A Breakthrough in Blocking

I have no problems admitting i almost exclusively knit and crochet with acrylic yarn. Some of us just don't have the funds to be yarn snobs.

Besides, there are some pretty great acrylic yarns out there.

When i was still new to knitting, i tried blocking. I did. I tried it. A lot. And it never worked. It never made any sort of a difference in anything.

So i gave up.

I mean, all those strangers on the internet saying 'there's no way to block acrylic' couldn't be wrong, right?

Wrong. You were wrong, random strangers on the internet.

I decided to knit a Casu Cowl recently. I had another skein of Bernat Mosaic (in Ninja, this time), and i thought it would be great for the cowl. As i was knitting, i noticed the eyelet part of the cowl was curling a bit on the edges, but i didn't bother worrying about it. However, when i was all done knitting, i decided i should give blocking one last shot.

My sister, the doof model.

I googled blocking acrylic, and guess what. It CAN be done, and SHOULD be done. (Thank you, Bead Knitter Gallery)

I set about pulling out the iron and ironing board, some towels, and my pins. I pinned it all down while the iron heated up and when everything was ready, i steamed the crap out of the cowl. Let it sit for a while. And after i'd waited long enough, unpinned the bad boy and was amazed by what a little steam had done. It's not like the cowl had been curling in on itself and bunched up and a big, jumbled mess... but just seeing that the steam had helped that little, tiny curling problem was such a huge relief.

I set about blocking other things. Like a practice Soho Scarf i'd made some time ago from some leftover Red Heart Super Saver. While Super Saver is great for some things, it just does not have the drape that other natural fibers do. Which is why i used it for the practice scarf.

I mostly wanted to get the hang of blocking because at the time, i was working on a shawlette called Seven and Zero. I knit it with Bamboo Ewe in Sprout and Mermaid. (I cannot get enough of these two colors together right now, by the way. I find myself wearing this color combination about three out of every five days...) It's so soft, has a lovely drape, and it's affordable. Especially when you've got 40% off coupons at Jo-Ann. :)

While the shawlette looked adorable pre-blocking, all ruffly and whatnot, i was on a blocking high and had a go at it, anyway. This time, i did not steam it. Instead, i found out the best way to block Bamboo Ewe is to pin it down and spray it with tepid water.

So, i pinned it out, sprayed it, and waited. It was worth it. Again!

Colors get so washed out late at night with no natural light and a camera phone...

I've had a breakthrough, y'all.

The happy turtle was happy to model for me.

If you've been discouraged by blocking before, i encourage you to give it another shot. It's worth it. It's worth the failure because when you finally get it, it feels so. good.

Gifts for Jack

My sister was here a few weeks ago, visiting one last time before flying is no longer safe for her and Jack-fetus. While she was here, we had a couple baby showers for her.

I made her some gifts because... well, i just figured she would be getting enough stuff from their registries. And, yes, okay, because i don't have money.

First, i asked anybody in the immediate family who knows how to knit if they would like to help make a baby blanket. So, my mom knit several squares, my sister-in-law knit a square, and my brother started a square but didn't have time to finish it before leaving on a trip.

At first, i decided to do mustard yellow and dark grey, and then added light yellow and light grey. Because i love how mustard and grey look together. And i thought my sister would like it, too.

But as more and more squares were being knit, i realized she probably would not like the color combo.

We nixed the greys and changed to blues.

The front.

You might notice that some squares are maybe a little larger than others. Well. That's what happens. Move on.

The back.

I was kind of surprised we finished it in time.

Oh, but wait. I needed something for the second shower. Luckily i'd already started on them... before finishing the blanket.

I already knew what the first one was going to be. I call my future nephew Jack, and he's due in October. So. I'm sure you can kind of guess where i'm going with this...

I'll give you a second. Go ahead.

Did you guess something to do with jack-o'-lantern? Good. You're right.

