yarn Archives • Page 2 of 3 • Jessica Smith Creates

August 13, 2014August 19, 2018

Stashbusting Kree!

So I may be on a bit of a Stargate kick, but who can say no to Teal’c? And don’t forget the apostrophe.

In other news, after my sock-high I was interested in doing some stashbusting. After all, those sock cost about twelve bucks, and the cowl an additional 6, which I’m totally not regretting, but there’s something about the subject of free that I love.

Granted, free means I’ve had this yarn for so long that although I know exactly where I got it, there’s no way of knowing how much it cost. It may have ended up a birthday gift. I’m a picky gift-receiver, which my family knows well, so I tend to end up picking out gifts knowing I’ll receive them all trussed up for a “surprise” a few months later.

In this case, the deep blue yarn, Sirdar Snuggly Domino DK, was bought at a Superbowl Sunday sale about 6 years ago. Maybe even 7… I think I even deigned to watch 10 minutes of the game, before I gave up and ran downstairs to hide out until the snacks were served.

The Schachenmayr nomotta Baros, otherwise known as the aqua yarn, was bought in Germany on my second trip to visit family there. It was on sale, which was good because I had a limited number of euros to spend. Souvenir yarn is often too difficult to part with, so this was stashed for 5 years.

Definitely high time to make something. On both counts.

Both of these projects had basis in a one skein book, 101 Yarn Shop Favorites.

My new hat is technically the Aran Tam. I say technically… I should have followed directions and knit the beginning on smaller straight needles, but I was confused, and it was my second go, having tried a bulky yarn first which would have made a monster sized hat. So I trudged ahead. Then I moved on, and managed to get some kind of counting wrong, resulting in a messed up pattern. You can’t tell with the surprisingly busy yarn, but I think I’ll have another go at some point. Also, the band is too wide, due to the aforementioned needle issue, so I’m considering threading some elastic through the ribbing. Still have another ball… Now what to make? Maybe some wristlets…

The wristband had basis in the Cabled Headband. I say had basis… I took the starting point and just knitted without increases or decreases until I made it tightly around my wrist. Sewed it up with my handy knitpicker, and I got a lovely wristband! Handy when my wrists decide they hate knitting. Or typing. Or cooking. Or moving. Darn that violin playing from an early age! Messing up my wrists forevermore.

The wristband yarn is soon to be finished in a yoke for a shirt capacity… I misplaced a piece, and once I locate it, you’ll hear about it!

August 8, 2014May 11, 2020

Deep Forest Cowl

So I had a good amount of yarn left after my socks were completed. This wasn’t surprising, as I have rather tiny feet, but because it was the most expensive yarn I had ever purchased I wanted to use it for something special.

When I was abroad, I found myself wearing scarves all the time, all day long. I carried this with me when I returned stateside.

But what is more handy for a full day of neck-covering goodness? A cowl… It doesn’t fall off your neck… Always a plus.

So I was looking through the Knitty archives looking for a hat pattern, but when I saw this cowl I just couldn’t resist. It was everything I wanted: lacy, pretty, a cowl, and not requiring oodles of yarn.

It is… the Eleanor cowl. The one, the only, the lovely.

It was a quicker knit than the socks, if only because it was less repetitive and therefore easier to get interested in working the pattern.

I blocked it, my first successful blocking if we’re being honest, but it quickly snapped back a day later. No matter, it’s still comfy and will certainly serve its purpose well!

I still couldn’t find a yarn needle, though, so I ended up using this knitpicker thing to sew up the seam. An effective but time consuming method. Kinda like using a needle threader for every stitch.

Now if only cooler temperatures would appear, then I could get to wearing some of the stuff I’ve been making!

July 15, 2014August 19, 2018

Socks in Four Parts

I finished just under the wire of my deadline! At 4PM I was the new proud owner of wool and silk socks!

They’re so pretty and comfy and though it’s regularly in the 90s here, I’ve barely taken them off. I determined, though, that they weren’t suitable wear for going to the library… That involves going outside where it is quite hot, and I didn’t think my feet could handle it.

But since then, I’ve continually worn them… They’re so comfy!

But I should tell you, this isn’t my first foray into sock making, just the first time I ended up with two socks. Behold the tube sock of doom!!! It was made of a variety of worsted weight acrylic yarn, and it’s not comfy and doesn’t smell nice after a while. I think I made it in middle school or early high school, and I only wore it once, when I had this massive blister on my foot, and had to remove some of the callous on my heel and my entire foot felt odd.

Well that wraps up my sock escapade!

