Knitting for Hibernation

It did get kind of cold in Waterloo for a day right when we got back from Christmas holidays (it was -25C!) and then it went back to being the mild winter that it is now (0C). But those few days were enough for me to start craving warmer clothing. I began to dream of an eternity scarf/ thick fluffy cowl and warm headbands. Well what better way to get these things than to make them for yourself?

So that's what I did, I made a cowl and a headband for myself and now despite the warm weather I have been wearing it everyday. They are warm when I need warmth and light enough that I do not realize that they are there when it is warmer outside.

This is the cowl

It wraps around twice giving it a very nice look when worn. The only thing I would change for next time (if I ever make another) to knit a few stitches at the beginning and end of each row so that it doesn't curl around itself like it does now. 

It was knitted by casting on 30 stitches (size 17 US 12.75mm) and then knitting in stocking stitch for the entirety of two balls (Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in Raspberry) and then sewed the cast on edge to the cast off edge. I underestimated the amount of yarn that it would take to sew it together and so hidden on the inside of the seam is some of the yarn that I used for the sock monkey as well as the headband.

The headband looks like this

This is the headband it was made from the left over wool from the sock monkey. The wool is Patons Classic Wool in burgundy. I added some roving to it for extra warmth. I casted on 24 stitches onto size 4 - 41/2 mm (AKA US 6-7) needles (they are some random needles that I picked up at a thrift store for 25 cents and they're not quite 4 1/2's and they're too big to be 4's so they're probably 4.25's but I don't have that number on my gauge hence the need for the range). The pattern for them is 

R1- K24 

R2- K4, P16, K4

R3 -K24 

R4 -K4, P16, K4

R5 -K4, P16, K4

R6- K24

R7- K4, P16, K4

R8- K24

Continue to repeat rows 1-8 until headband is a desired length DO NOT MAKE IT TOO LONG. Mine's a little big and it already drives me nuts. It is ribbing so it will have a quite a bit of stretch. I recommend measuring your head/ your intended headband wearer and then subtract 2 inches from the total, you could even subtract more if your feeling daring.

As for the roving I don't even know how it all ended up working so well. Let me tell you I cheated a lot to get it to look that good. The outside of the headband is hiding a lot including some random yarn threads that are holding dropped stitches in place ( I can normally repair those buggers but I couldn't figure out how to do it in this case for some reason, so I just bit the bullet and threaded it through another piece of yarn sewed to the headband to hold it in place) and a web of roving on the inside which does add a layer of warmth but sure does look ugly. 

They are relatively close in colour which wasn't intended at the time. 

The cowl in its finished wonderfulness ended up being 62 inches around and the headband is 22 inches. Not too bad for two weekends of work! 

What have you been knitting lately?

Happy Creating!

Jessica 

This post is joining the Hodgepodge Friday party at It's a Hodge Podge Life 

It's Alive!

I am proud to finally say I have completed a project! (As in took no shortcuts and finished the whole thing!)

There is one thing I would like to say: 1 ball of yarn is not enough for the main colour. I even skimped by making the white sections on his arms and tail longer so that I would have more left over. I had a little whispering in the back of my head saying 'Jessica there is not enough yarn in this little ball to make ears and 3 arms'. Luckily I went out and bought another ball of almost the same colour. Apparently the way that they dyed this colour has changed since last summer because it is noticeably off even for being different dye lots. The new ball had to be used for a small portion of the tail and then for attaching everything to the body. Fortunately you can't really see the difference in colour in the pictures buts its on the outer edge of the circle that are his ears.

This is the finished result... meet Herbert

Notice his lip ring which is a safety pin! I can not take credit for that clever little bit that was the pattern designer but it's such a good idea! 

                                    

It's all in the details: his tattoo. Made from the same yarn colour as his jacket.

Cute little boots almost like Docs! We match! The yarn used for the boots is the same as used for his mohawk. I love this yarn its one of my favourites its by Patons Classic Wool the colour flecks against the black always just make me stare at it for hours. The shoelace yarn is the same as the jean jacket and tattoo.

