Tag Archives: knit

MMM 2013, Week 2

Posted on May 8, 2013 by | Comments Off on MMM 2013, Week 2
This week has been really interesting.  Firstly, thank you to all the visitors to the blog that commented on the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway!  Wow!  I've never had so many people comment on anything.  Ever.

I've had to take most of my own photos this week, which is usually fine because I set up the tripod and all that.  Take my time, check lighting, and adjust locations.  But, with these daily shots, I was trying to do them quickly because I'm working on quite a number of different projects which meant no time for the tripod and the lollygagging. Sadly, I can't show most of these WIP's that have taken over my life because they're not yet published.  But, when they are live and ready to show... one is an illustration project, two are logos, and two of them are knitting projects... you'll be the first (or second) to know.

My own personal knitting has taken a back seat because my arms/hands/elbows are somewhat injured due to repeat motion injury stress. So, I've been using the knitting machine - more on that later.

Here are this weeks DIY outfits for Me-Made-May, 2013.

May 6
(May 5 is a typo!) I wore this upcycled green top that used to have these ridiculously huge leg-o-mutton sleeves that looked a bit like loose flesh to my untrained eye.  I chopped them off and tailored them to short-ish sleeves that are more acceptable to me.  The shawl/scarflette is the Amaranth Shawl that I designed this past fall.

May 7 
This challenge had me digging!  I woke up late and remembered the brown jeans I made for a Sew Weekly challenge last year.  They fit much better now!  My DH took this photo and didn't warn me at all that my top was so wrinkled.  Oh well.  It straightened itself whilst cycling to work.
May 8 
The sun was shining, but I bruised my knees this past weekend with the bike pedals so I didn't want to go bare-legged.  Out came the Go-Go Triangles dress from last year's SewWeekly challenges and the grey leggings.

In knitting machine news, I've nearly completed my first garment.  I'm just trying to figure out how to cast-off in the center of a piece. It's something I take totally for granted in hand-knitting, but it's taken me 3 tries so far to get it right on the machine. 

May 9
We'll see what today brings, but whatever comes my way, I'm wearing the red JJ Blouse I made last year in February.  I'm wearing a hand-knit loop and headband, too!  Have a great day, folks!

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Me-Made-May 2013 Challenge Pledge

Posted on May 2, 2013 by | Comments Off on Me-Made-May 2013 Challenge Pledge
me-made-may'13

I took the plunge!

I, Adriana of Adri Makes a Thing or Two, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May 2013. I pledge to wear at least 1 hand-made/up-cycled item 4 days a week for the duration of the month of May.


There it is!  Plunge taken.  Every year I see wonderful outfits and things that people have made, and I always miss the cut-off dates to join in the Me-Made-May challenge.  So, this year I made sure to note the calendar dates and be sure to join in.  If you'd like to learn more about the challenge, click on the button "Me-Made-May '13" above.

This is May 1st's outfit...



Item 1 is a knitted cowl I made this year.
Item 2 is the plaid skirt I made for last year's Sew Weekly childhood challenge.

I'm hoping to get some use out of the many items I make and try to rotate them a bit.  Does that happen when you make something too?  You start to like the look of something and then forget the rest of the clothes in the closet.  Perhaps, this challenge will get me to purge a few of the non-flattering items in my repertoire.

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Yarn & Knitting Machine Goodies

Posted on April 30, 2013 by | Comments Off on Yarn & Knitting Machine Goodies
It's time for a knitting update! The beaded project is off to the presses, and I'll post when it's published.  I'm so excited about it.  With a bit of time to work on my own personal projects, I learned how to manipulate stitches with the knitting machine.  Now I can increase and decrease.  Yep, and with a bit of time on Sunday afternoon, I managed to get the back/front of a sweater done!  And, I took notes so hopefully I can make another piece to match it along with some sleeves.


Did you recognize the yarn I used?  I used the other part of this skein of variegated Wollmeise in my latest design (see below). It looks so different!  Check out that variegation pattern (above) when the waist decreases started.  Such crazy color pooling!  It reminds me somewhat of DNA.  I am glad I'm making a teensy dent into my insane yarn stash.



