New Clothes!

This young lady, NanC, was a Christmas gift 2 years ago. At the time, she was started so late (because she was requested so late) that there was only time for one piece of clothing, and that was finished after midnight on Christmas Eve. Two years later, it's time for new clothes!


A winter dress with a fuzzy skirt!

athletic pants and a too-tight t-shirt.

a sports bra and a lettuce-edged skirt.

Khakis!

New boy gots a new pair of khakis! My son butchered a pair of khakis for his own nefarious purposes, and I got what was left for mine.

 

face up

When making a babe, I always add the face before stuffing it. This is a bit of a gamble, because it's impossible to tell if the face really works until you've stuffed and finished it up.


I managed to both add the face today, and stuff and finish it. I think I did okay! I figured out that the secret to making a boy--for me at least--was to make the mouth neutral enough that he doesn't look like an obvious girl.

Still knitting

I'm having a little bit of project meandering right now. First of all, the scarf is finished, but I have no photos of it yet. It's lovely. I'm excited to share pictures.

I have been working hard on my spaghetti socks. I soon realised I'd lost the love of the project, but I kept slogging onwards. I want them done.

Then I tried them on. Turns out I hate them. I'm going to rip them out. Bye-bye, spaghetti socks!


I started another Knitted Babe this week. I'm attempting to make a boy. I'm not sure what to change to make it male. I will probably have to fall back on hair length stereotypes. And the mouth won't be a heart. I'm not enough of an artist to understand how to make the gender thing clear. The face will be going on next. I had some knitting time last night, but not time to work on the face, so I've added the limbs already. Once the face is on, I'll stuff him and finish up his head.


Oh, I came up with a good strategy for putting limbs on these dolls. Do the limbs one needle size bigger. It goes a little faster, and you don't need the limbs to be tight enough to keep stuffing contained.

I ordered 2 skeins of worsted yesterday for 2 specific projects. It might be in violation of my no-stashing goals, but I have good intentions with this stuff. I'm so jacked to knit this yarn that I knit it all last night in my dreams.

They call this Startitis

We knitters have a term, startitis. It describes the condition a knitter gets when she or he compulsively starts more and more projects. Interestingly, everything in this photo is something I've knitted before. There are two sets of fetching, another pair of socks from the sKnitches, a couple aliens, and a dolly dress. (The dress is the scrap of yellow. It didn't get far, yet)

This picture was taken a couple days ago, and there's actually some significant progress, and no further new projects started yet. I'll blog a little later if I can actually convert a few of these to Finished Objects.

more underwears!

I've been making good use of the remnants kicking around. This set of underwear used up most of what was left of my Rushing Rivulet Socks. I'm happy to have some underwears for this gal. It makes her that much closer to being ready to go.

a lil pansy sports bra

After Jeanie and the Onion Dome hat, I only had a tiny scrap of pansy yarn left. (That is, of course, not counting the extra skein I bought when I panicked on Jeanie's length.) I used up the last of it today knitting a cute lil sports bra.

just in time

Just in time for a new weekend, here is the weekend report from LAST weekend. Things like dead camera batteries, strange computer alerts, and a captivating new project kept this update from happening earlier.

I went on a finishing binge this weekend, which was well-timed. First, I finished the little brave babe that has been languishing on my bedside table. She still needs a complete wardrobe, but hey! she's got hair!



I have a pair of BBS (Big Black Socks) for Socks for Soldiers that has been making turtle progress (slow and steady). This weekend they got that final push and were done.



Also finished this weekend was a set of fingerless gloves for the older kidlet. They still need some decorative efforts, but would you believe I've lost that ball of yarn? Hopefully I'll find it this next weekend.

Meet NanC

At last! phanC has a new twin. Her name is, of course, NanC.
Her braids were added around 4pm on Christmas Eve.

After the braids, I started on her dress. I wanted to use the green Fearless Fibers, but I didn't feel like I had enough time to knit with size one needles and complete a dress. So I started swatching with 2 strands held together. I had no idea how that would affect gauge, so started with size 3 needles, which was way too small. By the time I was up to size 5 needles, I was impatient to get started, so I just went ahead with that, but I could have surely knitted it on larger needles, especially the skirt part.

The dress was what I was knitting on until 1am, Christmas Eve/morning. There is a reason why the dress is not longer.

