110: exotic urchin

I've been finishing hats like a woman possessed. The first was last Saturday, when I took time that I should have used to mark exams to knit furiously and joyfully through a handspun Urchin. Sophie gave me this Studio Loo skein called Violet Fiction for a housewarming/birthday present. You may remember the yarn when it used to be this:

Now it's this:

Reaction is mixed, by which I mean everyone loves it but my mom, who hates it with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. I think she's just jealous.

111: beanie redux

The second hat is part of my attempt to use my knitting for social good instead of just relaxation, practice, artistry, cheap gifts, etc. It's a Boy Beanie from the Happy Hooker in variegated Patons Classic Merino called Jungle. The contrasting green is the Lemongrass Lion's Brand Wool left over from my mittens. It's going to a local homeless shelter/soup kitchen, where it will hopefully clothe one of the visitors.

112: Queen Bee hat

The third hat was done before the second, but needed embellishment. It's a Bzzz Hat for Queen Bees out of Sn'B Nation. The yarn is Headwater Wool Marupe that I picked up at the DKC Knitter's Frolic last spring with the change I found in my pockets. I've been dreaming about this hat for a long time. I've got a bit of a thing for bees, and this will eventually be a set with a scarf and possible wristwarmers. The bee buttons aren't that great, but they get the job done. I found them at the local Michael's.

113: belly dance socklets

This isn't a hat, although I finished it in the midst of my binge. They're little socklets to wear during my belly dancing class for a bit of slippage on turns. Why buy ballet flats or (ugh) cut up other socks when you can spend a few hours making small colourful tubes? I knit these while marking exams, and finished them minutes before beginning class last week.

114: kara

Also not a hat. It's an amigurumi carrot that I decided to do after an argument with Blake, in which he insisted on orange hot chocolate for my in-process toy cup. Instead of such an abomination, I made a carrot. The pattern is my own, although it's way too simple to need one. All I did was make a circle, crochet a tube, and start decreasing. When I thought it was too short, I did a plain row, then kept decreasing. It took a bit of finagling to make the tip, and I don't know that I followed any recognized crochet technique other than "givin'r," but the end result is quite pleasing, with that purposely frayed end coming off there. The orange is Sugar n' Cream worsted cotton, and the green top is more Lemongrass Lion's Wool, which I attached and chained until I felt like stopping. Then I picked up the other end and chained that too. The result is marvellously eccentric, dready leaves. The mouth is the same yarn. They eyes are 8 mm safety eyes. Tremendously fun, tremendously simple. Her name is Kara, after a girl in Blake's class. Kara the carrot.

115 & 116: cupcake & chocolate cup

The reason that I had to make Kara was because I was in the midst of making these guys for the Jakaitis kids. It's K8rs' birthday party on Saturday, and we decided to make a cupcake and a cup of hot chocolate for her and her brother to play with. They are a mix of Sugar n' Cream cotton, Butterfly cotton, and Cool Spun cotton, with fun mail order safety eyes and beads from Michael's. Do they look like sprinkles to you?

There are still a few more pictures hanging around, but I am totally knackered, so they'll have to wait. And I'm almost done another urchin!

Labels: birthday, blake, crochet, drunken knitters, fo, friends, gifties, knitty, snb

I had a golden skein of Elspeth Lavold Silky Wool that was destined to become a scarf for my grandmother. It took more than a year to decide to be an Argosy. And it's birth was slow. Finished within days of her 82nd birthday, but delayed as it was in need of fierce blocking. This Thanksgiving weekend was the time to just giv'r.

my blocking partner

Labels: birthday, family, fo, knitty

I bet Preacher never knew he wanted an Sn'B Nation Rockstar Doll, Palaver style!

palaver with gasmask, c. 1997

preacher, palaver & poet, c. 1997

This doll is largely improvised, but I love a challenge. I passed the deadline for Preachtoberfest, but I was determined to do this one right, no matter how many times I had to knit the head. The embroidery was damned finicky as well. Fun.

my apologies for this garbage picture

Yarn Specs: the grey yarn is Lamb's Pride worsted from the robot knitting of the summer. The white, black & medium brown are all Paton's Classic Merino - white for the Boy's mittens (never used), black for Nic's anarchy cap and brown for Hank Rollins' pants (my first Rockstar Doll!). The beige head & hands are DK King Cole yarn from Blake's bunny hat. The black outline for the suit is Patons Kroy, purchased for Little Spider's no-zombie wristband. The blue tie & flower are my last little bits from my sea silk shawl. Safety eyes & embroidery floss complete our ensemble.