July 14, 2014August 19, 2018

Sock Progress – Part 3

Here it is, Monday.

Didn’t check in yesterday, mostly because I slept in and forgot…

But I thought it fitting to give you a morning update, even though today it is an exercise in phone frustration. Darn multitasking.

I’m through the gauntlet, err the gusset. I’m about halfway down the foot.

And since I don’t normally go to the library until five or so, I’ll still have all day to work on it… hopefully I won’t need it all…

July 11, 2014August 19, 2018

Sock Progress – Part 2

It’s time for another update!

After three days of knitting, I have finally completed a sock!

It’s warm, it’s comfy, and fits perfectly. I’ve been wearing it since I finished it. It’s odd to be wearing only one sock.

I did have to tweak the pattern due to the whole gauge sitch. But unlike my normal self, I took careful notes on row counts and configurations, so I can copy them directly into my left sock.

Also learned that Kitchener stitch is not easily accomplished with dpns instead of a needle, but I managed. I know that I have some pink plastic needles lying around, because I definitely saw them when I was moving, but I haven’t managed to find them.

And I cast on for the second sock immediately, so I’ll be continuing that shortly! Talk to you in a few days!

July 9, 2014August 19, 2018

Sock Progress – Part 1

So it looks like it’s going to be an every two day update on the socks, which suits me just fine.

On Monday night I was supposed to be making a gauge swatch.

That didn’t work out.

Instead I spent four hours making a center pull ball of yarn by hand. Four hours. But I have now kinda fallen in love with center pull balls, so we’ll see what the future holds for me and yarn balls.

But doesn’t my yarn ball vaguely look like Turnip Head’s head, from Howl’s Moving Castle? I think so.

Then instead of casting on for a gauge swatch I just went ahead and cast on for the full sock. I know, I know, but I was going to treat it as a double gauge swatch, if it wasn’t working out I’d frog it. But it just so happened to fit the specifications quite well, so this morning I trudged on once I had gotten enough to tell. I should admit now that I’m not using the proper sized needles, because I don’t own them, but also that I’m a tight knitter, and often need to move up needle sizes anyway. It has worked out, that the width of stitches is proper, even if the height is a good amount off.

And so I spent about ten hours of close to continuous knitting on Tuesday. Yesterday.

When I knit, I grasp the knitting needle with my ring finger for stabilization. My ring finger swelled after all that knitting. So much that I couldn’t bend it well and it’s throbbing a bit. That’s why I stopped, really.

But I’m proud of my progress. The entire leg part and heel are completed, and I’ve got a round or two into the main foot part as well. Or gussets… I’m not up to date on my sock anatomy.

I’ll check back in on Friday!

March 18, 2014

When you play the Game of Thrones…

This weekend I embarked on the journey known as the show Game of Thrones.

It is a good journey, filled with lovely costumes and entertaining murder.

And I have news.

I’m a non-monogamous crafter. By far.

Maybe that’s not news. In fact, I think you all probably have caught onto that by now.

But now its most definitely okay!

I will not be attending SDCC this year, like I had planned. My friends and I decided that it was more important to go on an adventure together, rather than some of us attending the event while others couldn’t.

This means that a) I won’t have the deadline of July for my costumes, leaving me more time for non-monogamous fun.

b) I won’t have to shell out airfare for southern California on the super busy busy week.

Whew. Saving money is fun, ain’t it?

I’m still planning on making the costumes, so never fear, my super difficult to conceptualize and describe plans are definitely going to happen. It’s just a matter of when.

But this allows me to have some more fun too!

Although, knowing this, I should mention how many projects I’ve got going.

Ahem.

Archer shirt – my brown and cream one’s red bias binding came apart, so I need to fix it.

Belle’s cape – attaching ties and lace

Belle’s necklace – in a super hibernating state

Cardilero – Hehe. Let’s just not talk about it. Haven’t touched it in awhile.

Green denim jeans – I recently lost my favorite pair of jeans to inner thigh holes, so I’m gonna try my hand at making a pair.

Mesmerize sweater – I started it this weekend. Game of Thrones is quite lulling.

Strax – haven’t touched it.

UFO #2 – finally found it and got some pictures. Expect a post soon.

Sleeping? That I’m good on. Got lots of it. Perhaps that’s why I’m not being productive. Or doing homework. Sometimes my short term sanity takes priority over my long term homework efforts.

February 1, 2014August 19, 2018

Scarfing it!

Confession time.

This may be the second scarf I’ve ever made.

