I would write a post if I could put these Cini Minis down

Sorry guys. Every day for the past three weeks I have kept thinking, today I'll write a post. Today I will, I have nothing else to do. It's raining. Today I'll write a post.

...Yet I haven't. And this one is coming dangerously close to not being written as I can't seem to get my hand out of this box of Cini Minis (I believe they are called Cinnamon Toast Crunch in the U.S.). They're just so good! And it's difficult to type with cinnamon-sugar-coated fingers. Nevertheless, I am really going to try.

OKAY! What may have seemed like nanoseconds to you (i.e. the time it took your eyes to skip down from the end of the last paragraph to the beginning of this one) was in reality a twenty-minute stretch of me maniacally stuffing Cini Minis in my mouth. Now we are ready to begin.

Lately I've been making a lot of stuff to sell. A few weeks ago I had a bunch of friends over who convinced me that people would buy my wares if I made them generally available, and one went so far as to offer to personally sell my stuff if I built up a stock.

So, over the last three weeks or so, I've been knitting a bunch of random stuff for some possible future sale-- mini sock keychains, siddur covers, iPod cases, some headbands, and recently a hat. So, not a ton of stuff, not nearly enough for a sale, but stuff takes longer to make than you'd think. I would also like to make a bunch of pairs of fingerless gloves, maybe even some socks.

So here's the stuff I've made.

Siddur Covers

This is a little knit case for an Artscroll prayerbook, which is what a lot of English speakers use. I made one for myself a while ago because I carry it around every Shabbat, and I wanted to keep it nice. I get a lot of compliments on it so I figured it might have a wider application. I made two, out of the Berroco Cotton Twist that I posted about a while ago. It took me a while to tweak the pattern back and forth, and even now I'm not 100% happy with it. If/when I make it again I'll implement a few more changes.


 iPod cases

 

Very very simple ribbed cases knit in the round with the overspun Knit Picks wool. I don't know if you can tell but they do bias a bit to the side.They're really easy and quick.


Headbands

 

I was pondering on what to do with the tons of overspun Knit Picks wool I have, and I got the idea to hold a few strands together and make a hat. I cast on 64 stitches on size... eh... I don't know. I need to keep better records of that. Maybe eights? After the first few rounds I thought it might make a cute headband instead (slash I was too lazy to make a whole hat). I held four strands together for each headband, and to embellish I knit two roses for each and curled them together with a bauble button inside, and sewed it on. They are pretty cute, I think! My friend requested a baby-sized one for a friend of hers, so I made a few minis:

I don't know if you can tell that they're much smaller.  Instead of four strands of the overspun Knit Picks, which is a little rough, I used one strand of this nice soft variegated sock yarn left over from some socks, held together with one strand of the overspun.

Mini sock keychains

I made maybe 15 or so mini socks and attached keyrings like so:

They are pretty cute. I don't know how big that market is, but they're adorable.

And I made one entrelac hat:

 I used the same bulky Schaefer that I used for my Calorimetry. It knit up pretty quickly. I usually like to stripe my entrelac-- that's really where the "wow" factor comes in, seeing how it looks all woven together-- but I didn't have two shades of the same weight that were suitable for an entrelac hat, sadly. All my general stash is in New York. I made a ribbed band, which integrated pretty seamlessly into the entrelac. I was pleased with that. I cast on double the number of stitches I needed for the entrelac, knit an inch or so in 2x2 rib, and then while I was making the squares, I simply purled 2 together instead of merely purling one until all the stitches were used up. No gaps, no tight cast-on-- it worked well. I'm working on another entrelac hat now.

So that's that, we'll see where any of that goes. I've also made some stuff for me. I finished the afghan. Here it is, in all its glory:

Yeah! From start to finish, it took me two weeks to do. Fastest afghan ever. Well, compared to my first afghan, which took about five years. It's warm, and BIG! It's a nice accent to the room.

Aaaand I've gotten pretty far on these above-the-knee socks I've been wanting to make for a while. I used a pattern for knee socks, but added a lot of length. They were the first proper toe-up socks I've ever made. The Skew socks are technically toe-up, but the construction is so unusual they don't really count. These are the traditional type. I have to say, I like the foot shaping-- so much easier without the gusset-- but I don't really like the short-heel construction. It took me a long time to get the first heel done, and it still looked messy.

