A bit of disappointed knitting

Yes, it is actually possible for me to get disappointed over something craft related. Something I thought would be really cool, and then it was just ‘meh’…

A couple of days ago I was very exited to see that PlanetJune has taken up knitting. There were some vague hints of it some time last year, when she asked on her Facebook page how we’d like it if she designed some knitting patterns. I was ecstatic, as everything the lady does is awesome And sure enough, when she posted about her first ever knitting project this week, the result was very good, and I was quite jealous.

Because, you see, she’d done something that I can’t: knit small things in the round. She posted the link to a tutorial on how to knit with a really long circular needle and using the magic loop method, and of course I was eager to give it a try. Maybe it would work for me as well, so I can finally knit my own socks and wrist warmers…

For this method you need circulars with a pretty flexible cable, which I didn’t have, so off I went and got a set of KnitPro (KnitPicks to you in the US) with a screw-on cable. And while I was there, I got two more sizes of needles. I got the acrylic ones because I love the DPNs that I have, and they’re so colorful and festive But guess what, the colors aren’t the same! All the sizes have a different color, and I just assumed that the circulars would follow the same code, but they don’t. The two smaller sizes are the same, but the 4.5mm needles are green, and they are supposed to be yellow. Weird.

Anyway. To the disappointment. There are two things, really. One, is that the joins on the needles snag the yarn a bit. Both between the cable and the needle, and between the metal and the plastic of the needle. So that’s a boo.

The other reason is that because of the method used (as you can see if you watch the video), the last stitches on every needle become super tight, because cable is so much thinner than the needle, and you end up pulling the stitches tight whether you mean to or not. And then when it's time to switch sides, it's really hard to slide the row of stitches onto the other needle because of those last stitches.

See what I mean? That last stitch is tiny! That could be why it snags so badly, but I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t help that my knitting is super tight in general. So, I thought that I would finally be rid of those stupid gaps between the needles (ladders, I’ve seen them called), but nope. They are still there, despite the tight stitches. But at least now there are only to, instead of three or four Oh, and another plus with this method is that I can hold the knitting closer to my face without fear of poking my eyes out! Heh.

Oh well. I’m going back to my Easter crochet project now. I was just so anxious to test my new needles when they arrived today. I hope to have the project done before next week, so stay tuned

Two new Bugs

In early January I promised that I would finish some of the patterns I’d been working on for ages, and I’m happy to say that I did! I have two new Great Big Bugs to show you

(Actually, the patterns have been done for a while now, but I never got around to posting about them. Ahem. Shame on me, bad blogger…)

First, I finished the pattern for this Great Big Crane fly. She seriously has the longest legs I’ve ever seen, and definitely the longest bug legs I’ve made!

Personally I don’t like crane flies much, they remind me too much of spiders. Flying spiders! This crocheted one came out a total cutie, though, but in case she still freaks you out a little, here’s a little trick for incapacitating it:

See? Completely harmless

The second pattern I completed was the male firefly, the mate for the first firefly I did years ago. Finally they can be together

Last summer I got a new camera that can take proper photos in the dark, so I actually got some pretty good pictures of the firefly glowing. The glowing parts that you see are its bum and eyes:

And while I was at it, I took new pictures of the female firefly and updated the old pattern with better glow photos. Here’s a picture of the two glowing together:

Aww!

Kitty Princess II

It’s taken me quite a while to get around this post (and the next one I’ve planned). Partly because I don’t like to post on Blogger anymore (the editor is too fiddly) and partly because I’ve been extremely busy with school this semester – even more than I thought I’d be. Anyway, you’ve all seen this before, in my crafty summary of last year, but I thought I should make a separate post about it anyway
So here she is, the new and improved Kitty Princess!

