Tag: Doll Knits

Posted in Current Projects, Life

Veteran’s Day, Project Plans, and Weekend Plans

Posted on by mslindz

I’m going to be serious for a moment here. I know I don’t get very serious about any sort of issues here, but this is one that is close to my heart. Yesterday was Veteran’s Day. I don’t talk about it a whole lot, but I’m a Navy veteran and serving in the military really changed me in ways I didn’t expect. Now, on Veteran’s Day, I feel rather emotional. I feel a deep loss for those who have lost their lives during wars, I feel for the friends and families that stand by their soldier’s, sailor’s and airman’s side while they are away, and I feel for the friends of mine still in the service. Yesterday, on NPR, they talked a lot about veteran’s, the recent shooting at Fort Hood army base, military personnel currently serving or recently back from the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and various veteran’s issues. I had a hard time listening to some of it and at points had to turn it off. Regardless of what you believe about the wars currently going on, please support our troops and veterans as much as you can. Volunteer with veterans organizations, host a soldier/sailor/airman for a holiday (there are many “adopt” programs if you live near a base. I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to be able to spend the Christmas I was in boot camp with a host family.), and do what you can to show our military that we care while in the service and while out. Trust me, you will touch their lives, even if they never tell you so. I’ve been the recipient of kindness of strangers while in the service and as a vet and I try to pay those kindnesses forward to others whenever I can. I hope you will (or do), too.

That said, I don’t know about you, but holidays mid-week really screw me up. I feel a bit out of sorts today! (I’m sure yesterday’s emotional roller coaster didn’t help much.) Anyhow… on with the knitting stuff. 🙂

Since Sunday, I’ve finished two projects I can’t talk about (gifts). I have one more secret project I’m going to start very soon (another gift). Looking at my projects, I feel like I need something else on the needles. I’ve lost momentum on the colorwork socks because I’m not sure how to work the next part of the design, plus they take quite a bit of concentration, so they have been put aside until I figure out what to do next. I like the Spooky sock I’m working on, but I think that the colors aren’t really doing it for me right now since Halloween has passed, so I haven’t been working on those much. Multnomah is seeing some progress because I absolutely love the yarn, though pictures aren’t showing much since I haven’t reached the edge pattern yet. I need something that will catch my attention again like the two projects I can’t show here did.

I looked through my stash and there was a yarn that caught my eye.

DIC Classy - Spring Tickle
Dream In Color Classy in Spring Tickle

I bought this yarn with the intention of making another Liesl since I enjoyed knitting my first one so much. I think I’ll cast on tonight. 🙂

After that, I think I’ll get back to Waves of Grain since I finally bought bigger beads yesterday and I have plans to knit some pillows for our living room. The dress I showed my last post is now dry and I’m pretty happy with how it looks after blocking. Still needs buttons before I take pictures, but I’ll have some soon. I know what I’ll be changing in the next version and hope to have the pattern up once I knit a revised version.

Plans for this weekend include Game Day at our place with some of my knitter friends, possibly going to Jungle Jim’s wine festival (which was featured in The Wall Street Journal), and lunch with family. Should be fun! Do you have anything planned this weekend?

Posted in Completed Projects, Current Projects

FO’s Galore, WIPs, and Sweaters

Posted on by mslindz

FO’s – I’ve got them! I finished a beret this weekend (I don’t think I even posted progress pictures here), I have pictures of my finished Springtime Bandit, and I’ve knit two doll dresses.

Pattern: Springtime Bandit (My Ravelry project page.)
Started: October 13, 2009
Completed: October 20, 2009
Yarn: Tilli Thomas Plie in “Midnight Borealis” (I used about 2 2/3 skeins)
Needles: US 6 bamboo circular
Notes: I added one body repeat to the shawl since I knit this with smaller yarn/needles then the pattern called for. Still made it a decent size and you could really add as many body repeats as you want without messing up the last chart (as long as you knit a full repeat of the body).

Springtime Bandit
Springtime Bandit

Springtime Bandit
Springtime Bandit, detail

309/365: Me and the Bandit
How I usually wear it.

I finished up this beret on Saturday. It’s the first beret I’ve knit and first hat I’ve knit for myself that I think I’ll actually wear.

