Use the Force!

So this is an idea that popped into my head a while ago, that I have been just dying to get on the needles: lightsaber scarves.  I was amazed that I couldn't find any patterns online, so I had to make up my own.  Finding the right yarn was a little tough, since I often shop online and it can be difficult to find just the right colors.  (As a hardcore fan, anything less than perfection is unacceptable.)

My first trial was Qui-Gon Jinn's 'saber from Episode 1, which has always been one of my favourites for its simplicity of style.  I wasn't sure at first about the lime green for the blade -- on its own, it looks rather yellow -- but it actually worked perfectly and I love it.  

I wish I'd had this finished in time for Episode VII

Since most of the hilt ends are done in more than one color, it is very important to remember to wrap the new color under the other on the wrong side (back) before continuing the row, or else you will end up with gaps where the colors switch.

Note the black is looped around the grey, to hold it together

I embroidered over the edges of the black to give it a cleaner line, and the red button is just a simple little bubble (popcorn) stitch -- cast on 2, kfb in both, k2tog twice, k2tog again, then pull the tail through that last stitch and sew it on.  Voila!

As soon as my computer is back in the land of the living, I'll be patterning this baby up on Ravelry.  I also have patterns in the works for just about every other lightsaber in the movies, as well: Obi-Wan's, Luke's, Vader's, even Darth Maul.  Plus, it's easy to customize any color "blade" (Kishi wants me to do a pink one for our little Pup), if you want to get all wild and crazy.  Kylo Ren's might take some extra creativity, though...I think I'll just stick to the first six movies for now.

*Also, for those interested, I do sell these and other designs through my Etsy shop, which is now open!  Find me at https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/DizzyStitchin *  

Squishy Mail!

Have you ever come up with a great design and wanted to cast on immediately?  But you don't have the right yarn for it, so you have to wait until you can afford to order it?  Then you order it, but you have to wait for it to arrive?

THEN IT FINALLY ARRIVES AND YOU'RE SO EXCITED YOU RIP THE BOX OPEN AND GRAB YOUR NEEDLES AND GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY? 

This is me today.

I literally just opened the box 20 minutes ago.  Excited?  I think so!

I have been waiting for weeks to be able to test out this idea for a pattern, and my happiness level right now is off the charts (haha, knitting joke...).  I kind of feel bad for all my other projects, which will now have to wait just a bit longer to be finished.  But I've got a box load of new yarn here just begging me to use it...

One of the first times I've ordered yarn with specific projects in mind

That right there is sixteen 8oz balls of worsted, my friends.  It's looking like it's gonna be a long night.  (But TOTALLY worth it!)

Experiments!

This post is long overdue, and has been sitting in my drafts for about two weeks now.  What was supposed to be a post-holiday break for relaxation and me-knitting...well, it kinda got away from me.  First of all, Arya has gone from just learning to crawl to trying to walk in about a week and a half -- and is like a hurricane blowing through my living room.  Then, all of us got sick, which was no fun.  Plus, my computer decided to up and die on me, so I'm stuck updating from my iPad (hence the lack of formatting...apologies).  Anyways, there hasn't been a whole lot of time for knitting, but I've been doing what I can.

Still, I did manage to get another Zig-Zag Scarf off the needles, and I absolutely love the colors of this one.  A fiery mix of purple, red and orange, I have kept with my impromptu scheme and dubbed this one "Thor on Fire".  It made me giggle.  I wanted something that didn't require a lot of thinking or pattern reading, and this is a super easy go-to for me.  

I want to make all the things in this yarn

I've been putting in a few rows here and there on a few experiments, as well.  I say experiments because, well, I really have nothing but a vague idea going in that I play around with until it turns into something I'm satisfied with.  This one is a cotton scarf done in fan and feather, on a diagonal.  Because apparently I feel I should be doing more math with my knitting.  (A twelve stitch pattern, over four rows, two increases per repeat...carry the one...divide by zero...)

Love the colors of this yarn -- called "Hydrangea"

I'm also working on a cardigan for myself, but the pattern itself is in French, so it's slow going since I need to translate the terms used as I go.  So far it's turning out great, though!  

On the plus side, I've got a ton of new designs and patterns sketched out, so as long as I can keep up a steady stream of new yarn into my stash (is that ever REALLY a problem?) I'll have a bunch of new stuff to share with you all soon!

Patterns Going Live!

Between working on the various projects I've got on the go (I recently came down with a mild case of start-itis) I have also been busy designing some new patterns and writing up some of my older ones.  It's taken me a bit longer than I'd hoped, especially with a teething baby who insists on attaching herself to me at all times.  They will be available for download through Ravelry, so feel free to look me up there as DizzyStitchin.  

Over the next few months, I will also be working on opening an Etsy shop that will feature some of my finished projects for sale (those I can bring myself to part with, anyways).  It'll take a while to get everything up and running, but bear with me.  

In the meantime, my needles are busy juggling a scarf, a tunic, a sweater, two shawls, and a poncho...not to mention all the ideas I've got bouncing around still waiting to be cast on.  Those extra needle sets I got myself for Christmas are sure getting a workout!  My birthday is coming up, so I think I may be gifting myself some new yarn...which may also be what my dear hubby has hinted at giving me.  Either way, I see a whole lot more knitting ahead this year!  

Christmas(-ish) Shawl!

