Tag Archives: knitting

The Swap of Discontent

Sign-ups are closed for this Swap

“Now is the winter of our discontent”…but we’ve got to make our own bright spot since we don’t have that York fellow to bring the summer. Knitters, I present:

The Swap of Discontent

This swap intended to provide at least one cozy evening indoors.

Swap boxes should include:
– The yarn and pattern for one smallish, comfy knitting project to ward off the cold (scarf, hat, cowl, nose warmer – think one-size-fits-all-outerwear)
– A book or movie
– Something warm (or warming) to eat or drink.

Here’s the catch: At least one thing in the swap box must be Pre-Owned. Yarn from your stash, a book you’ve already read, a pattern that you’re done with (purchased in a physical format or free to distribute – be mindful of copyright, please). Actually, everything in the box can be pre-owned! There’s no reason to spend anything but shipping if you don’t want to. We’ve all got lovely things and patterns and yarns that we may never ever use. Why not let them fulfill their knitting destiny in the hands of a friend?

Swap boxes should be in the mail no later than January 31, 2014.

Michael is going to make the matches for us because I want to be surprised! Let’s make it a secret swap. Because that’s fun – reveal your identity in the box you mail!

To sign up, leave me a comment before the end of the day Friday (January 10, 2014) and I’ll send a short questionnaire to the email address you use for the comment. Mostly I want to know about allergies – nothing worse than a yarn that makes you itch or nut-filled chocolate that you can’t eat. Non-US residents are more than welcome! Michael will make matches this weekend.

To hit the highlights:
*In the box: Yarn and pattern for project, book or movie, warm drink or snack. ONE must be pre-owned, but all can be.
*Comment by the end of the day Friday, January 10.
*Fill out your questionnaire.
*Matches made over the weekend.
*Boxes in the mail by Friday, January 31.

Ready? Set! GO!
Sign-ups are closed for this Swap

Octopus Knitters

Thank you so much for all the support! I think I’ve figured out our swap, but Ellie is home today (many of the school buildings in the county are open and breezy so with our lows as our highs they decided to close) so maybe tomorrow!

**Octopus Knitters Acquired. Thank you.**

octopusattacks

Eight legs are best for a cataclysmic dollhouse attack.

Thank you so much for the kind Great Gran thoughts. I had hope to have time to reply personally in a timely fashion (now that I’ve found where WordPress keeps the comments), but we are having as close as we ever get to a Snow Day instead. Gotta get back to Mary Poppins – it’s dancing penguin time!

Octopus Person

I finished the last of my Christmas knitting!

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No progress on the pattern for the regular sized cephalopod except that I fixed a bunch of stitch counts. It’s going to have to wait ’til after Christmas. I’ve only got two days to start and finish Ellie’s present before she’s out of school.

Stocking!

Aw, man. Truman needs a stocking and I can’t find my notes for the cat stockings.

kitty stockings

I was going to do them up to be my Christmas Freebie pattern too. I really can’t believe I didn’t put the notes in a post or something when I made the cat stockings.

Argh.

Quick Question(s)

pinkoctopusdetail

Have you got a second?

Do you think his eyes need to be lower down? And do you think he needs a smiley mouth under his eyes on the pattern example? Ellie’s octopus mouth is on the bottom (where octopus mouths belong) but she is a stickler for realism (and has requested that I make him a siphon so that he can jet through the water properly).

In my original design, I was going to give him some texture (seed stitch) on the bottom of his tentacles. I thought it would look good when he was knotted. I still think it would look good, but I abandoned it as Entirely Too Tedious about four inches into the first tentacle. So I’m pretty sure no one else would want to keep that up for ten feet worth of tentacle, so I don’t think I’m going to include a seed stitch option in the pattern (makes it less confusing to leave it out). Does anyone see leaving it out as a problem? I *could* include the pattern lines in a box or something off to the side if anyone is into that kind of self-loathing behavior…

I just ordered the yarn for a GIANT version (so much pink yarn) for my customer who wants one for Christmas (which is why I’m working on the Octopus now instead of what I said I wanted to do) and yarn for the pattern version. I’m going to give Malabrigo Organic Cotten a try (worsted held double). The color is named ‘ultramarine’. You see how I just couldn’t say no to that.

Moving Forward

pinkoctopus

Without Knots

pinkoctopusknots

With Knots

pinkoctopusdetail

Up close.

I think I want him a little skinnier at his skinniest point. It doesn’t seem like his body has quite enough shape to it (even though his head protrudes in the back a bit). But generally speaking, I’m pleased!

And it wasn’t a super giant pain even with all those legs! YAY.

Eight

The WordPress iPhone ap is still unmanageable. Why is my only option after selecting a size for my image ‘publish’? I just end up with a blank post because it won’t put in the pictures but STILL.

So. Still no picture for you. I’m just too tired to get the big camera out.

All eight tentacles are finished! And joined together! Now is the time to wish me luck.

Physically Great Gran is improving. But if any of you have ever known or had an extended hospital stay…yeah.

*There should be a picture of seven objects RIGHT HERE. But there seems to be something wrong with the latest WordPress for iPhone update: no matter what I do it won’t put in the pictures! It’s possible I just don’t know how to work it, but it looks like you do all the same things…*

Great Gran has been moved to Mobile, but they think they’ve sorted out everything that’s wrong. If she’s as much better today as she was yesterday on the new stuff, I think they are right. But the diagnosis can’t be confirmed for another week. So y’all just keep your fingers crossed, please?

By the Way, Becky L. knows exactly what I’m working on – she said so in the comments. One more leg and things should get exciting.

Or disastrous.

I am going to be really mad if I can’t get this to go together like I think it will.