Letter to an Addict

Well, I found out this morning you're in jail.  I'm surprised your mother told me, but then every morning when she catches me before I leave for work the first thing she says is "Have you heard anything about ____?" No, I never do.  They'd call her first anyway, but she's so confused these days that doesn't click.

You've been too busy getting drunk and high to notice, haven't you?  How much she's failing.  Or maybe you just didn't care.  You've been taking her money for years and it's been pissing me off.  I always knew, but didn't have proof how much you actually made.  You fed her so many 'broke' stories... when I "helped" you the first time in rehab I saw exactly how much you got in a paycheck.  And no, your company has to take the child support out before they give it to you, that's the law.  I wasn't doing it for you, hell no.  I did it for her, I needed numbers, solid proof that you didn't need her money.  I saw 3 trips to the grocery store in one day... booze.  Your online banking said you hadn't paid the electric bill in 3 months.  The phone system told me when you made the last payment to catch up, or rather when you conned her out of the money to pay it.  Do you know she panicked thinking she wouldn't be able to buy her medicine that month?  But she wouldn't tell you no, and you knew that.

Well karma has really bit you in the ass.  You've lost a job most people would kill for, and clearly all those DUIs and driving without a license caught up with you.  Yet when my mom asked you if you hated the hospital enough to stop you only said "Maybe,".

Meanwhile, you'll be sitting in jail for her birthday this year.  She's older than her years, no thanks to you.  Depending on how long they give you, she might not even be around to see you when you get out.  I haven't decided yet if that would be a bad thing...

What happened, cousin?  What happened to the sweet boy of 13 years who, when I was learning to walk, cleaned up the plant I knocked over so I wouldn't get in trouble?  Where is the boy whose lap I passed out in after my second birthday party? The one who dressed up as Mickey Mouse when I turned three?  I want to believe he's still in there, somewhere.  I know your mother does.  It's up to you to find him.  Even she can't do that for you.

I have knit you up the bomb! - A free pattern!

Dudley the sad Bob-omb
Mario fans everywhere recognize the adorable yet deadly bob-omb. This is Dudley, and he is a bob-omb that does not go boom. Try as he might, he can’t even turn red. Won’t you take him home?


This is a great last minute gift for the Nintendo fan in your life. He takes oddments of black, gray, and gold worsted, white felt, sewing needle, white thread, and stuffing.

Using size 5 DPNs and gray yarn, CO 3 stitches and work I-cord for two inches. Inc in each stitch (6 stitches) and divide across three DPNs. Inc in each stitch again (12 stitches).

Knit 1 round
*K1fb, k1* around
Knit
*K1fb, k2*
Knit
*K1fb, k3*
Knit

Cut gray yarn, and change to black

*K1fb, k4*
Knit
*K1fb, k5*
Knit
*K1fb, k6*
Knit
*K1fb, k7*
Knit

Knit 7 more rounds even then work decreases as follows:

*K2tog, K7*
Knit

And so on as before until you only have 6 stitches on the needles again. Break the yarn and thread it through the live stitches, but do not tie it off. Stuff firmly, then pull yarn tight and tie off, burying the end into the body.

Cut eyes from white felt and sew onto body with needle and thread.



Feet (Make 2):

With gold yarn, CO 12 stitches and work garter stitch until piece measures 2 ½ inches.
K2tog across
Knit a row
K2 together across then cut yarn and thread through live stitches. Pull tight to close and sew up long seam of foot. Stuff foot firmly, then sew back seam and whipstitch foot to underside of body.

Key:

Using a crochet hook size J or something similar, SC a chain 10 1/2 inches long. Fold into a figure 8 shape and tack onto the back.

Weave in all ends. Enjoy!

Pattern may not be used for anything other than personal use. Do not print multiple copies, send your friends a link! Thank you!

