Baby Dress: It's all about the buttons

I made this cute baby dress for a fellow knitter's baby shower. It looked easy enough to whip up in less than a week (a week right before the shower!). Due to being unusually busy I didn't get it done in time.

I had a little problem with the pattern when I was finishing off the the neckline/sleeve but I figured out how to make it work.

I needed to use a yarn that is machine washable yet super soft for baby skin. I couldn't find any superwash wool that was soft enough so Caron's Spa bamboo acrylic blend seemed to fit the bill. For those of you who have not knit with bamboo yarn before...beware! It is extremely splitty. Overall, I was very happy how this yarn knit up. It came out extremely soft.

I had a difficult time deciding on just the right buttons to use to close up the neckline. After looking through all the buttons at 2 different Jo-Ann locations, I found these cutie patootie bunny buttons. Love love love the bunny buttons.

I mailed it off to the recipient today and I hope she likes it.

Tangy Socks

I finally finished these obnoxiously bright beautiful orange socks right before Thanksgiving. The picture doesn't show the lace pattern that runs up the middle, but I swear it's purty.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Daps!

I knitted up Stitch 'n Bitch's Kittyville Hat a few months ago for my niece Daphne and waited to give it on her birthday. I had hoped that I made it small enough for a 3 year old's head but as you can see it's made more for a 5+ year old. You can't even see the kitty ears on top because they've flopped to the back of her head. Oh well. Hopefully it will hold up for a long time and the hat will get a lot of wear in the years to come.

Toe up success!!!

Toe up success!!!, originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

I got it. I got it!!!

With the explanation and suggestions made from a couple Ravelry ladies in the Magic Loop group, I finally have knit myself the toe section of the sock.

I'm a little nervous about the heel turn coming up.

Maybe I'm not meant to knit socks?

It's the last week of Socktober and thought I'd churn out some socks this month. I even bought a couple new skeins of sock yarn to get myself motivated. I taught myself how to make 2 socks on 2 circular needles cuff down. I would have a finished pair now but I decided to get fancy. I got to the heel and decided to use Cat Bordhi's method. I failed so miserably I needed to frog the whole thing. Back to the sock drawing board. =(

I picked myself up and bought this lovely orange skein from Hazel Knits. This was meant to be made into a cushy pair of fall weather socks. It will go perfect with my black clog Danskos. I originally wanted to use the Firestarter pattern because I wanted to do a toe up sock this time and I just learned how to do Judy's Magic Cast-On. Then I read feedback from people who have worked on theirs and I wasn't enthusiastic anymore because of all the trouble some people were having. I'm a newbie sock knitter so any pattern that has a ton of errata or mistakes I wouldn't catch on my own won't work for me. I did attempt it but didn't get far so I frogged the little bit I knit.

So I found a pattern called Express Lane. It's a toe up pattern also. I used the magic cast-on
instead of the provisional cast-on it called for. I get to Row 1 and I'm stuck....I don't get the instructions. I'm pretty sure that the instructions the pattern gives and the magic cast-on don't mesh and I got lost. I tried to figure it out on my own for HOURS. It shouldn't be this difficult! It's just knitting!!! I gave up and turned to the people of Ravelry to help me out. I posted my dilemma last night and went to bed. By this morning I had 3 different responses! Hallelujah! Ravelry is awesome. Can't wait to get home and finally make myself some freakin' socks. I may not be able to finish a pair but I should at least get one sock started correctly.

boring. boring. boring.

i'm working on a practice pair of socks with a new knitting method. 2 socks at the same time on 2 circular needles. woo. great. i get it. but all in stockinette?! but i'm already bored. it's great to work on while i visit my mom at the hospital but sheesh! i should rip it out and find a more challenging pattern. i feel like i'm wasting 2 lovely skeins of shibui yarn (in Wasabi) on a boring pair of socks. not the best project to get me excited by sock knitting.

Falling for this yarn

I haven't been a big sock knitter, but after taking Cat Bordhi's workshop yesterday I've been inspired. I think the class was a bit over my head since I've made a whopping 2 pairs of socks over the past year - ever. There were some major brainiac sock knitters there so I was a bit intimidated. My head wasn't partly in it because my mom has been in the hospital for a couple days now but it was a nice distraction from worrying.

