I finished the back of my mini-dress last night. I guess I can be a really fast knitter when I have hours a day to spend on it.

I ran up against some issues when I reached the sleeve decreases. For size M, the first decrease row calls to decrease the color B stripes from four stitches to three, but then it's stated that from every row onward, they should only be one stitch, total, and then all other decreases should be made in the MC section.

I didn't particularly like the jag in the colors, so I adjusted the decreases so that the color B stripe gradually tapered down to one stitch, like so:

1st decrease row: K2, SKP (in color B), k to last 4 stitches, k2tog, k to end.
Next row: P
Repeat last two rows two times. At this point, only one stitch should remain in color B.
4th decrease row: K3, SKP (in MC), k to last 5 stitches, k2tog, k to end.
Next row: P
Repeat last two rows three times.

Obviously, this only applies to size M, but I don't think it'd be too hard to adjust for the bigger sizes if needed. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I've got block the pieces and finish off the collar and sleeves, so hopefully by the end of the week I'll have it all done. Huzzah!

My mini-dress is coming along very quickly.



I'm almost finished with the bust increases on the front, and about to start the armholes. As you can probably tell, I decided to go with the colorblocking at the waist after all. I really like these colors together.

I also realized this is essentially my first go-round with intarsia, which I've never had much success with before. Fortunately, I'm having no problems thus far. The pattern is incredibly easy. With any luck, I may have this finished by next week. Huzzah!

Free time for more knitting

I've recently found myself among the ranks of the unemployed. While that has so far found me spending A LOT of time cleaning the house like mad, I'm slowly getting around to spending more time knitting.

As such, I finally finished the Hanna Cowl.



Just like I thought, it's HUGE. I also realized just before I finished the bind off that I'd missed three rows out of each of the last two pattern repeats, so it should be even larger. It also doesn't seem to have the same soft hand as the cowl in the pattern picture, which was part of what drew me to the pattern in the first place. I do still need to block it, but, obviously, there's only so much that will do to help.

My feelings may change once I've blocked it and worn it a time or two (although now that it's March, that may have to wait until next winter), but if I were to redo it, I'm pretty sure I'd make it two-thirds to half the width it calls for, and probably substitute ribbing for the seed stitch.

Now, onto the next thing: Caddy Melville Ledbetter's Mini Dress from Knits That Fit (a.k.a. the entire reason I wanted the book in the first place). I'm making it out of Cascade Ecological Wool and Eco+, in mustard yellow, delft blue, and cream.

So far the only changes I've made are to change the first three rows to 1x1 ribbing rather than garter stitch, but I'm toying with the idea of leaving the white band at the stomach out as well. We'll see how I feel when I get a little closer to it.

I'm only a few rows in, so no pictures yet, but hopefully soon!

Halfway through Hanna

I got through one and a half pattern repeats on Hanna, decided four repeats would probably come closer to the results I wanted than three, and went from there. I finished the second repeat last night. Lets take a look, shall we?



Yeah, that's pretty huge. If it wasn't knitting up so fast I'd probably go ahead, rip it out, and restart it at about half the size, but I'm curious how the finished product will turn out, and I have a rather long movie waiting for me from Netflix, so I guess I'll take my chances.

Wrapping up those last UFOs...

I'd started the Hanna Cowl earlier last year, but miscounted the number of stitches and had to frog and start over. I'm giving it another go now.



I'm using Patons Classic Wool in Aran, Currant, New Denim, and Royal Purple, and cast on 240 stitches rather than 268 - I may regret this, I didn't want it to be quite as huge as it looked like it was going to be when I was frogging, but this still may be a lot bigger than I want. I'm debating if I want to do the full 4 chart repeats, but I'll definitely be doing at least 3. A lot of people who knit this on Ravelry have commented on the seed stitch curling up, and I'm seeing some of that already, but I'm hoping that blocking will help straighten it out in the end.

Playing catch up

I made a deal with myself recently to cut back on my video games and focus on trying to get some UFOs knocked out (it's really amazing how much of your time Lego Batman can suck up). With my sewing machine out of commission until I can get it to Sears for some repairs, that means it's been a week now of just focusing on my abandoned knitting projects.