The first version was neat-- just left huge gaps:

So I ripped it out and wrapped and turned and picked up wraps and it still didn't look great, but after a few more rips and tries I was done. There's a little hole that I'll just fix later when I'm weaving in ends.

Not so attractive. But I plodded on, increasing 2 stitches every 10 rounds once I reached the calf, and in just a day or so of nonstop knitting I reached the top! The sock is SUPER long. And to keep it up and over the knee, I had a flash of brilliance...

When I reached the top ribbing, I joined in a strand of elastic thread with the yarn, resulting in a delightfully clingy few inches. I wore it for a while and it didn't fall down. LOVE IT, but it'll take me a while to finish the second one... it's SOoooOOoO long!

 

There! Finally. I have posted. 

a week of knitting

Two posts within one week!!? Yes, yes there are. All your dreams are coming true.

I've actually knit quite a bit this week, or since the last post. I started the scarf that I was thinking about, the honeycomb scarf with the bulky Schaefer. I started and restarted it, about four times, to get gauge. The pattern used super-bulky, and if I wanted the same width with the bulky, I had to cast on with two more pattern repeats. I used... I think size six or seven needles. I wanted a nice tight tension. But I wasn't sure about it because the pattern and the colors just didn't work very well. The color was too busy, and you couldn't really make out the pattern:

So I ripped it out and decided to make a Calorimetry instead, sort of on impulse. Literally over 14,000 people have made them on Ravelry. Insane! Anyway, both of my hats are slightly dysfunctional. The lavender silk slouch is stretched like crazy and falls off willy-nilly, whereas the cast on for the Noro entrelac hat is really tight. Plus it always looks weird when I have a ponytail. So I whipped it up, over the course of about 2 episodes of True Blood:

It's like a hat/headband/earband thingie. It works up very quickly and it's a cool concept. Very easy too. I put in a button on the back:

It's cute but the colors turned out to look a little young, and it looks a little weird on. It just reminds me of those headbands you wear when you're skiing, to keep your ears warm. They are a little nerdy. I'm sort of disappointed with how the colorway knit up, because it looked so pretty in the hank but it just looks like a kid's hat now. However, I'll still wear it. It's really comfy, and good when you've got your hair up, which I usually do.


I also started another pair of fingerless gloves, with the Zara. I spent a long time looking for patterns. I wasn't sure what I was looking for... something with cables or lace. I found a lot of cool patterns, but the problem is that I can't print anything out and looking at complicated patterns or charts online while simultaneously trying to watch a TV show or movie on the same laptop is pretty annoying. I need a printer.

So I just kept going back and forth between "Community" and the pattern for this. It wasn't that complicated. It's really nice, soft, great stitch definition, but I don't know when I'm going to get around to the second one. Soonish though, because my other ones, the alpaca pair, are really shrinking now-- the rain is not having a good affect on them. They're getting really beat up, and they're also a little itchy and stay wet for a REALLY long time. So now I have to do the second half of this new pair. And I feel like that might take a while, since I'm concentrating more on the blanket now...


And I'm still chugging away at the afghan. I'm on the sixth ball of yarn, out of twelve. Here it is on the couch, its future home:

I took that picture a few hours ago and it's even longer now-- it really works up very quickly. It's about 25, 26 inches long now. As for width, I don't know because I can't stretch it out, but if gauge is correct it should be about 60" long. I think it'll probably end up longer than that. Basically, when it's done it will be a good size, and really cozy besides. Not itchy at all. The only issue is actually getting it done. For the last few days, I've been going at a rate of about a ball a day, and if I keep that up it'll be done within a week, since I just joined the sixth ball. I have 12 balls of this yarn and I might as well use it all. So it's only a matter of devoting the time. I'm planning on doing laundry tomorrow, so I might just sit at the laundromat for two hours and knit nonstop, which should accomplish a lot.


That's what's up. I have some more yarn coming within the week, so I should be starting a bunch of new projects soon. I ordered some self-striping sock yarn from Knit Picks to make a pair of over-the-knee socks. My idea for keeping them up is adding an elastic thread to the yarn once I reach the top ribbing, so it'll be tighter. I don't know how that will work in reality but I'm looking forward to giving it a try. I also want to make a new bag. I'm thinking a basic over-the-shoulder bag, in a light color-- I ordered this really beautiful white/gray colorway in I think a worsted or bulky weight-- with cables. For the strap, I'm thinking I'll buy a few lengths of leather string and weave or braid them together, and then join them to D-rings for a more finished look, And, of course, I'll put in a fabric lining and a zipper. But this is all hypothetical and in the future. Once I get the yarn I'll have more ideas of what to do with it.

