Knit Picky: My Friend Flick'r

"properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit...
and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either."
~elizabeth zimmerman

Thursday, February 17, 2005

My Friend Flick'r

Heh. I love lame titles.

Well, in light of the fact that it's been AGES since I've posted any images, and the fact that I've spent 6 hours on the 'net and only found two new jobs to apply for (read: my head hurts and my brain is numb), I'm going to do a looong, photo-intensive post. Hope ya don't mind.

First up is the commissioned project that I'm working on. As anybody who has done commissioned work knows, you NEVER get back anything close to what you put into it, but I like the thought of my handiwork becoming part of a baby's stable of must-wear attire for a couple months. :)

I made one of these sets for my sister's best friend when she had her gorgeous baby boy, Alex. My sister keeps promising me a pick to post here of Alex duded up in his blue version of these pieces (yeah, yeah, I engage in gender profiling with yarn colors -- sue me). A friend of the woman I gave them to fell in love with the set and asked my sister if I might be willing to make a set for her little girl. I got carte blanche with the yarn, so long as it was girly. I found this pretty little Jiffy yarn at Michael's (yes, it's 100% acrylic, but look how pretty!).

The color is called Daytona. I love how the colors started out pooling (I know, I'm one of the few who seems to like pooling colors), but with the addition of the eyelets formed these little jags. You can't really see them because of the I-cord tie, but they are cool. This is an adjustable baby hat that I found on Frugal Knitting Haus and have used three times now. For this baby (since she's older, like 8 or 9 months) I added quite a few stitches around so she should be able to wear it for a little while. I have one bootie to go. I'm making the exchange on Sunday.

Item #2 is my tubular cast on. This isn't a great picture, but trust me when I tell you that the agony of six tries and two days of effort is so worth it. This is an awesome, stretchy cast on for 1x1 ribbing. I've seen it recommended on a bunch of blogs, so looked it up in the trusty Vogue Ultimate Knitting Book (seriously, BUY THIS BOOK. I use it all. the. time.)

Here's another picture.

I took it without flash to show you a little more detail and unfortunately it's a bit blurry. You can just make out, though, that once you remove the contrasting yarn, you have this neat, loopy edge that is surprisingly sturdy. I am so proud.

I'm just starting into my acres of stockinette, but I'm already getting really excited about embarking on my first 'real' project (i.e.: a bit more complex than a scarf or hat).

Lastly, my little sister Nikki is turning 8 this weekend (I wish she would stop growing up so fast!). Here's her birthday giftie from me and The Boy. Hmm, just a sec:

NICOLE KAYLEE, IF YOU ARE READING THIS, DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT THE NEXT PICTURE. YOU WILL SPOIL THE SURPRISE ON SUNDAY!

Okay, then. Here's Nikki's present, again staged on the laptop.

I found this adorable how-to-knit book for preteen girls. She wants to learn how to knit soooo badly, and I tried to show her a couple weeks ago when I was at their house, so I think this might be a good supplement to what I'm saying. There are really clear, basic instructions for everything from casting on to making a vest. I hope it helps her! In the picture you can also see some Lion Brand needles in US 13 -- yes, they're big, but I think big needles are a good "learning" needle since you can really see your stitches on them. And I've also inluded a honking big skein of Wool-Ease Chunky in Tinsel. You can't really tell in the picture, but the white yarn is flecked with silvery strands of, well, Tinsel. Nikki is a diva if ever there was one, so this is so perfect for her. :)

Whew! That sure was a lot to post! Happy knitting, all.

2 Comments:

Cute baby set. Great cast on (must get the book and try it). Nice nails :)

By Vicki, at 5:38 PM
OK, my nails REALLY look like crap now that I saw your pic! Jeeez.
WAY to go you little business-woman-knitter, you! Love the baby set!!!

By Christine, at 9:12 PM

2 Comments:

Former -Alongs