And, with that, I started another swatch to practice some of my knitting machine skillz.


In hand-knitting this is a bit of progress I made on a KAL I started in (blush) October.  I'm getting there.  It's an in-between project that I haven't had much time to finish until now.


And, speaking of that sneaky yarn stash that keeps reaching toward SABLE, a few pretties managed their way into my life.  Firstly there's this cone of ITO with stainless steel in it.  Steel.  Hee hee!  It's going to be an experiment to attempt some hand-knit gloves with conductivity.  Steel will at least conduct heat, so I'm hoping it will work with smart phones.  I am still wary that the stainless steel will work, but heck, it's so pretty and shiny it's worth a try.


And then, there's the softest yarn in my stash so far.  This beautiful hank from the Mulberry Dyer was part of Prêt-À-Tricoter's Brit Knit Lace Club 2013, Kit #2.  It is the most beautiful yarn I've seen in a long time.


And with that, folks, I leave the month of April behind.  I'm sure looking forward to May.  It's a month full of giveaways and Me Made May!  But, more on that tomorrow...

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Quick Gifts 5: Easy Lace Loop & Cowl Set

Posted on April 5, 2013 by | Comments Off on Quick Gifts 5: Easy Lace Loop & Cowl Set
It's finally published!  I just wanted to make sure you knew in case you wanted a quick weekend project.

Recently I've been trying to tie up long-time loose ends and this is one of them.  A few years ago several of our local SnB members (myself included) purchased these beautiful variegated skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino.  A few years passed, and we still had no idea what to make with them.  Each is so different from the other, and each is beautiful in its own way.  So, after fiddling with  many many stitch patterns and needle sizes, I finally came up with a good combination of yarn, needle size/gauge, and pattern!

Here's what resulted from the effort:






I'm quite happy with the results, and if you'd like to try your hand at the pattern, it's available here on Ravelry.  It makes a really quick knit in the DK weight, and different yarns react differently to the pattern.  Some pool others stripe, but I'm happy with the end results of both combinations.

Details on the pattern...
The pattern is for 2 sizes: Cowl and Loop. 

Instructions are given for 2 yarn weights: DK and Fingering.  It’s a great pattern for stash-busting and using up variegated yarns.
SIZES 
DK/8ply 
Cowl: ~24-26” / 61-66 cm circumference 
Loop: ~44-48” / 112-122 cm circumference 
Fingering/4ply 
Cowl: ~22” / 61 cm circumference 
Loop: ~44” / 112 cm circumference
All have height ~10.5” / 26.5 cm
SKILLS 
• knitting in the round 
• slipping a stitch, dropping a stitch 
• passing a slipped stitch over live stitches 
• yarning over
MATERIALS 
DK/8ply Yarn 
Cowl – 150 yds / 137 m DK/8 ply yarn 
Loop – 300 yds / 274 m DK/8 ply yarn 
Fingering/4ply Yarn 
Cowl – 275 yds / 229 m Fingering weight / 4ply yarn 
Loop – 550 yds / 457 m Fingering weight / 4ply yarn
NOTIONS 
1 stitch marker, tapestry needle

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It’s Worth It

Posted on March 24, 2013 by | Comments Off on It’s Worth It
When I was pregnant with Peanut, I managed a small women's clinic which was a 45 minute drive from my house.  It was the middle of my 3rd year at that location, so the scenic drive through southern Wisconsin was monotonous.  I loved to spice things up by singing or stopping off at local small shops or restaurants on my way to and from work.  So, it's no surprise to me now that Vincent loves to ride in the car, sing along to my favorite music, and even have the occasional mother/son dance party at the shop and at home.

Vincent saying "smile" instead of actually
smiling for the Boys Will Be Boys photo shoot
Lately, I've had to start calling him Mr. Sassypants, because, like his mommy, he can be quick to respond to comments with a roll of his eyes or a, "Don't even go there."  I can't decide if it's annoyingly entertaining or entertainingly annoying.  My answer will change depending on the day.  Like most moms, especially ones that stop into the shop, it really depends on what's going on that day, or how sassy he actually gets.  Three going on 13, Vincent may even lecture me on how I'm supposed to be organizing things in the shop.  Maybe he takes his title of VP of Sales and Marketing a little too seriously (then again, he did insist upon that title).

