A Knifty Knitter's Journal

Mitten

I guess when you make something for yourself, you can be extra picky because you're always checking to make certain it fits. This mitten does not fit!

I used the same ideas I used for my other set of blue loom mittens, only this time, I chose Paton 100% merino wool. I used a double strand, did a ribbed cuff and a gathered top. However, here's what I don't like about this poor mitten:

--The cuff is wider than the rest of the mitten. Because I chose the flat stitch for the majority of the mitten, the Purl 1, Flat Stitch 1 ribbing is too loose.

--I started the thumb too early. I need one more row before starting that thumb. now, it rides up a touch right below the thumb.

--The thumb is too snug/short. I should have used more pegs, plus it needed two extra rows.

--The top is too long. Now, here I'm getting picky. It's only about one row too long.

So, there you have it. A failed mitten. Poor little thing. I intend on frogging it and starting over, making better notes this time. When I have a finished pair, I'll do another post.

Olive

I knitted this doll using the same pattern as Loofah, only on the large end (8 peg) spool Knifty Knitter instead of the flower loom. She's very tiny, about 4". I think if I were going to make these dolls to give away, I'd have to find a way to keep the stuffing in place. As it is, you can tell the gaps between each row are so large you can see the polyfill. One idea I had is to use a child's sock as a way to stuff the doll. I can also use a tighter stitch like I do for the head.

Loofaholive

One more problem I'm having is with the hair. Right now, it looks okay, but it's not durable and wouldn't stand up to much playing. I separated strands of Lion Wool Ease but as they come apart, it's easy to tear off sections. I need to research a way to make decent hair.

Doggietoy

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When we were visiting family over Thanksgiving, I knitted this ball with the flower loom. My plan was to make three of them, print out a "How to Juggle" tutorial, and give them as a gift. However, the little dog of the household got one look at this ball and decided it was hers. How could I refuse that face??

Loofah

Meet Loofah!

I made this loomed dolly on the smaller (12 peg) flower Knifty Knitter. The pattern is Lulu the Loomed Dolly, and it's Bev's from Cottage Garden. She loom knits Lulu Dolls for charity.

When I saw her dolls, and I saw the Lulu that American Girl in Italy made, I had to give it a try. I used Lion brand wool (worsted weight) for the head and some left-over medium-weight wool for the body.

I didn't have the 18 peg loom that Bev uses, so I used my brand-new flower loom. Compared to the smallest loom in the KK round loom kit, this one has 12 pegs vs. the 24 peg blue loom; however, it's still large gauge.

It took me awhile to decide what stitch to use, because I knew I wanted the head to look different than the body. After starting four times, I ended up using a 1-over-3 wrapping and just the basic knit stitch. How I do this is I single wrap each peg, and I go completely around four times total. I then knit the bottom loop over the three remaining loops, and I do this for each peg. I then wrap just one strand around all pegs and continue.

Kittyhelper

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I made the head this way by knitting 24 rounds. (If I was using thicker yarn it would have been many fewer times around.) I then switched colors and started the body. I used two strands here, plus I choose the garter stitch. I knitted Loofah's body to be twice as long as her head.

When I neared the end of the body, I decreased by putting one existing loop on the neighboring peg and knitting off. I did this all around so I was left with six loops. I then gathered them all together just like a hat. I stuffed the doll with polyfill, and gathered the head.

When Loofah was at this stage, I decided the garter stitch wasn't exactly attractive. It was, in fact, sorta odd looking. Although I had played around with some cutsie names like Magnolia, in the end, she most resembles a loofah gourd, so that's her name: Loofah.

I knitted a little scarf on my other new KK loom: the spool loom. It makes two different sizes of i-cords. I used the smallest side, and I even added some tiny tassels. I then knitted Loofah a hat, so I went back to the flower loom and knitted about two inches. I decreased the top of the hat and gathered it off. The brim curled up on its own.

Finally, I decided Loofah needed some personality, so I had a try at stitching a face. She has a tiny pink mouth, two blue eyes, and some wild hair. You may notice one of her eyes is crooked--looks like I need some practice!

Because she's wool, I wonder if she'd felt at all if I washed her. I'd have to de-stuff her first, but it may be a cool look. At this point, though, I'm a little attached to her, and I'd hate it if something bad happened to my lil' Loofah.

I think Loofah was a great first doll. She's pretty much a tube with a scarf and hat. Now that I have these smaller looms, it'll be fun to knit her new things once and awhile like a blankie, shawl, and maybe even a couple of snazzy tube dresses!

By the way, it's sure nice to have the kitties nearby. Whenever I need help choosing a color, they're right there to lend a helping paw.

Shawl1

Last night I finished knitting this little shawl on the yellow Knifty Knitter.I used the pattern I listed below in a previous posting, by Rostitchery. Although I had some trouble decreasing, in the end, it turned out. Rowena had instructions to put the last loop on the near peg and KO. Then, wrap that "new" last peg, KO, and continue on down the row. I found this made the edge tight, not loopy like on my increase side. To try to make it match a little more, I would do just as she said by pulling the last loop to the second-to-last peg and KO. Then I would double wrap that final peg, knit 2-over-1, and continue down the row. Because the yarn is bulky and also varies in thickness, it passes just fine.

