Knitting Projects in my Queue - Conversationalist, Lambing Mitts, Outlander Mitts and Miss Marple Scarf

After I finish my uncle's Mariner's Scarf I'm gonna indulge in some selfish knitting :)

I'm dying to make this hat!! Not sure why.  Its not a particularly challenging pattern.  I think its the pompom ;)

Its the Conversationalist from Plucky Knitter and its a totally free pattern!

After the hat, I wanna try some mitts again.  I'm thinking about doing these Lambing Mitts.  They are another totally free pattern from Veronika Jobe.  I think they are supposed to be for a dude but I don't care lol.  I heard about them on episode 113 of the Doubleknit Podcast.  Yes, I'm listening to knitting podcasts now!

I really wanna try the Lambing Mitts but I still yearn to knit something from Outlander.  There are a bunch of mitts on that show but I think Claire's are my favorite.  Maybe I can knit both lol.  This is the Cabled Armwarmers pattern by Elaise Piper.  Its totes free :)

This pattern seems kind of frivolous and quaint and might look terrible on me but I still wanna try it.  Its the Miss Marple Scarf.  I've wanted to make a self-closing scarf ever since I saw Dot wearing one on Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries! I love that show!  It looks snuggly and warm and might make me look like an old lady but whatev, granny chic is a thing, y'all.

Just saw this pattern on @cascadeyarns on Instagram.  Knitted Neck Scarf by Martha Stewart Design Team.  I might use this pattern.  Not sure yet but isn't it pretty <3

Also, in the back of my brain I'm thinking about trying my hand at socks.  I'm not sure what pattern to use yet.  I want to make a pair for my bro.  He doesn't like hats or scarves or mitts so I gotta step up my game!  And I've been itching to try them for awhile so they might move up in the queue if I find a super amazing pattern or yarn that I have to try. Both Yarniacs and Doubleknit podcasts have mentioned the Rose City Rollers pattern so I might give that a try.  Not totally dude appropriate but maybe I can butch them up with a manly color and make them taller :)

So much to knit!  Can't wait to try them!

FP'S - Maine Morning Mitts, Llewyn Davis Scarf and Mariner's Scarf

First off, I'm working on a pair of Maine Morning Mitts!  I finished the first one Monday and I'm in love!  They are a fun project and a little out of my comfort zone but not too challenging.  I learned Magic Loop and M1L and M1R and the phrase "pick up and knit".  Thank goodness for Youtube tutorials.  I have to see a stitch done before I can do it and videos really help!

I changed the pattern a little bit.  I used Cascade Superwash 220 which is a finer gauge yarn then the pattern suggests.  Its a 3 stitch repeat so I CO 54 stitches and used a size 6 needle.  They are wearable but I wish they were a little looser.  I think if I use this pattern and yarn combo again I will use a 7 needle instead.  I was attempting to copy the $50 Jamie from Outlander gauntlets that I saw on Etsy!  I think they work :)

I was so worried about the unevenness at the top where I bound off.  I posted this pic on Facebook and Instagram and several knitters commented that its totally normal.  Apparently, knitting in the round is actually knitting in a spiral and there are tutorials for creating a neater BO.  Whew!  That's good.  I was all ready to rip it out and start over.  So sure I'd messed up somewhere.

My Mom's scarf turned out great!! I was trying to copy the scarf Oscar Isaac wears on Inside Llewyn Davis.

Its not an exact replica so I'll have to call it inspired by Inside Llewyn Davis lol.  I used the pattern in the neck ribbing section of this Seaman's Scarf pattern as a starting point and then began making samples, playing with the number of stitches cast on to get the width I wanted.  Its just a basic 2X2 rib but I wanted to make sure that it had a nice edge so I really liked the added detail of slipping the first stitch.  So, this is the pattern I came up with.  I used the pic below and counted the number of ribs.  I got 12.  Then I multiplied 12 by 4 to get 48 then I added 2 because the first stitch of every row is slipped.  It isn't perfect and I wish someone on the internets would find out the REAL patten for the Llewyn Davis Scarf so I can make an exact copy but for now this will have to do.

Inside Llewyn Davis Inspired Scarf

Size 6 needles

Medium weight alpaca/wool blend

CO 50

Pattern:

Row 1: Slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front, *P2, K2; rep from* ending K1

Repeat row 1 until you get desired length.  Bind off in pattern.

I also finished a really cool scarf for my coworker Mark!  Its the Mariner's Scarf Pattern from the Seamen's Church Institute.  It's a super fun pattern to knit and I started another one right away in red for my Uncle Brian! I used Cascade Superwash 220 and size 7 needles.  