Am I giving a little too much credit to my son's intelligence?  Not in the least.  For almost 2 years, I've been his interpreter.  I picked up what his nonsensical babbling meant from an early age, and you cannot imagine the relief it was for him when he noticed that I was starting to understand.  It's almost as though he was learning English as a second language.

With all my projects going on, I've had to come up with my own way of communicating with myself in order to keep track of everything.  I've never been one for writing anything down, drawing diagrams, but I did like making lists.  I occasionally ask Siri to remind me to pick up my medication, but a lot of it just stays in my head.

On the Lido Deck of the Carnival Legend cruise ship
wearing the All the Stops Dress that took
about a year to knit
It's been a process: teaching myself how to sketch an idea so that I don't forget about a cool design; remembering to eat my breakfast, even though it's sitting right in front of me; and yes, responding to emails and writing a journal or blog entry.  As someone notorious for taking on too much at once, I'm learning how to say "no" to more projects, or putting some things on the back burner while I work out other, more pressing items.  I believe they call that prioritizing.  Meh.

I don't like things to be too structured, that's just not how I function, but I know that if one day I'm obsessed with knitting a certain project, I have to tell myself, you only have until midnight before you do something else or you can only work up until this row on the chart.  Then, I make myself take a break, go to bed, take a shower, etc.  

And so far, it's working.  I've got one pattern in testing, three that are in the sample stage (knitting a sample/taking notes in order to write the rough copy for testing), and quite a few sketches that are currently just ideas that are looking for the right yarn, colors or designer call.  Is this what professional designers end up doing?  If only I could talk to someone like Debbie Bliss or Jenny Watson, or anyone who churns out more design ideas than I'd know what to do with.  

Could those same designers also run their own yarn shop while caring for a toddler and keeping up with other fiber related hobbies?  Who knows?  I feel like I'm barely holding on to sanity at times, but all I know is that I'm enjoying it ten thousand times more than all my other jobs combined.  And part of owning a business is about taking the risk, not knowing if your gamble will inevitably fail or if it can continue to sustain itself indefinitely.
Me dressed up as Aretha Franklin after the
Carnival Legends show with the cruise ship dance
staff member assigned as my "escort" for the evening

I wish I could know that one day all these days of struggle would mean something.  Will I be able to make this a career or will this just be a couple of years where I tried something that didn't work?  It's worth the shot.  Though word on the cruise ship was that, if all else fails, I'd probably be able to make a good living as a singer.  :)

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Beads & Quilting

Posted on March 23, 2013 by | Comments Off on Beads & Quilting
These days, I've been working on a top-secret project for an unnamed magazine.
See the sneak preview below...


The photo shows several different types of beads and how they look on the project's yarn.  Any thoughts?

And, in the quilting world, I've been prepping!


All my quilting blocks from last year's Craftsy Block of the Month Sampler needed some sashing in order to free-motion quilt them.  So, I'm taking that first step and adding 2.5" strips around all the blocks.  I can't wait to start FMQ'ing!  I may start before I finish sashing them all.  I don't think I have that much patience to wait!

And, news on the Knitmaster knitting machine,  I've opened it up to inspect its condition, and there's a lot of dust and cat hair, but as you saw, the machine can still knit.  Plus, the needle retaining bar (aka sponge bar) needs replacing, and once that's done it will be a lot smoother.  So, that's what I'm up to this weekend!  Hope you are all doing well yourselves.  Anyone doing any fun projects this weekend?  I am sorta missing sewing clothing.  Perhaps once the quilt and the deadline projects are done, I'll work on some trousers.

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My First Knitting Machine

Posted on March 18, 2013 by | Comments Off on My First Knitting Machine
Thank you super-much, Victor.


A friend of mine was generous enough to give me his knitting machine.  Yes, he gave it to me!  So generous!!

