quack quack

I knit ducks for my roomies for Easter. The pattern is from Lion Brand (you have to registern to see it, but it's free!) I used fun fur, orange felt, and googly eyes. This one is Anita's. It is named Luigi.

Note: The thumbnail of the picture doesn't display on my computer. If you have the same problem, just click on the little box above the text and you can see the full-size picture.

no fingers.

These gloves are for another professor. It's really hard to find handknit things for men that aren't preppy - and this guy is definitely not preppy. These are knit out of Galway 100% wool, an Irish sounding yarn made in Peru, color 31. I modified the cigar gloves from Knitty. The pattern calls for the pinky and ring fingers to be fully covered and only the first three to be fingerless, but the instructions are "knit until as long as wearer's finger" or something like that. Since my wearer isn't on hand (no pun intended - really, I just noticed!), I decided to go fingerless all the way.

washcloths

These are from Weekend Knitting. The light blue is knit exactly following the pattern, for the purple and yellow I switched to yellow when I joined to work in the round. The purple and yellow yarn is Lion Brand Microspun. The light blue is yarn from a sweater I bought at goodwill and unwound. It's some cotton/acrylic blend, but I don't remember quite what. Click here for a site with a great tutorial about recycling yarn by unwinding commercially made sweaters. I made two more of these out of the discontinued Lion Cotton-ease with white petals and a light yellow center to sell at a benefit for Heifer International. I found that the microspun version is very floppy and a bit rough on the face (it leaves my face a bit itchy) but I love the recycled yarn one. I didn't try either of the others.

Wrists!

I made myself a pair of wrist warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and loved them so much that I started knitting them for everyone I know (to date, my mother, Eliza, and Diane, a professor who's helped me out a lot). Mine are in navy Berroco Softwist wool/rayon, my mom's are the same yarn in red, Eliza's are grey Plymouth Suri Merino and Diane's are pink Plymouth Suri Merino. For each pair I cast on 36 (pattern calls for only 32). The first three pairs were made on size 3 - they were wide enough, but a bit short. I added a few rows of ribbing in pattern for each. Diane's are really great, made on size 6. I used the spiral rib pattern for all but Eliza's, who wanted plain straight double ribbing. I used DPNs instead of two circular needles which the pattern recommends, because I love my clover bamboo DPNs! It is very important to cast on and bind off loosely for this project. Pictures of mine and Diane's are here, Eliza's to follow (she claims she has some great pictures of her wearing them in Beijing in January). Eliza has requested a second pair that is a bit longer in both directions and has a smaller thumb hole.

change purse

After making Eliza's socks, I had a bit of black Plymouth alpaca left. I made this little change purse. I was going to try felting it, so I put it through the laundry once, but I kind of liked the way it was (and was out of quarters) so it's not really felted at all.

On size 3 DPNs, CO8. Knit in stockinette stitch until work measures 3.5". Pick up and knit stitches around the base (I have no idea how many I picked up on the sides, but it was definitely 8 at the end for symmetry). Knit in the round for 3.5", BO all sts.

Stitch a 4" zipper into the top of the bag (I liked the roll, so I stitched the zipper below the roll, but I imagine it would be possible to stitch it right at the top).

The purse is fine in plain black, but I embroidered a little flower on the bottom in embroidery floss from a craft store. I just made up the design as I went along.

Monkey Bag

This bag was a christmas present for my sister. The pattern, Cocktail Monkey, is from Knitty. I knit it exactly as the pattern is written. Knitting with hemp is a pain in the butt. It is very stiff and rough on the hands. If I were to knit this again, I might try soaking the hemp first. Cocktail Monkeys are surprisingly hard to find. I called or visited three party stores and three liquor stores. You can buy them online, but you have to buy a whole lot of them. I finally found them for sale (ten cents each, I believe) at Joie de Vivre near Porter Square in Cambridge, MA. I found the fringe at a generic craft store, but it took a lot of hunting, since the staff had no idea what or where it was. I'm really pleased by the way this came out, though.

Socks for Eliza!

Socks for Eliza. Plymouth Alpaca in several different colors, size 3 needles. Ann Norling Basic Adult Socks pattern #12. I modified the pattern (cast on 52, which is between two recommended sizes, and modified as necessary). The socks are a tiny bit wide for her, but they are good for sleeping in or for wearing under boots, and they can be reblocked to fit her a bit better. If you look carefully you can see some cryptology homework under her feet! I did a lot of the knitting for these socks in the airplane on the way to and back from the Philippines.