Thoughts on a Christmas Sweater

Tonight I finished my sister's Christmas gift. Last year she borrowed a sweater I made years ago for a party, making the comment "You know, you could make me one of these". For my sister to say those words was indescribable. It was a few days before Christmas and I already had her presents wrapped and in place, but I knew I had to make it for her this year.

The sweater itself is not a difficult pattern. It's done in 2x2 rib and theres no shaping whatsoever, and a ribbon around the shoulders holds it up. (I don't suppose you remember Tempting from Knitty? That's the one!) My sister has borrowed and worn it as much as I have worn it, mainly because I rarely have an event that I can wear an off-the-shoulder sweater to.

So why is this so remarkable? you may ask. It stems from our childhood. My mother sews, and she used to make us clothes all the time. I never minded wearing them, proudly displaying my mother's handiwork even though it might not look all that professional. But my sister, when she was around 10 or so, asked my mom to stop. I guess she was more fashion-conscious than I, which wouldn't surprise me. People tend to think she's the older sister, even to this day.

She's always been my biggest critic, but as my knitting skills grew I heard less criticism from her and more praise. And borrowing my sweater was part of that affirmation that she appreciates my work. I never thought to make her one of her own until she mentioned it last year.

My sister has long forgotten that conversation about my sweater, and that works just fine for me. When it came time to buy yarn, I got Knit Picks' Comfy Worsted in black. It's incredible. The pima cotton is going to be fantastic for her sensitive skin, and the acrylic means it won't shrink in the wash. In fact hers is softer than mine - think she'll notice if I switch them? Just kidding.

I honestly have never had a sweater recipient be ungrateful, although I know that's the stereotype. Maybe it's because I don't make ugly sweaters. And I cannot wait for Christmas morning for my sister to open hers!!

Ready for My Close-Up

The sweater is done!

My old college roommate, who I've mentioned in this blog before, kindly took the pictures for the pattern to be published on KnitPicks' website. I really wanted someone who knows what knitters look for to take them. She was the ideal photographer, and I was grateful for her efficiency - because I was wearing merino wool in 90 degrees Fahrenheit!!

I edited out the shorts and sandals, haha.

Here's a quick preview, since the pattern will not go live for a few more weeks. It will be well worth the wait! I will have an "Amanda's Aran FAQ" post when it does go live so that any pattern errata or questions may be answered, and everyone will benefit from them.

Running out of time!

I am so frustrated I could scream. One of my dear friends is pregnant for the fourth (and last!) time, and they are finally getting their girl. I have a tradition of knitting a blanket for each child prior to the birth, and this time I have seriously procrastinated. I've been so distracted knitting my sweater (only the sleeves to go - more on that later) that her due date is barely a month away and I still can't even decide on a pattern!! Mom wants a cotton blanket. This is easily accomplished, except that the blanket I wanted to make originally is designed for DK weight, and I can't afford the yarn it would call for. Stupid medical bills. I'm sure you're thinking, 'Guen you're a designer, just rewrite it'. And I probably will, but that goes beyond refiguring guage and size. I will be totally guessing at the yarn quantities. Risky business, that.

For the last baby I made the Rainbow Chain Blanket by Erika Flory from online magazine Knotions, and she really wanted the new one to coordinate. I love it. It is so bright and vibrant, and I just don't know if I can top it. She suggested I look at Ravelry for inspiration. I have avoided that site because I was afraid I'd get addicted, like I knew I would with Facebook. But I need something to inspire me...

The Pink Sweater That Didn't Fit

She threw the gauntlet....

Before Christmas my friend and I went to see her boyfriend perform in a modern interpretation of The Nutcracker. She collects nutcrackers, and when I was thwarting her attempts to steal the ones in the lobby of the theatre, she said "Knit me a nutcracker for next Christmas! GO!". My immediate thought was, 'Well, I needed an idea for your birthday...'

It took appoximately one month and a couple of design changes before I was happy with him. Last night we went out for her birthday and the look on her face was amazing. Apparently, she hadn't been serious, and hadn't expected me to actually knit her a nutcracker.