NanC's Dragonskin Dress
Yarn: 2 strands Fearless Fibers held together
Needles: Addi Turbo Circular Size 5
Gauge: 6 stitches per inch
Pattern: Cast on 39 stitches, join in round
Row 1 bodice: k2,p1,k2,p28,k2,p1,k2,p1. place marker. This indicates start of round, and centre back of dress.
Row 2 bodice: k2,p1,k2,p1,k26,p1,k2,p1,k2,p1.
Repeat row 2 until bodice measures one inch.
Row 1 skirt: k2,p1,k2,p1, (k2, make 1 purl in bar between stitches) repeat until you arrive at the purl stitch. p1,k2,p1,k2,p1.
Row 2&3 skirt: (k2,p1) repeat around skirt
Row 4 skirt: (k1,y0,k1,yo,k1, make 1 purl in bar between stitches, p1) repeat around skirt
Row 5&6 skirt: k5, p2, repeat around skirt
Row 7 skirt: (k1, yo, k3tog, yo, k1, p2) repeat around skirt
Row 8&9 skirt: repeat row 5
Continue to do row 7-9 until skirt is desired length.
Bind off using a double crochet bindoff.

Explanation of k3tog: slip one, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over

5 knitting days left before gifting

I was making swift progress on the new little dolly, but then I decided to stop the knitting until I had a face on her. The face is always the very hardest part of a dolly, and I find it very difficult to sew on a face when I'm trying to manipulate the needle in and out of a head that is very inaccessible. I first sewed on eyes before knitting the body on Deaux, but I have not revisited that technique since. I'm fairly pleased with the results, although it's very difficult to judge the success of the face until the doll is stuffed and has hair. For the first time, I used beads for pupils instead of a shabby french knot, an idea I picked up on Ravelry. Now that I've faced the biggest challenge, she should finish up fairly swiftly. Which reminds me, I should bring the stuffing inside to start warming up...



The mittens are also making solid progress. I do not think that 2 other pairs of mittens will be completed in the next 5 days, and I shall have to be content with what I am capable of accomplishing.

What's on the needles now

The pirate mittens I frogged back in October are back on the needles. My first try knitting them again was unsatisfactory. I like a tight cuff to keep out the cold. Now the mittens have a built-in cuff.

Personal notes: I cast on 48 stitches on a size 8 needle. I knit in 2x2 rib for 14 rows in black, then broke the yarn and set it aside. Then I cast on 48 stitches on a size 9 needle, and knit the cuff pattern for sixteen rows. Then I slid the black cuff inside the patterned cuff. The next row I knit with black, transferring one stitch from the size 8 needle onto the working needle, and knitting 2 stitches together, one from each cuff. When I had knit an entire row, the cuff was integrated. I switched to the size 8 needle and continued in pattern, adding an extra black row for symmetry to the wrist pattern. (edited for clarity, or at least an attempt at clarity)

I am knitting this pair inside out, in an attempt to tidy up my 2-colour work and keep my floats perfectly tensioned.



Also, my daughter has requested a twin for phanC, so I have cast on. We'll see how much of her I can get done.

Acquisitions

Yesterday, my knitting buddy at work and I took a lunch time stroll to the closest yarn store. Despite tremendous temptation, all I purchased was a pair of size 6 Clover Bamboo needles. This is in preparation for knitting a Candle Flame Shawl out of Knit Picks Gossamer in blue jeans. (Look! It's on clearance!) I really do like this yarn. It's all springy. My pink shawl is also made from gossamer, and I still love it. I actually wound this yarn into balls last January, fully intending to start on the shawl then. About time! I had originally set aside some Boye straight metal needles for this project, but at some point decided that bamboo would make me much happier.



Princess Anne, who lurves the new needles, is posed in front of an original print by Wally Pacholka at astropics.com

oh dear, what can the matter be?

Oh dear, what can the matter be?
Roxxy's so late at the fair

At the state fair, we walked into the Home Arts building, and the first thing that greeted us was a lonely goth dolly. If she could, she would walk to the mike and say,

I'm at the State Fair
My soul laid bare
I cannot care...



Roxxy earned a 3rd place ribbon at the fair. First and second place in her category, doll made completely of yarn, were both much larger, acrylic, and crocheted. And very cute. When she went to the State Fair, Roxxy knew she was entering the land of Cute and Country Kitchen, but she wanted to take them on, anyway. I'm very proud of her!

After some searching, next we found Bunny, mounted on cardboard and sewn to the backing with a little navy thread:



Bunny, too, earned a 3rd place ribbon in the category of toy made of fabric. Because she's so tiny, I mounted her before submitting her, according to the rules.

Next we found the Fearless Stripes. I went into the fair thinking these were my strongest entry.



I have to admit that winning the blue ribbon in socks last year, my first year entering, rather spoiled me. It was difficult to be happy with Honorable Mention, but really, that's quite honorable! Best of all, I can pick up these socks in a week and then I can finally wear them! I've been keeping them unworn for months just so I could enter them.

As the little girls continued to wander through the building, my daughter's friend said, "Look at those cute little socks!" and my daughter said, "My mom made those!!!"



My highest ribbon was a 2nd place in the Baby Ensemble category. Wheee! I'd better give them to baby before she grows out of them. :)

I certainly can't complain, having earned a ribbon for every entry for the 2nd year in a row. Last year I earned a blue in socks, a red in misc knitting, and a red in girl's dresses.]

