First-Ever Personal Design

 Or at least the first one I'll claim.  We all likely have those failed design projects that we stashed deep in a closet, burned, or worst of all, gifted to a friend.  There are a few scarves and one particularly ill-conceived baby blanket that I'll try never to think of again.

This one, though, actually worked out like a charm.  A friend of mine has been on me to create a small coin purse pattern, specifically one with a clasp.  I'd never done anything like that before, so of course Ravelry helped me find options that were available.

I liked two in particular...Sophie's purse, available here:  http://hookylove.blogspot.com/2009/12/sophies-purse.html and Best Friend, available here: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTbestfriend.html

Both of these required one fatal step, however: sewing in a liner. 

I know myself.  I know that I am deeply creative when I'm trying to get out of tedium, and sewing and I have never gotten along.  I went so far as to buy some fabric, but always knew in my heart of hearts that I'd never actually use it.

What to do for those of us who avoid sewing at all costs?  After mulling a few days, I remembered a double-knit blanket pattern I'd seen recently.  I've done no double-knitting in my life, but it seemed like a smart solution.  The reason knit bags need liners is that they sag, and they're holey.  Double-knitting reasonably offered a solution to both.

I did a couple of small test projects just to accustom myself to the technique.  It's a little slow, and requires some thought.  Okay, a lot of thought.  But good kinds of thought.

After a few swatches and more math than I care to admit, I have a finished product I'm totally in love with.

I'm going to try out a couple more variations, then create a pattern to share with others.  I've benefited from so many free patterns, that it's definitely my turn to give something back.

Hammer Hammer, Bang Bang--Etsy Shop Now Open for Business

I did something this week I'd been plotting for quite a while--opened my very own Etsy shop.  It has a crude shop banner I made in PowerPoint, and a total of 10 listings that took me almost two full days to create.  In a word, it's rough.  I'm hoping that once the dust settles, it will grow into something lovely and rewarding, but I recognize that time is still a ways off yet.

Here it is, if you want to take a peek: http://www.etsy.com/shop/hukd

To give you an idea of what I eventually am shooting for, here is the storefront of a friend of mine whom I admire to no end: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tissage

I view this blog and my Etsy shop in very much the same way.  Right now they're both labors of love, for an audience of one: me.  But they're out there in the cyberuniverse for others to happen upon when the time is right. 

Though I intend to sell primarily jewelry holders through hukd, I've added a few of my stray knit scarves to the listings to flesh out my initial offerings.  A couple that I've already mentioned in this blog, in fact.  I'm definitely a process knitter rather than a project knitter, and so I like trying out lots of different patterns just to explore, whether or not I need the item itself.  I normally try to curtail this impulse, as I'm not a cowl person and never will be.  But they look like such fun to knit...

And now I'm slowly starting to realize that Etsy may be the death of me, because it will give me purpose to knit things that I have no intention of using myself, or even gifting to anyone else.  This might be revolutionary.  And it might speed up my already destined arthritis.

Mini Me

I have to do just a wee bit of bragging here.  This is the first time I've modified an existing pattern to any serious extent, and it worked out smashingly.  Yes, I know I just shrunk it down.  But darn it, it involved math, so I'm going to crow!

This was made for a friend and admirer of my full-size Tardis Kindle case.  I think I like it better than the original, now...

Yarn Placement Interview #1: Crystal Palace Carnival

Case #75294

Name: Carnival

Origin: Crystal Palace

Weight: Bulky

How and when did you first join the stash?

I've been around a long time.  I was found on Elann.com in 2000.  Our Stashmistress was first discovering the online world of yarn discounts, and I was her first full-bag purchase. 

What can you tell us of life before the stash? 

It's pretty hazy.  As I said, I came from Elann, which is a good indication I was either a mill end or a discontinued color.  I arrived in a sealed package, without damage.

What's your favorite part of stash life? 

Oh, definitely the friendships I've made with other stray yarns over the years.  I've seen a lot of stash movement and growth...especially growth.  It seems some yarns are gone as quickly as they arrive, while others are long-termers in the stash, like myself.  Every once in a while we get rearranged in new bins, which gives me a chance to branch out and make new connections.  It's nice to reunite with old friends I haven't been stored with in a year or two, as well. 

 What would you like to be when you grow up?
I'm a bit bulky, which makes for warmth and cuddliness.  I'm also a pastel shade, so definitely would like to spend time with girls, particularly children.  I'd make a great baby blanket, or maybe even something bigger.  Something snuggly.  There's enough of me (6 skeins) to share the wealth, and make several smaller pieces, should the Stashmistress be so inclined.  Finally, I'd like to point out that I'm 100% wool, which gives a lot of options for felting, too.