Knitting, huzzah!

New WIPs, FOs and STASH

Only three months have elapsed since my last post! I'm slowly getting better!

Lots to tell you about. Since we last spoke, I finished a righteous hoody sweatshirt, a few hats, gloves, wristwarmers, lots and lots of mini socks, and more socks. I've started a new afghan. And I received a huge boost to my stash from my amazing host mother/knitting buddy, Rachel. And I'm going to share it all with you!

FO's (Finished Objects)

I finished the hoody sweatshirt that I posted about in October. It took me . . . not sure. Maybe three weeks? It was a fun project-- I forgot how much I missed making sweaters!

I wear it a lot-- it's super-comfy and useful. However, the yarn does pill. I think I'm going to fold over the first few inches of the hood-- because it's huge-- and make a drawstring. Perhaps put in a button and loop at the neck.

FINALLY finished the silk gloves I started in the summer of 2010. It only took me a year and three months.

They're beautiful and soft, but I found out that my iPhone wouldn't register the touch of my finger when I was wearing them-- so I made a pair of fingerless gloves:

Which worked great! ...Except my iPhone was stolen before they were ever finished. And it turns out that even gloved fingers can press the stupid buttons on my replacement Nokia. However-- they are really useful and I like em a lot. I made them with this fancy alpaca yarn that my Nana and aunt brought me when they visited in November:

They gave me two balls in two natural, undyed shades. It's luxurious and soft, but a little bit itchy (as 100% wools are wont to be) and when I wore it in the rain a few weeks ago, the gloves started to felt. The embroidery is a little weak-- I admit it-- but it was really difficult to do.

I used the other shade of alpaca to make my good friend Michelle the hat she's been asking for for the past two years:

It's another Knotty but Nice-- same hat I made for my mom and dad last Hanukkah! I love this pattern! I made it big-- I think it's a little too big, but Michelle claims to love it.

I also made another entrelac hat for myself out of some Noro Silk Garden:

It's amazing how it's like Silk Garden is MADE for entrelac!! I got the idea for the yarn from this GORGEOUS afghan on Ravelry that I am in love with, made with lots of Silk Garden. Look at it-- just look at the hat! It looks like I was changing the colors for each row of squares, BUT I WASN'T! It just came out that way! So freaking cool. One day, I want to make an entrelac afghan out of Silk Garden. Only thing is, like ALL Noro in my opinion, it's sort of itchy. I need to block/wash it to make it softer. And my cast on is really tight. I don't know how to fix that. Otherwise, super-cool hat. I made it because my other one was lost. Regular readers may remember that I also made an entrelac hat last winter after my PREVIOUS one had been ruined. So this is actually the third entrelac hat in as many years. I really need to wash it though. I've heard that washing Noro makes it softer, and it's just itchy enough to be a little irritating. I just don't have my wool wash here! And if my mom can't find it in time for my sister's visit next week, I don't know how to get it here either.
P.S., I was just walking back from the open market in Jerusalem and a woman walking by stopped to compliment my hat. My ability to discuss knitting in Hebrew is limited, but we got some points across. I explained that it's all one piece and not sewn together, and she asked if it was one yarn, I said yes, she asked how it's possible that each color corresponds with each round of squares (at least, I THINK that's what she was asking) and the only way I could think of to explain it was that it was a "miracle."

Then I started getting into making mini socks. I'm not sure what started it, but I made one for my keychain, then one for my roommate, then one for a friend, and I just kept going. My friend Shira suggested I turn the socks into keychains and sell them. I have no idea how to do that but she said she'd help-- and I didn't have much else to do, so I started building a stock and now I have...

I'm going to buy keychain stuff and put them together when my roommate gets home with her wire twister thingies. And I have no idea what will happen after that. But they are really quick and fun to make.