It was interesting to see how excited people were over knitting socks and Cat Bordhi. There were a lot of tips and advice to keep in mind. I have to say that Cat is awesome though. The way she thinks outside of the box about new ways to knit is amazing. At the end of class I was able to have her autograph my New Pathways for Sock Knitters book.

We practiced making our heel turns making a small bowl using Cat's methods and instructions. Here is my effort.

Then we got to dive into making toe up baby socks by the second half of the class. I kept forgetting how many rounds I was making so it's wonky. I only got to the heel turn of one sock by the end of class and finished the "wings" at home. Here's my half baby sock (can't figure out why blogger is uploading this picture vertical instead of horizontal).
With some help at Yarn Boutique, I found this gorgeous colorway for a sock pattern I admired from the Bobbin's Nest last weekend. There's no name for the colorway but it's Anne by Schaefer Yarns. I am absolutely in love with the autumn colors. And for once the yarn isn't green.
I hope I can get these on the needles soon so I can wear them for this fall instead of next fall.

Hello Fall!

Fall? Autumn? Whatever you prefer to call this season, it's my FAVORITE time of the year. Why? It's the season that my birthday falls under (I get bday knitting gifts and $ to spend on yarn!). I don't have to use the a/c because of the cooler weather so PG&E isn't sucking my checking account dry (more $$ for yarn!). I love the colors of Autumn that Mother Nature has given (lots of yarn color ideas!!). Last but not least, IT'S GREAT KNITTING WEATHER!!

I thought the Backyard Leaves scarf from the book Scarf Style was a perfect way to start the season.
I haven't had much experience with chart knitting but quickly figured it out (after royally screwing up once). It looks intimidating, but once you figure out all the symbols it's a cinch. I'm using a merino/cashmere blend. Super soft.

This year's LYS Shop Hop snuck up on me. It was this past weekend. It's basically a yarn shop crawl...an excuse to check out different shops. 19 yarn shops participated between San Mateo and Carmel. We got a late start but Erin, her mom and me got to check out 6 of them on Saturday. I'm sure with more time we could've visited all of them. Next year...better planning. Each shop had a single skein project pattern free with the yarn you purchase for the project. My crocheting skills are rusty but I LOVED the crocheted fingerless glove pattern from Creative Hands in Belmont. What was even better is that the sock yarn for the pattern was only a whopping $7!! It was the only yarn purchase I made. Can you believe it? Most of my spending budget was spent on accessories and patterns. I was so happy to finally find inexpensive sock blockers at Bobbin's Nest in San Jose. It was a great end to an exhausting birthday week. Lots of gifts, family, friends, and everything knitting.

A friend reminded me that Stitches West registration is now open. I bit the bullet and signed up for a class on Understanding Japanese Knitting patterns. Of course I realized after I paid that it's an Advanced knitting class! I'm scared!!! But how bad can it be? It's just deciphering symbols and figuring out how to read the charts, right? But...it's a 6 hour class. I'm guessing it's more involved than that. I'll find out next year in February.

I also happened to be lucky enough to find out that my favorite LYS has a guest instructor coming this weekend. The one and only knitting celebrity, Cat Bordhi!!! I'm taking her sock workshop. Well, I'm one of the first on the waiting list but there is a great chance that the shop owner will rent out a small conference room to accommodate a bigger class. Again, I hope I'm not in over my head. I've only made 2 pairs of socks ever. It's also a 6 hour class. I'm looking forward to it.

Overwhelmed

Stressed, overwhelmed, frantic, worried...ugh. That was my week in a nutshell. I treated myself with some retail yarn therapy. I needed it badly. Needless to say, I went overboard. I should know not to shop when I'm in need of comfort. I had heard that a store had a bunch of premium yarn on sale for 50% off retail. As soon as I was able to break away from work one day I went on a yarn hunt. I hit a goldmine full of good stuff...angora, cashmere/silk blends, and merino wool/cashmere blends. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING. I think I almost did. 

