September/October Finished Objects/In Progress

Finished
Sewing 
Laptop Bag
Froggie Bag
Green Pillowcase
Re-hemmed sleeves on M's T-Shirt.
A's Purple Nightgown
A's Lavender Nightgown
A's Lavender Flannel Pants
Knitting
Crochet


In Progress (meaning, I actually worked on the item this time period, but not finished)Sewing 
Knitting
Martingale Mystery Shawl
Dancing With the Devil
Gansey For Son
Crayon Top
Crochet
Eva Shawl
Mexicana Afghan

Pajama Party!

DD needed warm nightgowns for the winter, so last Monday these things were on my dining room table:

By Saturday Evening, they had been converted into this:

The dark purple nightgown was going to be plain on its own, so we added trim. While sewing I remembered I'd cut a pair of pants out of flannel for her long ago, and I managed to find them and sew them. Not very exciting, but they will be used. And it's an UFO out of my sewing room!

Almost a Gansey, Part Two

Left Front: From the wrong side, starting at the shoulder edge, pick up 16 stitches. Knit four rows and then start box stitch with a knit stitch. Work for 18 rows ( four and a half pattern repeats ) The picture below is what picking up from the wrong side looks like; it has a  "ridge" that while not the same as the garter ridge, is similar. View at EasyCaptures.com for a larger image. 
Neck shaping.
Increase one stitch at neck edge every row six times, incorporating stitch into pattern. Place a marker after the second increase row for ease of counting, if desired. Place Left Front stitches on holder.  Break off yarn.
Right Front: From the wrong side, starting 16 stitches in from the right shoulder edge, pick up 16 stitches. Work the same as for the Left front. Do not place stitches on holder. 
Neck Join:
You should be starting now on the right side of the work. Knit the 22 stitches from the right shoulder, cable cast on 12, knit 22 stitches from the left shoulder. Continue as for back from row 30 until 4 full repeats of box stitch after first ridge.  Break yarn. Cast on two stitches, work the front stitches, cast on four stitches, work the back stitches, cast on two stitches, place marker for beginning of round, join to front. Now work in rounds until you have six full repeats of box stitch after first ridge, and then: 
Round 57: Knit
Round 58: Purl
Round 59: Purl
Round 60: Knit
Continue in Stockinette stitch until about 19" from the beginning. 
Edge Rounds ( garter stitch ).  Rounds 1&3: Purl. Rounds 2&4: Knit. 
Round 5: Bind off purlwise.   Use TechKniters "Good" bind off  but change it to purlwise insertion of the needle on the stitch to bind off. 



View at EasyCaptures.com

Almost a Gansey, Part One

After many consultations with DS, and waiting until Fall to account for Summer Growth, I have started DS's Gansey. The yarn is Caron One Pound. Yes, Acrylic. Yarn Snob I am not, and the price and easy care make this a good choice for the garment.
While swatching I had 4 spi, but now I get 3.5 spi. So out went the plans to use Ann Budd's book as a springboard, and I'm completely winging it, with the aid of several books. 
Disclaimer: his won't be a true gansey, as it won't have gussets and won't be made out of wool.
References:
Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top Down 
Sabine Dominik's Cables, Diamonds Herringbone 
Donna Druchunas' Ethnic Knitting: Discovery
A Barebones Description
A modified drop shoulder crewneck pullover, worked from the top down. Garter stitch at the shoulders, 2/2 box stitch with reverse stockinette bands yoke, continuing just past the underarm. Stockinette stitch body. Sleeve welts and body hem to be determined.
BACK: 
Cast on 56 stitches for the back. Knit 4 rows. Start box stitch pattern:
Row 1: (k2,p2) to end
Row 2: (p2,k2) to end
Row 3: (p2,k2) to end
Row 4: (k2,p2) to end
Repeat these 4 rows 5 times. Six pattern repeats.
Row 29:  Knit
Row 30: Knit
Row 31: Purl
Row 32: Purl
Work four  pattern repeats of box stitch pattern ( 24 more rows ). This is to the depth of the armhole. Slip stitches to a spare needle and work the front. 
When the underarm is cast on, work two pattern repeats of box stitch pattern ( Now in the round ) and then work the last ridge as follows: 

Row 57: Knit

Row 58: Purl

Row 60: Purl

Row 61: Knit 

...
( note: This post is being edited to reflect any changes I do on the design.. )

What this looks like to Row 34

Aaargh!

Last night, as I was going to do clue 5 of the Martingale's Mystery Shawl, I realized that this had happened.
View at EasyCaptures.com Besides the stitch showcased in the picture, there was an additional stitch that had managed to drop from about row 55 to the row 35, but was still present at the top. Some ingenuity and a darning needle solved that bit. The other side had a dropped stitch as well, but mercifully only 5 rows!
I am now trying to do the last 8 rows.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing. Hopefully I'll learn to use this thing later..

A Catch-Up of sorts

Knitting from last post: I finished Tang and Coronet. DS already outgrew Tang, as he has grown 5 inches and counting in 2009. Coronet was done, though it turned out a bit slouchy. I like how it looks on her though. I also made a matching scarf from the yarn leftovers, even if the purples don't look the same in these pictures!
And I finally did some sewing!

I didn't finish the leaf dress for me (yet), but I did make DD several things. First a graduation dress, the pattern made with Pattern Master Boutique software, but I have no good picture of this. I made her a nightgown, from an old OOP Butterick pattern.

View at EasyCaptures.com

And a laptop sleeve, seen here before the veclro was added: 

View at EasyCaptures.com

View at EasyCaptures.com

I was a skein short for the Dancing with the Devil Cardigan, and a Raveler came to my rescue! I read her blog and she likes frogs, so I made this:

View at EasyCaptures.com

The frog pattern is adapted from Debbie Mumm, and the wonderful Charlie found it for me.