With that kind of success, I might offer a custom nutcracker in my etsy shop, I just have to figure out pricing. But never let it be said I don't rise to a challenge.

In other news, the Swish Worsted came in today from KnitPicks! It is so much softer than I imagined, knits exactly to gauge, and the color is beautiful, albeit darker than on the website. I had to wait til after the new year because Indigo Heather was out of stock.



I'm waiting to start it til probably tomorrow, I have four Valentine's bracelets that have to come off the loom for the shop. But that yarn knits like a dream!

I DID IT!

*SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*
KNITPICKS ACCEPTED MY SWEATER PATTERN!!!
*SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

Today should have been awful. It's my five year anniversary (or would have been) with my ex-fiancee, the snow came down all day, and my health hasn't been the greatest. I've been dying to knit myself a sweater but with the holidays I don't have the time or money for yarn. Then when I got home I got an email from KnitPicks that said they accepted the sweater pattern I submitted two weeks ago for their independent designer program, and they'll send me the yarn to re-knit it! I'm so super excited, I've been rejected by Knitty about 4 times but this was the first pattern I submitted to KnitPicks. As if I needed another reason to love them.
The title is "Amanda's Aran", and I am so excited to get my Swish Worsted to knit it.

New aspirations

I've been toying with the idea of becoming a knitwear designer for years. I sketch while on hold at work. I design things for friends, like fingerless gloves for my roommate or an aran hoodie based off a sweater seen in Torrid. I've tried about four times to get published in Knitty, and the latest attempt (the aforementioned sweater) will be my last. The good news is that this is the longest time I've waited to hear from them, and I haven't recieved a rejection yet.

I'm not giving up on getting published, mind you. Knitpicks.com has their Independent Designer Program in full swing and I am reknitting the rehearsal gloves I designed one college night for my oboist roommate in Wool of the Andes. She was having issues with the cold halls she had to warm-up in before concerts, so I offered to make her something that wouldn't interfere with her oboe. We literally sat there for 20 minutes after I offered to make them, took measurements and did some sketches. She handed me the yarn from her stash and went to bed. I always stayed up later, and by morning I had a prototype for her to try on.

They are now no more than rags, the 10 and 12 hour days apparently too much for the merino wool to handle. They were incredibly helpful when she endured severe tendonitis a year later, which could have ruined her career by taking her out of the action almost an entire semester her junior year. We talked about a new pair a while ago, and we decided to try WotA because Peruvian highland wool is supposed to last longer than merino. So when I ordered yarn for my dad's Christmas present, I grabbed two balls: 1 in orange and 1 in Fairy Tale. (She likes crazy color combos. The original gloves are teal and leaf green.)




I'm also going to size them up for men's hands as well. The other charts are a bass clef and a cello. I hope I get two pair out of this yarn, because there is no way she will let them go for the 3 months Knitpicks requires!

FINALLY another knitting post

I finally took pictures of a hat I knit for my etsy shop (last year...) and listed it tonight.

Still no sales, but I'm working on it. I'm being featured in the Loud and Wacky Street Team blog sometime soon. SO excited.

Other than that, we've successfully hung the garlands and trimmed one of our two trees already. I got my hair cut as you can tell, and I love it. My Christmas Present WIP list is winding up thank goodness. Poppy's never ending Gryffindor scarf is almost complete, and then I have to finish Grandma's lapghan. Still have to get the yarn for my aunt's wrap she asked me for, and then there's one coworker whose headband I still have to knit. Most of the presents are wrapped. I'm going to finish a pair of earrings for my sister once she goes to work, and then find a penguin bag to stash upstairs til I get her penguin cross-stitch done.

And the little Christmas dress is getting shipped tomorrow! I'm so excited. Here are some pictures; since her mother doesn't read this it will still be a surprise.