I got home and looked at my bags of purchases, I thought..."What have I done?!" I got over it because I love all of what I bought. I normally dump my bags with the rest of the other stash I have stored in a giant basket. This time I set out everything in front of me to see the stash I have. I felt a sudden need to organize and focus on something else besides work and get my mind off things that happened the past few days. I took photos of all my yarn stash and uploaded it on Ravelry. I have way too much yarn. Talk about overhwelming. Yikes. I also need to find a better way to store the yarn...must keep yarn away from cat that likes to sleep in the yarn basket.  

I have to start knitting my ass off and get my yarn under control. So glad the weather has been cooling down and it makes me want to knit lots of sweaters and cool weather accessories. 

New Fiber Arts Shop in SF

I was able to check out Urban Fauna Studio's grand opening in San Francisco. I didn't think I'd get a chance to but since Bubba and I couldn't get hold of his family to figure out where to meet them at a street fair, I decided to take a detour to the new shop while we waited for them to get hold of us.

We finally got there right before 3pm after fighting holiday traffic, Cal Bears football game attendees, and 19th Ave. traffic and looking for parking near the shop. We were greeted by the owner's husband, Blas, and told us that an hour before there was a line out the door to get into their tiny but really cute shop. I was glad we got there when we did because I was in no mood to stand in a line after going through what I did to get there.

The front part of the store has a bunch of different artsy and crafty stuff and the very back has most of their yarn. They sell yarn dye and jewelry too. I snapped some pics of the back area:



I knew they were at the Renegade Craft Fair and even grabbed one of their business cards then but could not remember which vendor they were...UNTIL I saw their handmade dyed yarns. I remember wanting to buy some of their yarn at the fair but I had already spent too much. I had to put down the yarn and made myself walk away. This time I was able to purchase a couple skeins in 2 different colors. I also scored a free goodie bag with my purchase.
No more yarn buying until I use up most of what I have already. Maybe.

Kitty Stuffie

One more stash busting project down. Using chunky yarn resulted in a huge stuffed toy for my nephew.

Using Up Stash

Bubba keeps asking me why I keep unraveling stuff I've knit in the past because he's been helping me through hours of untangling the mess. My answer is why not? If a finished project is sitting there unused for years because I hated the results then the yarn is going to be re-purposed. I bought the stuff so I'm going to use it for something good.

Which leads me to my stash. I have a giant basket full which includes 2 sweater's worth of yarn and approximately 20 skeins of other miscellaneous yarns for future knits and amigurumi projects that I plan to do someday. Then there's the yarn I shouldn't have purchased. Like the 5 balls of Classic Elite Bazic Wool...3 different pastel-ish colors to make a vertical knit scarf for myself. Eh. Pastel. What was I thinking?

I'm seeing a bunch of my family this weekend in Tahoe and decided that I wanted to make something for my little niece and nephew (my God son). Two balls of the pink bazic wool is the perfect amount to use for the Kittyville hat from Stitch n' Bitch. I had to modify it a bit to fit a 2.5 yr old girl.

Here it is in progress:

Here it is finished (sans ear flaps and i-cord ties):

I'll come up with completed hat pics later. I stole an idea from a fellow Raveler and attached little crocheted flowers at the end of the i-cord instead pom poms.

For my 1.5 yr old nephew I'll be making a Bunny/Cat Stuffie (pattern by Ysolda Teague) out of some Lion Brand Thick N' Quick, an early knitting purchase. It's quite a thicker gauge yarn than called for. Stuffie might end up being as big as my nephew. I have yet to start it and don't even know if I'll have time to work on it before the weekend. I have so many other things I need to do before the trip. Ugh.

Ready for Cooler Weather

Yarn: Artfibers Ming
Pattern: Stacked Eyelet Cowl

This was a simple knit. Maybe not the best yarn suited for this pattern but it came out alright. I know it'll keep me warm in a pinch when I don't want dangly scarf ends in my way. I don't have a clue what to do with half a skein I have still left over. It goes back AGAIN to the stash for now.

Bye-Bye Slouchy Hat

Hello cowl.

Unraveling the slouchy hat was a pain in the ass, as you can see from my frustration. It took FOREVER to ball that dang tangly yarn up. I threw it across the room once, but it's done. I'm determined to get that ArtFibers Ming goodness around my neck before Autumn comes knocking on Summer's door.