Mark wears it often and while I was photographing it I noticed that its started pilling!  I'm super annoyed with this and hope that I can find a way to fix it soon.  Mark hypothesized that its getting fuzzy because its rubbing against his stubbly chin and neck.  I didn't even think about that being a problem with making stuff for dudes. Arg!!

Can't wait to get started on my new sewing and knitting ideas!  Post coming soon ;)

Obligatory Pokey shot.  He loves attention <3

Finished WIP's and New Stuff

Reagan's Grenade hat is finished! Just in time for the fair next week. I used the Christian's Hat pattern with a few adjustments.  I like it but I'm a little worried that the judges might notice a mistake I made in the pattern when I was reducing. No matter. It still works lol. And I'm definitely not going to rip it out to fix it or make it again!

Jim's Scarf is done! Its just a simple garter stitch but I really like the way it turned out. I CO 40 sts using size 6 needles and it measures about 8 inches wide by 84 inches long.

Also finished the Mistake Rib Scarf. It was alot of fun to make. And Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn in Kaleidoscope looks pretty. I cast off with a bigger needle then I knitted with like I usually do and it made the end fan a little bit. Guess I need to watch it when I make ribbed scarfs. 

New stuff!  

I started the Mariner's Scarf with I Love This Yarn in Grape Twist. This pattern is alot of fun to make. Not quite sure about this yarn with this pattern tho. Its a little too busy and makes it hard to notice the cool checkerboard pattern. I'm using size 8 needles and cast on 28 sts so it would measure 6 inches wide instead of 8 inches. 

I have three projects I will start soon but I still need to decide on the style, yarn and needle size. So these pics are examples of what I might make. 

Fingerless Mitts for my friend, Jim. I've wanted to try fingerless mitts ever since I watched the 90's version of Little Women LOL. 

I want to try and copy these. I saw them on Etsy for like $50. The seller said they were based on a pair that Jamie wore on Outlander.  I always noticed Claire's awesome knitted accessories but didn't even think to scrutinize Jamie's wardrobe. I'll definitely be looking closely when I finally watch season 2. 

A Llewyn Davis Scarf for my mom. I wanted to make this scarf ever since I saw the movie!  I can't find any patterns written online. I think it will be easy to copy tho. 

Finally, I want to try to make this style of scarf. My pattern calls it a Self-Closing Scarf. I saw Dot wearing one on Ms. Fisher's Murder Mysteries and couldn't wait to try it!

My sewing is kind of halted right now. I decided to alter the top I was working on and rip out the neckband and cut a smaller one and gather up the excess fabric. It looks so much better but I can't get excited about finishing it. Right now its in a pile on top of some junk. Maybe I can get motivated this week to finish it :)

No cute Pokey pic but I do have a derpy pic of my cat Ripley. Don't know how she could sleep like that lol. 

McCall's 5640 View C

Well, I reached part of my goal last week. 

I actually really love this fabric and style of top but look closer...

The neckhole is too wide for me. I really don't wanna show bra strap at the next outdoor concert. Although after the few events I've been to pretty sure no one would care lol. I really hated hand stitching the interfacing. No fun. And I'll probably have to rip it out to alter it. Yuck. Oh well. 

Hopefully I can fix this soon so I can feel comfortable wearing it out in public :)

Also, my Brother sewing machine started breaking threads again so I think it maybe kaput. But I was able to pull out Old Greenie. She's pretty but I'm already starting to miss backstitch and zig zag :(

Attended two awesome events last weekend. Watched John Fullbright at the Mryiad Gardens. 

And attended the last Summer Breeze Concert of the year in Norman and got to see Adam & Kizzie. They were great! And so cool. I was having so much fun that I forgot to take an action pic but here is the stage while we were waiting. Definitely an interesting crowd. I think I've  met my quotient of hipster dads with beards, full sleeve tattoos and hard parts in their hair for the year :)

Last weeks WIP's

I didn't get any sewing done last week :(. Instead I did alot of knitting and watching Hill Street Blues on Hulu. 

I spent most of my time on a new hat. My cousin Reagan requested a Christian's hat in army green. A few more rows and I'll be ready to reduce!



Reagan's Hat "The Grenade"

 

This scarf was supposed to be the Christian's Scarf pattern but I didn't like it. I wanted a pattern that was more supple and not so rigid. After trying a few different stitch patterns I settled on plain old garter stitch and I love it. This one will take awhile but that's fine. Also, I bought new Brittany birch needles for this project because the yarn kept catching on my Takumi bamboo needles. The birch needles are so much easier to use. Made a huge difference!

