the ANGRY KNITTER

Back in the Saddle

2008-06-30T22:10:00.005-04:00

I've been slacking off on my knitblogging lately, but I have certainly not been slacking off on my knitting. Well, actually, my crocheting. I haven't knit anything in months, but I've been hooking up a storm. Of course, the only people aware of my prolificness are my flickr contacts and the fine people over at Ravelry. My recent slackoffedness is all Ravelry's fault, I tell ya. I start a project, fill in all the pertinent info such as pattern name, hook size, yarn, where I got said yarn, and whatever comments I have about the project. Then I upload flickr photos of my latest creation and voila! Instant online documentation of said project. Unfortunately, the ease of Ravelling has caused my slacking off on AngryKnitter.com.

So, to set things straight, I will show you what I've been working on recently.

First we have the Chanson En Crochet from Interweave Knits Wrap Style. I made this to wear with a bridesmaid dress, but it doesn't really match and I'm sure they bride wouldn't approve my wearing it anyway. Though it did come out rather smashing. I love the color. I used Elann Sonata. I don't exactly recall why I bought that yarn in that color, it was originally for some other project, but it was the same gauge as the yarn called for in the pattern so I figured, what the hell. I had fun making it. There are a lot of different stitches and patterns on each row, so it's an interesting project. It's the first wearable I've ever crocheted (aside from hats and scarves) and it actually fits, although I haven't worn it yet.

There is also a bittersweet aspect to this project. It was the first thing I made after my Aunt Nay died. She was a very talented and prolific knitter and crocheter and the only person in my family who cared about crafty things. I was so sad when I finished the wrap because I couldn't show it to her. I feel like that every time I start a new project or buy a new pattern book. Now I've inherited all her knitting paraphernalia and books. I guess someone has to carry on the family crafting tradition.

The Beard

2007-11-26T11:14:00.001-05:00

Kyle has informed me that this is what he wants for Christmas. As I am not about to pay $135 for a bearded hat with a mustache, I'm going to have to figure out how to make one on my own. Most likely I'll crochet it. And it's quite possible it won't be ready for Christmas.

Anyhoo, The comments accompanying the blog post are funny. Especially this little exchange. Maybe if I bide my time some granny will come up with a pattern we can all use!

More photos of the Bearded Hat can be seen here.

Crochet Me Please

2007-10-16T22:52:00.000-04:00

I got a copy of Crochet Me: Designs to Fuel the Crochet Revolution today and I absolutely love it. I'm mesmerized by the Mesmerize Sweater. I've never crocheted a sweater before, but I just might have to give that one a try. The Comfy Cardi is also very pretty. I was looking for a shrug-like sweater to wear to a wedding, but as the wedding is next Saturday, it's a little too late. The funny thing about this cute little cardi is that I actually own the dress the model is wearing it with. I got it on sale at Urban Outfitters and wore it to a wedding this June. I paired it with a pink shrug I knit from a Rowan pattern a couple of years ago, but it looks a lot better with the Comfy Cardi. Of course I have no photos of me wearing said dress and sweater since I was the one taking pictures at the wedding.

Maybe I'll try my hand at one of these sweaters after I finish the kitty I'm working on. Kitty is on hold until I get some more fiberfill. I'm going to try to stop at Michael's while I'm out on Long Island tomorrow. Oh how I wish there was a suburban-style craft superstore in Brooklyn!

Presents

2007-10-07T16:00:00.000-04:00

Man, has it been a long time or what? I am such a lame craftster. I have no desire to knit or crochet during the summer, but now that it's over, I'm getting excited about yarn again. And it's not like it's even cold out (high was 85 today) but one of my cousins was expecting her second baby in September (Hello Nola!) and I have two first birthday parties coming up, so I decided to make some stuff.