I hate Being Sick

My cross-stitch Christmas ornaments probably won't get listed on my etsy this week, and I'm not happy about it. I came down with a sore throat yesterday, was nearly delusional with a fever last night, and I'm just mostly tired and achy today. My latest creation is an adorable knit gingerbread man ornament, and I'm trying to get his wife done. I am seriously debating which would sell better, the pattern or the ornaments themselves. I may not be able to part with the finished products...

What are going up, ironically, are some seashell necklaces. $5 each. I think they're a nice reminder of the summer. So at least I'll have something new this week.

Twin Star Gifts is Live!

Hooray! As of November first I am officially live with my new store, Twin Star Gifts. Not much else to blog about. Rob is working on getting work up here and I'm trying to get the promotion I was promised a year ago. Or find work elsewhere. Check out my Etsy Mini on the right hand side of the screen!

Fiancee Visit!

Well Oktoberfest was canceled due to an outbreak of the flu, but Rob came anyway. One of my friends had a birthday pub-crawl planned for Saturday so we dressed up as per the invite and had fun. I was a pirate, he was a frazzled computer technician (shirt reads: "Leet Squad"). I also got him back to Primanti Brothers for lunch and we went around downtown Pittsburgh. I wish he was coming for Christmas so that I could show him all the Christmas decorations and things to do downtown. I feel like I missed out on all that last year :( It never even crossed my mind. Maybe another time.

My sister suggested he apply to her grocery store and relit the fire under his ass to move up here. He helped out with a bunch of yard work my parents needed done that none of us can do easily, and earned their gratitude. He didn't want to go home at ALL. So I'm looking for a second or third job still so I can put away enough money for him to actually get here. He said he'd look too, up here and down in VA. The only other thing is we'd need a place for him to stay at least temporarily. I think between the two of us we can make it work.

Twin Star Gifts is coming along nicely. A little preview of what I'll be offering:

It's a baby dragon ;)

Still planning to go live November 1st! Wish me luck!

I shall call her... Smurfette

I saw my roomie today, and she helped me make a dress dummy out of duct tape using the tutorial I found on Etsy Lab's blog. It was awkward at first but lots of fun. I don't reccommend asking someone you're not 100% comfortable with to help you. It gets very personal.I make duct tape look sexy!

Her name is Smurfette. Getting her home was hilarious. My roomie's fiancee had her strapped into the backseat! She's quite heavy, and I think I need to modify the stuffing a bit because she keeps developing a third boob. But overall, I think it's a great project. And the stuffing is a wonderful use for those excess plastic bags we all have lying around.

I really should blog more

Well the job hunt is going well, though right now my only prospect is another retailer in the mall. What's nice is that the manager was a customer of mine who basically told me to apply for the position. Hopefully that works out to my advantage.

I've been doing lots of sewing and knitting in my time off. I finally sewed up a cute top I bought the supplies for last summer (see left). I used up some of the scrubs fabric I bought last year by making a jumper for a friend's daughter. I've also been finishing UFOs of the cross-stitch variety in preparation for my new etsy store, Twin Star Gifts. It's a reference to my zodiac sign. My plan is to go live November 1st so I can catch the Christmas shoppers. I've been working on Christmas ornaments for just that purpose.

I'm helping two old friends plan an Oktoberfest party for the 25th, and Rob says he's going to try and come up for it. Pops said he'd help, and his sister's going to stay with them in case they need help. I'm so excited to see him again. I just hope it works out.

Twin Scarves

I started working on Christmas presents early this year (who doesn't?), especially since I have five scarves on my list. I just got back from visiting my fiancee, and I've become rather attached to his little brother and sister. They turn ten I think this month (see my profile picture). I found out their favorite colors from the future DH. For SIL I shortened a lace scarf that I had lying in my stash (which had been supposed to be a panel for an afghan that never got finished). For BIL I used a mostly-full ball of WoolEase Thick & Quick. It's really a simple pattern, but I couldn't find any pre-teen scarf

patterns that I liked.