I crocheted baby Jack a jack-o'-lantern shirt and a pumpkin hat! Are you dying? I'm dying. I can't wait to see them on him. I just hope they fit...

But wait! There's more! Since i also sometimes call him Bowtie, and they live in Texas, and it's always hot there, i crocheted him a cotton shirt and booties and knit a hat and mittens. And the bow tie. So dapper.

Again, i am just crossing my fingers and praying all of these things fit him.

The mom with the booties.

I made the booties at a softball game. That's just how i do!

So. That's what i've made for Jack/Bowtie so far.


P.S. Here is a picture of my sister and me at the farmers market with Poopy and WeeWee. Please note that i am knitting. I am knitting Jack's mittens. Right in front of her. HA! LOKI'D! Not really. I just... really wanted to say that.

My Thor Hat

First, allow me to direct you to my last post, where i have added instructions (i won't call it a pattern) for the Ninja Turtle Infinity Scarf. Because i want more people to make them so we can be ninja turtles together.


Onto Thor!

Back in May, my mom, little brother, and i were planning on seeing The Avengers together before i left to visit my sister in Texas. But i hadn't seen Thor yet, and i needed to see all of the other Avenger movies before seeing The Avengers. Because those types of things are important to me.

And if Tumblr had taught me anything at that point, it was that i was already in love with Thor and Loki and my life would not be complete until i saw Thor. For weeks beforehand, we had checked out every Red Box we could find trying to get our hands on the movie. We finally found it the night before our Avengers date.

I didn't have anything Avengers to wear to the movie, so we wore stickers from Target on our forearms like sweet, sweet tattoos. Cody's is still stuck to the dash in his car, and mine is on my journal.

After that, i told myself i was going to make something for the next time i saw the movie. And although i really wanted to make Loki's helmet... i decided i would knit something inspired by Thor's helmet instead.

Did i do that? No.

After church yesterday, my mom, sister, and i were trying to decide what to do. I looked up movie times and found out The Avengers was still playing at one of our usual theatres.

No-brainer.

But i didn't have my Thor helmet hat. While brainstorming what to do in the next hour or so before time to go, i remembered the first hat i ever knit was grey. I decided to crochet some wings and attach them to the hat. I was sure i knew exactly where the hat was.

Wrong. When i finally gave up hope of ever finding it again, I remembered i had a couple slouches that had grey on them. One of them would have to do.

I couldn't find a wing pattern i liked, and at this point definitely did not have time to crochet anything. But i have drawers full of felt, so i settled on felt wings. Lots of settling.

I had 5 minutes before we had to leave, so i quickly cut out a couple of wings, grabbed a needle and some embroidery floss, and ran out the door. I had them mostly sewn on by the time we got to the theatre but had to finish the second one during the previews.

I look a bit Bride of Frankenstein here, don't i?

What can i say? I'm a master procrastinator.

After all the mad dashing and settling, i like how it turned out. A bit understated, super cute (let be real).

Later in the afternoon, i jokingly asked my brother if he would ever wear it. He usually answers, "Probably not." Imagine my surprise when he replied, "Yeah, probably." Well, then. Success.

Notice how my hair is a bit wet? That's because it was hot yesterday and i'd just finished a water war with my family.


I ramble a lot, don't i? If you only looked at the pictures, i'm okay with that. I probably wouldn't have read this whole long thing, either, if i were you.

Ninja Turtle Infinity Scarf -- Instructions Added!

I've been avoiding blogger lately because i couldn't get my pictures to work. And it was frustrating. And i'm the kind of person who backs away from annoying things. I'd rather ignore it, clear my head, and come back to it when i'm ready.

Otherwise i get terribly frustrated and end up swearing. And crying.

Who needs that?

But it looks like the ol' puter is working with me today. Huzzah! So i will show you my Ninja Turtle Infinity Scarf -- or long cowl, or whatever you would like to call it.

I used 1 skein of Bernat Mosaic in the colorway "Optimistic". But... look at the colors. Green. Turtle. Blue, red, purple, orange. Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo.