First off is Nola's blanket. It's just a big granny square, super easy, but I like the colors a lot. I used Lion Brand's new Vanna's Choice yarn. I really like the color palette Lion Brand came up with, muted yet vibrant. The yarn is super cheap and they sell it at the Pratt store, which is the only place to buy a ball of yarn near me with out walking for a half hour. My cousin loves orange, so the blanket I made for her first child was orange and pink, but I wanted to do something a little different for the new baby. I love pink and green, so I used Pea Green, Olive and Rose for Nola's blanket. I think it came out very cute, if I do say so myself. And I do say so myself. So there.

The other thing I made is a silly Frankenstein/Pirate doll. The pattern is from the Lion Brand site. They make you register to download patterns, but I think it's worth it; they have some fun free patterns there. Anyway, the toy is ridiculous, since it's basically a rectangle, but I think it will go over well with the one year old set. And since the party is next weekend, we picked up some silly Halloween socks at Target to add to the gift bag.

Hopefully it will cool down a bit soon, so I can get back to making warm things. My needles and hooks miss me.

knit.1 now!

2007-05-13T16:15:00.000-04:00

Be sure to check out the Summer 2007 issue of knit.1 magazine, which features an awesome illustration by yours truly. Looks like they've got some fun stuff to knit as well.

Great Granny

2007-03-22T16:39:00.000-04:00

A while ago I bought a bunch of chunky yarn at P&S Fabrics, to make I didn't know what, I just wanted to buy some yarn. So after making Kyle a couple of hats, I decided to use the rest to make a great big granny square afghan. Kyle requested that it be huge, huge enough that we could cover both of us (and the dog) as we sat on the couch. I was up for the challenge. Big granny square. No sweat. So I started to crochet. And crochet. And crochet. The bigger the blanket got, the longer it took to do a single round, but I was liking it. The colors were great and the repetition of the double crochet was soothing and easy to accomplish while watching CSI: Miami reruns. But then something terrible happened, you can probably guess what. Yes, I ran out of yarn. I haven't had any disposable income lately, so I've not been buying much of anything, especially yarn. So my blanket ended at a certain size, just enough for a single solitary person's lap and a rather small person, at that. I draped the mini-afghan over the back of the couch to remind me that I needed to finish it some day. Unfortunately, that day will probably never come because the blanket has now gone to the dogs. Well, the dog, singular. Lulu to be precise. We keep wrapping her up in it because it's specially dog-sized and she looks so fetching in orange. One of these days I'll make a people blanket, just not today.

By the way, I still have a few knitting books for sale on Half.com. Get 'em while you can.

For Sale

2007-03-01T16:20:00.000-05:00

I'm selling a bunch of knitting books on Half.com.

Kyle ordered a new (smaller) bookshelf to replace the old piece of furniture on which my knitting books reside, so I'm letting some of them go. They're in great condition and priced to sell, so if you've got a little space in your knitting book library, why don't you give one of them a good home? :^)

Stop & Shop

2006-12-06T18:23:00.000-05:00

I finally found a copy of Better Homes & Gardens Simply Creative Crochet. I don't even know why I wanted this issue, other than I wanted it and couldn't find it anywhere. I went to two different Barnes & Nobles and two different Borders. I looked in the magazine rack at the supermarket. I searched the magazine aisle at Target. I'd just about given up when I spied a copy at the Borders out by my mom's house on Long Island. Sheesh. I haven't even flipped through it yet so I can't tell you if it's worth the six bucks I shelled out for it, but it really burns me that I live in "the greatest city in the world" yet I couldn't find a stupid Better Homes and Gardens supplement in any store, anywhere. I also picked up two boxes of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers at my mom's local Stop & Shop. I can't get those at my supermarket either. Stupid Associated.

Lively Up

2006-12-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

This is the hat I made Kyle. He loves it and so do I. I already started making myself one, but then set it aside after he gave me my new DSLR for Christmas. So instead of knitting and crocheting, I've been snapping pictures. Most of them aren't as blurry as this one though. This is the only one Kyle approved for use on the internet.

This is the "Lively Up" hat from Get Your Crochet On!. The description says it's the designer's version of an old school Kangol hat. I made the version with the bill for Kyle, as per his request, but I'm making myself the one with the brim.

