag (and pay $15 for it), or not check a bag? It's hard to know just what you will need for a trip. But, on my latest trip by far the hardest thing I had decide when it came to packing was what to take to knit.

It's hard to decide! Which knitting projects to take? How many? These are the questions that plague me when I go on a vacation.

On my latest trip, from which I got back from earlier this weekend, I took a few. This is another Hermione cable hat. I made one earlier this year, but it really didn't work out. Why? Well, cause I made the teen size. (I did the smaller size because I didn't have enough grey yarn at the time.) It just wasn't long enough. It didn't cover my ears or forehead almost at all. Totally unacceptable for a hat! 

This one? In the adult size? It's perfect. 

I also did something a little different - I knit it inside out! i.e. all of the purls became knits and vice versa. To tell you the truth, I think it turned out really nice! I did it this way because last time I didn't like the holes made by the yarn overs within the purls. I think they worked out a little better this way. The purl cabling was a little awkward to start, but I didn't have a problem with it.

Now I just have to wait for some cold weather to show it off!

My inside out version:
Row 17-20: [K5, P6]

Row 21:       [K3, YO, SSK, P6]

Row 22:      [K5, P6]

Row 23:       [K2, YO, SSK, K1, P6]

Row 24:      [K5, P6]

Row 25:       [K1, YO, SSK, K2, P6]

Row 26:      [K5, P6]

Row 27:      [K5, slip 3 stitches onto a cable needle, hold stitches in front, P3, P3 stitches on cable needle]

Beautiful this time of the Year

In about 2002, my BFF and I were driving from our university town back to Ottawa along that lovely stretch of road known as the 401. Okay... you caught me. It's actually not that pretty. That's what makes this all the more amusing. 

So we are driving along and there's a lull in the conversation. I'm not sure if the line was just something I blurted out or if my BFF asked where we were and I saw the sign for Oddessa, Ontario. Either way, I see it and say:

"Oddessa. ... I hear it's BEAUTIFUL this time of the year."

Okay. So perhaps we were loaded up on 7-11 slushies and hotlips at the time (necessary fuel for a 5 hour drive!), or maybe we were just in a good mood, but it was the funniest thing. And after that every time we took that trip and saw the sign for Oddessa one of us would have to comment on just how beautiful the place is. 

And so, when I saw the pattern for a hat called Oddessa, I knew that I had to make it for that BFF. (That's me in the hat...)

Um... does it matter that it's 2 months late for her birthday? I hope not. BFF? Am I forgiven?

About the pattern: Well. I love the outcome. I love the top. I love how it swirls. 

I think I would love it even more if I'd added the beads to it. 

But... I hate to say it. I hated the pattern. 

Don't get me wrong! It's a pretty hat. And the pattern is really well written. I just didn't like making it. It was just complicated enough for me that it required a tiny bit of attention, but not complicated enough that it required a lot. So, it wasn't mindless knitting but it also wasn't challengingly hard. (wow. Hard to please, aren't I?) But I think that's why it took me so long to finish it.