WIP's (Works In Progress)

Actually, I only have one right now. I started another afghan. It's difficult to photograph though because the yarn is a chunky and funky:

The colors are absolutely gorgeous-- a deep, teal/navy variegated color that your eyes just sink into. It's not perfectly represented by photograph, but it's really soothing and lovely in real life. I probably never would have bought this yarn myself, but my host mom Rachel gave me a ton of yarn and this was included in the gift bag-- 12 huge skeins of this super-bulky weight, almost boucle-like yarn. It's very, very chunky. I had no idea what I was going to use it for, and then the idea just popped into my head-- to make a throw for our new(ish) couch. We bought a cream-color second-hand couch for our apartment, and it definitely needs a cover. Of course, I probably wouldn't really prefer to have stuff spilled on my hand-knit afghan, but it will definitely disguise stains better than the white couch.

My roommate gets back on Thursday. I had some vague fantasy of finishing it before then, but obviously that's not going to happen. My last (and only) afghan took about five years. Of course, this is going a lot faster because it's huge yarn and size 11 needles. I cast on 153 stitches, which should yield about 60" of width, and decided to do a feather-and-fan lace pattern. I figured there was no point in doing anything more complicated because any pattern would just get lost in the busy yarn. So it's just basic feather and fan:

Row 1: Knit

Row 2: Purl

Row 3: *(K2tog) three times, yo, (K1, yo) five times, (K2tog) three times. Repeat from * nine times.
Row 4: Purl

Even though the results are beautiful, I am not enjoying knitting it. I hate the thick needles and I don't like the texture of the yarn either. It's difficult to get used to. But it will end up being a really gorgeous, warm afghan in the end. One ball of yarn = about 4.5" of length, so if I use all 12 balls, it should end up at around 54". Which should about cover the couch. So it'll be a nice size. I do want to finish it very quickly, and I definitely have time, but it'll still take a large chunk of hours of clumsy, difficult knitting.

Which brings me to...

New Stash

After Shabbat, Rachel gave me an enormous bag of all the yarn she doesn't want or isn't using-- tons of it! Most of it, I don't know how I'm going to use, but it's never a bad thing to have more yarn! I even swatched with some of it!

I mentioned the afghan yarn, which is Artful Yarns Circus-- 12 balls of it. Here's the swatch:

You can see that there's pretty much no stitch definition at all. It's a sort of curly, bulky yarn. I don't know when I've used such a thick yarn. And like I said, I don't really enjoy knitting with it. But the overall effect is very nice, and it's pretty soft despite its 95% wool content. In short, it'll be a great afghan.

I also got a really gorgeous Schaefer bulky yarn called Irma. I didn't swatch with it because it's so pretty I didn't want to waste it, but here's a picture:

It's so pretty and soft-- I just love the look and feel of it. I got a pattern from one of Rachel's knitting magazines of a lovely, thick scarf in a honeycomb pattern. It would be perfect. I just don't know if I need a thick scarf. But you can really never have enough winter scarves. Now that I'm thinking about it, I really want to make it.

I got 6 balls of Filatura Di Crosa Zara, which I used years and years ago for one of my first scarves-- a simple, skinny ribbed scarf with long panels of different shades of pink separated by panels of black. It was a cute scarf, but since I had no experience with changing colors, the knots where I added the new colors on were both obvious and very prone to unraveling-- I didn't know about weaving in ends at that point so I just cut the yarn close to the knot. Rookie mistake of course. But anyway, the yarn is very soft. I swatched!

It's DK weight. I think I used size 3's. Rounded, nicely defined stitches which yield a springy fabric. I did use a small needle for this swatch, resulting in a nice even tension. And the color is way more deep engine-red than this pink here. I was thinking, another pair of slightly less bulky wristwarmers with some cool lace or interesting pattern.

I got a bunch of Berroco Cotton Twist-- two skeins in powder pink and seven in powder blue. It has a sturdy texture and a sheen from a strand of rayon plied in.

Tension not perfect because I think I used a size 5 or 6 for this swatch, and my gauge is notoriously loose. When I use it for a project I'll probably go down to a four, even though this is technically worsted weight. As usual with cotton, the texture is a bit rougher and the yarn is less stretchy. I really have no idea what I'd do with this yarn. Rachel used it to make a dress for her granddaughter, which is very pretty, but I don't make kids' clothes very often.