It looks really cute on him. I joked that all he needs was a Vespa to look perfect. It's got kind of that hip, mod, horse-racing-jockey vibe to it. I used that wretched Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky. Bleecch!! I can still feel the mohair clinging to my face.

Hopefully it will get cold enough for Kyle to actually wear the hat outside sometime soon. It's 66˚ in New York on the first of December.

Red!

2006-11-22T18:23:00.000-05:00

I got a couple of new knitting/crocheting books and quickly whipped up a hat from one of them. This is the "Soldier" hat from Get Your Crochet On! Hip Hats & Cool Caps. I think it came out well, considering I fudged with it a lot since I couldn't get the right gauge. All of the patterns in this book are cool, but the sizing is a mystery. Some hats are one size, others come in small, medium or large, but no measurements are given and I really don't feel like I should have to do the math to figure it out. I hate math.

I wore this hat today, paired with bright red lipstick and let me tell you, I was a sight. It's funny how a blazing red hat and matching lips will draw the bored gazes of fellow subway riders to you. It reminded me of that time I took the A train down to my coat check job. I was wearing a black crocheted newsboy hat from The Gap and vampy red lipstick. Some guy actually followed me off the train and gave me his business card. It said he was a photographer. An amateur photographer. Needless to say, I didn't call him.

Now I'm making another hat from Get Your Crochet On! for Kyle. It's called "Lively Up". He wants the one with the baseball bill on it, but I want to make myself the one with the brim. 'Tis way cool. The sizing is a bit wonky on this hat too. I used a J hook to get the large size gauge, but it fits me. I'm worried it's not going to fit Kyle's enormous head, although he tried it on this morning and said it fit fine. The only truly bad thing about this hat thus far is the yarn I chose. I'm using Lamb's Pride Bulky. I always forget how much I hate this yarn until I'm knitting while simultaneously trying to cough the mohair out of my throat.

Lovecats

2006-11-11T00:31:00.000-05:00

I've been busily crocheting some stuffed animals. When I was a kid I had about forty-two thousand stuffed animals. Among my favorites was a little family of pink piggies my Aunt Nay crocheted for me. Now that I'm all grown up, I can crochet my own stuffed animals. Isn't life grand?

I finished the tweed cat with the spiffy red scarf the other night. I used some Red Heart Tweed I bought ages ago and knit five inches of a mistake rib scarf I then abandoned out of sheer boredom. I really hate knitting scarves. So, I had this skein of dark grey tweed and thought, "This would make a good cat," so I busted that sucker out of retirement and crocheted away. I gave him two different colored eyes, à la David Bowie, just because I thought it looked cool. The scarf is made of red Knitpicks Wool of the Andes. I have many random skeins of that stuff rolling around in my stash. It's good for felting and the colors are absolutely vibrant.

After I finished the little guy I moved on to a new project: a gigantic cat made of Lionbrand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. I bought three or four skeins of it for a super chunky shrug I attempted when I first learned to crochet. That WIP also ended up in my stash drawer (I should say stash drawers, for I have several). Do you see a pattern here? I buy yarn, start a project, then it gets shelved (sometimes for years) until I figure out something else to make. It's all good as long as I use up the stash, right? Right.

This yarn is really thick. It looks like that fat yarn Cindy Brady tied in a bow at the end of her braids. I'm using a K-10.5/6.5mm hook. The head itself is five inches tall. This is going to be one enormous amigurumi. I wish I had a better color than Grass Green, but oh well. I'm thinking of getting a skein of orange or pink to make a shirt or something so he's not naked. They actually sell Lionbrand yarn at the Pratt store, so I could just walk over there tomorrow and get a skein. Oh yay, more yarn for my stash!

