Rick Rack Scarf

I love knitting scarves. I really don't need another one, but scarves are my go-to project whenever I want to make something relatively simple and portable. They're also great for using up the yarn stash, which is currently overflowing from the closet despite my best efforts to reorganize it. 

The pattern I used is the Rick Rack Scarf from Purl Bee. I fell in love with the stitch pattern when I first saw it. It's only two rows to memorize and knits up relatively quickly. It also looks good on both sides (very important for a scarf). 

I used two skeins of Red Heart Soft Touch yarn. It's really thick and cozy. 

Here's more close-ups of the amazing stitch pattern:

Throw-Back Thursday: My First Sweater Vest

The lighting was really nice over the weekend, so we finally got around to taking pictures of some of my old knitting projects. 

My first sweater, a cropped yellow cardigan has since been unravelled because I didn't like it and never wore it. This vest was my second sweater project and much more of a success. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I've worn it several times since knitting it. 

I used the ever popular Heather Hoodie Pattern from the Fall 2009 issue of Knitscene. My yarn was thinner than what was called for in the pattern, so I compensated by using the directions for one of the medium sizes. I also didn't have enough yarn for a hood so I made a crewneck collar instead. In retrospect, this was probably a better idea anyway, since if I'm honest with myself, I never actually use the hoods on my hoodies anyway. 

Please excuse the way the collar is puckering. It usually sits flatter. 

The yarn I used came from my mom's yarn stash. She had bought it about twenty years ago. My grandmother had picked it out for a vest at the time. (I guess yarn-hoarding runs in the family) It's a really interesting grey. The yarn itself is a light grey, but it's also threaded through with white and these flecks of different colours. I haven't seen any yarn that's similar to it. 

This vest was finished probably about two years ago, but it's held up really well - no pilling or holes or anything. It looks the same as it did fresh off the needles. 

DNA Fingerless Mitts

These were made for my sister, who loves both fingerless mitts and genetics. They were a challenge because it was the first time I had knit with such extensive modifications of patterns. 

The DNA helix came from ChemKnits DNA Helix Kindle Cover. I loved how the chart had mirrored double helices, which ended up working really well for the left and right mitts.

I wanted the arms to be more fitted so the shaping is loosely based on the CanCans Fingerless Mitts by Erica Lomax.

Overall I think they turned out fairly well. The yarn is a cotton-silk blend, so really soft. It's not all that hard-wearing though, as unfortunately after a few months, these are already looking rather worn. At least we managed to take these pictures while they were still in their prime. 

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'Tis the season to be yarning...

Fa la la la la la la la la ...

Merry Christmas, everyone! Christ is born - it's time to celebrate!

This year, my sister and I wanted to give our crafting friends gifts. Ambitiously, we thought to knit them each a face cloth and bundle it with some facial cleanser to make a gift set.

We made a few versions of the same type of set.

You all know that my sister knits so for her, it wouldn't be a problem. However, what you may not know is that the last time I picked up knitting needles was 15 years ago. Yep. And I never even finished the sole of the booty that I was working on.

What I have discovered is that it is easier learning how to knit properly as an adult than as an impatient preteen. My first face cloth was a mass of uneven knits, reversed patterns and dropped stitches. My second face cloth was an improvement in spades. Check it out:

This neat pattern is called Nai Nai's Favorite and can be found here.

Practise does make perfect. After churning out a handful of these, I have now got this pattern memorized and am not only making better stitches but am faster overall. 

Both Allison and I want to wish everyone a happy holiday. May you have a wonderful time with friends and family but do not forget to thank the Lord for giving us the greatest gift of all - his one and only son, Jesus. Today, we celebrate Christ's birth - Merry Christmas!

A Craft-y Sunday

The weeks leading up to Christmas can be so busy. I haven't had much time to work on this blog and my hard drive currently holds a large stock of crafting pictures just waiting to be posted.

A few weeks ago, my sister and I hosted our first crafting afternoon at our house (I say 'first' because I hope for many more such afternoons in the coming year :) ). Michelle, Tracy, Amy and Emily came over for lunch before we busted out the supplies. I had this vague idea of us all making Christmas cards but we ended up each working on different projects. Still, it was an awesome afternoon and we got some nice stuff out of it.

Emily was our shutterbug for the afternoon - the rest of us were too bent on our projects to document (as you can see by the many hands visible in the photos).

Amy was the only one who actually worked on Christmas cards. :)

Watercolour and calligraphy - just the right handmade touch!

Tracy ambitiously decided to learn how to knit. She was working on a scarf with a few pointers from my sister and Emily.  There were many Youtube videos being played in the background while we worked.

I'm not sure how far she got but I have heard that it has since finished. I can't wait to see it :)

My sister and Michelle set up a clay sculpture shop. It took up half the dining room table and was quite the production. My sister is slowly building up her arsenal of clay sculpting tools. Recently, our family bought a new toaster oven so now, our old one is specifically devoted to baking our crafting creations. Move aside Dolly Maker Oven - we've got big girl toys now!

A cute, festive bear bearing a candy cane.

Michelle was the one who was especially excited to be working with clay. She decided to work on a set of ornaments and experimented with a bunch of different techniques.

Oh, and did I mention that we also have a pasta maker dedicated for clay sculptures? Yes we do. 

She make some really neat colour mixtures.

Into the oven they go!

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of Michelle's ornaments after they were baked. They still need to be spray painted with gold (oohh...fancy). However, here's my sister's adorable Christmas bear:

So what did our shutterbug (ie. Emily) work on? Well, for the past few months, she has been diligently working on a cross-stitching pattern for her niece. In between shooting our photos, she got a few stitches in.

Coming along nicely, Em.

So what did I do? Aside from talking non-stop for 4 hours, of course :P. Well, that will have to wait for next year. Stay tuned!

Autumn Stripes Scarf

Okay, so right now we're a couple months too late for autumn but the colour of the yarn reminds me of a crisp, autumn morning, with red, gold and brown leaves and clear blue skies.

This pom pom scarf was my break between work and more complicated craft projects. It took approximately two skeins of Loops and Threads Pom Pom yarn. The skeins were found in the clearance section of Michaels with the wrappers missing, so it took some google searches and experimenting to figure out how to knit with the pom poms and the width of scarf that would create a nice stripe pattern. It's really just a simple garter stitch scarf, and once I got the hang of knitting just the carrier thread between the pom poms the project went very quickly. 

The pom poms are sooo soft and really cozy! If I had more skeins, I could see this making a really great blanket or pillow.