Andean Silk Bag

Here is the Andean Silk Bag that caused so much commotion between Tara and I. I was really motivated and made it very quickly (two or three days to knit it). I spent just as much time on the lining as I did knitting the whole bag. And to be a nice and fabulous sister (I am nice and fabulous all the time) I gave it to Tara as a birthday present. So what does she do?? Calls me last night and asks that I knit an I-cord for it for a handle. Why did I spend several thousand hours and two trips to Jo-Ann's to buy boning if Tara doesn't even want it as a hand bag. Oh well ~ I understand she has a baby and you need all the hands you can get. So I'll be making a handle for her and shipping it up to Alaska for her. She has to attach it, I spend enough time hand sewing in the lining. (Can you tell I kind of hate the lining - so much time for what seems like a part no one would look at anyways.) I really like the bag and told Tara she could have it only if she gives it back to me when she no longer wants it. So if anyone I know gets this bag as a gift in a few years, forget I gave it to Tara first, she just had it for a trial run.


Andean Silk Bag


Andean Silk Bag


Andean Silk Bag - lining


Andean Silk Bag - lining

BIG SLIPPERS

Here are the felted slippers (pre-Felting) They are quite monstrous. Kyle tried what I had completed before I left for Alaska and they fit his (HUGE) feet. He wears a size 13. I wear a men's 8. These are supposed to shrink down to fit my feet. I have to admit I was a little skeptical but after 2 cycles they are very nearly there. Sorry Kyle, I guess you won't get them anyways. I told him that he could have them if they did not shrink. I asked him if he would like his own pair. And him being the skeptical little man he is, he said I'd like to see yours completed before I commit to getting a pair of my own. I know he doesn't want me to spend the time making them and have them be horrible because he knows he better wear them if he wants me to marry him. I will add pictures later of the finished product. They are thick and fantastic. I think I already said that. Just goes to show how thick and fantastic they really are. And they are quite easy to make, a pretty quick knit. And since I found the really cheap yarn I made these bad boys for $8.95! That is an amazing price for yarn. I just bought (for the faint of heart don't read this part) one skein for $20 in Alaska. It is not a very big skein either. Tara made me feel guilty about it and I kept telling her to stop because I knew I shouldn't have bought it. Kyle will probably yell at me for it.

Kyle keeps telling me he loves that I am knitting and I really think it is because he likes that I have a hobby to spend my money on because I give him less grief for all the money he spends on his like sixty hobbies. He has however cut back and is working more. Kind of ironic, when he had the time, he did not have the money and now that he has the money, he doesn't have the time. I guess that is how it always works.


Pair of slippers


slipper


Side view of slipper

I love these two pictures (the one above and the one below). They are great examples of how huge these slippers are. And now they nearly fit. Fantastic!!


Big Slippers

Tara's Creation

Tara's Bag-
Tara made a bag from noro with a brocade style lining. It is so cute! I bought some Lopi and am planning to make one as well. I love her lining, it is so bright and fantastic. She inspired me to line some of my bags, including the fish bowl manos bag (which I still have not lined yet, the lining is there and just waiting for me to sew it in.)


Tara's Bag



Lining of Tara's Bag

Alaska is great!!

I have been sooo productive knit wise while here. Much to my sisters annoyance. She would rather have me tending to her children so she can pursue her hobbies. Selfish girl. I'm on vacation, I've no time for children, only knitting and reading. I read the Shop on Blossom Street, a cute book about 4 women taking a knitting class. I'm all about all things knit.

I made a pair of felted slippers. I ran them through 2 cycles in the wash and want to send them through one more time for optimal felting. They are thick and luxurious, I can't wait to wear them. Alas, I will be heading back to Fresno soon where it will be unbearably hot and slippers will be the last thing I want to wear.

I also made a little hand bag with the Andean Silk yarn mentioned in the previous post. I plan to add pictures once home, I don't have the proper programs on my sisters computer. The bag is the prettiest shades of green and orange, my favorite colors. (But then I have so many fave's) I love this yarn it is soft and fabulous to knit with. If I get some acrylic after this I'll be sadly disappointed. As it runs through my fingers it won't be near as pleasant as the silk/alpaca yarn is.

I've been anxious to start a new project but don't really know what to make and don't have many sets of needles with me so I am at a loss. I will try to head to some yarn stores tomorrow (fingers crossed that they are open) and see what I can find. I won't have the kids with me so I'm free!! It will be nice.

Off I must go.

P.S. Those brown with pink stripe mittens will come about as soon as the yarn store gets my pink back-ordered yarn in stock. I checked on it on the Wed. I left for Alaska, I've had it on order now for, ummmm.... 2-3 months. Urgh!!

The Sweater is Complete!!

YEAH!! The sweater is done (all except for weaving in some ends. Yuck) and possible picking up the bottom and extending it a little bit. I need to block it to see if I can eliminate the roll. If not I will have to add a little to the bottom. Kyle does not like the roll. But he does love the sweater. And I finished it just in time for his birthday. It was done last night and today is his b-day. Unfortunatley he won't be wearing this bad boy any time soon. I am so excited to have completed my first sweater. And the best part is I have enough of this yarn left to make myself a matching sweater as well. We will be the cutest couple around!! I'm leaving for Alaska on Wed. maybe I should take the sweater with me for those chilly nights.