Unravel and Re-use

So I'm unraveling my slouchy hat that I made out of Artfibers Ming. Love how drapey the yarn is. Didn't like how the hat turned out. I don't have a whole lot of luck knitting hats. I'm not a big hat wearing person anyway BUT I love scarves and cowls. Below is my attempt at making the Ilean cowl. Love the pattern, but by my 8th row I didn't think Ming suited it. So I took it off the needles. Unraveled again.

I'm going to try a different pattern. I want to reeeeeaaallllly love this cowl because this yarn is wonderful and soooo soft around my neck. I want it to be my Linus blanket of cowls.

Knitting and Cupcakes

Two of my favorite things! I was scoping out recipes for vegan cupcakes and came across this site. I think my eyes bugged out when I saw those pictures. OMG. The detail blew me away. Pretty cool.

I'm a little stuck on my sweater project right now. I realize I made a mistake somewhere and I'm trying to figure out a way out of not frogging what I have done already. I really don't like frogging.

Sweaters and Sushi

I sucked it up and started a sweater in the middle of summer. I'm being a good little knitter and using stash instead of buying more yarn. I'd like to be done by fall but who knows what other projects may catch my eye. Until then...Flair sweater it is.

The real reason I started a sweater is so I could use my sushi stitch markers.

I *heart* my sushi stitch markers. =)

Stuck in a Rut or Indecision?

My creative juices have dried up. I have a good sized stash of yarn and many patterns to try in my Ravelry queue yet I can't figure out what my next project will be. I've been so indecisive that I ended up braiding the fringe of my Montego Bay scarf to buy more time. Nothing has been inspiring nor exciting. I take that back, I really love the new Leisl and February Lady Sweater patterns that were recently released. It's just been too warm to want to work on a sweater. My problem is I'm putting too much pressure on myself to make the perfect knit. After finishing Montego Bay I thought I'd continue with the swirl shawl. After knitting 4 pieces of the shawl that seemed to take me forever to knit I have no interest in making 80+ more swirly pieces. It's insane! I don't want to waste the beautiful green lace yarn for something I'll hate. Back to the drawing board for that yarn.

Send me to Jamaica

montego bay scarf
Originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

I kept this Montego Bay scarf in my purse and knit it up whenever I had some down time at work or when I had time to kill waiting...for whatever. I brought it to my nephew's graduation party last Saturday and finished it off while chit chatting with the fam.

I still have to add fringe. There will be no braiding of fringe. I've been working on it for so long. I'm ready to move on to the next project. Whatever that will be.

*yes, it is a dark sucky pic but i'm so done and there's no need to show it off. see the hundreds of other montego bays on ravelry.*

Alpaca & Silk Neckwarmer

OHHH! Just what I need in 98 degree weather!
Whatever.

I'm ecstatic that I finally used this ball of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK that's been sitting in my stash forever. It's snug, but it'll be useful when it gets chilly outside again.

I will never get used to this early summer heat. September isn't coming fast enough.

Compulsive Yarn Shopping

Dream in Color Baby Lace Weight (wound)
Originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

I had no intention of buying yarn when I walked into my LYS today. I ONLY wanted a couple of size 1 needles. I want to teach myself to knit a pair of socks at the same time on 2 needles and I needed this size to get gauge for my Shibui sock yarn. I did get the needles, then I got sucked in. All the pretty skeins were calling for me.

If you wandered into a yarn shop and saw this yarn, you'd buy it too. It's Dream in Color Baby lace weight yarn. Happy Forest is the colorway and happy it is. It's so bright and cheery I couldn't help not putting it back on the shelf. I thought, "I'll just buy one skein."

I headed to the register to pay and then the swirl shawl I had a pattern of at home caught my eye. This lace yarn would be soooo pretty in this pattern. I asked the shop employee if the yarn I'm purchasing would work for this pattern. YES. How much yardage do I need? You'll need 2 skeins. Oh crap. Back to the shelf I went. I bought 2 skeins. There's another color called "Blue Lagoon" that is gorgeous. I had to hold back from buying it until I can come up with a project I'll use it for.

I need a little happy today. All this yardage is worth every penny.

Sweet Bunny

This is by far my most favorite amigurumi I've crocheted to date. Crocheting it was easy. Sewing the appendages was not. I moved and re-sewed his legs 3 times before I was satisfied with the way he looked!

