Seems I missed my third anniversary as well as 6 fo's. Sigh. I need to think about the future of this project. Clearly I am not really as excited about it as I once was, and even though Ravelry is fun and super-easy, it's not quite the same. Maybe I should do the unthinkable and merge with my real diary - about half of my readers are knitters these days anyway, so it's not like I'll automatically bore them to tears.

118: say it with a fried egg

Blake's Valentine's Day present was an amigurumi-style fried egg from my go-to pattern set by Ana Paula Rimoli. It's made out of white Cascade 220 superwash & yellow Headwater Marupe (which you may recognize from the bee hat). Super quick and super fun. A lady at work asked if I made it in the shape of a heart. "No," I said, "I made it in the shape of an egg."

majesty

119: February is for bunny slippers

My first goal for this year's February is for Finishing was these long-suffering bunny slippers from the Happy Hooker. One has been made for a year and a half, just waiting for a mate. So here it is. It's made out of Naturally Yarns "Sensation" which is an angora/merino blend and plenty fuzzy without the mohair strand. I added extra rounds to the ankle piece and changed all single crochets to half-double crochets to get some very needed height. These slippers will not stay on my feet as originally written. The other weird thing was that the second slipper came out too big, so I had to rip back the upper and sole until it fit my foot.

I know the eyes are crooked. I don't care.

120: another hat for the Nic

This is Nic's birthday hat, Swell, a sturdy confection of Patons Classic Merino. After the first set of pics were taken and the hat was gifted, Nic complained that it was too small, so it was ripped to the crown and reknit with an extra 1 1/2" above the colour work. It fits! And it covers his ears! Yay! There's not a lot of contrast in the colour work, but this is what he wanted. And I kind of like the idea of this black wave sneaking up on everyone. As Arcade Fire likes to point out, "there's a big black wave in the middle of the sea." Alright.

I think he likes it

121: chocolate cookie

I think this pattern is a crutch. This is the second time this month that I've used it before a children's birthday party. So: Tiny Ami by Ana Paula Rimoli in Lily Sugar and Cream (brown) and CoolSpun Cotton (white) in honour of Hestia's third birthday party. I like the naturalness of this cookie compared to my grey attempt this summer.

tiptoeing through the kalanchoe

122: eternity cardi

I started this cardigan in March 2006, driven by a desire to take the edge off Sockapaloooza and a low price for Lana Gatto Ontario that promised a full cardigan for $30. It took maybe three months to knit the pieces - I seem to remember knitting and marking essays, and I definitely remember doing one of the fronts during a Meet the Teacher Night. Then, once it was done and summer arrived, it lingered. I put all the pieces in a bag for safe keeping. I got a new job. I bought a house. I moved. I sewed one whole seam right before a crazy-hot Thanksgiving that had me putting away the wool for awhile. And now, goaded by NaKniSewMo and my desire to CO for a Noro vest, I finally finished this simple little cardi.

Now that it's done, the collar kind of looks like a tumorous mass. I can't tell if it's my sewing or the fabric to blame. Also, I didn't put on the ribbon closures because it seemed dumb. for now, I'm using a 1" Bridesmaidmania 3 pin to close it, but will come up with something more dignified shortly. My knitsibs can't believe that I've never finished a sweater before. I'm just glad that I finished this one.

blurry but more-or-less accurate

pay no attention to the muffintop

123: loopy hemp pillow

When I asked Sister Silver what she would like me to knit her, she quickly decided on a loopy pillow. As it was beastly hot in the valley, I found a beautiful hemp (All Hemp 6) in the exact colour of her couch throw. What I didn't realize was that hemp is rough as hell on the hands, especially if you're fiddling with it to make loops. The knitting dragged. My hands chapped. I started to watch episodes of Lost while knitting it, thinking that an hour a week was enough. And then, once I got a square, I figured out that I didn't get gauge and my square didn't match the pillow form. Grr.

I ended up picking out the cast-off, knitting more rows, then binding off and picking up stitches along the side, log-cabin style to make this panel fit the pillow form. Exhausting. I threw it in the washer/dryer to soften it up, which it did, beautifully. It’s backed with fabric from Ikea because i couldn’t face the idea of buying a third skein. True to form, handstitching the back to the front took more than 6 months as it went hibernating for a long time.

