29 August 2012

FO: Swirl Shawl for Work

The whole shebang
It's finished!!   The last time I wrote about my Swirl Shawl,I was concerned about it being too small since I didn't have the required yardage, I changed up the needles that were called for, and I guess I was worried that it was going to be a disaster.

Guess what? I think it's absolutely fabulous!

Here it is looking a bit like a croissant with the curly ends.

Dangle! Twisty
And here it is as worn - with wispy little tendrils that dangle down on one side since it's tied up with a pin (they dangle on both sides if I even it out and let it hang). 

I've worn it to work twice already and I think it looks nice, though calls to mind a question:

Close up and personal, Silk Mohair Lace
Should I be worried that I'm so soon an old lady, at the young age of 29?

This was easy and fun...

Though once I learned how to do a yarn-over it got a bit boring.

26 August 2012

Finally done: Drippy Wax Art

Melty crayons are melty!
Several months ago, when I used to use Pinterest, I saw an awesome melty-crayon wax project that I just had to recreate.  I wanted to make something to match my living room - dark wood, teal and tan couch and cushions, brown and tan brick. I started buying about 10 boxes of crayons. And a 2x4 ft canvas.  And I was ready to go!!

Ha! Just kidding. See, I wanted to sort out the colors that I didn't want (reds, pinks, oranges....) and just keep the colors that I did (teal, some greens and blues and tan).  So 10 boxes got me approximately.... 8 inches across the total 4 feet.

So I bought crayons whenever I saw them on sale in whatever craft store I was in. A few months and several pounds later.... I had enough crayons sorted and ready to go.
Close up arty shot

With the help of super glue (hot glue gun didn't hold once we started heating), plastic tarp, and a heat gun, I present melty crayon art!

Nathan and I team-peeled the paper off of all of the crayons by slicing the paper lengthwise with a razor and peeling the paper quickly.

We spent a long time lining up the crayons and adding highlights and low lights and shifting things around back and forth and making it just *so*...

We super-glued them all down and blasted them with hot air and let them drip down.

Fabulous success. Now I just need to resist the urge to touch it and pick at it.  Good so far!

14 August 2012

Spoiler Alert

A pic of empty needles and leftover yarn can only mean one thing.... stay tuned!


12 August 2012

Swirl Shawl in Mohair

Fluffiest shawl ever.
Since I had a few questions about the sweater I was working on, I decided to cast on and try my hand at a quick n' easy shawl, the Swirl Shawl. I was a little concerned because I was planning to use the skein of Rowan's Kidsilk Haze that I picked up in Medina at a cute little shop, Studio Knit (warning, music), but the pattern called for a much heavier weight yarn.

The pattern also called for more yardage than I have... I only picked up one skein and to fit the pattern I'd need about 1.5. The shawl is constructed starting with the neck area, and then it's knit in a semi-circular rows back and forth, increasing stitch count each time. Due to the construction, it's pretty easy to change the size and length of the shawl by using more or less yardage, so I decided to just go until I run out.

Another change: I started the first few inches with the needle size called for, but then I switched to a much larger gauge so that the whole thing would move along a little more quickly, and also so that the shawl won't be as warm (due to less of the fluffy, insulating fiber). 

The tricky part is that I'm not a very good judge of how much yarn I need to do each row and how much I have left total. Mohair is a pain in the neck to frog/undo, so I want to be careful that I have enough to do my final finishing rows ... but still trying to use all of the yarn since my little shawlette might be on the small side. My yarn is a dark-ish slate grey and super fluffy, and it's been tickly to work with.

The good news is that I think it would be relatively easy to pick up stitches along the outer edge, if needed, if once I finish and cast off and block I decide that the whole thing is too small. It would require finding some extra of this yarn... but even purchasing an extra fresh ball won't be too bad....

I just want to finish and block so that I can wear this to work, already!! I'm about 90%....

04 August 2012

A neck for my sweater

My sweater has a neck hole!
I've started down the front of my sweater, so now I have a neckhole where my head can go!  As you can see in the pic, I picked up the stitches at the top of the shoulders and started knitting down the front. The little holes at the shoulder are intentional - when I'm done knitting I'll fold these over and sew them down and it will create decorative folds/gathers to make the top look drape-y. I was a little concerned that the neck wasn't big enough, but it fits over my head fine and I can't wait to get a little bit more done so that I can try it on more easily.

Progress is progress!

Add caption
But, at the same time, I found that I've made an error. Somehow, I've knitted a hole into my fabric. I don't know how on earth it happened, but it's on the front right side (as worn) directly under the neck. Since the pattern is written for the stockinette to curl down to create the neckline the hole is actually hidden, so I am trying to debate if I should pull out all my work and go back and fix it, or if I'll just let it slide. 

I did some reading on the internet, and apparently it's common for beginners to introduce YO (yarn-overs - it's an increase) into their knitting and that leaves a hole... but it also adds a stitch. I counted and have the same and correct number of total stitches, so I sort of have no idea what I did.

Thoughts?