new rebecca obsession

I'll be joining in the Rebecca 29 wrap-cardi-along as soon as I can get ahold of the pattern and yarn.

Hopefully my LYS (Article Pract) has both. Unfortunately, it's not open Mondays. Argh!

And if only they used plastic shopping bags, I could also make some headway on plastic bag (couple posts down)...

adventures in netting

I'm making this purse (upper right corner of the book) from "Simple Knits with a Twist" for a bride-to-be:



Pretty cute.

This involves cutting netting into 1-inch wide strips and knitting it up. It's kind of fun. Here's what I have so far:



As you can see, I've given up on trying to wind the netting into anything resembling a ball. It just catches on itself and tangles.

bag made from bags

I thought this project from "Simple Knits with a Twist" was pretty cool. And it allows me to indulge my knitting habit without paying for yarn.

But I have a problem.

I've run out of plastic bags (grocery store bags are too wimpy). I could remedy this by going shopping, but then I'd defeat the purpose of the cheap knitting. I'm resisting the urge to ask my neighbors for their plastic bags.

Anyway, here's where I am so far:

plouf!

skinnyscarf
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Oh, how I love Plouf!, a fun yarn from Artfibers in SF. I found some of it left over from a scarf I made my mother-in-law. This is how skinny scarf came to be.

Learn from my pain: I finished this late last night. I was binding off the last stitch and realized I didn't have a pair of scissors handy. So I took scarf in hand, walked over to the kitchen, grabbed the shears and cut. All good until I pulled the strand the wrong way and started unravelling the scarf! ARGH!!! You do not want to make a mistake with Plouf. Ever. It is impossible to see the stitches. I managed to stop all the runs, I think. Never cut when sleepy.

fuzzy

fuzzy
Originally uploaded by Frith.

My mother showed up with a red boa-type scarf (not handmade) and said they were "all the rage" back in the Midwest. It just so happened that I picked up this crazy Crystal Palace yarn (actually two colors knit together) at Stitches West. Voila, present for mom.

Stitches West was pretty overwhelming. I was afraid I'd get trampled by little old ladies at the bargain bins.

bears, oh my!

Another one from "Knitting for Baby." The big one was a Valentine's Day present for the boy. The others were made before Coltrane was born.

awwwwww... booties

Another project made from "Knitting for Baby" before baby was born:



What's that? You can't see the booties with the big baby in the way? Very well:

heart sweater

babysweater
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Another sweater from my big-bellied days. Of course, baby has already grown out of it, but it was fun to see him in it. Although now I understand why baby clothes often have buttons at the neck. Pulling this thing over his head made him a wee bit angry. This is also from "Knitting for Baby" by Falick and Nicholas. Love that book.

the magic of short rows

balls
Originally uploaded by Frith.

I made these for the baby boy while I was pregnant last fall. I have fond memories of working on them while in my birthing class. This might have affected the stitch tension in parts -- some of those labor videos are pretty gnarly. This project is from Falick's "Knitting for Baby" book.

blocks

blocks
Originally uploaded by Frith.

More oldies: this is 2003.

Love the baby blocks from "Knitting for Baby." Of course, my niece is displaying the plain stockinette sides, but trust me, there are actually different textures on each side. Must make more of these for Coltrane.

Italian Greyhound sweater

Bobsweater1
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Bear with me while I archive some old projects. This one is from a couple years ago.

But first, I need to point out that my dog actually gets very cold if the mercury drops below 70 degrees, so he needs clothing. He *really* needs it. Truly.

Yes, you, too, can clothe your dog. Measure your dog, know your gauge, and start knitting. This was knit in the round from the neck down using some Starmore yarn I had around.

first xmas scarf

basketweave
Originally uploaded by Frith.

Made this for the hubby for our first xmas together (1999). It's a simple basketweave made from a delicious cashmere/silk blend. Nothing's too good for my man.

ancient knitting history

nordic
Originally uploaded by Frith.

This is the second sweater I ever made. This was in the spring of 1993, before I understood the importance of such niceties as gauge and the tension of carried yarn. But three colors is pretty ambitious for an early project, I think. Bear in mind this is a new picture of a 12-year-old sweater. It did look a bit better when it was young. So did I. Tee-hee. I'm soooo old.