There are not many changes to the pattern itself, we’re only talking about an added round to the neck and tail, but the written instructions and the layout is all new. More pictures! I’ve wanted to remake this for a long time, and last fall I finally did it. Made in thicker yarn this time – the same kind I use for my Dudes – which is a lot more comfortable for me to work with. It also means she’s a lot bigger than the first version. And fresh colors, as you can see

The pattern is updated with the new file on Ravelry, and I’ve relisted it with new pictures on Etsy. It was on Etsy in the beginning, but I let it stay expired for a long time because it didn’t sell. But now it’s all better

Moving the blog

Yes, that's right. I've decided to move this blog. Well, not exactly, because this will still be here, but from now on I consider my main craft blog to be my new one over at WordPress. Had some trouble with Blogger last night (long story short: Blogger ruined a rather long blog post, I got angry and decided I don't like Blogger anymore), so I imported all my posts from this blog into a new one. You can find it HERE :)

If you don't like WordPress for some reason, don't worry! I'll probably be double-posting for a long time, although I'll post on my new blog first, just to make sure I have a backup in case Blogger flips out again. Heh.

I have moved two of my other blogs as well, Bollan's blog and my tatting blog. The old ones will remain, just like this one, but I'm not sure how much they will be updated from now on. To be honest I prefer to post on WordPress, both because it's simply easier and because it works better on my phone.

So, I hope to see some of you over there :D

Craftiness of 2011 :)

First of all, let me wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I know I'm a little late, but we've had our family visiting for Christmas, and after they all left, I kind of collapsed and haven't done anything productive for days. But I'm back now, rested and ready for the new year ahead. Will have lots of studying to do this spring (taking an extra class to make up for skipping one this fall), but hopefully I'll be able to blog a little as well :)

To make up for neglecting my blog the past months, here is a summary of the craftiness I did last year :) I didn't think I'd accomplished much, but looking back, I realize that I've done quite a lot! Starting with my own designs in chronological order:

Nesting Love Birds, a free pattern for Valentine's Day.

Three Cute Little Bear Dudes, all made after the original bear pattern (Forest Dwellers vol.1)

Cute Little Dudes - Forest Dwellers vol.4. All birds :)

Cute Little Dudes - Alien Invaders.

In April I got a smart phone, so I knitted a protective purse for it as soon as I could. Important not to scratch the touch screen! :)

Great Big Wasp.

Great Big Aphid.

Finally got round to finishing the Great Big (male) Firefly (to the left). Sorry about the pale picture, I'll never take photos in bright sunlight again! No pattern yet...

Great Big Crane Fly. Longest bug legs ever! Pattern will be done soon, I promise :)

My aunt asked me to make two little bugs for her, so I made these. Mini versions of the Great Big ones. I'm working on the patterns, but I have to remake them to get proper pictures. Hopefully the patterns will be done before Easter :)

Cute Little Dudes - Trick or Treat! vol.1. I had another set planned, but ran out of time (too much school work!). Will save the second set for next Halloween :)

A friend of mine wanted me to make a great big dragon that he could give to a kid for his birthday, so I made this. It's huge! Arms and legs are jointed. I was told the kid's birthday was in October, so I rushed to finish it, but then it turned out the day was not until November. Oh well. At least the kid was happy. From what I heard, the dragon was being fed dinner as soon as it arrived. That's a good sign, right?

Crocheted and felted witch's cauldron, a free pattern for Halloween. I had originally planned to make up lots of creepy stuff to put in it (eyeballs, severed fingers, bat wings, etc.), but once again I ran out of time. Will save the ideas for next time :)

As a Christmas present, I made this heart (from my free heart pattern) that I filled with nice smelling things and put in a pretty bowl with some pretty white stones.

And the very last thing I finished last year was a remake of the Kitty Princess, the first pattern I ever made and published. Gave it to a cousin for Christmas. I am in the process of rewriting the pattern and adding new photos, and hopeully it'll be done before school starts in about two weeks :)

So. That was all of my designs. I did some other things too, but a lot of the projects I started last year are still in progress, so I have no pictures to show you... I will post the few that I have, though :) Again, in chronological order:

In the beginning of January I took out Rose Langlitz's book Tasty Crochet and started crocheting some food. I was obsessed for a while, but I only managed to complete two things, a pear and a salami/lettuce sandwich:

I have more half-finished food items lying around, but no pictures... 

After that I knitted a new bag for my rpg dice, the Dice Bag of Doom! Pattern free for download on Ravelry.