Am i right? Or am i right?

I'm obsessed with seed stitch lately. Yes, sometimes it's annoying switching from knit to purl to knit to purl to knit to purl... but i love the way it looks, and it's enough to keep me coming back.

So. Enjoy.


I'm back. Since posting this, i have written up some instructions for making your own scarf over on Craftster... which i will now share here.

You'll need:
1 skein Bernat Mosaic in colorway Optimistic
Size US 9 29" circs

Cast on 187 stitches
K1, p1 until you are ready to bind off
Bind off in pattern

Just a note: Since this "pattern" is meant for using up one skein, with no yarn left over but a couple ends to weave in, i didn't bother with rounds. Just knit in seed stitch until you only have enough yarn left over to bind off and then bind off.

One more note: You can definitely cast on an even number of stitches, if that's your kind of thing. But when you're knitting seed stitch in the round, if you have an even number of stitches, there will be an obvious "seam" of sorts where each round ends and begins. I hope that makes sense...

Weave in ends. Wrap around your neck. Be a ninja... turtle.


If you end up making your own, please leave me a comment. I would love to see it!

Adventures in Niecesitting

Otherwise known as: if you can behave for a few minutes i'll make you cocoa.

Lego Police Station

WeeWee knitting all by herself.

Magic Mint Chocolate Bark

Cocoa with Cinnamon Bun marshmallows, which i could smell all day.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bark, which i could eat all day.

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate from Eat, Live, Run

Enjoying peanut butter cocoa with cinnamon bun marshmallows.

A Sweater for Angie

I need to start by telling you how difficult this post has been. First, i tried blogging from my phone yesterday. That i even thought that was doable is just hi-larious. And today, Firefox is being the biggest b ever and crashing every two seconds. So now i'm on Internet Explorer, which has been fine... except when i click on the "insert image" icon, none of the folders show up. It's like my computer is empty. So. Just. I apologize if none of this ends up making sense.

I've been knitting myself a sweater. It's sage green and cotton. I've knit this pattern ($5 in Paris from ...Knitting Up A Storm) twice before. The first time, I forgot to increase on my sleeves, oops. They were too tight around my arm for me to continue knitting, so i just bound off immediately. Also, the shaping i did on the side was a little too high... And it ended up shorter than I'd wanted. But still it was my first-ever sweater, and i love it.

The second, I knit for my sister. I finished at 3 in the morning before my flight home last October. I did remember to increase on the sleeves that time, and it looks way better than the first one. Though, because i didn't finish until 3 in the morning, i didn't have time to work on the sleeves, so her sleeves were also bound off before becoming actual sleeves.


This time, for the raglan sleeve increases, I used YOs. I think it's pretty.

I made up my own shaping using some 1x1 ribbing.

And I made sure not to make it too short.

Since taking these photos yesterday, i have just about finished the body. I've got a few more rows of ribbing to do before i bind off. And then i will finally tackle some sleeves.

bananaleg designs and @bananalegdesign

My new etsy is up and running! You should probably check it out and buy something. Just joshin'. But, really, please go have a look. I've named it "bananaleg designs".

Oh, and i'm on Twitter. @bananalegdesign
That's right. That last 's' was just one too many letters... Whatever, Twitter. Whatever.

For now, my shop has four hats (i call them Two-Toners) and five ovarian cancer awareness coffee cup cozies.

As you can see, these are the cozies. Because there are five.

 And these lovelies are the Two-Toners! (Future band name. Dibs.)

Black and Grey.

Grey and Blue.

Gold and Crimson. Uh, Gryffindor. Am i right?

My absolute favorite: String Thing.

I just like this shot.

So... that's all for now. I've been on this computer for too long. I need to go make something now. Check out bananaleg designs and let me know what you think. (If you're awesome with banners and things, i would love a real, professional-looking one. Wink.) Oh, and follow me on Twitter. I'm sure i'll be posting lots of fun and exciting things.