Fortunately was able to use a lot of scrap yarn (that was also Patons Classic Wool) for parts of this project that I had left over from previous projects. 

I love the result of the monkey and I think it can be said that this is one of the harder things that I have done to date. 

Do you have any knitting projects on the go?

Happy Creating!

Jessica

Reading List

Lately I have bought and received many books and I have given myself permission to start reading them. A lot of them are NON FICTION gasp! What a change from the usual textbooks that I have been stuck reading for the past 5 months. (I still do have textbooks to read this semester but alas not as many as I did last semester so I think that the addition of some reads that aren't about any subject that I'm taking in school should be manageable? I'll see how that goes)

Although some of them I should mention pertain to the subject of Osteology which is also the subject of a course that I took last semester.These books were recommended reads from the Prof. So i promptly ran home and added them to my wishlist on Indigo.

You don't know how long its been that I have sat down with a good book. Since the summer when I read The Hunger Games. (Which I should mention has been added to my list as a reread.)

These are the books that are on my list:

Exciting right? 8 new smelling books to read (I love smelling books weird right? it really is a hobby within 

itself) 

One seems to not have its own picture and that is the one called Sweat Shop Paris. Its a book about a sewing cafe in Paris. In the cafe people are encouraged to recycle from their own closets and create treasures from things that they already have. It basically is making you sweat over making things which in turns lessens the need for people in sweatshops to do so. Awesome idea right!? If I ever get to Paris this place is going to be on my list of stops right underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Hoopla is an embroidery book that I have been eyeing up for months ever since the end of summer. I love the inspiration that can be found in its pages it is a showcase of things that can be embroidered that I have never seen done before. It's definitely one worth checking out!

So the Body Farm is a place where people can donate their bodies for science and the students there watch them decay and record how different things affect the rate of decay. Dr. Bill Bass was the one that started the Body Farm and is a well known Forensic Anthropologist. He is a very good writer. This is one of the ones that my Prof recommended reading.

This book was written before the one above and is also written by Dr. Bill Bass.

 How did this sneaky book get in there? Okay so this is a textbook for this semester however it is for the class that I like the most so far. And of all the textbooks I have read it has been the most interesting one thus far. Maybe its because its in the field that I am most interested in studying about or maybe the writing is just above par and I'm sure a winning point is that it has been written within the last 5 years because believe it or not most textbooks have not and it makes for very dry reading.

I love anything True Blood/ Sookie Stackhouse related enough said.

This is a needle craft book that has patterns that are a bit dark and I love them for it! It is different from the traditional patterns seen out there and that's what draws my eyes much the same as Hoopla did.

This is another book that was recommended by my Prof. Its about the Frankin Expedition and it details the discovery of the people who were lost in the expedition and their state of health and the conclusions that were made about it I won't give anything away as  I haven't read it yet but I've been told that there was some Lead poisoning involved that made them do crazy things. It's a combination of two fields of interest North American Archaeology and Osteology! 

Some of the pictures are blurry I think that the technology of my 6 year old camera is a little behind.

What are you reading theses days?

Happy Creating!

Jessica 

It's an Alien!

This project is part of a list of projects that I have assigned myself to finish before I am allowed to start anything new. It is a part of one of my New Year's Resolutions for this year to finish the projects that I have already started.

I chose to finish this project first because I thought it was time for me to do something for myself. I have gotten tired of making mittens (3 pairs!) and laptop cases (2 of em!) that I gave as gifts for Christmas. I do have two more pairs to knit for friends that I have temporarily put on the back burner until this project is finished. I started this project in the summer and set it aside because other things came up that I needed to knit (like cough cough the mittens). I thought I would be able to knit the mittens within the time frame that I had set for myself but then other people began asking for them too and the three pairs I was going to knit turned into five!

The project that I have started up again is a sock monkey! Tah dah!

This is what he looks like right now I have dubbed him Herbert. I think that is his current state he does look like a little bit of an alien he sure is weird. I started on him again on Monday. He was just a set of legs with hips then now he has the top of his head and a little extra!