Every year, I get myself an Advent calendar.  It's a tradition I've hung onto since I was a kid.  I don't always eat the chocolate each day -- sometimes I'll leave it for a few days, then eat five or six or twelve at a time to catch up.  One year, I got the calendar on Christmas Eve, so I just ate the whole thing at once...but I digress.

Anyways, I decided to get myself a different kind of Advent calendar this year (in addition to the chocolate Avengers one I already got).  It's a knit-along Advent KALendar.  Basically, each day leading up to Christmas, they release another little chunk of the pattern, so that by Christmas, you have a finished project.  I thought this was a super cute idea.

Day 1

You don't get to see the finished design until the end, so there's a bit of trust involved when getting into one of these.  Anna Dalvi, who designed the shawl, has some very lovely designs, so it was a leap of faith I was more than willing willing to take.  Plus, the inspiration for the designs comes from two of the Slavic goddesses, and I'm a sucker for mythology.

With all of the other projects I've had on the go, plus all the regular Christmas preparations like shopping and wrapping, plus the baby...well, I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the pattern releases and be finished by Christmas, and it takes considerably longer to knit up even a few rows than to eat a dozen or so little chocolates.  Still, starting late is better than not starting at all.

Day 2

I've managed to avoid the Ravelry forums for the KALendar so far, since I don't want to ruin the surprise for myself as everyone shows off their work, but from what I've managed to get finished, it's going to look fantastic.  There's little picots along the edge, which is a new skill for me, and I'm working it in red and black, to go with most of my fancier outfits.  I'm also thinking of adding some beadwork to it when I'm done, but I'll figure that part out later.

Day 3

Wishing you all the best for whatever holidays you're celebrating this time of year, and I hope you have had a chance to relax and enjoy yourselves!

Pom-Poms!

I'm a total sucker for unusual and novelty yarns.  Sometimes you find a yarn that just calls to you, even though you have no idea what you're going to do with it.  I found such a yarn, in many colors, and it sat in my stash for months.  Then, suddenly, inspiration struck.  Basically, I had Christmas gifts to give, and a whole lot of yarn to use.

Pom-Poms for all!

  When I first bought this yarn, I bought a whack-load of it.  I'm pretty sure that's the technical term.  The cashier was a knitter herself, but even though she thought it was "so neat", she had no idea what to do with the yarn I chose.  Hopefully, she finds this blog and gets a few...because I've come up with several.

Most commercial yarns come with a pattern on their labels...generally something basic, like a scarf.  I took that idea and got a bit more creative with it.  This yarn gives a lot of creative leeway, once you learn how to work with it.  Keeping in mind it called for a US9 needle, I just sort of let my intuition guide my work from there.

The first work was a cowl and matching headband.  The cowl was worked eight Poms wide, 52 rows long, and the headband was four Poms wide, 42 rows long.  Each was twisted, and then sewn together to give it a mobius shape. It's a great style for the younger crowd, or the more fashion-forward.  My sister Naomi has that sort of "it's-quirky-but-it-totally-works" kind of style, and she was the first one I thought of when I came up with this design.

The pinks in this just screamed Naomi

To get the mobius shape, it would have been possible to knit the whole thing in the round, simply twisting the stitches once before joining, but the finished piece would have had no give to it.  Since a bit of elasticity is good in this sort of thing, I opted to go through the extra step of sewing it together later, in order to get the proper fit.

The second work was a more classic scarf, seven Poms wide.  A hole was worked into the design 40 rows in, so the scarf could be looped through itself, without having to be tied.  Another great style, which doesn't have to sacrifice function for form.  One great advantage to this pattern is its simplicity to use -- my mother-in-law suffers from arthritis, so not having to tie and untie a knot is much simpler.  Also, I'm rather lazy, so I made one of these for myself.  All you have to do is bind off the six middle stitches (keeping four on either side) after 40 rows, which is 20 rows of Poms on each side (counting your cast-on as the first row).  Then, on the next row, cast on those six stitches again, and just keep knitting till the end of the yarn.  

A no-knot scarf -- perfect for anyone on your list!

Knitting with the Pom-Poms is a bit of a trick -- basically, you knit two stitches between each Pom, one just before, and one just after.  You start with a stitch just before a Pom, and you end with a stitch just after one.  So, if you're knitting a scarf, for example, seven Poms wide, you'd have fourteen stitches in total.  Once you get the hang of it, the yarn knits up rather quick.  

These Poms are so soft, I just love it!

I was working on one of these at the doctor's office, and an older lady stopped by to watch.  She'd seen the yarn in stores, but wondered what it would look like knitted up.  We sat and chatted for a bit, and I gave her a couple of tips.  It made me think that, when I'm knitting things for my own grandkids, I hope I still have that urge to learn something new.  And hopefully, there will be lots more interesting yarns to work with!

Phew!

So, in my frenzy of preparing all my hand-knit goodies for Christmas, I forgot one major mistake in my scheduling.  I did not, in fact, need them ready for Christmas...I needed them ready for our family and friends get-together -- which was this past Saturday.

A no-knot scarf -- just pull the end through the hole!

I love this yarn, it looks like confetti exploded all over it

A twisted cowl and matching headband

Hats of every size!

So...much...knitting...

All packed up and ready to go

With a few late nights, three and a half seasons of Merlin, and the ability to knit like the wind, I can happily say that I have completed my quest.  The gifts have been given (and happily received) to all but a couple of people I'll be seeing later on, and my hands can now take a well-deserved rest.  Although, there is that lovely grey worsted that has been begging me to become a sweater...