Shawl2

I used Moda Dea Cache in Tootsie, about 2.5 skeins. This is not a favorite yarn of mine. In fact, I bought it for $1/skein at Goodwill months ago. It makes a cute shawl, though!

My only thought on this shawl is whether or not is should be blocked. It fits snugly around the shoulders, and I like it that way, so I don't think I will, but we'll see.

This is a fast project to knit. I estimate it took me about five hours total.

Sewingcabinet1

My husband spotted this treasure last spring at an antique store, and when he asked if it was something I would use, I grabbed it. I think it was $20.00. I can fit the large yellow loom inside along with yarn for my current projects. It has a wooden tray that's perfect for my knitting doo-dads. It also has a shelf on the bottom where I set my folder of patterns.

Sewingcabinet2

I like this because it makes my knitting mobile. I can bring it from room to room easily and I'm not carrying around a lot of plastic bags and extras that I'm not using. I stash everything else in my closet.

Dishcloth

It's a little bit crooked! And the edge that I ended on looks square instead of rounded. Oh well, here it is in all its glory: my very first knitted-with-needles FO. I enjoyed it, even with all my mistakes. The funny thing is that I see this particular dishcloth pattern everywhere now that I made one. I saw two for sale yesterday, and we even have one in our own house, something that was left behind from the previous owners.

What should I make next on the needles? I've always wanted to make a calorimetry and also a Kitty Pi but both of those take some expertise. We'll see. Maybe another dishcloth!

Dishcloth

That's right. I suddenly had an urge to give knitting with needles a try, so I checked out a video from my local library and I started making the first project: a dishcloth. So far, I've learned to cast on, knit in the garter stitch, and increase by leaving a space. I have to admit, I enjoy using needles, especially because it gives a smaller gauge than the Knifty Knitter. I've played around with the idea of buying a smaller gauge loom, but we'll see how it goes!

I'm using size 8 needles and a skein of Sugar 'n Spice cotton. There's one huge difference I've noticed so far between loom and needle knitting. Because I'm making smaller stitches, this is taking a long time!

Bluescarf

I realized I never posted a photo of my ziggy zag scarf even though I finished it last spring. I've been wearing it a lot this fall, and it's just the right weight for not-so-cold days. I'd like to make a matching headband with the same yarn, but since it's a little bit scratchy, I'm not sure if I'd like it.

I posted instructions on the ziggy zag stitch earlier. The scarf is about 55" long. It curls a lot, but I don't think blocking it will help because it only has a small amount of wool.

Final thoughts: cool pattern, nice color, but it curls in everywhere but the ends. I'm please because this was my first fancy item, but I'd choose a different yarn and probably do a border along each edge the entire scarf.

I've been making this pretty little shawl from Rostitchery's blog: http://rowena.typepad.com/rostitchery/2006/12/give_a_little_g.html

However, I've encountered a problem. The first edge of the "V" has a loopy edge, made by how I interpreted her directions to skip one peg, knit the last peg, and then do a full row back. I have a funny feeling I shouldn't have done it quite that way; however, I'm stuck with it. It looks nice.

But now I'm starting back up the opposite side of the "V" and I'm decreasing a peg each time. Instead of that nice loose edge, I have a normal edge. Hmmmm... I'm trying to figure out how to add an extra loop on this side of the shawl.

I've been using some of my stash of $1 Moda Dea Cache (Twinkle). I think I'll end up using approximately 125 yards, or 2.5 skeins. Photos to come.

It just figures I'd go and be typical... when it's cold, I knit. When it's warm, I don't. Since we're creeping--no, make that speeding--toward the middle of August, I guess I can admit it! I'm a fair weather non-knitter.

Non-knitting isn't all bad. I have plenty of time to think about knitting, imagine all the wonders I'll create, and yet I don't  have the hassle of making mistakes, frogging, and just plain giving up. Of course, I also don't have the joy in finishing a project and all that goes along with it like the excitement of starting, the tiredness of staying up for just one more row...

In short, I haven't given up on knitting but I have decided that a pile of wool in my lap on a ninety degree day is less than appealing. Yes, I considered using cotton, but still, it just hasn't fit into my summer.

So, now that summer's on the wane, although I suspect we have plenty of 90 degree days left, I'm just getting that inkling of interest in starting up a project. Some of my basic ones I may have mentioned before. They're practical: I want to have a "knitting closet" to keep all my bits and bobbles organized, along with my stash (which is still small--I've resisted the urge to even look at yarn until I'm making an actual project); I also need my little knitting corner set up, and it's almost there.

Finally, I'd like to unearth my digital camera so I can keep adding pics to this blog. Sometime during our move it went missing and we've yet to find it.

I'm not wanting to wish the summer away, but I am looking forward to cooler weather. Happy knitting!

BTW, if anyone has tips on making a calorimetry with a Knifty Knitter, please send me ideas!