Herbert also has an arm made, muzzle (red thing in the back) and two parts of his jean jacket. I still have to knit him his ears, two more arms (one for his tail) and his mohawk and then he will be complete! I am quite excited to see the end result. 

That's Herbert on the left. I changed his colours around a little I really liked the maroon colour so I used it for his body and his jacket is being made out of scrap colours that I had left over from another project. This is a good project book I must say! It has a wide variety of sock monkeys and some animals too such as a lion, giraffe and elephant.

  

I made myself a list of projects that I have to complete before I can start anything else. Its going to feel good once this list is done though! 

Do you always have multiple projects on the go? Do you try to eventually finish everything? 

Happy creating!

Jessica

New Year's Resolution

I have seen all over the blogosphere that everyone is posting their resolutions for the New Year! I thought I would join in I have a few resolutions this year and some of them are

• post more often/ more regularily
• finish projects that I have started (this is an everlasting resolution I say this one every year)
• and the resolution to follow my resolutions.

I wish you all good luck on your New Year's Resolutions whatever they may be!

Happy Creating!

Store Loyalty

Do you have a favourite store that you are loyal to? I do. One day my sister and I were convinced by someone to test our loyalty to the store and the results had me questioning what constitutes a good store?

A few weeks ago my sister and I were in a bookstore in the knitting section (of course) looking at pattern books. The lady that was standing beside us brought up a conversation with us about knitting. We talked for a little while and she introduced us to Ravelry (have you gone there? I feel as though I was the last person to find out about this if you are into knitting/ crocheting you have to join this site it is fantastic!) and she also told us about Romni  which is a store on Queen St in Toronto. We traded stores with her and told her about Len's Mills which is where we go in Waterloo. She insisted that once we go to Romni we will never be able to shop anywhere else.

It just so happened that the next day we were able to go to this store. Upon first arrival we walked into a wall of yarn. Literally. This store was huge even more so in comparison the other stores that are on Queen St which are relatively small units. Romni was packed floor to ceiling with every colour, weight and material possible. I thought it was awesome because it had many styles that were hand made and even hand painted. It was all so beautiful! They also had a large selection of pattern books that were imported from Europe which I loved.

However for some reason it was not all that I expected it to be. I still thought that I would rather be in my Len's Mills Store. I think the answer for this is because Len's carries more than just yarn it also carries fabric, embroidery supplies and even baking. It really is a one stop shop for all of your possible hobbies. The problem with Len's is that it doesn't sell a lot of pattern books mostly the ones that are made by the fabric companies. (Although they do have a large selection of the free tear away patterns that yarn companies give out) Len's features all of the most popular yarns such as Red Heart, Pattons, and Bernat however the handmade yarns and hand dyed yarns found in Romni can not be found at Len's.

Which brings me to another point I love pattern books obsessed with you could go as so far to say. I really like the ones that can be found in Chapters. I like to preview them within Chapters and then buy them online and have them shipped to the house. They are always cheaper online but they don't allow you to look within the book online only the synopsis given by the editors so you really don't know the patterns you're getting hence the in store preview. Also ordering online allows me to partake in my favourite past time... Waiting for mail!

So what does make the store that you go to the most often your favourite is it because it is close to home? Does it have lower prices? Does it feature more hand made or boutique yarns? Or can that store also be seen as a convenience as it also carries a variety of things?

I think that everyone that has a hobby at one point has found that trying a new store is not the same as the one that you used to frequent. I guess we get used to the ease of access within a store that we frequent often. But nonetheless the experience of going to Romni certainly was an eye opener I have never seen hand painted wool before and the colours that occur were quite fantastic and bright. It certainly was a store for inspiration. What I especially like about both stores is that they are not major chains such as Michael's (Len's does have 9 stores but they are sort of local as Len was a man from Mississauga) or Walmart and shopping there is supporting a local business.

I think that the quest for the perfect hobby store is in order.

