Knitting Disaster and a New Project

I currently have one wool jacket - it's a wonderful jacket that nets a whole whack of compliments and "I gotta get one"s. It keeps me comfortably warm in temperatures ranging from -5 to -30 (Celcius, mind you). There's only one draw back - it's red and black. Which means that half the sweaters in my closet either clash or make me look like a Christmas tree. 

So, I decided to get a black wool jacket - it'll be a bit longer, but it'll be solid black. That means it's a more professional looking jacket with more colours to match with it. In light of that, I wanted to make a new scarf - a thin, stockinet-stitch scarf. For those unfamiliar with stockinette stitch, it's a stitch in knitting (it looks like a whole bunch of little 'v's).

After watching some amazing videos from Howcast - a great little website with a whole bunch of how-to videos for everything from crafting to relationships to life hacks - I caught up on my knitting and grabbed my knitting needles and the spare yarn I had from my first ever scarf (a long, wide black-and-white block scarf). 

How to Knit the Purl Stitch - Howcast video by user Chez_Kimberly

(I highly recommend her videos if you are just starting out knitting. They are so well-made and the instructions are clear and simple.)

I thought that I had quite a lot of yarn left over - I mean, it was a huge mass of yarn, but it turns out it was far from enough.

My new thin black scarf ran to the end of it's string about three-feet in. It's long enough to make a really stubby scarf, but I want to be able to wrap it around a few times, so I'm going to have to scrap it. However, that gives me the chance to pursue another project!

Project Details

Name: Simplistic

Type: Knitted Armwarmers

Needle Size: US 10

Yarn: Red Heart Soft Touch Black

Complexity: Basic

The inspiration for this project is The Running Yarn's Free Pattern - Punk Rock Corset Gloves. But because I only have a bit of yarn, and I'm not yet experienced enough to attempt to make those awesome looking gloves - I'm going to experiement with the stockinette stitch. 

While I was knitting my unknowingly-doomed scarf, I noticed that the stockinette stitch curled inwards. I had read that it would happen, but I thought that it would simply roll up and in on itself. Instead, my scarf rolled into a sort of thin tube. As I was knitting the scarf, I stumbled on the Corset Gloves, and I was struck with an idea.

I would make simple stockinet armwarmers - with thumbholes! Everyone loves thumbholes, right? Yeah! And then I saw the corset style stitches on the Corset Gloves and I was sold. So, the basic plan is to knit only one armwarmer (I've only got that much yarn) and knit it in all stockinette so that it has a natural curl to it, leave a gap on one side of the warmer and stitch in the corset stitches to make it look awesome - and to secure the warmer.

Here's to hoping it works! I'll post the entire process to The Presses once it's finished - I promise pictures!

Ah, then I can do my Knitting Squidoo Lens at the same time! Yes!

Waste Not, Want Not!

Cheers,

Clarise

Newest Project: Oky Linocut!

So, I'm sorry I haven't updated recently - school happened. But worry not, fair crafters! I have returned fairly unscathed!

I'm happy to report that I have a new project - well, it's not really new...

A friend of mine's birthday is next Saturday, and seeing as I'm rather strapped of cash at the moment, I decided that I'd make her a linocut print - a one of a kind, one print only linocut. Now, seeing as I'm as far removed from famous as I am from tall, that probably doesn't mean much.

However! I'm hoping that what I lack in certain artistic talent and fame, I make up in at least a bit of heart. My friend's hedgehog died about a year ago, and she's still not over him yet. He was a cute little guy, to be sure, and I can understand how she feels - I'm so lucky to still have my dog with me after all the stuff my family puts her through (namely leaving her out in the cold a tad too long - she's never been hurt, though!). So I decided to make a simple, cute-sy linocut of him. I'll update with photos later on, but so far the project is all primed for printing.

Project Details:

Name: Oky (the hedgehog)

Surface: Speedball SpeedyCut

Transfer Method: Pencil Sketch

Cutting Tools: Speedball Handheld Cutter

              Tips used: No.s 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

Total Time Cutting: Estimated 1 hour

Picture to come! This will expand as the project goes on. The next project I do will have all the carving pictures in it, too.

So far, the plan is to print it on thick cardstock. There are little details I might hand-colour - it depends on the look of it once it's printed.

A Gift From The Heart Is Better Than A Gift From The Wallet.

Namaste,

Clarise