This would be a good time to mention that I’ve been crocheting since… maybe third or fourth grade?

And knitting since the year after that?

And now I’m a senior in college.

And I’ve only ever made two scarves.

Full disclosure: I tried to make a scarf when I was first starting crocheting, but it ended up being something more like an ascot.

Have you noticed that I get bored easily?

And when I first began knitting, I was well on my way to making a scarf, where I then decided to make a poncho instead.

Have you noticed that I like to make random and fancy big ideas?

I did finish that poncho, but by then wearing a poncho was no longer cool, plus I had edged it in a fuzzy white yarn, and then realized that I didn’t like fuzzy. I’m back in a fuzzy appreciating phase, though, if you’d like to know.

A few years ago I made a very nice soft scarf for my mom with a lovely cable braid up the center that you can’t actually see when you look at the scarf, but adds tremendous warmth.

So when I decided that I wanted to make something out of this lovely off white and silvery yarn, of which I only had one skein, I thought making a nice simple scarf would be a fantastic and quick make.

After spending three years making a sweater, I wanted a nice quick project. So a simple stockinette stitch scarf was right up my alley.

I’m going to guess it took me 20 hours to make, rounding up, off and on throughout the month of January. Of course, for the final eight hours I was convinced I was almost done. I always think balls of yarn knit up quicker than they do in reality.

But I got me a lovely scarf to help protect me from this cold spell.

Now if only something could help the kitchen sink pipes from freezing. I get the idea that a scarf won’t cut it.

January Project 5

January 19, 2014August 19, 2018

The Three Year Sweater

I’m not exaggerating on this. Three years.

This is the Roseanne Sweater from the book Blueprint Crochet by Robyn Chachula.

I started this sweater in sophomore year of college. Do you want to know how I know? Because I got the lovely yarn then. And I started the project not long afterward. At most a month afterward.

I’ve been showing you the progress I’ve made on this sweater for as long as I’ve had this blog, but then I forgot to work on it… some more.

The last time we discussed it, I had just started on the shawl collar. I think I finally finished the square blocks in October, and worked on filling in the triangles in November.

But this winter break was when I put my foot down. I was going to finish this sweater once and for all. This break. And when I decided this, I only had a week left. Because I love deadlines.

I finished up the collar last week, and attached the collar to the “vest”. Trying it on, it’s a little bit tight against the shoulders, but if I’m being honest, my gauge is crap, and I was very tense when I was crocheting that bit.

I’m a very tight crocheter. I continually have to move up three hooks just to get near the gauge.

So I folded over the wrapped sides, and crocheted them together. At this point, you are basically instructed to create a chain and then crochet ribbing perpendicular to the edge of the sweater. This is where my problem lies.

I cannot start crocheting in a straight line. It has thwarted every crocheted sweater or purse effort I’ve tried. Which is why I like squares and lace, which just so happens to be pretty.

At this point I switched gears and used a different yarn to rim the bottom of the sweater, and then I began to do a smaller version of the ribbing, which basically worked out well. To bring this yarn in with the rest of the sweater, I then added it around the collar.

In the end, I love this sweater, its cute and I made it, which is a plus.

January Project 2

September 25, 2013

Mesmerizing and Cardigans

So I’ve got lots of yarn, and I’m going to continue working on projects with it. I’ve still got my crochet sweater to finish, but that really doesn’t stop me from starting new projects. And now I’m gonna tell you about them, because now I can!

I got this lovely cornflower blue yarn for Christmas last year, and I knew that I wanted to make something special out of it. It’s soft and silky, but even though I have quite a few skeins it doesn’t add up to a lot of yarn.

crochetme5a

link

This sweater caught my eye the first time I got out the book Crochet Me, by Kim Werker, from the library. It’s called the Mesmerize Sweater, for good reasons. It’s so visually pretty, and could be versatile in my wardrobe. I’m thinking it would look lovely over a black dress or something.

These lovely yarns are both a deep purple, and are very different from each other in texture. The one on the right is super soft and fuzzy, and even though it looks blue, it’s really a deep deep purple. The one on the left is more reddish purple, and is a bit scratchier, like it has some wool to it.

link

I’m planning to make a Cardilero with these, from the book Warm Knits, Cool Gifts by Sally Merville and Cady Merville. It’s basically a long rectangle with armholes, which I’m going to make with the reddish purple yarn. I’m also thinking of modifying the pattern a bit, so it’ll be a bit warmer. The other yarn will be for sleeves, for as long as one skein per arm will get me. I’m hoping for at least getting sleeves to the elbows.