Archive for the ‘Knitting’ Category
Knitting Catch-Up
Posted on: August 5, 2009
Whew. It’s been a long time since I can actually say that I’ve had this much time on my hands. So, what better way to fill some of it than catch up on some much (sadly) neglected knitting projects!!!
As I was updating my ravelry projects, I realized that I had never posted a number of prior knitting projects on here on my blog …. so without further ado, here they are!
Here’s a hoodie scarf (aka Grown Up Bonnet from Knit 2 Together) that I made & gifted to my mom (*gasp*) for Christmas 2007!!! Geez. Guess knitting took a back burner once I started working in the agency world. The hoodie scarf was made out of Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a lush black color.
Here’s my mom in the purple Solaris sweater that I made for her for the very same 2007 Christmas, posing with her mom. This was officially her birthday present, since her birthday is on Christmas Day! The hoodie scarf was a part of her Christmas present. The sweater was knit in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino instead of the suede called for in the pattern.
Here’s another view of mom in the sweater flanked by her god-daughter (my cousin) Kim & her older sister Candy.
Yup, that’s me modelling the grey Pimlico shrug from Knit 2 Together that I loving re-named the grey “Jersey” shrug after our beautiful Jersey who passed as I was halfway through this project. It took a long time for me to pick it up after she passed, but finishing it was very theraputic. I made a few modifications to the pattern, none of which I quite remember now – but overall, I “shrank” the pattern a bit in order for it to be a little more snug, since I recalled reading that many people who had made this pattern before complained that it turned out rather large. I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a very light “Jersey” grey to knit this up.
Here’s a few more shots:
Lovely Leaf Lace Scarf in Progress
Posted on: August 5, 2009
Here’s a quick shot of my latest knitting project that has been keeping me sane while I wait for my architect to get me the latest set of drawings for the bakery build out (more on that to come soon).
So far, I’m a little over 1/2 way through and have completed the first half of this beautiful leaf lace scarf from purlbee.com. Figures, that I would find a free pattern from a shop that was around the corner from my first NYC job at Scholastic. I think I’ll have to pay them a visit next time I’m in the city. I so love Ravelry for making it so easy to find such awesome free patterns without having to spend 5 gajillion hours online scouring sites through google!
Brea Bag in Progress
Posted on: July 1, 2009
I’ve been working on a small hobo bag for a long time (on very tiny needles with single strand worsted weight yarn), but I felt the need to swap projects and make something quick and easy. The need to have a FO is just too strong these days! After some hunting around online to see what the perfect project would be that used some stash yarn, I decided on the Brea Bag using a black ultra alpaca yarn that I love. Here’s the back piece I finished last night. (Please forgive the photography – it’s just a quick shot from my phone!)
Every time I make a piece I learn something new – and with this I *finally* learned the difference between K2tog & SSK. I know it’s just a small thing, but it definitely makes a difference!
I can’t wait to finish this up this weekend …
A few small changes …
Posted on: May 12, 2009
It was only a matter of time, but I finally decided to break apart Sweet Element posts and all other posts (knitting, recipes, kitty updates, etc.). All the original cake & chocolate posts will remain on this blog as well, but all future cake & chocolate related posts can be found at the Sweet Element blog.
So why did I start separating everything? This is one of the few first steps to really begin to focus on Sweet Element as an entity of it’s own and not just another jumbled thing that falls somewhere on my to-do list of a million other things. I know I’ve been kind of chicken-little in the number of times I’ve said that I’m closing the door on my corporate life and jumping into pastry, but the time is quickly coming! For real! I swear!
Am I crazy to leave a good job in the middle of uncertain economic times? Perhaps. Am I crazy to want to follow through on a goal/dream I set almost six years ago? No.
I kept adding on to the original goals I had wanted to acheive before I left corporate, and as of this July, I should have met all initial and added on goals. Basically, I wanted to be debt-free (except for our regular mortgage), and I wanted to have a substantial amount saved so we could self-finance my future bakery. As you might imagine, the ”amount saved” goal kept increasing and increasing the more research I did. I hope that I’ve picked a realistic amount!
I’ve decided that as a gift to myself for my 32nd birthday, I will set myself free. I have equal amounts of fear and relief about this gift every day.
Now the tricky part is finding a space that my future bakery can call home for the next five years. I’ve been finding that it’s near impossible to keep a job in the city and try to find a shop in the burbs while also trying to keep Sweet Element afloat and cranking out cake & chocolate. If only I could split out myself as easily I split out these two blogs!!! Of course, even though near impossible, I do have a space I am working on to see if it will be viable for a bakery. Unfortunately, on the current list of priorities, anything space-related falls to the bottom these days, since my day job, cake making and family related matters are eating up all the time I have.
On other notes … this past weekend, while procrastinating starting another cake due this Saturday, I finally finished a knitting project I started over a year ago. This particular project had a lot of sentimental meaning for me, because I started it while my beloved Jersey was still with us and every time I look at it, I’m reminded of her and how she was my knitting companion. The fact that the piece is jersey grey as she was, also pulls at my heart a little. I’ll post photos soon….