Dr. Suessian

2006-11-08T17:59:00.000-05:00

Thankfully my family knows nothing about this website or they'd find out what they're getting for Christmas -- mini mitten ornaments! I think they came out really cute. My favorites are the red and green (which Kyle thinks are very Dr. Suessian) and the ones with the embroidered stars. I'm not sure how many I actually need to make, but this is good for now; Christmas is still more than a month away. If I have any left over I will put one on our tree. One of our trees, I should say, since we need to buy another one this year because we have way too many ornaments. It's pretty funny, considering what bah-humbug Grinches we are.

Baby Bear

2006-11-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

I made a bear last night. It's for my cousin's daughter, who now has a baby brother. I don't know why I care, but I always feel bad for the older kid who is no longer the only child and gets pushed out of the limelight by the newcomer. It's weird I should think like that, considering I, myself, am "the baby". I was the third child and the first girl of my generation in my family. I don't think my brother ever fully recovered.

So, in the box is the blanket for the new baby boy and the bear for the big sister. The bear was made using the pattern from Kids Crochet: Projects for Kids of All Ages. It's one of my favorite crochet books. The projects are simple, single crochet is the only stitch used throughout, but the photography and illustration make this book pleasing to look at and the projects are super cute. I want to make the snail pillow for my couch. I modified the bear pattern a little bit, because I can't follow directions to a T anyway. And you can see how the little pink nose is crooked. I can't embroider for shit. But is a two year old really going to care? Nope.

Don't Forget Your Gauge Swatch!

2006-11-02T18:07:00.000-05:00

If you've ever made this face while knitting, you need this journal. This illustration is based on my extensive experience of knitting ill-fitting sweaters. It's a gentle reminder to knit a gauge swatch, something we knitters all need to do! I get happy whenever I look at that girl's face. Oh! The annoyance!! I shoulda known better! Argh!!

Silly Me

2006-10-27T06:56:00.000-04:00

Btw, did you notice how I considered the taupe mini mitten from this post as Fair Isle? I mean, come on Angela, it's only two rows of every-other-stitch. I'm such a retard.

The Wait Is Over

2006-10-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

I finally got my copy of Vogue Knitting in the mail today. Why does it take so long to come? I hate when a magazine I subscribe to is in the book store two weeks before I get it. Argh!! I do like the purple dress on page 93, although purple isn't my color. I'm too yellow to wear purple successfully. I especially like the boots the model is wearing. I wonder where they got them.

I also dig the bulky Twinkle pullover on page 81, although it looks mighty hot. You gotta hope it's snowing the day you wear that one. I love patterns where the entire sweater can be made with four balls of yarn and the sleeve is nineteen stitches around. I can't wait until Twinkle's book comes out. I've already got it on my Amazon wish list. They finally have the yarns for sale at the Twinkle website. Maybe I should get some Cruise and make that Seaberry Shell again.

Knitmas 2006

2006-10-26T12:24:00.000-04:00

I'm making ornaments for Christmas gifts this year. I saw the new Anthropologie catalog at my aunt's house and they had all these cool crafty-looking ornaments, like little mittens and socks with buttons and tweedy plaid sewed on, so I thought, "I can make something like that!" Of course, I could be a lazy ass and just buy everyone a ready made Anthropologie ornament, but I'm afraid they'd assume I made them and I could never take credit for something didn't do myself. (Although I might buy myself the squirrel or mushroom ornament. So cute!)

So, I'm knitting a bunch of mini mittens. I made Kyle a pair of gigantic mittens from Weekend Knitting and they were so easy to knit (especially since I learned to Magic Loop!!!) I figured I could use the same pattern to make tiny mitten ornaments. The full-size mittens call for bulky weight yarn, so I used Lamb's Pride Bulky. I always forget how much I hate that yarn until I'm knitting with it and get all that freaking mohair on my face and stuck in my throat. Ugh. And the mohair makes it a bitch to unknit. You can't just rip away, the mohair gets tangled. Yuck. Anyway, Kyle's mittens are the largest size, for the mini mittens I used the smallest child size pattern with worsted weight yarn. I made one plain grey mitten as a test and it came out so well I made two other mittens, all in one evening! I'm going to embroider something on the grey mitten, a star or something. Maybe I will embroider "2006" on all of them. After making the boring grey mini mitten, I made a Fair Isle (my very first Fair Isle piece -- ever) and a blue and white striped. The mittens are so cute. Too cute. I have to make sure I have one left over for my tree. Sigh. I'm going to need a bigger tree.