I got 8 skeins of Austermann "Moda", a shiny acrylic worsted weight. It's an acrylic/nylon/rayon blend. I don't like the color very much. It's sort of a mustard/gold/orange:

 

It's actually a really nice texture, and pretty when knitted up. It's a soft almost cotton-like feel, with great stitch definition. Also worsted weight. I don't remember what size needle I used for the swatch. Probably 4's. As for what I'll use it on, again, no clue. The color is just so... repulsive that I can't imagine using it on a gift, or anything I'd wear. And there is exactly one project using this yarn on Ravelry, so I can't get good ideas from there. We'll see if it ever suddenly becomes appropriate for a project.

The bulk of the yarn she gave me is made up of a whole lot of an irregular Knit Picks yarn: it's overspun Highland Wool which apparently cost exactly $1 a ball. It's tough to resist a deal like that. The paper that accompanies the yarn gives this explanation: It is a "dense" sport weight yarn that may "bias when knit" meaning the twist of the yarn will make your swatch "lean slightly to the side." I got 29 balls total, in six different colors-- 6 in Blossom Pink, which is a light, dusty rose pink; 8 in Papaya Heather, an orangey-pink heathered shade; 4 of Rouge, a deep bubble-gum pink; 5 of Fairy Tale, a deep magenta-purple; 4 of Burgandy, which is deep red; and 2 of Semolina, a not-quite-bright yellow. Here's a swatch:

There were also a bunch of odd balls, I'm assuming leftover from different projects-- a few balls of tweed, cotton, some novelty-type stuff. This post is long enough, so I won't post pictures of each and every one of those. I want to start a ton of new projects with all  my new yarn! Plus I have more coming with my sister and my roommate, who are both coming to Israel within a week.

And one project I want to do: I got a pattern for a really cool brioche-style coat made with chunky yarn that I REALLY want to make, but I (ironically) do not have the yarn and have no idea where to get yarn that would work! The yarn listed in the pattern is expensive and I doubt I could get it shipped here. So I'm not sure how I'm going to make it but I WANT IT-- it's so cute. And I could use a wool coat. I'll keep musing.

And that's what's up!

FINALLY-- an update!

Dear faithful readers,

It has been approximately four months since I last posted an update about my knitting. I did post in August, but that was just a pattern. This time, you're going to get a loooong post jam-packed full of the exciting knitting things that are happening in my little world.

Let's start at the beginning. I started and finished a pair of socks from Knitty in my first month in Israel:

They're pretty. I haven't worn them. I never remember until after I'm finished and have a beautiful pair of socks that there's NO POINT TO MAKING A BEAUTIFUL PAIR OF SOCKS. When in the world am I going to wear them? With sneakers? So pointless. I guess they're good for "around the house", so that visitors who drop by can admire them, but otherwise... I just don't get it. I don't know why I made them. At the same time, they were pretty fun to make and I really liked the colorway.


The striped raglan.... Oh, the raglan.

At one point, it was finished:

But it didn't fit so well.

I had put in some "bust" and "waist" shaping that ended up a little confused about itself and as you can see, there are some weird bulges where there clearly shouldn't be. I pretended to myself that it was okay, and I could sort of pull and twist the sweater around so it wouldn't show, but it just didn't look good. A few months later I ripped it out up to the armholes and started again. This time I increased twice on each side every other row for about twenty rows. Needless to say, it came out ridiculously huge and fit terribly again. Ripped. This time I increased ONLY on the front, which I thought would be sufficient room but still snug-fitting. I knit almost all the way down to the bottom before trying it on and realizing it was still too big, still weirdly baggy in the bust, still ill-fitting. Rip. We're now back at the armholes. The status of the project is, frankly, iffy. I have knit this sweater three times. And I don't know when the inspiration to do it all over again will hit.


Next. This project was completed in mid-July, while I was waiting on my friend to deliver her baby:

Simple hat-- my own pattern, nothing special--I may post it at some point-- and the cutest little socks. Sadly, Michelle (the mother of the baby boy) says that his feet are already too big for them!! He was born in August, and by the time the "cold" weather came around, he'd outgrown them. Guess I'll have to make some more. They were really fun and quick. The only thing is that babies don't really like to wear socks. Actually, it's pretty difficult to knit for babies, it turns out. They grow so freaking quickly. Anyway, here's a picture of baby Eitan in the hat at nine weeks:

He's adorable to a slightly ridiculous degree. Michelle keeps making "jokes" about how I'm going to "steal" him one day. Ha, ha.



