Category Archives: Knitalong

Quick Ravellenic Games Update

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I haven’t been updating you on my Ravellenic Games Project, but I’ve been chugging away on it since last Friday. and I’m sure you’re sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting with bated breath for an update.

Unfortunately, I’ve been in a magical land of no internet connection.  Or at least with crummy enough internet to count as no internet.

We took a road trip out to Yellowstone!  It’s my favorite place on earth, and if you haven’t gone yet, Go!  It’s absolutely amazing, every time I’ve been.

I’ll tell you more about that later, but I wanted to give you a quick update on the sweater, and I briefly have internet (we’re still on the road- we just stopped at a coffee shop for a little bit of WiFi and caffeine).

The my Campside Cardi is coming along great!  It’s perfect car ride knitting- just interesting enough to keep cabin fever from kicking in, but not so interesting that I have to watch my fingers.IMG_0652I’m well into the eyelets in the bottom half of the sweater body, and they’re surprisingly fun.  The pattern changes subtly every few inches, which keeps me on my toes.  But, it’s not so fiddly that if I zone out for a few miles I ruin the sweater.  Perfect!IMG_0667And, it’s fun playing with my new camera.  Artistic knitting shots ahoy!

I’d better head out- we need to get back on the road if we hope to make it back to Seattle by dark!

How’s your Ravellenic knitting going?

On Your Mark!

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Get set! Go!

It’s Ravellenic Games Time!

I’m excited, and I’m not at all prepared!  Wheee!  Let’s see how this goes!  I just decided the pattern I’m going to use- Ollie helped me choose.IMG_0542We picked out the Campside Cardi from Alicia Plummer.

IMG_8528_medium2[1]Cute, right?  I love the shape of the sweater.  It looks so comfy and versitile.  And look at the back:IMG_8540_medium2[1]I love the modern twist on lace; it’s an ombre of eyelets.  Genius!  It should be light and lovely, and it should be a nice and easy knit.  Interesting enough, but not distracting.  Perfect car knitting for our upcoming road trip.

I’m going to be using some of my stash yarn- Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport in Cobblestone.  I’ve got 10 skeins, which should be enough.IMG_0531I’ve got another two days to prepare and make my swatch.  That should be plenty.  Right?

Are you knitting something for the Olympics?  Let’s knit together!

And, don’t forget to sign up for the new Fair Isle pattern giveaway!

Ravellenic Games 2016

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It’s almost here!  The most exciting biennial, world-wide athletic competition known to man!

No, silly, not the Olympic games.

Rio-2016-Olympic-Logo-Vector-Graphic[1](Although I am excited to see some synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics.)

No, I’m talking about the Ravellenic Games!

Rav-GamesThis’ll be my second time participating.  Last time (Winter 2014), I made a sweater.  It was pretty great (the sweater, not this photo).  I actually still wear it quite a bit.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

(If you’re considering taking part, join the Ravellenic Games group on Ravelry.  It’s essentially a big, friendly knit-a-long where everyone casts on at the same time (7:15 Rio time on the 5th), when the Olympic games start.  Then, you see how much you can get done before the end of the games, two weeks later.  There are a lot of rules and teams and stuff, but I plan on ignoring most of that, because I’m a rebel. Ha.)

Last time, I planned out my project weeks ahead of time, maybe even months.  This time I’m flying by the seat of my pants.  Looking at the list of “Events,” I’m thinking I might participate in the Sock-Put, the Sweater Triathalon, or the WIP Wrestling (I’ve got a stack of half-finished projects that need to be finished).  Maybe I’ll do Garment Polo- I’ve been thinking about making a cabled skirt (because apparently I want everything I wear to be cabled).

We’re going on a road trip during the Olympics, so I’ll have lots of time to knit, but I also don’t want my project to be too fiddly (I get carsick if I spend too much time looking at my knitting).  I’m thinking something with a lot of stockinette or garter stitch.

Any suggestions?  Do you think you’ll be taking part in the Ravellenic Games?  What events will you be joining?

More Bears in the Air!

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Hey guys!  Guess what?

I made another bear.  (Surprise!)

