stitchshop
december 14, 2003
^ your model today is moi in a black caslon sweater
whoever knew i would get so involved in knitting that i'm developing carpal tunnel-like problems more-so than i would ....say...oh...on the computer? i wrapped up a few more scarves this week due to the holiday deadline and have packaged them to be shipped out to family and friends. the one i'm sporting here is actually for myself. i love chunky knits more than the small tiny baby-fine yarn type of knits. those are great too -- but it would probably take me 4 lifetimes to finish it up. chunky knits are instant gratification really.
i fell in love with this yarn color called "troll". perhaps i'm getting myself into the mood for lord of the rings or something but i dig it. it's actually olive greenish mixed with a mustard yellowish fat and narrow yarn twisted together. beautiful! since it was my first time using rowan's biggy prints -- i got 2 skeins to try out. but it's a little too short for my preference. next time i'll get 3 or 4 to make it super long.
it was also my first time trying a 1x1 ribbed knit. it gave it a nice stockinette looking type of pattern without the curling up of the ends (thanks lan!). also if i were to use this yarn for another scarf, i would cast on less stitches to make it narrower too. but this one was a lot of fun, especially since i had to use size 35 US needles. for those who don't know about this type of shit -- size 35 US needles is similar in size to say.. a hand-held nuclear missile. it was pretty insane.
rowan biggy print - troll (2 balls)
size 35 US needles
cast on 12 stitches
1x1 rib knit = k1p1*
100% merino wool
45" long
on friday night, i went to do some christmas shopping at the mall for the things that i couldn't get online. i spent most of my time there looking at scarves. the type of material. the type of knit. the length. the colors. and oh yeah, the PRICE TAG! i can say from experience now that some store bought scarves are worth their money since good yarn isn't cheap and if it's all done for you -- then great! but then there are other scarves that i saw such as the ones from j. crew and other places that cost about $68-$200 and the material nor design were that great. damn. maybe mine doesn't look as fancy as theirs but at least it's all of my own hard work, time, labor and love that i put into these.
the other scarf i wrapped up is for my sister. her favorite color is blue and she hates itchy stuff, so no wool for her. :p this is exactly the same type of yarn as the second scarf i ever made. however the color is different. on the monitor you can't tell the difference but that scarf is blue/green while this one is light blue mixed with darker shades of blue/gray. once again, i used the homespun yarn from lion's brand. it's a pain to knit with at first but once you're on your way, it's pretty quick.
lion brand homespun yarn - williamsburg (1 skein)
size 15 US needles
cast on 16 stitches
garter stitch
98% acrylic 2% polyester (soft and non itchy and machine washable too!)
72" long
so you're still reading.....
i'm impressed.
and if you're a guy. i'm doubly impressed.
i made this scarf for a friend and if they are reading this and will see this later on during the christmas unwrapping of presents - please act surprised. :p this is actually the 4th scarf i ever made and i used a really great wool that's CHEAP but feels great. i would definitely use this wool again but the skeins are small and so i ended up using 4 skeins to make this scarf. i think 6 would be ideal. i realized after making this scarf that i really suck at weaving in the yarn ends. hope my friend won't mind the messy handiwork. it's a really pretty charcoal gray made of 50% merino wool and 50% acrylic. soft. not itchy at all. very clean looking. seasonless.
lion brand kool wool yarn - charcoal (4 skeins)
size 10 US needles
cast on 26 stitches
garter stitch
50% merino wool 50% acrylic
56" long
i don't even want to begin to tell you how much money i've spent on knitting. but at least this hasn't been some hobby where i said i was going to do it and got out of it halfway through. any donations toward my knitting funds would be greatly appreciated. heh. :p and i know i still have all those AOL boxes to make for the list of people who asked for them. i will spray paint them as soon as the weather is a tad bit warmer. but i do have the cover designs and the felt ready.
[holiday]
last night was actually our company christmas party. i ended up opting out of it last minute because i was feeling a bit under the weather. i figured it's better to miss a christmas party for work than missing work itself this week. i got plenty of deadlines that i want to finish before the holidays and by god, i will make it happen! but i do wonder how the party went though and what prizes i missed out on. afterall last year, i got a tv. i was really dying to win the tivo this year. boo.
i think i finished my christmas shopping too. between the online stuff and the things i got friday night at the mall and at target yesterday, i think i have everyone crossed off my list. what a headache it's been. not only has it been an stressful year but it's been really wallet-draining one as well. so i'm trying to really stretch those dollars for christmas. but then again, this has always been such a commercial holiday. the only good part about it is that i get to hear from a lot of friends who are usually MIA the other 364 days of the year. :p
i'm really looking forward to the holidays though because my company lets us off from the 24th through the 28th. and with my parents being in vegas this year - it's going to be quiet around here. sadly though there hasn't been much christmas spirit as everyone seems to have their own plans. the house won't be decorated like it usually is since my mom is feeling too tired now. overall, i think the holidays will come and go with the blink of an eye.
and then it will be 2004.