In that time, I've managed to more or less finish one: a smaller, baby blanket sized version of a kitchen cotton stashbuster blanket I knit a few years ago. My sister had liked it quite a bit, so I decided to make a mini version of it for her baby on the way.



The irony of it is, despite having spawned from a stashbuster, I had to buy SO MANY balls of yarn to finish it...

Right now, I'm wrapping up work on Ellie. It had been sitting since I moved over a year and a half ago, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a lot less work to be done on it than I'd remembered.



I'm working a short sleeved variation of the pattern, so I really just have a couple more rows of work on the body to get it to the length I want, and then a few rows to shore up the sleeves, and I'm done. Huzzah!

I have a couple more projects to go after that, and I've told myself I'm not allowed to start anything new until I've gotten all of these off the needles. I've got a few baby projects I want to get started on, so it's impetus to wrap these other ones up, once and for all.

Would you like some fruit?

Two years ago, Jerod asked me if I could knit him a hanging fruit basket for the kitchen, since he'd had no luck finding one in stores. I assured him it'd be super easy, and I'd have it knocked out in no time.

Cut to today, and the thing is finally finished and mounted in the kitchen:



I'm pretty pleased with it. Clearly it holds up well to five pounds of clementines, although it's a bit saggier than I'd expected. Any I make in the future will have some fishing line knit in to help keep the shape of the baskets.

A pattern will be forthcoming, but I naturally have managed to lose the pattern notes in the two years since I actually finished the knitting portion of this, so it will have to wait until I have a minute to recreate them.

Update: The pattern is now available here!

Some reparations...

Since I've been a slacker posting here, I was thinking I'd just finally post the Chubby Checker pattern for free. So here you go!



Chubby Checker
Difficulty - Intermediate

SIZE
One size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length: 75 inches
Width: approx. 7 inches

MATERIALS
[MC] Lion Wool [100% wool; 158 yd per 85 g skein]; color: Dark Teal; 2 skeins
[CC] Patons Classic Wool Merino [100% wool; 223 yd per 100 g skein]; color: Heather; 2 skeins
1 set US 8/5.0 mm straight needles

Notions required: cable needle; yarn needle

GAUGE
18 sts/16 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch

PATTERN

Pattern notes
C2FMC – slip next 2 MC st to cable needle and hold to front of work. K 2 st in CC. K 2 MC st from cable needle.
C2FCC – slip next 2 CC st to cable needle and hold to front of work. K 2 st in MC. K 2 CC st from cable needle.

Directions
Starting with MC, CO 2 st. Switch to CC and CO 2 st. Alternate 2 st each of MC and CC across until you have 32 st.
Row 1 (WS): P 2 in CC, P2 in MC.
Row 2: C2FMC across.
Row 3: P 2 in MC, P2 in CC.
Row 4: C2FCC across.
Repeat rows 1-4 75 times. BO.

FINISHING
Weave in ends.
Block to measurements.

The Dreaded Percy

Perhaps you don't hang out in the same shadowy corners of the interwebs that I do. Perhaps you have not yet encountered the phenomenon that is Princess Tomato and the Salad Kingdom, and it's breakout star, Percy the Persimmon.

If not, you may feel compelled to keep surfing, and I can't say I blame you. This is probably not the pattern for you. Go on your merry way, and we will never speak of this again. However, if you do lurk the same corners of the tubes, or maybe just have a soft spot for obscure D-list 8-bit characters and anthropomorphic vegetable matter, then come on in, the water's fine.



Percy the Persimmon

Materials:
Patons Classic Wool (100% Wool)
[MC] New Denim, 1 skein
[CC1] Aran, 1 skein
[CC2] Currant, 1 skein

US size 3/3.25 mm dpn, set of 5
Polyfil stuffing
Black thread
Green felt
Two 1/4 inch buttons

Gauge: 30 st over 4 inches in stockinette st

Notes: I found it easiest to start stuffing each part as it was completed. The legs were stuffed after the first few rounds of the body were knit, then started stuffing the body when I got to the color change. He should feel firm but kinda squishy, like an overripe fruit (BA-DUM CHING!)

