2011 Knits

Every year I post a list of the projects I completed the previous year. I'm a little late on this one, but I think it might still be relevant sometime. A goal of mine this year is to post a bit more. I haven't been writing much recently, and I'm thinking that's a skill that falls under that "use it or lose it" deal.

2011 Knits

1. Day Glow Robot
2. Baby Bobbi Bear for Colin
3. Silver Ishbel for me to wear at my brother's wedding
4. Lobster Pot Red Livias
5. Star Tank
6. Hurricane Irene V-Neck
7. 2 minna key covers
8. Mini Sock for Maude
9. Whale Watch Hat
10. Silver Beaded Ishbel for Aunt Pat

There was a rather large project I was working on that took up quite a bit of time. I just finished that, so it'll be on the 2012 list next January. The strange thing to me is that there's only one pair of socks here. I think that's largely due to the fact that I could knit bigger things on my commutes to work from Staten Island. I'm hoping that I can fix the sock situation this year. Some of my older ones are starting to get holes in them.

The big epic project this year is going to be a Christmas Tree Skirt for our Christmas tree this year. I'm hoping to knit a few Christmas Balls too. I just got 55 Christmas Balls to Knit and it looks like a fun time.

Also, I signed up for some classes this year already. A sewing basics course at The Sewing Studio in an effort to figure out how to do that kind of craft.

My grandmother gave me one of her old 8 shaft table looms for Christmas and a Warping Wheel. I'm insanely excited about weaving, and signed up for a class at the Textile Arts Center. My classes start in february!

Delinquent Blogger

I've been up to a lot recently.
Let's start with what I was up to in 2010.

1. Pearl Ten Malabrigo Feather and Fan Cowl
2. Bergen Street Mits
3. Sock 2 of the Pinstriped Jaywalkers - I got sock one and skein 2 at a swap, I just needed to complete the second sock
4. Hoot - an owl barrette for Kara
5. Sparkly Spiral Knee Socks
6. *KNITTING OLYMPICS PROJECT* Tangled Yoke Cardigan (didn't finish in time for a medal, but I did finish it, and I wear it all.the.time.)
7. Ingenue from Custom Knits
8. Bee Sweet Mohair shawl on the Bias - this was a sample I knit for Annie & Company Knitting
9. Damson - this was also a sample for Annie & Company Knitting. I loved this pattern and will no doubt knit it again.
10. Brown Baby Bobbi Bear for Desi, Illanna's baby!
11. Ishbel - this was also a sample for Annie & Company Knitting. They forced me to knit it out of Jade Sapphire 2-ply Cashmere. It's dreamy. I ended up returning some yarn at Purl yesterday and got some Jade Sapphire 2-Ply Cashmere/Silk to knit one for myself.
12. Rainbow Half-Assed Leyburns - Maybe I'll knit the actual pattern sometime. I was too lazy and the pattern wasn't showing up in the solid colored yarn I was using. Still love these socks though. They make me happy.
13. Seraphim - I started this shawl in Hawaii in 09 and finished it sometime in the summer of 2010.
14. Silken Straw V-Tee - I decided to turn this into a tank top, but I might try to put some sleeves on it anyway. Kaplan has some sort of policy where you can't wear tank tops to work.
15. Monhegan - I knit this sample for Nora Gaughan. Unfortunately, every time she's pinged me to knit a sample for her after this I've been busy. The most recent time with freelance for The Knitting Book
    - forthcoming from DK Publishing. :(
16. Kai Mei socks by Cookie A.
17. Twisted Carrot pillows for Heidi & Stew's wedding gift
18. Briar Rose Quincy hat - which I've already forgotten in a cab and have lost
19. Briar Rose Quincy Scarf - which still matches the hat, wherever the hat is...
20. Nutkins out of Mountain Colors Barefoot in Mountain Tango colorway - God, I love these socks. This yarn is still one of my favorite sock yarns.

The only reason I got so much done was because I spent a few months there being unemployed. The stash came in REAL handy, I'll tell you what. I really wish there were a viable way for me to just knit all the time and support myself that way. The amount of money I was bringing in during that time from knitting, however, just wouldn't have cut it on its own (I should give a shout out to the Federal and NYS Department of Labor for those unemployment benefits).

In 2011 so far, I've managed to knit two baby gifts already.
A Robbie Robot from DangerCrafts for Bess and Jeff's baby boy (born this week!).


This pattern was fun, but for some reason kept crashing the Goodreader app on my iPad. It worked fine on the Goodreader app on my iPhone 4 though.

And yet another Baby Bobbi Bear for Beth and Erich's baby boy to come. (I can't get enough of this pattern, it's so adorable!)



I'm working on a gift for my brother's wedding and I'd also like to knit an Ishbel before wedding season because I know I'm going to get cold at all these weddings. I had some extra yarn from the Robbie Robot and the Baby Bobbi Bear to return to Purl on Friday, so I picked up some Jade Sapphire 2-ply Silk Cashmere in Sterling:


I think that'll be a gorgeous Ishbel, right?!

I have so much more I've been thinking and knitting about, but I'm really interested in drawing a little tonight, so I think I'll hop on that instead.

Knitting for Others

This has been a rather wild time. In the span of a couple of weeks I accepted a new job at a new company, moved out of my old apartment and in with my boyfriend on Staten Island (!?) and leased a car. The world seems new again, and though my commute has increased exponentially compared to how it was in Brooklyn, I seem to not be knitting anything at all for myself!

I finished a sample for Berroco that will be in Norah Gaughan's new booklet for spring. It was really exciting to do something like that and see the garment before anyone else (it's really awesome and I'll point it out when the booklet comes out), but it was somewhat stressful knitting with a deadline.

But I'm not letting that stop me! In the upcoming months I have a friend getting married, a family member (my brother) getting married, and two friends are having babies. This is a LOT of knitting for others!

To start, I'm knitting a pair of pillows for my friend who's getting married in a couple of weeks. Neither the couple, nor the pillows are fancy. I'm taking some Ikea pillows that are still good from an old couch I had and am knitting a case for them, essentially. I'm taking a twisted carrot motif that was on their invitations and incorporating it onto the front.

Here's where I need YOUR help. Where can I find some software or an online generator to chart out the image? I've searched online, but I can't find anything that is exactly what I want. I want to upload the image, and input the size I want it to end up being, along with the gauge I've gotten. This doesn't seem too complex, but it's that last bit that I seem to be having trouble with.

Any advice?