Girl on the Rocks

A little knitting, with gravy. August 1, 2007

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, non-knitting related, sweater — karrie @ 11:21 pm

I worked enough today to reward myself with a little knitting. Both of the Central Park Hoodie sleeves are underway.

I know you are wondering about the bright pink post-it in the corner of the picture…

It is my crazy notes on how many rows and increases remain. The eagle-eyed might also notice that for some reason I have indicated the time to increase with the letter d. Makes sense to me for some reason….

edit: I have been get a lot of inquiries about the yarn. It is Araucania Nature wool Chunky in color #129

A while ago CraftyGinger tagged me for a meme, and it is about time I participated:

Here’s how it goes - once you’re tagged write a short blog post about your favorite word, and what makes it your favorite. Of course you can have more than one! Be as long-winded as you like! Just make sure to copy & paste this text into your post, and tag four friends!

CraftyGinger chose a repectable word: luminous. Ever since I was tagged for this challenge a few weeks ago I have had the same word in my head. I tried to pick something literary, serious, insightful or at least descriptive, but I just keep coming back to the same word. Gravy.

Why would I claim that my favorite word is gravy?

I like gravy. It is delicious. It is the dinner equivalent of the ever-famous dessert mainstay - icing.
I am good at making gravy, and I make a lot of it. Ask anyone that has had Thanksgiving dinner with me. My grandma has had me in training my whole lfe
I think everyone might like gravy. I have never heard someone say “I’ll have the chicken-fried steak, but hold the gravy.” But I am from Ohio. I actually don’t think I have heard anyone other than myself say “I’ll have the chicken-fried steak” since I moved to California. But that is not the point.
I have absolutely no bad connotations or associations with gravy… Me and gravy = good times
It makes an excellent pet name and currently holds the top spot and my most-likely-next-pet-name. Give it a try. “Graaaavvvyyy… Come here you little cutie!” Totally works.
It can hold its own as a word… When used a slang, it means good. No one ever clenches their fists and shakes them at the sky wailing “Gravy!!” Instead it is only used when someone is pleased and smugly declares “gravy.”

So what is your favorite word? I am sending tags out to some of my commenters: 5thelementknitr, Amber, Kimchi, and Chris. but, of course if you don’t want to participate (sometimes memes stress me out) no hard feelings, let me know and I’ll tag differently :).

I knit a little sweater July 9, 2007

Filed under: Finished Projects, non-knitting related — karrie @ 10:34 am

I bought a blythe doll a while ago, and have been dying to make some clothes for her. This weekend i whipped up a little sweater for her. It was quick and loads of fun. I knit it in the round out of some Lisa Souza sock yarn (Heels and Toes from Stitches West) then steeked it open and added trim (Sirdar snowflake - the tangliest yarn in the universe). the end result is like a jacket with furry trim.

Doesn’t the photo look really artsy? That’s because I used my new $4 Kodak Duaflex II to take the picture. The technique is called “Through the Viewfinder” and you use a modern camera to take a picture of the image in the large viewfinder of the old Duaflex or similar cameras. I first noticed this technique through the Make blog, or Flickr, i can’t remember which. I’ve had my eye out for a suitable camera ever since, and I found one for only $4 this weekend. I just used a cardboard poster tube to support my old digital camera. No taping yet, but it would be nice to get rid of the light leaks.

More info on the technique and apparatus construction here
Flickr TTV group
Here are all of my TTV shots so far

Do you even knit anymore? June 10, 2007

Filed under: Socks, sweater — karrie @ 11:20 am

It seems like it has been a long time since I even showed you any knitting. But I am working on a few projects.

My Central Park Hoodie has a completed back, and I am working on one of the front pieces.

I accepted the fact that I am not a sock designer and ripped out this single sock that I designed myself.

It was too small for even me, and I somehow made the pattern almost impossible to size (and sock patterns without a S, M, and L size are one of my pet peeves). So the lovely STR will be reincarnated as a better fitting sock.

And I compeleted exactly half of a project by casting off one lonely sock.

Regia Canadian color #4733; 3 x 1 rib - my own pattern

And I do think the casting off was the best part. Why didn’t anyone tell me about the picot bind off featured in knitty? As a toe-up knitter, I was pretty happy to find these instructions and make a cute little bind off on these socks.

There. I have been knitting. Don’t forget about my contest - Midnight Pacific time tonight (sat june 10) is the cut off, so please tell me about your favorite knitting/crafting tool/material. I love reading all of the comments!

Everywhere but here March 16, 2007

Filed under: sweater — karrie @ 10:33 pm

I have been talking about my craftiness everywhere but here, so I’ll update you on what I have been up to. But first, a commercial for myself.

My Lunar Eclipse Merino Roving is currently featured on the front page of etsy, so hurry over there and look (This only lasts for about 24 hours, so it might be over by the time you take a look). Thanks to chucklescentral for adding me to his/her treasury list that eventually made the front page. I’ve been a member of etsy for a year and a half and this is the first time I have been on the front page and I’m pretty excited about it.

Oh and speaking of etsy, they have made a cool new little script that lets me show off the items in my shop. you may have noticed it in the sidebar on the right. I think it is pretty sharp. Etsy rocks.

So what have I been up to? This is what the Central park hoodie looks like at just over one ball in.

i blabbed about it over at the knitalong. long story short - love it, love the yarn. I’ve actually almost finished the entire back piece, but no updated photo yet.

also i joined the granny square knit along where I showed off some of my recent granny squares.