The geekiest thing I've knit yet

Which shouldn't be confused with the ugliest or the least practical thing I've knit yet--won't be posting pictures of those particular fails anytime soon!


Here we are: the geekiest project thus far:

It's a Tardis Kindle cover!  As the project guidelines say, both the Tardis and the Kindle are much bigger on the inside than the outside, after all.  If you're a Ravelry person, the pattern is available as a free download here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tardis-kindle-case-dr-who

In my last post, I was dreaming about the yarn that was shortly to arrive at my house.  It showed up about a half-hour after I posted, and I rolled around in it (metaphorically speaking, mostly) for a while.  Then I added it to my Ravelry stash online, and in the process was looking through some projects that others had done with the same yarn.  One of those I saw was a Kindle cover, though not this one.  I admit, I had never thought of creating such a thing as a Kindle cozie, but this was just kismet.

You see, Dear Husband had just the week earlier stormed around the house in a huge huff, because he found a tiny crack in his new Kindle screen.  It's the size of a very, very small bullet hole.  Or a cat claw tip, which is a much more likely origin in this household.  He has every right to be upset, of course, but part of why he was so mad was because he was putting off buying a cover for it until the next paycheck.  Fiscal responsibility bites us all in the end.

I still think he needs a "real" Kindle cover, but thought I'd provide him with a fun alternative in the meantime.  Knit it up in two days, and surprised him with it one evening.  He loved it, and says he wouldn't mind using it as his full-time cover if I can add a fastener of some variety to it.  So I've bought both a zipper and a set of velcro tabs.  We'll see which works out best.

Prepare for Jeff Foxworthy spoof

You know you're a yarn addict when...

The highlight of your day will be the UPS delivery of your latest yarn binge purchase online.  I've tracked the package obsessively for days.  Didn't want to spend the extra cash for fast delivery, but I keep hoping that UPS has been overly pessimistic in their estimation of how long it will take that box to creep from Vermont to western Washington.  They haven't been.  Of course.

But, it should be here any time now.  I've got my dogs out on the back deck with me, so they won't scare the poor delivery person when the doorbell rings.  I've got my Ravelry "stash" page ready to upload with yarn data and pretty pics.  All this despite the fact that I have no immediate plans to do anything with this new yarn. 

I'll justify the excitement with the thought that most of it will go towards a fair-isle sweater.  Since I bought it online, on the cheap, I have little idea what the color values are and how they will work together, so swatching will be in order.  Thrilling.

Then I'll have a whole other bag lot of yarn, enough for a different sweater project.  Oh, the possibilities. 

Meanwhile, we all know that those beautiful balls will end up in my closet bins for the next few months or even years.  Ah, well.  It will be there when I want it, which seems to be the entire justification for the concept of stash. 

Summer of Destash

Around New Years, I bought a bunch of clear plastic tubs and completely reworked my bedroom closet so that the shelves could be devoted to yarn storage.  This works out perfectly because we always leave that closet door open, and the closet's on my side of the bed, so I can roll on my side and stare at all the pretty things waiting there.

Of course, what I realized as I sorted and stuffed was that I have way too much yarn, especially stuff I don't especially like.  We all go through those bits of insanity, I realize--prices are way too low to resist, or the fumes of the yarn store make our vision go all blurry.  Part of my summer plans became to work some of that junk outta here, and give it a form in which it might be helpful to someone, somewhere.

Some recent FOs that have come from that process:

Cornmeal Mats (2 total)
crocheted, using 3 brands of Red Heart Super Saver that came in a giant bundle from Goodwill.

Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks Scarf
knitted, using Red Heart Super Saver Multi, from that same Goodwill bundle

Swing Scarf, from the book Exquisite Little Knits
knitted, using leftover skein of Rowan Tapestry and what I could stand to use of Henry's Attic Spangle.  It has translucent sequins in it, that serve very little decorative purpose but manage to tangle everything up in horrible knots quite nicely.   This came from a grab bag I got with a purchase online at New Years, so at least I don't have to admit to buying it willingly.  Added 3 crochet flowers from the book Crochet Inspiration to pretty it up.

I won't claim any of these as my finest work, but at least there's that much more empty space in my yarn bins.  Actually, come to think of it, there's not.  Guess the stuff expands?  That, and of course I've bought more in the meantime...