Now that it’s done I have the damndest case of Stockholm Syndrome: it looks so good with my colour scheme that I may need to make another. But not of hemp, goddammit.

a front and side view of my new master

Labels: crochet, fo, knitty, naknisewmo, repeats, snb

110: exotic urchin

I've been finishing hats like a woman possessed. The first was last Saturday, when I took time that I should have used to mark exams to knit furiously and joyfully through a handspun Urchin. Sophie gave me this Studio Loo skein called Violet Fiction for a housewarming/birthday present. You may remember the yarn when it used to be this:

Now it's this:

Reaction is mixed, by which I mean everyone loves it but my mom, who hates it with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. I think she's just jealous.

111: beanie redux

The second hat is part of my attempt to use my knitting for social good instead of just relaxation, practice, artistry, cheap gifts, etc. It's a Boy Beanie from the Happy Hooker in variegated Patons Classic Merino called Jungle. The contrasting green is the Lemongrass Lion's Brand Wool left over from my mittens. It's going to a local homeless shelter/soup kitchen, where it will hopefully clothe one of the visitors.

112: Queen Bee hat

The third hat was done before the second, but needed embellishment. It's a Bzzz Hat for Queen Bees out of Sn'B Nation. The yarn is Headwater Wool Marupe that I picked up at the DKC Knitter's Frolic last spring with the change I found in my pockets. I've been dreaming about this hat for a long time. I've got a bit of a thing for bees, and this will eventually be a set with a scarf and possible wristwarmers. The bee buttons aren't that great, but they get the job done. I found them at the local Michael's.

113: belly dance socklets

This isn't a hat, although I finished it in the midst of my binge. They're little socklets to wear during my belly dancing class for a bit of slippage on turns. Why buy ballet flats or (ugh) cut up other socks when you can spend a few hours making small colourful tubes? I knit these while marking exams, and finished them minutes before beginning class last week.

114: kara

Also not a hat. It's an amigurumi carrot that I decided to do after an argument with Blake, in which he insisted on orange hot chocolate for my in-process toy cup. Instead of such an abomination, I made a carrot. The pattern is my own, although it's way too simple to need one. All I did was make a circle, crochet a tube, and start decreasing. When I thought it was too short, I did a plain row, then kept decreasing. It took a bit of finagling to make the tip, and I don't know that I followed any recognized crochet technique other than "givin'r," but the end result is quite pleasing, with that purposely frayed end coming off there. The orange is Sugar n' Cream worsted cotton, and the green top is more Lemongrass Lion's Wool, which I attached and chained until I felt like stopping. Then I picked up the other end and chained that too. The result is marvellously eccentric, dready leaves. The mouth is the same yarn. They eyes are 8 mm safety eyes. Tremendously fun, tremendously simple. Her name is Kara, after a girl in Blake's class. Kara the carrot.

115 & 116: cupcake & chocolate cup

The reason that I had to make Kara was because I was in the midst of making these guys for the Jakaitis kids. It's K8rs' birthday party on Saturday, and we decided to make a cupcake and a cup of hot chocolate for her and her brother to play with. They are a mix of Sugar n' Cream cotton, Butterfly cotton, and Cool Spun cotton, with fun mail order safety eyes and beads from Michael's. Do they look like sprinkles to you?

There are still a few more pictures hanging around, but I am totally knackered, so they'll have to wait. And I'm almost done another urchin!

Labels: birthday, blake, crochet, drunken knitters, fo, friends, gifties, knitty, snb

Sorry about that, knittas. The husband told me that he was leaving in early December, which sent me into a funk so deep that I couldn't craft for awhile. Then, when I was finishing stuff like mad, my camera was missing. This is the first day that I've had pics and details for anything since November.

104: tintinito mittens

Blake has these awesomely wacky shoes that Nic bought him last birthday. I started these matching mittens last winter, but put them aside for a really long while. It was only when I realized that I had nothing for Blake's birthday that I lit a fire under my butt and finished the embroidery. Yarn is Patons Classic Merino (except the red, which is Cascade 220 superwash) and the pattern is the basic mitten from Knitting for Peace.

blurry but fun

105: Nic's beanie

Last year I loved making his armwarmers so much that I decided to make him a beanie out of the same variegated Patons merino yarn. Then I ran out of yarn. So this became his Christmas present, and one of only two knit presents for the holiday (I was sad). Pattern is the Boy Beanie from The Happy Hooker. No picture yet.

106: Blake's Sleep Socks

Ever since Blake aged out of footie pj's (or more accurately, ever since he stopped wearing a diaper all night) he's wanted special sleep socks. I managed to crank out his pair in time for Christmas. He wears them every night, and has thanked me for them without prompting many times. (Love!) The pattern is based on the rotating rib from Traditional Knitted Socks, and they have no heel. The yarn is Patons Kroy.