Front View



Front View Two


Back View


Side View

Next project: I am going to make myself a pair of felted slippers with some birthday yarn. (My birthday was two weeks ago). I stumbled across a great website (http://knitpicks.com/) and ordered some yarn with some of my birthday money. I like the yarn, the colors were not entirely what I was expecting, but it should be fine. I bought some Wool of the Andes (http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/yarn_display.aspx?itemid=5420103) for the slippers and some Andean Silk and Andean Silk Twist (http://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/yarn_display.aspx?itemid=5420126) to maybe make a bag. It is really pretty, soft and silky. I really like it. It is not as cheap as the Wool of the Andes, so it is not as great of a buy.

Off I must go... Rhiannon

Cheese!!

Heart in the sleeve

Okay, I know this is totally cheese and you can hardly tell from this picture but there is a heart in the sweater. I knit in seed stitch a heart into the underarm of Kyle's sweater. As i told him, it was knit with love and this is the proof (that and the several dozen strands of my hair accidently knit into the sweater. My love for Kyle will forever be rubbed around in his armpit... YES!!

Update on the sweater

So I took a while off from knitting this (about a whole week and a half) so I could finish the semester at school. I had my last final on tuesday, YEAH!! But I got the body done. Next step was for me to try it on. Lo and behold, the neck hole was tiny I squeezed my head through and realized I had to remove my bound off edge and pull out a few of the sts from the shoulder. I was hopeful I could fix it, but very worried. I went to work and as soon as I was home I went to work on the neck hole. While talking about it with Kyle, he didn't seem too worried because according to him, my head is larger. Not a very nice thing to say, but he thinks he has this tiny little head and it sure looks huge to me (and everyone else who knows him) but he maintains that it is in fact very little. Anyways, I rebound of the neck edge a lot looser this time to help it be bigger. And it fits!! I took some pictures of Kyle in it last night. He is such a ham!! Showing off how hot it is. We debated whether it really needed sleeves or not, it is such a nice sweater vest and all. But yes it does. And so the last picture is of the beginning of the first sleeve. Kyle was enthralled by Family Feud, one of his favorite morning tv shows. His eyes are barely open before he turns on the tv and starts answering what 100 people surveyed thought at what age does a boy begin shaving. Hmmm, I don't remember the answer, something like 14 I think. For Kyle it was probably 10.

I have found this sweater very useful in getting Kyle to do things for me. Like when were sitting around and I need something like a cup of water, I ask him to get it and he starts to whine. I say, Kyle, I am knitting this sweater just for you, the least you can do is get me something to drink. But I do it all the time. He hasn't said anything about it yet, but by writing this I am guaranteeing that he will no longer do my bidding. Oh well, I knew it wouldn't last forever.

The back of the sweater 

Kyle likes the sweater 

Kyle in the sweater.


Now with the start of a sleeve. Kyle can't peel his eyes off the tv.

Sweater Progress

Here is my progress so far, the sweater is coming along nicely. I need to have Kyle try it on. I am concerned with the length but figure if it is too short (it probably will be if I can't get rid of the roll) I will pick up and knit a ribbed edge on the bottom. The first picture is when I had very little progress done but had Kyle try it on anyways. I then proceeded to try it on as a mini skirt.


Kyle wearing the sweater when it was still quite young.

(sorry it's sideways)



Here it is in it's state today, the front is done. I need to finish the back and then the arms (the only part of the whole pattern that will require any thought - I have to do some decreasing) This is probably the simplest sweater pattern available. That is what drew me to it in the first place, I figured I needed simplicity to make any kind of progress. And on the complete opposite end of the spectrum is the cabled jacket I saw last night in Loop-D-Loop last night that I must make!! I'll be making that the next book I add to my collection.

The front is done and the back is 20% done.



another view

I decided to bust on the self timer and take some HOT pictures of me in the sweater. It is huge as can be seen here. If I want to head back to the days of my mom in high school this would be a dress. A frightening thought, that is too much thigh!! This would make a sweet halter type dress (as seen in the side view picture). Maybe that should be my next project.

Front view of sweater on me

As you can see, I tucked the skein into the back of my t-shirt, then forgot it was there when I took off my masterpiece. What an ordeal. I'm not trying this thing on again until its complete!

Side View

And finally a shot of what this sweater will do to whoever wears it. While knitting it leaves lint all over my lap, I end up looking very unkempt (or just more so than normal). Kyle won't be able to take the sweater off if he ever does wear it. I think I will attach a lint roller to the arm for any touch ups your outfit may require.

This sweater leaves a lot of lint behind

Berkshire Pullover (from Weekend Knitting)

This is the sweater I am currently making. So far so good. I am having it roll quite a bit at the bottom, which they don't show in this picture. Hopefully blocking it will solve that problem.

Picture from Weekend Knitting of Berkshire Pullover