But this one’s a little different- it’s a crochet bear, using the “Seamless Crochet Pattern.” (Available here!)OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis bear went so fast!  I basically made him in a weekend, in-between doing a bunch of other stuff.  It was fun watching the bear growing so quickly- more satisfying than the knit bears, which can be a little slow.  I love how the arms are attached on this pattern (more like a raglan sweater, than just sewn on).  And, I was able to weave in all the ends as I went, which made finishing-up a breeze.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABut it wasn’t all rainbows and kittens, my friends.  This bear is a little skinny for my liking- I like my bears nice and chubby and squishable.  Also, this little guy used so much more yarn than my knit bears did.

And, I don’t know if you can see in these pictures, but the bear ended up weirdly twisty.  (See how his feet are kind of off-kilter and his hips are pointing to the left?)  To be fair, I think that was me, not the pattern.  I was feeling pretty arrogant when I got the pattern and thought they had made a mistake, but I’m not so sure it was a mistake now.   I think I’ll try it again as written and see if I get a better result.

Have you tried the crochet bear pattern yet?  Are you still making bears? I’d love to hear how your bears are going!

Mother Bear Project- and update

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If you remember, I spent my holiday season knitting up a bunch of teddy bears for the Mother Bear Project (an amazing organization that sends hand-made teddy bears to children in emerging nations whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS).

I ended up with seven bears, made from super soft leftover yarn, that I sent of to Mother Bear Headquarters in Minnesota.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThen, a few weeks after the holidays, I received a beautiful hand-written thank-you note from the Mother Bear herself.  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, included in the note was a stack of little tags to be tied onto more bears.

And you know I can’t say no to a challenge (especially when it’s for such a good cause).

So, in-between design work, sweater knitting, and breaking my keyboard, I’ve made a little time to start up my bear-making machine again.  They’re perfect “in-between projects.”  Small and simple enough to be a pretty quick knit, but interesting enough (with all their color changes), to hold your attention.

I’ve collected all the little half-skeins of yarn of the same type (in this case, I’ve found a bunch of KnitPick’s Wool of the Andes Worsted, leftover from a few sweater projects), and put it in a bag with the right size needles and the pattern.  That way, everything I need will be ready for me whenever I feel the urge to get a little bear-y.

I’ve already made one-and-a-half more bears!  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI wonder how many bears I’ll be able to knit like this before the end of the year.

Is anyone else still working on Mother Bears? (If not, you should!  You can get a copy of the pattern here!)

Bears on the Move

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The day has come, and I’ll be honest, I have a little tear in  my eye.  It feels like I’ve been working on these bears forever, even if it is only a couple months.  I’ve watched them grow and get faces and become all fluffy and adorable, and now it’s time to send them off on their own.  It’s like a bear graduation.

I’ve ended up with seven bears, so not too shabby, if I say so myself.

I’ve got yellow ones,OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAand brown ones,OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAand one with a dress.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA green one,OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAand even a naked one!  (Except for a strategically-placed scarf.  Oh my!)OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThey’re all nestled together in their box, and are ready to fly to Mother Bear Headquarters in Minnesota.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAGoodbye bears!  I had fun making you!  Good luck on your adventures!

Did you make any bears, too?  Have you sent them off already?

You can still make your own, just visit the Mother Bear Project for more information!

Mama Bear Update: Finishing

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We’re in the home stretch, folks! I wanted to send the bears out by Christmas, and I think I’ll make it.  I’ve knit up seven bears in the last couple months, and they’ve all got faces.  Now all I need to do is give them a little stuffing and make them lovely and chubby.  Time to break out the poly-fill.

I started by fluffing up some poly-fill and adding it by small hand-fulls to my completed bear, massaging it as I went to avoid lumps.  (He looks like a little zombie potato right now.  Braaaains…. braaaaains…)

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Then, using the long tail left over from the cast on, I whip-stitched this guy’s head closed.

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And made ears by sewing a little diagonal running stitch seam at the base of each ear.  (They turned out a little pointy, so maybe this is a teddy-cat, not a teddy-bear.)

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Then, to make a neck and get rid of the whole potato-head thing he’s got going on, I carefully ran my needle through around his neck, starting and ending at the back of his head.

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I tied the ends together tightly, and wove in the ends.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThis formed a a nice, round, non-potato head.  Adorable!