107: Replacement Armwarmer

The Nic lost his left armwarmer. (He told me this when I gave him the beanie.) This is the new armwarmer. Patons Classic Merino variegated, my own pattern.

108: Last Minute Fetchings

I was lame enough to show up to Stacy's surprise birthday party with a loud kid and no gift. This was my week late/buck short attempt to make it up to her. The yarn is Dream in Colour "Classy" in a purple colourway that reminds me of Stacy's hair back in 2001. The pattern is Fetching, of course. They are quite possibly the most beautiful garments I have ever made. Sorry there's no picture.

that's the hair I remember!

109: Fluffy Cuff Mittens

I've always wanted knit mittens. I constantly extol their virtues. And yet I've never knit myself a pair. I've been planning these ones since the July Knitty Yarn tasting when I went home with a fantastic sample of pistachio coloured mohair boucle from a South African company called Be Sweet. Later that summer, I bought a ball of chartreuse Lion Brand Wool while we were on vacation in Watertown. This week was their moment, and I hardly stopped knitting them to teach, mark, eat, mother, etc. I remain insanely infatuated with them.

Pattern: Fluffy Cuff Mittens in Sn'B, mated with the Basic Mittens in Knitting for Peace (which uses worsted weight).

Labels: fo, knitting for peace, snb

I bet Preacher never knew he wanted an Sn'B Nation Rockstar Doll, Palaver style!

palaver with gasmask, c. 1997

preacher, palaver & poet, c. 1997

This doll is largely improvised, but I love a challenge. I passed the deadline for Preachtoberfest, but I was determined to do this one right, no matter how many times I had to knit the head. The embroidery was damned finicky as well. Fun.

my apologies for this garbage picture

Yarn Specs: the grey yarn is Lamb's Pride worsted from the robot knitting of the summer. The white, black & medium brown are all Paton's Classic Merino - white for the Boy's mittens (never used), black for Nic's anarchy cap and brown for Hank Rollins' pants (my first Rockstar Doll!). The beige head & hands are DK King Cole yarn from Blake's bunny hat. The black outline for the suit is Patons Kroy, purchased for Little Spider's no-zombie wristband. The blue tie & flower are my last little bits from my sea silk shawl. Safety eyes & embroidery floss complete our ensemble.

This guy is coming with us to his new home NY this March Break. Good thing I managed to finish him in the last gasp of NaKniSewMo!

Labels: birthday, embroidery, fo, naknisewmo, snb, toy

Whilst Alleen was visiting from Africa this summer, the most reliable way to find her was through her cell phone. Unfortunately, she misplaced it every once in awhile. Surely this was excuse enough to knit her a cozy for her birthday.

Just to keep it fresh (this is, like, my 7th time through the pattern), I used my new size 7 dpns to knit it up. I managed to knock an entire day off my project time without the seams to sew, and I got to practice 3-needle bind-off for the first time. My only problem was that it came out a little big; I'm not sure if that's because I was up one needle size or because I didn't subtract enough stitches to compensate for the seams.

(The really funny thing is that the day I gave it to her, she managed to lose her wallet. No cozy for that!)

Now it's up to her to send me a picture. Enjoy it, my little bird of paradise!

Labels: fo, snb

DSCN1772
Originally uploaded by Palaver Primus.

Labels: birthday, fo, repeats, snb

This is a project I've wanted to do for Stacy ever since I saw this pattern in February. I'm glad I waited; if I'd started this when the need first became apparent, I would have used the black n' grey acrylic recommended by the clerk at Lewiscraft. The Sugar n' Cream Cotton (in Summer Splash and Hot Blue) was so much more suitable both as a fabric and as a match to Stacy's love of turquoise.

This photo was taken at the end of Pride weekend, so Stacy might not be as thrilled about the cozy as she is thrilled that the hot thumping party is about to end.

Labels: fo, repeats, snb

Project #4. Oh man, I thought I would go blind knitting this one. I wanted bright sherberty colours for a winter cell-phone cozy, but this was a lot brighter than I expected. I nicknamed this one ONCL (Only Nic Could Love), but now that it's done, I quite like it. My favourite part is the big orange button. Knitting the slit for the antenna was also really fun. Hey, I'm a knitting nerd. Leave me alone.

My baby Blake likes to bite at the button; I think he thinks it's candy.

Labels: fo, snb