He's made out of cotton/acrylic yarn. Cotton isn't my favorite to work with. It looks great but so rough on my hands. He has a cushy scarf made out of extra merino wool I had from my left over stash. I would've finished yesterday had it not been for the crappy neighborhood Michael's. They had a million googly eyes with adhesive backing. Not one pair of safety eyes was found. I went to Jo-ann's at lunch today and found safety eyes in many different sizes.

I need to take a break from amigurumi before my house is covered in them.

Bubba loved his Invincibility Star that I made for him. I'm renaming the little guy "Biscuit" though. The dog thought it was a Scooby snack. Biscuit is OK. Just a little drooled on.

Because Everyone Needs Invincibility

I was browsing through one of flickr's amigurumi photo pools and came across this Super Mario Invincibility Star. I thought "this is perfect for Bubba!". He's very much a gamer and even dressed as Mario of Super Mario Bros. for Halloween a couple years go. I also had yellow yarn I've had in stash forever that I didn't know what to do with. I had a lot of down time at work and whipped this little guy up in a day. Easy peasy.

Amigurumi Mushroom

Amigurumi Mushroom
Originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

I'm churning out these toys like a factory! Well, not really but they're really quick to make in a few hours. It's the best kind of instant gratification.

Mannn it's really hard photographing red and white together. I tried my best to soften up the colors.

*edit*

I finished the baby snail from the kit. Here's the whole family!

Cutie Hootie

I finished up my second Amigurumi project...Hoot Hoot. What should've taken me less than 2 days took almost a week to finish. Sheesh. I thought I got my stitch count all wrong by the time I was almost done with the body. I had to put Hootie down for a couple days and breathe before I sent him flying across the room. I ripped it all out and started over.

I didn't have brown embroidery floss so I just took what brown yarn I had left from the kit and stripped it down to 2 strands. Stitching in the ears and wings in the correct place was a challenge but it turned out ok. I was trying my best to not make it look like a blue bald headed alien and more like an adorable owl.

Happy Snails?

At least mine is. Ain't he cute? I still have to make the baby snail and the mushroom that comes with the kit. I'm sure it would take another night or two to make both but I'm ready to go back to a knitting project. Yippee...I can crochet!

Hooking Can Be Fun

I bought Stitch 'n Bitch's Happy Hooker last year and I've been dragging my feet cracking it open to teach myself. I've been wanting to learn so I can make some cutie cute cute cute amigurumi and Interweave Crochet's Babette Blanket. I finally put down the needles, pried myself away from the next knitting project and picked up a crochet hook. I'm still learning the basics (yuck...learning new terminology) and this is my beginner swatch. I keep losing stitches. I think I figured out what I'm doing wrong. It's frustrating when I keep thinking that it shouldn't be this hard! This is supposed to be easy, right?

Dexter "Ice Truck Killer" Socks

Yay! Socks for me. It only took a month, but I'm finally done.

Zigzaggy Goodness

It fits really well. It's a shame I couldn't figure out how to knit two socks on one circular needle. I didn't have 40" length needle anyway. Just working on one sock on a 32" kinda screwed up the cable of my Addis.

One more sock to knit and I'll be done with the pair. I need a break from this project so I'm thinking about breaking open my Happy Hooker book to figure out crocheting. I'd really like to finally make the amigurumi kit I ordered through etsy.com last year.

I'm a knitting fiend!

The mojo is back baby! I've been knitting up a storm.

I'm working on Dahlia from the Knitty Winter 07 collection. It's a knitted top down raglan but the first part is not knitted in the round. I'm still trying to figure out how this will eventually be done in the round. I don't get it yet. I'm using Cascade 200 wool in a cranberry color.
I got bored by all the stockinette in Dahlia and decided that I needed a side project. I knew I wanted to use my ITK sock yarn and teach myself how to knit 2 socks at the same time with two circular needles. One problem. I couldn't find the book I bought to teach myself. I realized I left it at my brother's place when I dog sat for him a few weeks ago. CRAP!