Ricky's Scarf

Size 13 needles

WoolEase Thick n Quick, 1 skein Lemongrass

Finished measurements: 6 inches wide by 45 inches long (or desired length)

CO 14 stitches.

Row 1: Slip first stitch as if to knit, K1 *P2, K2* across

Row 2: Slip 1, purl across

Continue in this manner until A) scarf is as long as you want or B) you only have enough yarn to bind off. BO in pattern.

Taming the Stash

Stash. We all have one. It lurks in your house, full of oddments and extra skeins you didn't bother to return to the store. It is a very personal, but universal, knitter problem. Yet we still buy yarn. I have been on a yarn diet for over a year but it hasn't worked very well. Inevitably I pick a pattern I don't have enough yarn for, or I think I have enough yarn and find out half way through that in fact I don't (after emptying out my stash baskets searching for what I SWEAR is there), so just in case I go to the store and buy two more, just so I don't run out again.

Perhaps the best deterrent to buying more yarn is just to see exactly what you already have. After being gifted with a friend's late grandmother's yarn stash (the winner doesn't get to take it with them, do they?), and my old college roommate stuffing half of hers into my bag last night ("You'll do it more justice than I will, I have no time cuz I'm a music student"), I decided I needed to sort my stash. Yes that's right. Sort the damn thing.


I spread the yarn out on my bed, sorted into the colors, the neutrals, black, white, and those varegated yarns you love but don't fit into any color category. First was my original stash:

The neutrals and variegated got cut off at the bottom but you get the point. Then I added the late grandmother stash, after I weeded out what she had cut for latchhook. I got a wonderful surprise. Four full skeins of virgin wool, some of them the labels yellowed and falling apart. Those were later placed in their own special bag so that they would not be lost. Now I can actually try felting! Should I make a purse, or something useful like coasters? Hrmm.

There now you can see everything. But wait, there's more. My roomie is to blame for this now.

And there, ladies and gentlemen, is my yarn stash. It covers my bed. So what do you do with your stash now that you see it in all it's gory detail? You organize it. You can do yours however you please, but I am a simple girl with little furniture and only a bedroom in which to store all my things. One day I hope to have an entire room devoted to my plethera of hobbies, but not yet. So I used plastic grocery bags for each pile, after pulling out the yarn I'm using for my Rainbow Afghan of Awesome (or Doom. Depends on my mood), and stuffing them back into my baskets. It looks something like this:

It didn't take me that long, and it didn't hurt at all! And now I finally know what the hell I have to work with. Let me know how your Taming goes!

[The only yarn not counted in the stash is the yarn I'm using to make KnitPicks' Abundance Afghan; a wedding gift for a friend. I only bought the 7 balls the pattern called for.]

Cat Scarf

Well it's been a while but I have a free pattern for the blog! A scarf for your cat =^-^=

Xander, my friend's cat, was confused by his first modeling shoot. He quickly turned diva, however, and cut the shoot short for his fish treats.

Cat Scarf

Size 6 needles
Worsted weight yarn, two colors


Body of scarf:

With MC, CO 8 sts
Work garter stitch until you have 4 ridges
Change to CC, work garter stitch until you have 4 ridges

Work stripe sequence until you have 9 stripes. BO stitches and sew ends together.


Tail 1:
CO 8 stitches in MC. Work stripe sequence until you have four stripes. BO.

Tail 2:
CO 8 stitches in MC. Work stripe sequence until you have five stripes. BO

Tassels (optional):
Cut 8 four-inch pieces of MC and 6 of CC. Each piece is one tassel. I used a yarn needle to hook them on, but you can use a crochet hook if you like. I put a CC tassel in the middle, then did the two end MC tassels, and eyed the rest.


Line tail 1 up with tail 2, so that the top of tail 1 matches the last stripe of the same color, right sides facing. Center tails over the join in the main body of the scarf. Sew tail 1 to tail 2 AND scarf at the same time. Sew top of tail 2 to edge of scarf.


Put scarf on cat, and take lots of funny pictures.