It never hurts to shop around right?

Happy Creating!

*** in no way am I trying to promote either store. This is merely an observation and in no way was I asked to promote one or the other. Merely the musings of a knitter. I hope you feel encouraged to go out and find your own favourite store!

It's Been Awhile...

'Tis the season... Midterm season that is. I haven't had much time to visit blogland I've been isolating myself from the distraction of the internet.


But luckily when I do get a break from my readings and my studying I take a break to work on this

Remember this? It was first featured in this post here. It is my fall project well that's at least what its turning into. It's my first adventure into embroidery. (Although its just straight stitches nothing fancy)

One day I came home from class and decided that I should get started. So me and the window had a date. I taped this pic to the window and then covered it with the fabric and began to trace it with a fabric pencil. Once I was done tracing I could hardly wait to begin stitchin' my way along.

Eventually it turned into this

It's a little different from the original but that's art right? There's still some more stitches that I want to add and I am unsure if I want to fill in the inside of the tree with brown thread or not. Decisions decisions...

How are your projects going? Is this rainy season helping you to stay inside and complete projects? Or is this a busy time of year for you too?

Happy Creating!

Jessica 

P.S. 67 creating days till Christmas YIKES!

Some of My Favourite Things

This weekend I got to go home to see my family for Thanksgiving. As always the days before returning home are spent dreaming of the things awaiting me...


1. Seeing my family. 


2. Seeing this little boy...

He is an Airedale Terror I mean Terrier nope I definitely mean terror. His name is Riley and he is 4 years old. He causes a lot of trouble as any Terrier does but we love him despite it. I always look forward to see his little face running towards the door when we land at home from travelling. 

3. My home bed. 

What do you look forward to on your return home from being away for a time?

Happy Creating! 

Jessica

Needle Point (the Alternate Version)

New month and a new hobby:)


Instead of doing the project posted down below I decided to start a kit that I had picked up at the end of the summer. It is currently a WIP (Work In Progress). (I someday hope that all of the projects that I have on the go will graduate from being a WIP to being complete, you gotta dream right?) Anyways so this kit I bought at Mary Maxim (what doesn't this lady have?... seriously) it's by Dimensions and its five inches by five inches. It Really drew my eye with the large almost print like pattern and bright colours. I thought it was a great little starter.

I once again scanned something instead of using a camera. I'm counting the days till me and my camera are reunited. 

The small area to the right of the hoop has already been filled in and that area is all it took for me to get hooked or should I say needled? It's so easy to curl up on the couch with it while watching television. 

It already has me dreaming of the patterns that I could design myself! But the next step is what to add this little delightful square to? This project is turning out to be greater then it was at first, but don't they all?

What projects do you have on the go? Have you ever tried needle point?

Happy Creating!

Jessica

I Know. It doesn't look like anything right now...

Hello everyone!


How is your week going? Are you tackling all of the creative projects that you have on the go?


The list of hobbies is growing... I am thinking of adding cross stitch/ needle point. I have made a little trial project to see how I`ll like it.


As of right now i do not have a camera well at least a digital one (but fear not my friends this will not last for long as i am going to go on a retrieval mission for my soon, its at home and since next weekend is thanksgiving...) so in order to get some content up here I made a scan of what I want to do. A girl`s got to do what a girl`s got to do.

I know, I know it looks rough but hear me out. Its going to be transferred on to black fabric and then the tree embroidered in what and the outside leaf line in green. The square black panel is going to be sewn onto a plain burlap bag that needs some embellishment. I`m also going to add some other shapes cut out and sewn on. 

Once all complete they will be added to the bag, I`m also going to use this opportunity to hide a seam for an inside pocket. 

It`s going to be a complete bag transformation!

Happy Creating! 

Jessica 

Welcome!

I thought a little introduction was in order... My name is Jessica and I'm a university student at WLU. Here is a little place that you can view my current project and project ideas. From everything such as knitting, recovering furniture, sewing and cooking/ baking (sometimes). I hope you like what you see!