Garter Stitch Scarf

 

Last knitting project. I've been working on this Mistake Rib Scarf for awhile. Its an easy pattern for watching Netflix and trying not to think. I also love the colors of this yarn from Hobby Lobby. Its I Love This Yarn in Kaleidoscope. 

 

Mistake Rib Scarf

 

 

Last night, I cut out a new top and a pair of shorts. Its McCall's 5640 again but this time I'm making view C out of the yellow print and view E out of the black denim with embroidered skulls. They might be a little big but that's ok. I'm hoping to wear them to an event on Friday so I probably won't be doing much knitting this week! Hopefully I won't miss my deadline this time!

Working on View C and E this week! Fingers crossed!

 

Here's your Pokey pic for the week :)

Simplicity 1620, View B

View B this time!

 

 

I really like the print combo on this one. The dark pink print is fabric my mom gave me from her stash and the owl print is some sale stuff that I bought at Hancock's on impulse.  This is definitely veering very close to cutesy territory but I still like it!

 

I think the hem is a little short for me.  It hits me at about 4 inches below my waist and I like my shirt hems longer.  6 inches at least!

 

I was going to make it to wear to the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah on Saturday but I procrastinated and didn't finish it till Sunday.  So much for deadlines to motivate me to sew!

 

I still went anyway and wore a Coca-Cola T-shirt that I bought at Walmart lol.  Here's some pics as evidence that I really went and didn't chicken out!

 

Walking up to the stage through a soggy field carrying our camp chairs.

 

The performers were so good! Really glad I went.  The headliner, Okemah native John Fullbright, was amazing!!!!!!!!

 

The water tower changed colors throughout the concert.  Very trippy :)

 

 

 

 

 

Finally finished Christian's Hat!

I'm so glad this project is done! I had to start it three times before I got it right and I grew to hate it. But now that's its finished I'm so super happy with it!

 

 

Its the hardest thing I've done so far but since it turned out so nice I think all the hard work was worth it.  I spent so much time stressing over each row because I realized early on during my failed attempts that making mistakes in the pattern caused ugly problems later on.  My favorite part is the top.  So pretty :)

 

 

The pattern said to cast on 105 stitches but when I did that the hat was too small.  So, I changed the pattern and CO 135 stitches.  I didn't read ahead in the pattern and by just sheer luck that number of stitches worked out when I began reducing.  (I would've been in tears after all that work if it hadn't worked out lol) I had to get some coaching from my awesome knitting instructor Martha to finish it up.  Her notes are in red.

 

 

 

I can't decide if I will do the Christian's Scarf pattern or not.  That was my initial plan but after struggling with this hat for so long I'm not sure.  I have the yarn for it but I might decide on a different pattern.  If I don't like it I can always rip it out.  I got lots of practice with that on this project ;)

 

Enjoy this pic my coworkers dog Zippy.  I got to meet him when she invited me over to watch Astronaut Wives.  He was in this pose forever!  He worked so hard that I had to give him a little bit of chicken lol.

 

 

Simplicity 1620, View A

This pattern was so fun! I made view A.

 

I got to try two new things: pleats and finishing the neckline with single fold bias tape. I think it turned out pretty good. 



So many pins

 

 

I was worried about the fabric tho. Sometimes I don't pick the most wearable prints. Stuff that looks cute on the bolt often looks too juvenile for me but I think these two prints worked out. 

I'm still thinking about maybe cutting it down to the top length of view B. I think I might get more use out of it as a top. If I leave it at dress length then I want to add pockets. Also, I want to try view E to wear with it because I'm not used to showing this much top arm meat lol. 

I will definitely make this again. I want to try view B out of some cutesy fabric :) 

Looking real mature lately ;)

So, I scrapped all those sewing ideas that I mentioned in the last post and decided to go in a completely different direction. I have a wedding event this weekend and nothing to wear!  I thought I'd use the event as a deadline to force myself to sew a dress thing.

I want to try view A.  I like loose stuff and I think this will qualify. 

I'm using the black circle stuff for the top part and the wavy striped stuff for the bottom part.  I'm a little worried that it has the potential to be one of the ugliest things I've ever made lol. 

So, wish me luck.  Making something to wear outside around people is scary but my sewing instructor Nick used to always say, "Challenge yourself, dummy!"  My sewing instructor has
morphed into Dennis Duffy from 30 Rock.  Hot.