Next project: I made a Nalgene cozy/carrier for my friend's husband, who requested it for his hiking trips:

This is before I finished it, weaved in all the ends, sewed on the strap, etc. I don't have a finished picture because I'm too lazy to take one. For the strap, I just did garter stitch, but I held the strand of wool together with a strand of cotton to reduce elasticity. But it didn't really do that. I sewed the strap to the opening of the cozy and the bottom of it, but I don't know how to avoid it falling out if you're carrying it across the chest. Probably if you fastened the cap of the Nalgene around the strap, it would stay in. I knit it really quickly because I wanted to get it to them before they left for a seven-week trip to India, but I wasn't able to, sadly. So it's still in my room somewhere and I guess I'll deliver it when they get back.


Next. I got some amazing, exciting news: my cousin is having twin boys! They're due in January, so unfortunately I won't be seeing them in their adorable infancy, since they live in New York and I'm in Jerusalem, but I have some family visiting next month so I decided to knit them up some matching sweaters to send back. A few months ago I found a pretty decent yarn store in Jerusalem. Not a ton of stuff, but the selection they do have is pretty good. I went there and got some color-changing acrylic for the baby sweaters. I found a very basic pullover pattern and altered it to add some cables. Each sweater only took a few days, and they are super-adorable:

I shall post my alterations.... at some point. I was going to say "shortly", but let's be realistic.

Just to make sure the sweater was a good size for a baby, because it seemed a little wide, I tried it on Michelle's baby boy at six weeks:

Perfect fit, with a little room to grow! Too cute! Now she wants one as well... Knew it would be dangerous to use him as a sweater model.


For Rosh HaShana I went to my Efrat host family's house, and as Rachel is really into knitting, she sort of re-ignited my own excitement. She had lots of current knitting magazines from the states and I went through them and picked out a bunch of patterns to photocopy. I jumped right in with a pullover hoodie sweatshirt which is not even on Ravelry yet. Here's my progress so far:

I bought the yarn at that same little shop. It was expensive. Let's leave it at that. I had to buy 13 balls! But it's a lovely yarn, a wool and cashmere blend in a dusty rose. Really soft and nice to work with, good stitch definition, and looks like it will have a nice soft drape. It's a cute hoodie. The pattern is written to be worked flat in pieces, but I just cast on the body in the round, because, why not? I despise seams. It's a pretty simple sweater-- same pattern the whole way through, then you add a hood and a front pocket. I haven't done much on it because I've been working on the baby sweaters but hopefully it'll pick up pace soon.

And the latest, a silly little thing, I'm working on a little case for my prayer book. I always take it with me when I go away for Shabbat but it gets tossed around in my bag so I'm making it a nice little cozy. But I don't know how it will turn out:

We shall see how that turns out.

One last knitting-related project: I made myself some classy stitch markers! I got the idea from a knitting book I glanced through while at Rachel's, and my roommate happens to work at a crafts store, so I headed on down there and bought some metal rings and little charms to hang on them. Back at home I twisted all the little rings together with pliers and this was the result:

Aren't they cute? I love them. My usual stitch markers are just yarn in contrasting colors, tied in tiny loops. They usually unravel after a while. I also have a few plastic ones, but they're too big. These are just perfect. I may make some more if I find more cute charms.


And that's all, folks! I also started making another jewelry stand, but I didn't like the colors so I never finished it. I'll rip it out soon and start over. "Soon." And I am really going to try to post those mods for the baby sweaters. It shall be done!!!

Simple Ribbed Kindle Cozy

Simple Ribbed Kindle Cozy with Elastic Band

Abra Forman 

This is a very simple, very quick ribbed case for the Amazon Kindle, but instead of a button flap or closure, this cozy features an elastic band sewn in at the opening so you can simply slip it in and go with no possibility of it falling out and no need to fasten it closed. The Amazon cover with backlight is great but gives the Kindle significant extra weight, and when you go out during the day and know you won’t need the light, a secure cozy does just fine and weighs a lot less. Just a few quick hours of knitting and your Kindle is fully protected from bumps and scratches!

Skills Needed

Knitting in the round

Measurements

Empty (Unstretched): 10” in length, 2” in width

With Kindle: 8.25” in length, 5” in width

Materials

70 yards Valley Yarns Stockbridge in Red Purple

2 circular needles, size 5 (any length)

Stitch marker

About 10” of elastic ribbon, .25” width

Tapestry needle

This pattern uses the two-circular method, but you can also use dpns or Magic Loop if you prefer.