Pattern: Periwinkle Beret (My Ravelry project page.)
Started: October 29, 2009
Completed: November 7, 2009
Yarn: Oasis Farm Fiber Mill Angora/Silk/Merino (I think this yarn is 170 yards)
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) Knit Picks DPN’s and US 2.5 (3.00 mm) Addi circular and Knit Picks DPN’s
Notes: I purchased this yarn at Rhinebeck and I can’t remember what the percentage fiber content or yardage is. I believe the yardage is around 170 yards per skein and I didn’t use up a full skein on this hat (pattern calls for 200 yards DK/Sport weight). I will say to trust the pattern for the tubular cast-on. I couldn’t figure out how it would work, but I trusted the pattern, did what it said, and I really like how the edging turned out. I will definitely make another beret with this pattern sometime! (Pictures are all pre-blocked, it’s currently drying.)

My Beret
My new beret!

My Beret
Side view.

My Beret
Back view.

Last week, I knit Olive a dress. I used some left over yarn from my Secret Garden shawl (Unique Sheep, Green Sheep Fingering in the “Hearts on Fire” colorway) and the Lati Yellow Dress pattern. I modified the pattern to fit my Dal (Olive) by adding 4 rows after the sleeve bind off, then joined it in the round to work the increases then skirt portion. I added a piece of yarn to tie a bow around where the increases are to add some waist shaping. The edge of the skirt rolled a bit, so I blocked it which helped a lot. I closed it in the back with a snap, but next time I think I’ll do buttons instead. It gave me a good idea of how to knit clothing for my dolls and I think I’ll be able to use what I learned to knit clothing for them in the future (since there aren’t a lot of knit patterns out there). My Ravelry project page can be found here.

"Do you like my new dress?"
Olive shows off her new dress.

I didn’t get a picture of the back of Olive’s dress, but it looks similar to Penelope’s (see below).

Friday, I started what was going to be a top for Olive, but turned out to be a dress for Penelope. I made this pattern up as I went. I wrote down what I did and I want to make another one, but with more waist shaping, then I’ll probably put the pattern up on Ravelry. I did two button holes on this one (instead of snaps), but I haven’t sewn on buttons yet, so I’m not sure how I like those results over snaps. Here’s Penelope modeling the dress pre-blocking. I did block the dress to hopefully spread out the skirt some. We’ll see how that turns out once it dries. My Ravelry project page can be found here.

Penelope's Knit Dress
Penelope shows off her new dress, pre-blocking.

Penelope's Knit Dress
Here’s what the back looks like, pre-blocking.

Since I finished up the beret, I started on some Christmas knits, which I can’t share until after Christmas, just in case the intended recipients don’t see it. Aside from that stuff, I’m working on a pair of socks and a shawl for myself.

The shawl I’m working on is Mulomah in Little Red Bicycle’s Cupcake Sock (80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon) in “Princess Whatever.” I think I’m in love with this yarn. It’s great to work with and I definitely want to get another skein to knit socks out of sometime.

Multnomah
Beginnings of Multnomah.

The sock I’m working on is a plain striped top-down sock. I’m using Vesper in “Spooky.” I know I’m a little late for Halloween, but I did start them the week before Halloween and I still plan on wearing them regardless of if it’s Halloween or not! 😛 I’m actually getting close to the heel of the sock, though I don’t have an updated picture of it.

305/365: Halloween Sock
Spooooooky sock!

I do have the Featherweight Cardigan on the needles, but I’m kind of board with it and thinking about ripping it back to do the increases differently, so it’s been put aside for now. I’m considering casting on for a different sweater since that one is on hold. I can’t decide if I should wait until my Christmas knitting is done or just start it now. I also can’t decide on which sweater to start! The three I’m wanting to knit are: Little Birds Cardigan, Climbing Vines Pullover, and Cottage Garden. I also have yarn I want to knit the February Lady Sweater with, but I’m planning on doing that for the Ravelympics in February. Thoughts anyone?

Off to a fairly good start this week. It’s only a 4 day work week, there will be sushi on Wednesday, and a game day on Saturday. Hope your week is a good one!