Yarn bracelets

Knitted jewelery has intrigued me for some time, but I haven't really known where to start. It's not that it seems difficult, I just lack inspiration. Then the other day I was thinking about how I usually like skeined yarn better than when it's knitted or crocheted, so I made these bracelets. They're very simple, but I really like how they turned out.

Exposure

Two things I particularly enjoy are knitting and naked ladies. I like to combine these by taking semi-scandalous pictures of myself. I have a whole bunch of knitted tops that I made a while ago and never took pictures of.
Until now!

This is one of my favourite tops, I love the pattern and the yarn! It's acrylic, but quite soft, and has great long colour changes.


This one I am less enthusiastic about. It's by the same designer and uses the same yarn, but less my style. Plus my nipples pop through occasionally.


This top got a little messed up. The yarn SAID it was all the same dyelot, but that was clearly a lie. I messed up the gauge, so I felted it, and now it's too small. I'll fix it eventually. Or...something.


I really like the feel of the yarn, though I'm not quite sure about the colourway. I am quite pleased with how it turned out, though I usually need to wear something under it. Pattern link.


My very first sweater! A great pattern; I'd like to make it again sometime, maybe with a yarn with some silk in it. The yarn I used was 100% wool.


I accidentally used super-bulky yarn instead of bulky. I like this yarn! I got it super cheap, and it is very soft. I didn't check my gauge - out of a sense of rebelliousness, perhaps? So it turned out way too large, but I just pretend it's intentional. Plus I modified the pattern slightly, to make it longer and more like a tunic dress.


Lacy shirt from French Girl Knits (which is a great book). You're supposed to lace a ribbon around the neckline, but I haven't done that yet. I messed this up somehow, so it's tighter around the back than the front...I guess I divided for armholes at the wrong place. Oh well, it's not thaaaat obvious?
It was my first time using linen (well, 60/40 linen/merino), I quite enjoyed it.
Also, look how much my dread pigtails stick out! They have been growing.

More recently, I finished my scarf (a while ago, but I only just took pictures of the whole thing):

Positively scandalous? I still love this scarf very much, though I think I need something warmer for winter now. It's been snowing so much today, and a lacy scarf isn't the best decision when it's cold and/or windy.

Also impractical for the weather is my half hat:

Handspun sari ends. I doubled the yarn because it was thin in places, but then I didn't have enough for a full hat. But that's ok, it's great for keeping dreads out of my face, plus I love the texture.

Finally, I finally got pictures of this hat:

Brighter version of my dread hat.

I wrote out the pattern for this! I'm looking for pattern testers to knit this; comment on this thread on ravelry if you're interested. Full details in the thread, but basically I'll email you the pattern and you give me feedback.


I'm being haunted by knitpicks ads. Has this happened to anyone else? I'm wandering through the internet at random, on my merry way, and sites I have never visited before are advertising knitpicks interchangeable circulars. It's a little unsettling. THE MAN has established a profile for me somehow. Privacy concerns, yo.

I hate everything.

Warning: this post is just whining.

I have now officially been properly sick for a week. I've spent pretty much all of it in bed watching tv, which would be fine except for exams, and the fact that I am not studying for them. Also my roommate who makes me go to sleep on time has gone home for a week (or so, I don't remember when he left or when he'll get back) so I keep staying up all night watching tv without noticing. Which is not great, I woke up just in time to see the sun set today. Fuck you, winter.

And it's snowing AGAIN.

Dumpster diving is a million times less pleasant in winter - maybe if I dove at smelly dumpsters it would help, but as it is it only leads to my fingers suffering. This time it was worth it though - 18 balls of yarn ftw.

Eugh, I guess good things have happened recently, but I DON'T CARE I HATE EVERYTHING. Fuck you, everything.

Schoolwork + art journal

It's the end of term, so I'm finishing up all the art homework I didn't quite manage to do at the time. It's all due tomorrow, and I finally only have optional stuff left! Whew. SO much drawing. I am reasonably pleased with most of it, though of course it could have been better, but blehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

This one is supposed to contrast geometric and organic shapes.


We had to get a black a white photo with perspective, and extend it three inches on each side. I like bit of it, where there was visible detail, but I am ambivalent about the rest.

Drawing is fun, but it's not really my favourite, so to take a break from drawing, I...did different art. Obviously. Did I ever blog about my art journal? I started it AGES ago, but I hadn't done anything in it in ages. Friday night I added a whole bunch of pages...I was just in the mood for it I guess. (I was also pretty sick on friday, and making art meant I thought about it less.) Anyway, pictures: (in the order they're in the book)

"Maybe not."


"Take control"


"Fear"

This one has a few pictures because it's a little interactive:

"Secret robot"
The pink yarn is handspun from acrylic bits, wooo!


"Greenery"


"Constitutional"


"Meetings"

Next time I choose a book for an art journal, I will choose one without lines. But this one was a dollar, so I guess I shouldn't complain. I also made a ball out of wire which is attached to the ribbon bookmark thing, but I forgot to take a picture of it.