I hope to have more changes & updates to report soon. For now, I’m hoping that I can carve out a few moments a day to keep posting on both Whisking on Pens & Needles and Sweet Element blogs and keep everyone up to date with the ups and downs and roundabouts that jumping corporate ship into entrepreneurial waters brings!
LYS Closing! :(
Posted on: October 12, 2007
My favorite LYS, Yarnware, is closing it’s doors this month … 
I got a letter in the mail yesterday announcing a special sale to the inner circle of customers and friends, so I did what any respectable knitter would do … immediately headed over!
The store was already picked over, but here’s a few photos of the stash I grabbed:
A slew of Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in silver gray and navy, enough Berocco Ultra Alpaca in red to make a sweater for me, a few more skeins of Berocco Ultra Alpaca in Black and white (to make a secret new awesome project), a few skeins of Berocco Hip Hop, a few worsted weight wool in brown (to make some christmas monkeys), and some cotton skeins in brown, blue and creme.
A close-up of my splurge on the Berocco Hip-Hop (I fell in love with the color) and the last skein of Jasper (How could I resist a yarn named after and in the same colors as my favorite cat?!)
My knitting companions checking out my new stash. Jersey is a definite lover of all things yarn, as you can see here 
Breast Cancer Awareness
Posted on: October 1, 2007
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in order to do my small part, I’ve made a pink keyhole scarf that I’ll donate to Lisa Spodak for raffle at her fundraiser event later in the month. The pattern is based on the Windy City Scarf designed by Jennifer Mindel that appeared in Debbie Stoller’s Stitch ‘N Bitch book, slightly modified as I used a cashmerino yarn in one color and created a slightly wider scarf (the photo has the scarf folded in half lengthwise to look more like the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon).
Breast cancer has affected many women close to my heart – brave women who shouldn’t have to go through this battle – but will until there is a cure. I’ll continue to donate to foundations like Susan Komen and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and hope you will find it in your heart to donate what you can too.
Tom Teddy
Posted on: September 28, 2007
Pattern: Best Friend Bears, by Joan Haigh & Patricia Wulff
Source: Interweave Knits Gifts, Holiday 2006, p. 68-71
Materials: 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in color 300101 (90m/50g), size 5 straight metal needles, size 11 straight metal needles, embroidery needle, scrap black worsted weight yarn for nose, teddy “snap” eyes, polyfill for stuffing and scrap worsted weight green yarn for scarf
Size: Small bear-sized … ~1′ 2″ tall
Timeline: 9/16-9/28
I’ve been wanting to make this bear since last Christmas, and I finally got around to it and was pleased to discover that the pattern was not all that difficult. I did make a few changes to the pattern: I used a soft cashmerino wool that I had in my stash (which I picked up for 1/2 price this summer!), I knit the bear on size 5 needles, I knit a nose directly on the bear instead of knitting a separate piece for the nose to stitch on, I used teddy eyes instead of knitted eyes, and I didn’t “shape” the ears since I like my teddy bears’ ears puffy. I also opted to make my own scarf with some leftover yarn – just a simple 10 stitch garter stitch scarf made on size 11 needles – instead of making a sweater. I may attempt to make the roll neck sweater given in the original pattern at some point, but at the moment I like Tom as is 
Finishing … and re-finishing …
Posted on: July 10, 2007
I’m finally getting a few knitting projects done … or so I thought. I finally got around to felting the stash bag I was making from Alterknits, but the white wool I used just would not felt like everything else … even though all the wool was theoretically the same and from the same company. Tsk, tsk … I did not make a little piece to felt-test, so I guess it’s my fault really. Maybe I’ll just make the bag into a giant pillow for the cats. They seem to like sleeping on it already. Next time … definitely making a piece to felt-test … and definitely making something smaller … that bag took FOREVER to dry after felting.
Then … last night I finally seamed the baby shrug that’s been taunting me to be finished for a few weeks … and I realized that while the sides look great … the sleeve seams should have been worked inside-out so the ugly bulky part is on the inside and not on the outside. BAH! So now I shall go home and rip out that seam and re-do it. But then … the reward … I will have NO open knitting projects … so I can start whatever new ones I want without guilt!!!
Pictures of the finished objects soon … I hope …
Current WIP – Stash Bag
Posted on: June 13, 2007
- In: Knitting
- 3 Comments
This is my first “soon-to-be-felted” project … The Stash Bag from Alterknits. I am kind of excited to be near the end of knitting soon … but I do have ALL those ends to weave in since it’s a striped bag. Does weaving in really matter if you are felting? Things I don’t know yet as an inexperienced knitter. I love the colors I picked, even if they do remind me of winter and I summer is upon us .. hehehe ;) I still don’t know what kind of handles I’ll put on, but I know I don’t want to use knitted ones. I am hoping I can line this after it’s felted and use it as my farmer’s market bag.
Knitted Fugliness
Posted on: June 8, 2007
Whenever I see something this heinous I always miss http://youknitwhat.blogspot.com/ . I am hunting around to find a free cardigan pattern worth knitting and I saw this Grimace monstronsity. Seriously I think this would even make Grimace grimace (sorry … just couldn’t help myself!). Really … what person would look good in this?!!?