Turns out he never got the chance to run it.  The machine's history is somewhat blurry, as it was given as a gift, and handed over from one person to the next until it landed in my studio.  My hands still hurt from carrying the heavy case, but in my excitement, I didn't feel it.  The only hitch- Empisal Knitmaster 324 came without a manual.

I found lots of great resources that probably didn't exist a few years back, and I found the manual for the 326 which is basically the same.  It's adorable!  It's really easy to put together, and it's incredibly dusty.  I'll have to take it apart and clean it, then put it back together.  But, before I invested time into doing that, I couldn't help myself.  I knit a swatch.

Here it is.  My first knitting machine swatch.


So excited!  Do any of you have knitting machines?  Do you have any tips on how to clean it?

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New Design: Squishy Cabled Vest

Posted on March 1, 2013 by | Comments Off on New Design: Squishy Cabled Vest
Hot off the presses!

The final garment in the "Squishy Series" is published...

with a shawl pin as closure element (and Victor's woven scarf)

hopi mittens & shawl pin (plus manduh's Alternating Currents Slouch)

rear-view smirk

with toggles for closure

hee hee toggles!

With winter on my mind and fun layering elements as inspiration, the final garment from the “Squishy” series came to be.
The vest begins with the ribbed bottom edge, followed by the body which is knit back and forth in a Diamond Cable Motif and Stockinette Stitch. Short rows create the fold-over collar. The circumference of the vest is somewhat adjustable by placing the toggles/buttons elsewhere along the width of the edging at the front.
Skills
knitting, purling, cable knitting
short rows
picking up stitches
simple crochet chain to make loops for toggles/buttons
alternately, simple embroidery to attach the loops for the toggles/buttons
Notions
9 stitch markers (2 removable stitch markers), tapestry ndl, scrap yarn, 4 toggles (or 4 buttons, or 1 shawl pin), optional crochet hook size US 6 (G) / 4 mm
Add-On’s
In the future, I would like to include a variation on this pattern that includes a detachable hoodie and a sleeved version.  What do you think?

The pattern is available here on Ravelry.

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Amaranth Shawl, Now in German!

Posted on February 19, 2013 by | Comments Off on Amaranth Shawl, Now in German!
Jetzt auf Deutsch... Amaranth Schultertuch!


Both versions are included with purchase.
Check it out on Ravelry here.

And, a shout out to my translator, Micha: Super-Vielen Dank!

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In the meantime…

Posted on February 13, 2013 by | Comments Off on In the meantime…
Lately I've been so hesitant to post, and I keep waiting to post, and holding out for something big to happen.  Today, I decided to forgo that train of thought.  I mean, why am I holding back?  I started this blog to share what I was making - whether they be big breaks or small, right?  So, here goes.

I've been on a dumpling kick.  So, I've been making lots and lots of these delicious little pasta pockets.  Thus far, I've been using one cookbook that several of my friends purchased whilst I drooled over it. The book is "Asian Dumplings" by Andrea Nguyen, and there's an accompanying website: http://www.asiandumplingtips.com/

Here are my creations based on recipes found in the book... a set of "big hug" folded dumplings right before they were cooked and devoured.

So far I've done the first 2 recipes:  Pork and Napa Cabbage Water Dumplings and the Meat and Chinese Chive Pot Stickers.  I've steamed, boiled, and cooked them like pot-stickers, and so far we have enjoyed them greatly!  I really like the process of rolling out the dough and folding into the different shapes.  I found that the 2nd day dough is much easier to work.

I've also been working in the background for several already-released patterns and several new ones!  The rights for the Orange Blossom Camisole have reverted to me so I can self-publish the pattern which I did on Craftsy, Ravelry, and Patternfish. 


In sewing and quilting, I seem to be acquiring patterns, cutting them out, but hesitating before making them.  I don't know what's stopping me, but hopefully I can snap out of my reluctance.  It's annoying me.  I'd like to just clear off the table and finish the quilt I started last year with the Craftsy Block of the Month.  I have everything even the backing ready to go!  So what's stopping me?  I have no idea.

Sewing mojo come back!!

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