Many thanks to my Festivus giftee, Garrison, for getting the gauge I'd neglected to measure before sending Percy off to him.

Directions:

Leg (Make 2):
In CC2, CO 6 st. Div between 3 needles
*Rounds 1 & 2: K
Round 3: K1, K1F&B across
Rounds 4-9: Repeat from * twice
Round 10: K. Switch to MC.
Rounds 11-31: K
BO

Body:
Pick up st from BO ends of legs as follows:
1st needle: PU 5 sts from ea leg
2nd needle: PU 9 st from 2nd leg after 1st needle
3rd needle: PU last 5 st from 2nd leg after 2nd needle, PU 5 st from 1st leg
4th needle: PU last 9 st from 1st leg after 3rd needle
*Note* All BO sts from both legs should be picked up. The 5 st picked up from the 1st leg on the 3rd needle should be the next sts on that leg after the 5 picked up on the 1st needle. Basically you're making a crotch. Try not to think about that too hard.

*Round 1: K
Round 2: K to last st. M1, K1.
Round 3: 1st needle: K1, M1, k to last st, M1, K1. Rep for 2nd and 3rd needles. 4th needle: K1, M1, k to end.
Rounds 4-9: Repeat from *
Rounds 10-26: K. Switch to CC1
Rounds 27-34: K.
Round 35: K to last 2 sts, SKP
Round 36: 1st needle: K2Tog, K to last 2 sts on needles, SKP. Rep for 2nd and 3rd needles. 4th needle: K2Tog, K to end
Rounds 37 & 38: K
Rounds 39-41: Rep last 3 rounds
Round 42: Rep round 36
Round 44-49: Rep last 2 rounds 3 times
Round 50: K - 21 sts remain on needles. Switch to CC2
Round 51: K
Round 52: K to last st, M1, K1
Round 53: 1st needle: K1, M1, K to last st, M1, K1. Rep for 2nd and 3rd needle. 4th needle: K1, M1, K to end
Rounds 54-55: K1, M1, K to last st, M1, K1 on all needles
Round 56: Rep round 52
Round 57: Rep round 53
Rounds 58-59: Rep last 2 rounds
Rounds 60-63: K
Round 64: K to last 2 sts, SKP
Round 65: 1st needle: K2Tog, K to last 2 sts on needle, SKP. Rep for 2nd and 3rd needle. 4th needle: K2Tog to end
Round 66: K
Round 67-69: Rep last 3 rounds
Rounds 70-79: Rep rounds 64 & 65 5 times.
Cut yarn, leaving about a 4 in tail. Finish stuffing doll. Using tapestry needle, draw tail through live stitches to draw top closed.

Arms:
On one side of doll, about 1 in below neck line and centered between decreases, PU 16 sts in a circle, 4 on each needle.
K 8 rounds in CC1. Switch to CC2. K 7 rounds.
Next round: K2Tog at beginning of each needle.
Repeat last round until 4 sts remain. Cut yarn, and stuff arm. Using tapestry needle, draw tail through live stitches to draw top closed.
Repeat all steps on other side of doll for 2nd arm.

Finishing:
Duplicate st overall straps in MC as pictured.
Using thread, embroider mouth onto face and attach buttons for eyes as pictured.
Cut leaf pattern out of felt. Sew to top of head.

Leaf pattern
Should measure about 2 inches on each side.












Now, marvel in horror at what your hands have made flesh. Or, you know, cuddle him. Whatever floats your boat.

Post-Con costume showing off

Not a whole lot to this post, just showing off the finished products.

Supergirl:






With George Perez!

Miss Scarlett:


And I didn't manage to get a picture of my Ramona Flowers costume, but here's a picture of a set of random Ramonas, because Ramona was this year's Jack Sparrow/Storm Trooper/Jayne/Captain Hammer, so I think you get the gist:


Hooray! Now to start planning for next year!