My next obsession was bugs, as Lesley Stanfield's new book came out, 75 birds, butterflies & beautiful beasties. I made a black slug, plus some butterflies and caterpillars that I pinned to a cork board:

Then I moved on to Hansi Singh's bugs. I started with a praying mantis that never got finished, but I made earthworms, a sea slug, Kraken (giant squid) and a Blackdevil anglerfish:

 

 

Again, I have lots of WiPs that hopefully some day will be done. They are just too pretty to be stashed away in a bag...

During the summer I got started on June Gilbank's dinosaurs. I think I've started about five of them, but none are done yet. It's just silly, really. On one (the Parasaurolophus), all that remains is sewing on one last leg! Sigh. I think I have an aversion against finishing things :/

I found this really cool knitting pattern on Ravelry, of a dancing goddess figure:

The pattern itself is very simple (knit in the round, and it consists of only two parts, so very little sewing is required), but I wasn't quite happy with my knitting (uneven stitches and a few holes - I'm no good at knitting in the round on double-pointed needles!), so I decided to felt it. Unfortunately I felted it after stuffing, so it almost didn't felt at all. It just became sort of lumpy and disproportionate. I wanted to make more of these, but I'll have to do it differently next time.

The last project I finished last year (not counting the Christmas presents) was this little dice bag:

The pattern is Deep Sea Flower Dice Bag, found HERE. Well, to be honest, it isn't actually 100% finished, since I haven't made the cord yet. I just got so tired of knitting with that stupid yarn that has absolutely NO stretch what so ever, I just tied it with a piece of yarn to be done with it. Love the pattern and the bag, though. Plan to make more some time, when I can get my hands on some lovely multi-colored Noro, which the pattern is designed for.

And that was all. Whew! Longest post ever... (It's taken over four hours to write!) Well. My plan now is to finish the patterns for the things I made last year, preferably as soon as possible. I'll have a lot less time once school starts, and I think that if I don't finish them now, I probably never will. So one of my new year's resolutions is to finish all my Bugs, Dudes and any other patterns before I start any new ones. Have lots of projects going right now, but no new Bugs or Dudes before the others are done. Period. Will try to post again soon :)

Happy Halloween + free pattern :)

Hi! How are you all doing? Looking forward to Halloween this weekend? I've been really busy and stressed out these past weeks, but I've still managed to cook up a new free pattern for you! A crocheted and felted witch's cauldron, complete with lid :) 

It's a fairly simple pattern, and if you are just a little quicker than I am (which doesn't take much), you can easily make this up in a couple of evenings and have it done and filled with goodies by Monday :)

You find the pattern on my other blog. I would have posted it last night (to give you more time to make it), but I had trouble uploading the pictures, and in the end I had to go to bed. But now it's finally up (and added to Ravelry's database), and I can get on with my math homework. Have an assignment due Wednesday, and I'm clueless... So you probably won't hear more from me in about a week, when I might have another pattern ready. We'll see :)

Halloween Dudes

Anyone else getting ready for Halloween? I plan Halloween patterns every year, but this is the first time I have actually managed to get a pattern ready in good time before the holiday. Not much use making a pattern if no one has time to make it...

So here they are, an all new set of Cute Little Dudes: Trick or Treat vol.1. The pattern is available both from Etsy and Ravelry :)


There is a scarecrow, a vampire bat and a cute little imp. The bat wings require some shaping (i.e. counting), but other than that, these Dudes are on the same difficulty level as all the others. Hope you like them :)

Ps.: I have another set planned, but time will tell if I can get them ready within reasonable time for anyone else to make them. Have lots of homework to to as well...

Weaving

Look, I have a loom!

I used to do a lot of tapestry weaving about ten years ago, and recently I've started to miss it a lot. Unfortunately the frame/loom is stashed at my grandmother's house, and it's way to big and unwieldy for me to keep here, so I went out and got this little one instead. Remember making lots of tiny rugs with wool yarn in kindergarten, it was so much fun :D

I know I can't really make fancy tapestries with this thing, but small motifs and potholders and stuff. So far I've made this little test strip with scrap yarn, but I want to get more shuttles (or really long needles) and work with several colors at a time. But honestly, the shuttle that came with the loom is horrible, so I need to find alternatives soon or I'll go crazy... Any suggestions? :)