I was eager to start the Jaywalker socks so I settled on figuring out magic loop. I looked up the video on knittinghelp.com and casted on. The zigzag pattern is easy to memorize. Magic loop goes so much faster than knitting on dpns. It's fairly easy so far until I turn the heel...that will probably be a challenge. It's a shame I can't seem to figure out how to do 2 socks at once. I'm already feeling second sock syndrome.
I'm using a basic superwash sock yarn that's been hand dyed from Cosmic Fibers. It's zig zagging along quite nicely but it's like knitting up dental floss. This is the finest gauge yarn I've ever used.

I've lost my knitting mojo

Picture 035clap
Originally uploaded by Filipina Sakura.

I should be done with clapotis by now but since catching this ass-kicking cold over a week ago, I haven't been able to finish. Believe me, I've tried. I'd get as far as getting it in my lap and holding the needles getting ready to knit...then I get sidetracked. Most of the time I'd have it in my hands, knit a couple of stitches and then...zzzzz. I pass out on the couch. Argh. On the brightside, I am finally satisfied with the length of the straight rows and now I'm in the decrease section. Yippee! I'm in the home stretch then I can finally move on to making some socks.

STITCHES West 2008!!

I joined Erin and her mom at the knitting/yarn vendor show over the weekend. Was it just me or did it seem more overwhelming than it did last year? I'm sure it's because we went on a Saturday this year when the majority of attendees go. We did go late Sunday and it was pretty mellow, although I felt ill and was in no mood to shop.

I made a list of what I wanted and stuck to it. This is what I found:

• 2 more skeins of the Malabrigo Silky Merino I need to finish up my Clapotis.
• I bought enough Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Burgandy to make a jacket.
• Addi circular needles (Sizes 1 to 3, two diferent lengths each) to make socks.

I couldn't find yarn for 2 other projects I want to do and didn't feel like finding substitutes. When I get to them I'll know where to find it at the LYS or online. I talked myself out of buying a different color of silky merino since I didn't have a project in mind. I always know where to find it at LYS's that don't mark it up higher. Most of my budget went towards the Addis. *pout* I needed them so I can make more socks without dpns and other lace items on my To Do list.

Oh wait, let me geek out for a sec. I have to share my knitting celebrity sightings! Yes, I'm a dork. First stop at Stitches was the Ravelry booth and saw Jess and Casey! They were crazy busy of course with all the Ravelers swarming about them. We picked up a Ravelry Passport and played the stamp scavenger hunt. For those of you who are familiar with Knitty Gritty on the DIY network, I saw Vickie Howell!!! We were waiting to get a stamp on our passport at a vendor. I hear a familiar voice...I turned around and there she was standing next to me talking to the vendor. She's petite up close as I imagined. There were other Ravelry regulars I recognized on boards I frequent. It was kinda cool actually seeing them in person. Anyway...

It was pretty fun looking and shopping but soooo exhausting. Can't wait till it's in town again next year!

Do you like it raw? Silk...that is.

I forgot to mention that I'm done with the Filigree Scarf. It's gorgeous!

It's made with Artfibers Golden Chai. It's a very nice light scarf. I like the idea of wearing raw silk but it's very "sticky". I probably won't seek out any 100% silk yarn any time soon but I'm finally happy with this finished knit. =)

I attended the local knit group down the street from my house for the first time tonight. Why the hell did I wait so long?! I truly enjoyed meeting the people I met...everyone is so friendly. Knitters generally are really nice people. =) I hope to attend regularly from now on.

Silk + Merino = Luscious

I finally found Malabrigo Silky Merino at Imagiknit earlier this week. YAY! This stuff is dreamy soft. They had just got in 3 colors, 4 skeins each. I took all the Nocturnal. I just LOVE purple. I had decided that if I ever found a good deal on Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb or found something similar to it I would make another Clapotis. I hate the first one I made using Noro Silk Garden. It's pretty but so scratchy on my skin. I've barely used it. Silky merino is very similar to Lion and Lamb but a smidge lighter in weight.

I couldn't wait so I casted on Clapotis. It's beautiful :) I'm probably going to buy every color of Silky Merino I can find at Stitches West!

I should be fixing (or frogging) TD but I don't wanna. Not ready yet.

Last week I went to Daiso (Japanese dollar store) in Union City. Lookie what I got:

- stitch holders

- bamboo crochet needles

- buttons

- foamy mats to use for blocking

All $1.50 for each item. Daiso is awesome.