Convertible

Project:  Convertible Wrap, free from Knitty
Time Needed:   This one took forever, well over four years.
Materials Used: 5.5 skeins of Knit One, Crochet Two's Handpainted Ambrosia

I really like the concept of the finished project, but had many issues with the shawl itself.  For whatever reason, the pattern was not intuitive, and I was not able to memorize it.  This caused it to take literally forever to finish.  Also, I had to abandon the buttonholes I'd made & pushed the buttons through the garter stitch at the edges instead.  Perhaps I need bigger buttons.  It is quite a nice finished project, though, and I could see myself making something similar using a very, very different lace pattern.  I am so very, very glad this is finished.

Mondo Bag

Project:  Mondo Bag ($16 for the pattern & interfacing)
Time Needed:   one day
Materials Used:  2" grid fusible interfacing, Quilter's Dream batting, spray adhesive, assortment of leftover batik fabrics cut into 2" squares.

This was a very quick project, and quite simple.  I did a modified version of Quilt Smart's Mondo bag, but instead of using the interfacing provided, I used 2" interfacing & used 2" squares for a proportionally smaller bag.  Other than the pattern, all of the materials were taken from leftovers from previous projects.  Instead of fusible batting, I used regular batting with spray adhesive to attach it to the lining fabric.  If you use that method, be sure to put something you don't care about under it, as it tends to get everywhere--it is also quite stinky, so ventilation is key.

I still plan on going back & making the larger size--it might even happen this weekend, but it is good to know that this bag can be made smaller & still be more than functional.

Christmas Tree Skirt

Pattern:  Christmas Tree Skirt
Designed by:  Jenny Spins
Duration:  January 8, 2011
Project Number:  34 of 52

Project Information

Notes

My mother found one of her mother's old Christmas tablecloths going through holiday decorations this year.  While I didn't want it as a tablecloth, I thought it would make a nice tree skirt.  All I needed to do was slit it up one side, and did a quick rolled hem along the seam.  Looks fairly nice, and now I can put away the Christmas decorations knowing that it is done for next year.

Mystery Shawl, 2010

Pattern:  Mandala II ($15 from Goddess Knits)
Designed by:  Renee Leverington
Needle: 3.5mm (US 4)
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow Tonal in Gypsy, 1350 yds.
Duration:  April 26, 2010-January 1, 2011
Project Number:  48, 49, 51 of 52 & 13, 29, 30, 32, 33 of 52

Project Information

Notes 

1/1--Finished all the remaining points. Only needed a wee little bit of the fourth skein. Blocking tonight to wear to the dance.
12/31--finished 36 points. 36 to go.
12/31--finished 18 points. 54 to go.
12/30/10--Finished 7 edge pieces. 65 to go.
12/28--started 4.4. Finished 12/30/10
12/26/10--started 4.3. Finished 12/28/10
12/25/10--Finished second 25% of section 4. Haven’t had time to block--dunno if I am going to or not. Looks like it’s going to add about 9” or so to the diameter. Might need to borrow some 60” cables to block the final project, as the projected circumference is over 16’ long. I’m going to need at least four 60” cables, along with some connectors. Don’t know if I have enough. Hopefully, I’ll take a picture tomorrow, even if I don’t manage to block it.
8/2/2010--Finished first 25% of section 4. 35” in diameter
5/27/2010--Started section 4 today. Doing chart D. Forgot to take a picture after finishing section 3…I’ll try to remedy that this weekend.
5/26/2010--Completed section 3. No time to block, but it is currently resting on 152” worth of cable, so it ought to block well tomorrow. Can’t wait to take a pic & see what it looks like. Knitting time: ~8 hours. Current diameter is 26”
5/17/2010--Started section 3 today. Doing chart B.
5/5/2010--finished section 2. Knitting time: ~ 3 hours. Current diameter is 15”
5/4/2010--finished to row 18 today.
5/2/2010--Started section 2 today. Doing chart C. Completed rows 1-6.
4/26/2010--Doing test swatch & clue 1 today. Test swatch blocked from ~2.5” square to a 3x4” rectangle. For Clue 1, I used chart D, as I hadn’t seen any other people do that one. Took about 90 minutes. Current diameter is 7.75”

Center: 477 stitches
Section 1, Chart D, 7.75” diameter, 1152 stitches, Project 48/52
Section 2, Chart C, 15” diameter, 4032 stitches, Project 49/52
Section 3, Chart B, 25” diameter, 14976 stitches, Project 51/52
Section 4, Chart D, 58" diameter, 55296 stitches, Projects 13, 29, 30, 32/52
Section 5, Edging, 61" diameter, 13968 stitches, Project 33/52
89901 stitches total

Handwash/Dry Flat

Sheldon the Cowboy

Pattern:  Sheldon the Cowboy (Free from Knit Picks)
Designed by:  Brooke Higgens

Needle: 3.25mm (US 3)
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Fedora, 44 yds, & Cream, 22 yds, Turquoise, 39 yds, Butter, 11 yds.
Duration:  June 5, 2009-June 7, 2009
Project Number:  2 of 52

Project Information

Notes

I would change the orientation on the hat by 90 degrees--the ridges on the cowboy hat are not parallel to the sides that curl up, and they should be. I also used the butter rather than fedora, as I don’t really remember cowboy hats being dark brown most of the time…

Sheldon the Beach Bum

Pattern:  Sheldon the Beach Bum (Free from Knit Picks)
Designed by:  Brooke Higgens
Needle: 3.25mm (US 3)
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in Turquoise, 44 yds, & Cream, 33 yds.
Duration:  June 4, 2009-June 5, 2009
Project Number:  1 of 52

Project Information

Notes

Quick, easy knit overall.  Not a lot of complications, perhaps the fastest out of the Sheldon patterns.  Only issue is that Sheldon has droopy drawers--I may need to rig something to attach the trunks to the life jacket--otherwise, they likely won’t stay in place.