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Then I wove in the ends on his little scarf and wrapped it around his neck, adding a little stitch to hold the knot in place.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADone!  And, adorable!

Thinking about joining the Mother Bear party?  It’s not too late!  Get your pattern here!

Mama Bear Update: Faces

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Bears! Bears! Bears!  They’re everywhere!

And, now, they’re looking at me!

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Look at them with their little noses, and their little beady eyes.  Watching.

Although, I suppose I’m really the only one to blame.  I did add the faces after all.

Want to see how these little faces came to be?  I thought you’d never ask.

I’m usually a big fan of safety eyes, which, ironically are not safe for kids under 3 years old.  Since I don’t know who the dolls are going to (and the instructions specifically asked for no safety eyes, and I follow rules), I made these faces with embroidery floss and little bits of felt.  I think they turned out pretty cute!

I started by gathering my materials:  1 un-stuffed bear,  2 eyes (cut out of felt), 1 triangular nose (also felt), a big rectangle of felt, about the size of the bear’s face (something happened with the photos, but the green felt and the green yarn are much closer in color than these pictures would have you believe), a needle and coordinating embroidery floss.

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I used the same technique from when I made those teeny-tiny bears from Little Cotton Rabbits.  I slipped the face backing into the bear’s head, and arranged the eyes and nose on the front.  Then, I carefully sewed through the backing and the knitted face to attach the features.  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI used a back stitch to sew down the eyes and nose  quite firmly.  I want to be sure that the faces don’t fall off while the bear is being played with!

Then, I made two long stitches slanting away from the bottom of the nose to create the mouth.  I like to give my dolls/stuffed animals as neutral expressions as possible, that way the kid playing with them will be able use their imaginations more freely.

Unfortunately, this bear ended up looking a little judgy.

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Oh well.  He’s still cute.

Then, to give the bear a little life, I added a couple tiny stitches in white to add a ‘shine’ to the eyes.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWeird how something so little can make such a big change!

How are your bears  coming along?  Do yours have faces yet?

Wait- what’s that?  You haven’t knit any yet!  Get the pattern here!

Teddy Bear Picnic

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Or at least a Teddy Bear Coffee Date.

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One of my good friends, Kate, has started knitting a bear, too!  (Hi Kate!)  And so has my mom- it’s super cute!  (Hi Mom!)

Mom lives in the Great White Tundra that is the Midwest, so I can’t meet up with her, but Kate lives just a couple miles down  from my place.  That means we can meet up, visit different coffee shops in the area every week or so and get our knit on!

Kate’s a new mom, so I’m pretty sure she’s excited to get out of the house and dust off her needles, and I’m loving having a knitting buddy!  There’s something lovely about having someone to chat with while your needles click away.  (And, if you’re awkward like me, it’s nice having a friend with you so you’re not that weirdo knitting alone in public.  Double win!)

So, grab your friends!  See if they want to pull their needles out of storage, or lend them a set of your own and get knitting!  It’s possibly the best way to spend an afternoon!

What’s that?! You still haven’t picked up your Mother Bear pattern?  What are you doing!  Get it here!

How are you doing on your bears?  I’ve just started knitting Bear number 7!

Totally Bare Bears!

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Or at least one bear.

My bears are coming along!  I’ll admit, I’m slowing down a little bit, but that’s just because I’m actually working on the projects I should be working on.  You know- Christmas presents, birthday gifts, etc.

Unfortunately, that means that I’m working a little less on my bears.

This one, I believe, is number 5!   (So, still not bad)

But, there’s something missing on this one… What can it be?

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Oh right!  Clothes!

I had a big, full skein of this bright shade of blue, so I thought, “Hey, why not?”  Thus was born the naked blue bear.  (I followed the pattern, but instead of changing colors for the sweater and pants, I just kept going with blue.)

The only problem is, he looks a little oddly proportioned without differentiation between top and bottom.  (Look at his stubby little legs!)

See?  Here’s one of my other bears:

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I think he looks much more well-proportioned.  But, maybe it’s just me?  Or maybe it’ll look better once I stuff the bears and give them little faces and everything?

How are your Mother Bears going?

What’s that?  You haven’t ordered your pattern yet?  Click here to help out!