Green Bows

I've been working on things everyday, but have i taken the time to photograph any of it? No.

Well, that is, until a few minutes ago.

For St. Patrick's Day, i knit myself a green bow headband. Green bow(tie)s are kind of my thing. Also, saying something is "kind of my thing" is kind of my thing. Then i crocheted a couple for my nieces. When they came over, Poopy was really excited to wear hers. WeeWee, however, was offended that i even made her one.

I wish i liked knitting i-cord more than i do.

That's fine. I'm used to that.

Yesterday, Poopy came home from school and told me a little story about her day. She had worn the headband to school and apparently everybody was asking who'd made it for her. So she told them. "Poopy made it for me. My aunt Poopy."

I can't even tell you how proud i am.

I dread the day she becomes too old for Poopy. (It won't stop me, but it will make me sad.)

Oh, and i almost forgot! She came home with a present for me! She got a prize for being good in class, and she chose this for me. I. Love. It. And her. A lot.

Here's what i've been working on today.

I'm excited to get these things finished and in the new etsy as soon as possible.

Don't you just love teal? I do.

Red Vines Fingerless Mitts

Last year, i was in an A Very Potter Musical / Sequel swap on Craftster. If you've never watched AVPM/AVPS, but are a fan of Harry Potter, parody, and/or musicals... you really should check it out.

In AVPM/S, Ron and Harry are always snacking. Their favorite snack is Red Vines. Every time they eat them, it's like a little commercial. Always making sure the camera and the audience can see the packaging. In fact, Red Vines are so amazing, that when Ron loses his wand in the sequel, he is able to use a Red Vine in its place. Then he looks to the camera and says, "Red Vines: What the hell can't they do?"

It might not need saying, but that was my partner's and my favorite quote.

I really wanted to knit something for the swap, but at first i couldn't think of anything. I knit a hat, but i just knew there was something else i was meant to be knitting. Then i found the mock cable and the mock cable rib. Thank you, Wise Hilda. As i looked at it, i thought, "Huh. In red, that would totally look like licorice." Light bulb.

I tweaked the mock cable rib until i thought it looked just right and made a pair of fingerless mitts... or wristwarmers, or armwarmers, or whatever you want to call them.

Since then, i've used some of the yarn (Red Heart Super Saver, by the way) to knit a market bag. Which, until last night, had been sitting and waiting for me to finish the border for.ev.er. The border took all of 5 minutes, so why didn't i just do it after i finished the rest of the bag? I don't know.

But i really just wanted to knit another pair of those mitts. I finally did this weekend.

They're completely knit in a rib stitch, so they've got stretch to them, but the mock cable keeps them nice and snug.

 

By the way, WeeWee just woke up from her nap, and she said if she could read... she would want to read this post. My niece has good taste.

P.S. It should be noted that i added 6 rows to this pair to make them a bit longer... and lengthwise, they fit perfectly in the Red Vines packaging. Completely coincidental, but let's just pretend i knew exactly what i was doing.

Post Number One

I've never been good at blogging. In fact, i pretty much suck.

Buuuut... it's kind of a blogger's world out there, isn't it?

It kind of blows when your passion is knitting and nobody sees it. Oh, sure, i get a view or two on my etsy every other week... but. I mean. A view is not a sale. People are making their living off of etsy. They are thriving.

I am drowning.

It's time to get myself out there!



Do you even know how long it took me to come up with the name of my blog? A long time. And it's ridiculous. In a good way, i think. I hope. I went through a lot of ideas. Most of them stupid. Some of them not as stupid. Some of them inside jokes that nobody would understand.



Enough of that. This blog is about my passions.
In no particular order:

• sewing
• knitting
• old films
• tattoos
• baking

So, as i get this going, i will be posting photos of all the things i make. Let's start with this washcloth. It's an Autobot. Did you know i looked and looked and looked and could not find a good chart for this? I eventually found a hat and tried to copy it. I think i did alright.
Thoughts?