Man, these are fun. I still stand by my claim that they are the perfect use of acrylic yarn. And while we are on the topic of granny squares, partners for my granny-square swap-bot swap were assigned today. We ended up with over 20 participants, and I am already planning another swap. stay tuned.

A quick beginning March 3, 2007

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, sweater — karrie @ 1:31 pm

If you wind up just one ball of your new yarn before you loan your ballwinder to a friend, and you make a really quick gauge swatch, and it turns out perfectly, you are supposed to start the sweater right away even if you already have a million projects in progress, right?

The beginnings of my Central Park Hoodie out of Arucania Nature Wool just acquired at stitches west. First use of my lovely Zero Stitch Markers.

It’s cold outside (relatively speaking) December 18, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, sweater — karrie @ 7:18 pm

Back home in the middle of the country, when the first ice coats the streets the local news goes crazy. They send all of their field reporters out to the salt barn for on the spot news. The salt barn is a giant shed where the city stores its supply of winter road salt. If they declare some kind of “snow emergency,” or the ice occurs close to christmas, there will be so many reporters there that you will be able to see them in the background of each others shots. I find this completely riveting. Mind you, NOTHING is happening there. The most excitement you can hope for is a shot of a plow getting a salt refill.

Today i awoke to a cold morning in the bay area. It was below 40 in my backyard, and the local news quickly made it clear that it was below 30 degrees in some of the valleys nearby. And how did they do that you ask? Through ever-fascinating live shots of frost. Yes, frost. They described a light coating of frost as a “winter wonderland.” They also showed a shot of a woman defrosting her car by spraying it with her garden hose. That one really got my attention. Lucky for her it warmed up quickly and i don’t think it had time to re-freeze completely. And the sad thing - I think it is really cold too! They have assimilated me!

The chilliness has motivated me to work a bit on the Knitpicks Emma Jacket that I planned to finish in early December.

The blob on the left is the body, knit in the round to the armpits and awaiting steeking. The sleeves are on the right with a lovely fold up ribbed cuff. i love the yarn. I think it would look great for cabled projects - a little bit of color, but not too much. I am still undecided about the pattern..

The couch of shame May 26, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, sweater — karrie @ 4:31 pm

If it seems like I have been busy finishing crafty projects, let me show you what I haven’t been doing….. I present a gallery of barely UNfinished objects on the couch of shame.

To begin, at the top left, the drop stitch cardigan from the Fall 2005 Interweave knits. The yarn is handpaintedyarn.com ejido in “fondo marino.” I really whipped this thing out - it was finished with the knitting in no time. I applied an i-cord edging, then i hand-sewed a zipper into it and wore it school. Like this:

with the zipper sticking out of the top like a big ol’ dork. and then i wore it like that to school again.

Next we have my most recently unfinished object, the Deep-V argyle vest from eunny jang made from knitpicks merino style (asparagus and white). i made it through the steeking okay, and i managed to add a neck band, but i didn’t make it through the arm bands before i decided to wear it out and about.

Luckily my friends were there to help tuck the waste yarn back into my armpits. aaawwww, isn’t that sweet…. And if you are interested, you can see a photo of our wine tasting adventure here (somehow, the sweater is completely obscured).

And finally the oldest unfinished object, my Lamb’s pride worsted weight Rogue Cardigan. what can i say… i keep meaning to order a really nice two-way zipper from zipperstop, but I haven’t. so instead i still wear it all the time and safety pin it shut.

Not pictured: The Ribby Cardi. Current Status: unassembled in a ball somewhere we are not talking about it.

The Deep-V report March 31, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, sweater — karrie @ 5:24 pm

The deep-V is going great! I love it. My row gauge is a little off, but I think I have compensated for it…

Ugh. look how i stuck my hip out in this photo - I have been watching too much ‘America’s next top model.’

Here come the sweaters…. March 29, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, sweater — karrie @ 7:04 pm

I used some
handpaintedyarn,com Ejido 160 to start an Incredible Custom Raglan . Unfortunately i followed the directions a little too closely, and made a snug measurement around my neck. Of course, this resulted in the neck hole being the exact size of my neck…. And smaller than my head. So I couldn’t get it on. I liked how it was progressing, though. to prevent weird color pooling, I was using two balls of yarn, and alternating them every two rows. It was looking good.

so i ripped it out and started over.

I also got my Knitpicks order that I have been waiting on for a long time…. Some merino style for Eunny’s Deep-V Argyle vest. I joined the Knit-along too.

in this project I will attempt two-handed fair-isle knitting, and finish it off with some steeks. i can’t wait.

And because I like looking at it,
I present my altoid-tin tv-dinner.

Drumsticks, Mashed potatoes, Cherry compote, and succotash.

So close to done January 30, 2006

Filed under: Karrie's Current Projects, sweater — karrie @ 1:44 pm

I am so close to finishing my rogue hoody that i am wearing it right now. Everything but the zipper. I don’t have any pictures of the finished object, but i do have a picture of the sleeves blocking on my high-tech blocking board (towels on a cardboard box).

I had already started the drop stitch cardigan from the Fall 2005 interweave knits, and now i am flying
along. knitting on 9’s helps.

There you have a very curly back piece, and ~1.5 out of two front pieces. I remain slightly disappointed in the color. I didn’t realize it was going to have so much green in it. here is the photo I saw on the handpaintedyarn.com webpage:

Doesn’t it look like brown, blue, and white? or maybe really light green? I have another finished object to report on, but I will save that for another post.