The last thing we saw at the fair left my ears ringing. Yes, I took my kids plus an extra to see....





Yes, we saw Weird Al Yankovic.

meet Jayne

Shown here with her best friend, Roxxy, Jayne recently had to leave Roxxy and move with her big sister, phanC, some 1300 miles away to their new home. The girls bought matching dresses not to match while together, but to have a common gown while far apart.

meet phanC

A sophomore in college, phanC is still exploring her possibilities. She's a bit of a chameleon, and while her friends and classmates know her as phanC, when she's at work at the Country Club, she wears her choice of a wig and/or a hat and goes by phae, and when she goes out at night to clubs or parties, she gets dressed up and goes by phantaC.

What I did last month

About two months worth of knitting and crafting did not get blogged, because I did not want to spoil the surprise. Two sisters recently left me to head to their new home, where they had a warm welcome.Now I can introduce phanC and Jayne. I will post more photos of them as time permits.

Emergency Surgery, and a photo shoot

I was downstairs in the sewing room, taking a brief, very brief break from homework. My daughter came and got some fabric scraps and stole my scissors to create some outfits for her dolly while her daddy read her a story. Then I heard it... Deeply sorrowful sobbing coming down the stairs. My mama divination kicked in, and I knew immediately that there had been some tragic accident with the sewing scissors and a dollie. Indeed, an arm had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and had been cut off. She was traumatized! Amazingly, I knew where to find the very yarn, and we rushed her into emergency surgery. So much for my short break and my studying. She is now good as new, though I told my daughter to have Joy get plenty of rest, and to keep that arm immobilized for a few days. Everyone needs healing time after major surgery. This picture shows her with her arm in a sling, and also modeling the flip-flops created just for today's photo shoot.

One of the major efforts today was to create a story. I retold a chapter from Gooney Bird Greene. My son helped me, and with the camera, several toys, and the better part of the day we created an illustrated chapter. The knitted grrls played a big part in the chapter, with the new dollie Anne featured as Gooney Bird.

A visitor on the set.


Anne as Gooney, telling a story.


Roxxie playing a curious second grader, her eyebrow piercing carefully concealed.


Joy as another curious second grader, her arm shown before the injury.


Kitty, modeling as catman sleeping in the car.

a busy day

You'd think I wasn't in grad school, for all the stuff going on in my life today! I need to make notes on the dolly underwear while I still remember what I did. I was using microspun yarn, and a size 3 Addi Turbo. For the sports bra: Cast on 44 stitches. Join without twisting, knit in seed stitch for 5 rows. Bind off 22 stitches (I used the knit 2 together, put stitch back on left needle, knit 2 together, including the stitch that you just got finished with, put the stitch back on the left needle, repeat...). With 22 stiches bound off, and the last stitch completed counting as the first knit stitch, I do each row as k1, ssk, knit to 3 stitches from end, k2tog, k1. next row purl. repeat these 2 rows until 12 stitches remain, ending with the purl row. Cast off until 1 stitch remains. Put that stitch on a crochet hook and start to chain. Put the bra on the dollie so you can see just how long the strap needs to be to go over her shoulder and meet the back of the strap. Attach the strap to the back by inserting the hook into the 11th stitch of the cast, chaining the 2 together. Then chain into the 12th stitch, and start chaining a new strap that goes back up and over her shoulder. When it reaches the top of the bra, chain it into the first stitch. You may need to chain it in to two stitches to make it connect nicely. Break yarn, weave in ends.
The panties start very similar: Cast on 44 stitches, join, knit in seed stitch for 4 rows. Knit 2 rows in stockinette stitch. Knit 17 stitches. Cast off 7 stitches. Knit 16 stitches. Cast off 7 stitches. (by now you've gone all the way around once and have started the next row, and you have 16 live stitches sitting on the back cable of the circular needle, and they're just going to sit there.) K1, ssk, k8, k2tog, k1. Turn. p1. p2tog. p6. p2tog like a backwards ssk. (I don't even know how to explain how to do this. something like: put next 2 stitches on right needle. return to left needle, turning the stitch mounts. put your right needle into these two stitches from the back left to front right. purl. I may be totally wrong, that's just what I came up with.) p1. Repeat these two rows, decreasing at the start and end until you're down to 6 stiches. k 1 row. p 1 row. For the next several rows, on the knit row, m1 at each end, just after the first stitch and before the last stitch. then purl back. Increase until you have 16 stitches. Then kitchener this to the live stitches sitting on the cable. Weave in ends. By decreasing on both knit and purl rows in the front, and by increasing only on the knit rows in the back, it makes these nicely shaped like most panties, with a bigger rear.

This pattern is really crude. I don't know if it would be helpful to any one, but it's a start.

Here's a few other photos from a busy day that involved very little studying.