Gauge

4 sts/8 rows= 1" in STRETCHED rib pattern.

COZY

CO 40 sts using Judy’s Magic Cast On.

Work k2, p2 rib in the round on two circulars  until work measures 9” from beginning, unstretched. Place stitch marker at beginning of round.

Elastic band casing:

Rounds 1-4: knit

Round 5: Purl

Rounds 6-10: knit

Bind off loosely. Cut a long tail for sewing seam of elastic band.

Elastic Band:

Cut a 10” length of elastic and shape into a circle with one half inch overlapping on either side, so that the length of the band when folded in half equals 4.5” (9” total). Securely sew ends together. Turn the cozy inside out and position the elastic string around the stockinette band:

Fold the stockinette band over so the two wrong sides are facing. Using a tapestry needle and the tail, sew the bound-off edge to the inside of the cozy. Every few stitches, pause and stretch out the fabric slightly so that the sewn edge isn’t too tight. Weave in ends. If you wish to block, wrap your Kindle in plastic wrap and/or seal it into a ziplock bag and insert it into the cozy to block it into shape.

Ta da!

raglanagain and utilitarian knitting

After a sort of short hiatus from knitting, I'm back with two raglan sweaters in progress and a finished project which is, frankly, probably the most useful thing I've ever knit. No, well, my camera case was probably the MOST useful thing, but this new object is a close second. More in a bit. Meanwhile, my sweaters:

I started this one almost a month ago now.

It's a sweet little Knitty pattern-- Amiga--  that is very reminiscent of the popular Featherweight cardigan, except it's free, and knit in a heavier weight. But I wanted a light, easy summer sweater, so I cast on using fingering weight baby yarn. I had two skeins of "antique white" (shown above), and another two skeins of bright white. I figured I'd just use both. At first i had the idea of using leftover Palette for the collar/front bands section, because the two yarns looked good together-- the deep turquoise and the white-- but the white is acrylic and the Palette is wool, and it would be a nightmare to wash. So forget that. However, I know how tacky the two white shades would look together, so I've kind of lost my momentum on the project all together, though I know it would be a really cute sweater to have for the warm weather.

The second raglan sweater I just started last night:

How cute is it already? It's called the $5 in Paris sweater and it's meant to cost very little, knit in cheap acrylic. Hey, I'm all in favor of acrylic-- EASY TO WASH!!! I'm not a huge fan of doing laundry, and if an item requires hand-washing, you can pretty much bet it's going to get washed never. Anyway, the sweater is so cute, and it's very much my style, plus, I figured it is the perfect project to bring on my LONG flight on Monday. Unless I get a lot done by then... hm... we'll see. At any rate, it's looking very neat.

And my finished project:

What is it? Can you guess?

Here's a hint...

It's a jewelry stand! Genius! I wish I could say I thought of this, but I got the idea from a friend's Ravelry project page. She made one and my curiosity was piqued. What is this thing? It was SO incredibly quick and easy to make. I had an old frame; I knit a short swath of some Claudia's Hand Paints Fingering in the seafoam pattern, which took NO time at all; covered the cardboard insert with pretty paper; stapled the knitting to the insert; shoved it all into the frame-- and voila! Getting my earrings tangled up is a frequent problem for me, because I like to throw them all into a little box together, and then rattle the box around until the hooks get stuck in the pretty stringy pieces-- like that pink pair right in the middle of the frame-- and then I have to pull them apart and they get ruined and so forth. Right now my solution is keeping the more fragile ones in separate Ziplock bags. But this is a perfect arrangement for me. It's portable, I can set it up wherever I am, my earrings have a pretty home, and no more tangles! Plus, it's just such a cool idea. I'm very happy with it. The one thing I would change is the size. It's a small frame, and I have a lot of earrings, so if I stumble upon a larger cheap frame in the future I might make a bigger one.

And, before I go, a quick non-sequitor: today my dad sent me a very cool article about the rising trend of yarn bombing/knitting graffiti, which is basically exactly what it sounds like: renegade knitters sneaking out in the dark of night to cover things in knitting!!!! I want to get involved in this movement.

I believe that's all the knitting news I have for you today, folks!