JAWS: The Revenge

2006-10-25T10:49:00.000-04:00

To prove my hands haven't been completely idle, I give you Lulu's Halloween costume. This year she's going as a shark. Very apropos, since she wants to bite everyone she sees anyway.

I saw the shark sweater in a bargain book I picked up at Barnes & Noble, The Cool Girls Guide to Knitting by Nicki Trench. I didn't really follow the pattern, since I'm basically lazy and would rather do what I already know how to do with my eyes closed, which is follow Wylie's sweater pattern at Red Lipstick. So you could say I used the pattern in the book as a visual reference, with out using the actual pattern. I do that a lot. If I can figure out an easier way to do something, I will do it.

To make the sweater more shark-like, I added side and tail fins. I think it came out well, although it's a little small. This is the first sweater I knit Lulu this year, so I was a little out of practice. I used Caron Simply Soft yarn. I like the sheen of Simply Soft. I thought it would look a little wet, like Lulushark jumped out of the ocean to chomp on a hapless seal or swimmer.

Off Topic

2006-09-20T18:03:00.000-04:00

So, this has nothing to do with knitting, but I figured I'd put this TRIPPYswell post here as well.

A couple of years ago I illustrated two Smart Girls Guides for American Girl. The Smart Girls Guides were super fun to work on and I think the whole series is high quality reading for girls. It's good stuff.

Now I've been featured in their new book Art Starts: Every Page Illustrated by You!. To the left is my interview page. When I finally saw the book at Barnes & Noble I burst out laughing like a fool. I had forgotten which picture I'd sent them. Now Lulu is in print! She looks like such a psycho, but I had to find a picture where I looked "normal". I guess holding a psycho chihuahua dressed in a dinosaur sweater will have to pass for normal for me.

My brother is gonna want to kill me for sending them that picture. Oh well. It won't be the first time he's threatened my life. You just gotta love older brothers.

My other Smart Girls Guides:
A Smart Girl's Guide to Starting Middle School
A Smart Girls Guide to Friendship Troubles

Baby Bonanza

2006-08-03T14:51:00.000-04:00

I've got two babies on the way, due in October. No, I'm not pregnant, but my cousin-in-law and a friend are, so I've been cranking out baby blankets. I'm crocheting them, mostly because it's faster than knitting. I started the Modern Log Cabin Baby Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting for my cousin's kid-to-be, but I got bored real fast. Of all knitting stitches, garter is the one I despise the most. I think it's because I'm a continental knitter and since it's a faster way to knit, it's also somewhat sloppier. My Aunt Nay, who is English all the way, does beautiful garter stitch. All her rows line up neatly without that occasional wide row that makes my garter stitch look like crap. It was also taking forever, so I gave up and started to make something on my knitting machine, but that was boring me too, so I decided crochet was my best bet. I based my blanket on pattern from Simple Crochet by Erika Knight. I really like the stitch used. It reminds me of seed or moss stitch, which are both faves of mine.

I finished the girl baby blanket (I love when people find out what sex their kid is going to be--it makes my life a lot easier) in shades of pink, camel, white and grey. It came out a little lopsided, since it was the first crochet blanket I ever made and at first I was crocheting really loose, but then I noticed I was tightening up considerably. I'm not too worried about it though, since I'm sure the blanket will get all stretched out once the new mom runs it through the wash a few times. I'm making the boy blanket a little larger, because I think the girl one came out too small. Anyway, I've got a lot of time to finish, since it's only August and the baby won't be here until Halloween.

Hmm...I should have made and orange and black Halloween blanket! Somehow, I don't think the parents would dig that.