I also finished my mom's x-mas present! I was going to make her a hat, but I made her a hat last year, so I decided on a cowl instead. She really likes smoke blue, I got the yarn in the summer for her because the colour was right. There's actually about half of it left, so I might make her a (matching) hat after all. Now I just have to make my dad's present...he wants socks, but I also found this wicked prawn pattern, which is great because my dad loves prawns. Anyway, cowl:

It's 100% wool, but it's pretty soft? I hope it's not too scratchy for her....
For anyone worrying about surprises being ruined, it's ok! My sister occasionally reads this (that's why pictures of her present won't be posted until after x-mas), but as far as I know my parents don't know this blog exists. Secrets intact!

I sort of feel like "Secrets Intact!" should be some superhero organization's group cheer or something.

Hm. Apparently being sick makes me super productive.

Bluhhhh

Eugh, I really want the term to be over, I am so fed up with school. I still have a couple assignments left, even thought there's only one day left of class. I had a final on thursday so I decided to not to any work, and made ATCs instead.

SO MANY HATS

Goodness gracious.

I did a craft fair on friday, and I was madly making hats in preparation for about three weeks. Quite glad to be done frantic knitting for a little. Though I need to work on x-mas presents now...

Anyway, the hats! I'm afraid the pictures are a little blurry, I wasn't able to take them in the day.

This one is my favourite! I really like how it turned out, I'm going to write down the pattern and publish it on ravelry. I've made another hat with this pattern, so I've got it pretty much figured out now.


Crocheted hat, similar pattern to this one. The pattern turned out well, so I might write this one down as well.


This one makes me think of cherries!


Got to love pom-poms. This yarn is weird, it's a white single plied with brown boucle, but I'm happy with how it turned out.


Quite soft. I like putting stems on the tops of hats.


This one is soo floppy and soft! It feels like dressing gown (but in a good way).


Tiny toque. It looks very small, but streeeetches a lot.

Some of these sold, but not all, so I'm taking the rest to Rare Funk tomorrow. (If you're interested in buying any of them just let me know, I can put them on etsy for you.)

I was very worried about not having enough stuff for the craft fair, but then I went through my room, and found PILES of things! I probably had the most stuff piled on my table out of everyone, it was odd. I dug out a bunch of older hats, scarves, mittens, yarn (dyed and spun), jewelery and clay monsters. I priced everything suuuuper cheap, so stuff sold! I made $134! And today I met someone who had like my stuff but didn't have time on friday, and she bought another $50 worth of stuff. So hurray, money! Now I can buy more yarn!

I mean...christmas presents....

I spun a little bit of thread-y yarn:

Spun from the thread-y bits from Lions Brand Homespun, after I took it apart.

Finally, here's a picture I drew for art class:

We had to pick two different objects and transform one into the other. I picked a spindle and a lizard because a lizard is not like a spindle.

ATCs for trading

It had been ages since I made ATCs, so I got a little distracted from doing school last night, and made a bunch. These are all available for trade!

Spinning

I started spinning with some of the fibre from my exciting box! I'm calling it "Purple Dragon" because I like to have names for things. This is the first time I've spun from a batt, it's very exciting but I'm still working out the best way to hold it. It's got bits of firestar fibre in it, which is fun (sparkles!) but they seem to keep not getting pulled into the yarn properly.

I decided to make this a slub yarn, and I started spinning without really paying attention, and it ended up being ridiculously even! Which is awesome (yaay I spin evenly reliably) but still kind of silly.

Oh my GAWD

It's happened. I went to Herrschners to pick up some Mirasol Hacho to finish my scarf. I had PROMISED myself that I was ONLY going to buy that yarn, and NOTHING ELSE. I was quite determined, I swear.

But the bus only came every half hour, so I had to wander around the store for a little while...

It's not ...a LOT of yarn, right?

I swear I don't know what happened. I was just wandering around, and then when I went to the cash there was all this yarn in the basket! I blame the sale room in the back. And the sale on the yarn in the non-sale room. Oh dear...

This is neat though:

It's like a cheap acrylic version of Noro! The colour aren't as nice, and it is acrylic, but Kureyon is always rather rough feeling anyway? It's nice to have cheaper alternatives, this was only $5/skein.

Also, new glow-in-the-dark needles!

I think my stash has grown significantly in the last month. In addition to spending FAR too much money on yarn today and yesterday, this magical box arrived in the mail:

Wait till you see what's inside:

I swear I got tingles when I opened it. 2lbs of fibre I got from a lovely person who was destashing on ravelry. Gosh, there are soooo many wonderful inside it! Happyhappyhappyhappy.

Happy.

Happy!

:D

I am using things though! I made a hat with some of the yarn from Michaels last night, it knitted up super fast because it's sooo chunky. I like it! It's a cloche (and looks a little large here because Cassie has a tiny cute head!).

Also, some handspun:

I spun and dyed it yellow in the summer, but I was unsatisfied, so I resist dyed it the other night, with elastics. I like how it looks spotty, so I call it "Spotted Frog." I plied it with itself...plying from either ends of a centre-pull ball works, believe it or not. (I was sceptical, I thought it would turn into a tangled mess, but no!)

So yes, a good day. Despite my COMPLETE AND UTTER unfaithfulness to my purported yarn diet. Oh well, I sort of knew it was lies.

But now I'm on a yarn diet FOR REALS THIS TIME, I swear.

Unless, you know...

Something comes up...