Cascade Tastes, Red Heart Budget

New Blog! First Post!

My first trip to the yarn shop my college roommate lives by was this past Saturday. We completely lost track of time in there; it was huge, the people there were so nice and talkative. We had a great time oogling the shinies, and I was checking out those high-end yarns I've read so much about on the net. I've come to the realization I'm more a fan of pure alpaca than pure wool - it's less scratchy. But silk paired with cashmere - hoo boy! There's a new weakness. My roomie was bragging about my knitting abilities because I'm so much faster than her, but she's a music major, I have all the time in the world compared to her. I did break down and cheat on my yarn diet (I have like two laundry baskets full I swear). I bought one ball of misti laceweight baby alpaca, because I have one skein wonders and I knew a ball of that yarn would yield lovely lacy handwarmers for the office. Now I just need to get the size 0 DPNs *eye roll*. I knew I was crazy before this, don't worry.

As for my recent projects, I have a sweater of my own design I did for a friend that's going in my eventual self-published knitting book, a hat for a dear friend's fiancee who is in the hospital, and a bag that was going to be a scarf but with which I got bored. So it became a bookbag. Next up is the Pinup Sweater from Stitch n Bitch, in Dark Rose Heather Wool-ease. (I had bought the yarn around Christmas time thinking to make myself a heart-themed sweater by Valentine's day but that came and went. I found that pattern no longer inspires me, and Pinup does. Hence the switch.)

SO, picture time!

This is what I call, the 'circular needle of doom'. It's that sweater after one cable repeat. More pictures will follow once I can sew the zipper in and have the recipient model. =D

This is the scarf-turned-bookbag. I was trying to make the Modern Quilt Wrap from Knittingdaily.com but it was too thick and I got sick of it after I only worked half the pattern. So now it's my overnight bag. Far more comfy to tote around than my duffel. And I finally used up that international distress signal orange. Yay!

Camden is modeling the hat before I wrap and ship it. There's a story behind this hat, the pattern for which can be found here (If the designer or translater of the pattern sees this btw, this is a GORGEOUS pattern!) I've had this long-distance internet friend for five years, he's like my little brother. I've seen him fall hard and fast for girls and get his heart broken. So needless to say when he came back to the face of the Earth Thursday night (we tend to lose touch for long periods of time because of his work schedule) I was skeptical when he said he found his soulmate. But he told me all about her, and she sounded like a real incredibly good match. So he puts us in touch with each other. We hit it off instantly, I like her a lot, and I almost feel like I found a long-lost sister-in-law. Friday night I get a call, but I couldn't get back to him till Saturday cuz he was working. Turns out friday night she was in a car wreck, and she's been in the hospital ever since due to bleeding on the brain and a blood clot (which burst in surgery Easter Sunday). He's been beside himself because he can't go see her. And get this: she blurted out they had planned to elope when she visited this weekend while in post-op. I nearly whacked him through the computer for that one because she's a student, and that's going to mess up her financial aid. But that can be worried about later. She fought for her life all weekend, and she was worried he wouldn't think she was pretty because they had to shave her head (we women can be so silly sometimes). While we were talking, after she was feeling better, she mentioned to me she used to knit. Then she said she ought to knit herself a hat because of her bald head. This was before we almost lost her the third and fourth times. After those close calls I got it into my head that I would knit the hat for her, being that she's not in condition to work with even blunt pointy objects. And it's my way of feeling useful. I asked my friend what her favorite color was, and lo! I had a huge ball of buttery-soft Caron in that exact color. I started it last night, and finished tonight after dinner. This hat is awesome for her because it's smooth on the inside but it's still interesting to look at, and the flower makes it cute and girly. It should be just the right thing to help her feel pretty again. And I'm all proud of myself cuz it's the first time I actually managed to crochet something that wasn't a straight line. So thank you, Laura koo, for this awesome hat pattern. I shall post her reaction later, and maybe some pictures when her hair comes back.