Helmet Head

2006-07-06T16:51:00.000-04:00

I've been crocheting up a storm. I'm really liking it, which is weird because I like the way most knitted fabric looks better than crochet, except in a few instances. I like crocheted hats, lace, and certain sturdy stitches used for purses and bags. I haven't seen that many crocheted garments I'd want to make, except lacy things like a camisole or an open stitch sweater, and since I'm not adept enough to attempt a sweater yet, I'm going to stick to bags and hats. They're quick to make and infinitely useful.

I just finished another hat last night. It's the Helmet Hat from Vogue Knitting on the Go: Crocheted Hats. I modified it a little by not adding the braided edging and earflap ties. If I'm bored later, I might add that stuff, but for now I like it simple. I used Bernat Satin, a no-dye lot acrylic I bought for amigurumi-making. It's a warm camel that I really like, although Kyle wanted to know why I made a hat the same color as my skin. Silly man, he can't tell the difference between camel and tan! Satin is a soft and shiny yarn and I really dig it, yarn snobs be damned.

Earflap helmets are a good style for me. They encase my head and tamp my curls down a bit. This style would have come in handy back in the days when I had a short flapper bob, which I used to blow-fry straight every day. After spending thirty minutes torturing my hair with a blow-drier and a round brush, I would pull on a tight winter hat (never mind if it was summer) and keep it on until it was time to leave the house. Ah, it feels so good not to have to deal with such nonsensical behavior any more! But this hat sure would have come in handy.

Gatsby Girl

2006-07-02T21:54:00.001-04:00

I'm a hat girl. I love hats, especially the helmet-like cloches that epitomized the '20s. Though I no longer have the Louise Brooks bob to go along with the hats, I still want to wear them. One of my favorite cloches from college was a black crocheted number I got from I don't remember where. I still have it in my stash of winter hats, but it's so old and full of cat hair and it's kind of small, so it doesn't fit over my gigantic hair. Good thing I learned to crochet -- now I can make my own. My newest hat is the Gatsby Cloche from Stitch Diva Studios. The pattern comes with three hats: the Gatsby, The Downtown Cloche and a newsboy cap. Next time I want to make the Downtown Cloche, in the same kind of rich red used on the Stitch Diva website. Mmmm...

I also bought Vogue Knitting on the Go: Crocheted Hats which has several cloche and helmet hats for my crocheting pleasure.

Ah! So many hats, so little time. Luckily I have enough yarn.

The Finished Product!

2006-06-29T16:31:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am, modeling my Boobholder. I think it came out really well. It's been a long time since I knit a sweater that I actually want to wear. I should just give up knitting sweaters I have to sew together. It's much better to knit in the round or in one piece to see how the darn thing will fit. I want to make another one of these, maybe with long sleeves and a different kind of collar. Maybe I can omit the seed stitch and crochet some lacy stitches around the border. The possibilities are endless! Next time, though, I'm going to decrease a bit on each side of the body so it will be tighter.

I might try crocheting a sweater next. There is a sweater in SweaterBabe.com's Fabulous and Flirty Crochet that I like, but it's crocheted in pieces and then sewn together. I don't know if I'll have better luck crocheting flat pieces than knitting flat pieces. Oh well. Maybe I should make another amigurumi. It doesn't matter what size those are!

One Done, One To Go!

2006-06-28T15:39:00.000-04:00

Tonight I shall finish the other, dare I say? Yes, I dare.

RIP

2006-06-27T19:21:00.000-04:00

Here is my Boobholder, thus far. It looks pretty good on, which is surprising, since most of the garments I knit look kind of stupid on me. I have to get cracking. I want it blocked and ready to go on the third. But first I have to rip the Seaberry Shell. It's going to be a pain in the ass, since I doubled the yarn. Now I have to rip and separate the yarn in order to harvest enough to make the Boob Holder's sleeves. When I find the right yarn, I'm going to make the Seaberry Shell again. I really like the chunky cable and bobbles. It's got fun proportions.