This guy is coming with us to his new home NY this March Break. Good thing I managed to finish him in the last gasp of NaKniSewMo!

Labels: birthday, embroidery, fo, naknisewmo, snb, toy

Nic's birthday present = custom-designed arm-warmers for road hockey, with special re-enforced palm. I must like him more than I let on, because I even swatched for this - and I swatch for no man. Or maybe I just love the yarn, a brand-new Patons Classic Merino variegated in greens and browns. My knitting is so camo, I can't find it on the couch!

the new warmers in action

These were designed to stretch a lot so they could be worn over thick black gloves.

the re-enforced palm

I made notes as I went, but I'll wait until someone expresses an interest in it before I post the pattern. I like them very much regardless!

Labels: birthday, crochet, fo

I'm done! Another victory for NaKniSewMo!

This was supposed to be for Blake's birthday (cough*mutter*cough), but I had trouble working up the nerve to install the zipper. I did it the way I do anything pesky: pin the crap out of it, go very slow, and check progress all the time. And lo! It turned out okay.

It's an Accordion, knit from Peace Fleece in three colours (hemlock, shaba, ancient fern). The main knitting was done in time for his birthday, as was the sewing up. If not for the zipper, he'd have been wearing it long since. And plus, since it's comically oversized, he'll be wearing it for some time to come!

And no, he doesn't always look like he's been caught out by paperazzi. Just when I'm trying to get him still for a pic.

Labels: birthday, blake, fo, naknisewmo

...it could be bunnies.

Waddaya know, it's a baby present that isn't booties! It's a bunny from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, knit out of super-great Blue Sky Alpaca that I picked up from Gaspereau Valley Fibres in Wolfvegas last summer. I couldn't get two skeins of the shade I wanted, so after much soul searching, I bought two adjoining colours. The result was a lovely subtle mottled look. This is my first time knitting alpaca and I was/am in love. I'm not quite as happy with the acrylic blend pink fuzzy ear lining; the yarn may be called Candy Floss, but it doesn't knit up too sweetly.

This took me about a week in November to knit up, but lacking a deadline, the pieces just sat about until now. The only real snag was the finishing; once I'd started it, I was reacquainted with my limits in the field of embroidery. The eyes started out as French knots, then became Continental knots, then Forbidden Knots, then I threw up my hands and did the damn satin stitch. And the second arm placement was murder - when I arrived at LK last night, the bunny had only one arm because I'd given up after two unsuccessful attempts. I finally got it right, thanks to a lot of painstaking checking and rechecking (and some liberal use of the Queen's English). And then I didn't get to give it away after all, so s/he came home with me.

I figured out something cool with this pattern, and I post it here because I haven't seen it written up anywhere: when one is to join two or more pieces in the round, one can avoid that sloppy first join by knitting the stitches out of order (do a mini-cable for one round, in other words). The result is a strong, non-sloppy join. I'm pretty proud of myself for figuring this out, although I'm certain about a thousand knitters have done this before me.

p.s. there were a lot of bunnies out at the LK sn'b last night...

Labels: baby, birthday, embroidery, fo, lmkg, toy

In a future time, children will work together to knit a giant cyborg...

analog vs. knit digital

I've given up on the cabled baby sweater, so this knitted robot will have to suffice for the Son of Preacher. I adored knitting this: Lamb's Pride Worsted + Clover bamboo circular = love 4evr. Sewing up? I didn't love quite so much. So the robot languished on a shelf for a good long while.

Now that the robot is whole, Blake has decided that it's a girl. So I named her Roberta. Hee!

drugstore robot

Labels: birthday, fo, toy

While on the TTC Knitalong, I picked up some Lamb's Pride Bulky in contrasting pinks. Why? I don't know. It seemed like the thing to do. Shortly afterward, I felt sorry for myself so I cast on for a Buttonhole Bag, changing colours as it suited. The result was a wonderfully eccentric, wildly pink bag. The only thing missing was a skull. So after the lovely thing was felted, I embroidered one with Patons Kroy.

Maybe this one will leave me this Christmas. Or maybe I've just found my new purse.

pink, furry & skully. who could ask for more?

Labels: birthday, embroidery, felt, fo

DSCN1772
Originally uploaded by Palaver Primus.

Labels: birthday, fo, repeats, snb

Project #10 was another birthday gift for The Boy's step-mom: feline dim sum from knitty. Really easy to make and rather impressive to behold. I loved constructing these.

Labels: birthday, fo, knitty, toy