Ravelry Rocks!

Last week I received my Ravelry beta invitation. It is frickin' awesome. It is splendid. It ROXXOR. Other people who love what I love! Yarn and relational databases, together at last! I've added some of my past projects and a bit of my stash to my notebook and am inspired to catalog the remainder of my yarn. I'm finding photos and tips for projects I want to make, all in one place! Just this morning, the famous Kate Gilbert added me to her (extensive) roster of "friends"! I added some of my little patterns to their database, and someone added the flag bib to their queue! My punctuation repostitory isn't exhausted, I am actually this excited! I love it like Greg loves his iPhone.

Whew.


In other news, I started a Titled Duster from the Fall 2007 IK two nights ago, in the Cascade 200 navy wool that I bought a while ago to make the Equestrian Blazer (a pattern by Kate Gilbert, by the way). I halted work on the Blazer when I realized it wouldn't be a good shape for me, and I've had these nine balls of lovely wool kind of hanging over my head ever since. The Tilted Duster is just perfect for putting it to use.

I recently finished my clapotis (another design by my BFF Kate). This is the only photo I have so far, of me wearing it during my night out with Greg two weeks ago to celebrate our eighth anniversary. We went to a great restaurant in Hollywood called the Hungry Cat (where the photo was taken) and saw 3:10 to Yuma at the Cineramadome. In between we visited a huge record store filled with young people with skinny pants and questionable facial hair.



Last night we had rainy weather for the first time in living memory, just about, and after the girls went to bed I sat on the couch with my knitting, and my laptop, and a cup of warm tea that Greg made me and listened to the thunder. Mmmm, autumn.

Red, White, and Bib - Flag Bib Pattern

Perfect for a summer picnic, a Yankee Doodle baby born on the Fourth of July, or being kissed by politicians any time of year. The garter stitch baby bib pattern in Mason-Dixon Knitting inspired the basic structure of this bib.




Materials:
Sugar ‘n’ Cream cotton, 1 partial skein each of Red, White, and Bright Navy.
1 ¾ inch button – sample in photo uses a red star
Tapestry needle
Size 8 straight needles

Gauge: 4.5 stitches and 8 rows per inch in garter stitch

Instructions:

You will be joining new colors when working the public side of the piece. When working stripes, carry the color not in use up the back of the work, wrapping around the active color on the wrong side. Bring the new color up from under the previous color when changing yarns.

With Red, cast on 33 stitches.

Stripes:
Rows 1-8: Knit with Red
Rows 9-16: Knit with White
Rows 17-24: Knit with Red
Rows 25-32: Knit with White

Add field for stars, and continue stripe pattern

Row 33: K20 with Red. Join Bright Navy and knit 13.
Row 34, 36, 38, 40: K13 with Bright Navy, K20 with Red
Row 35, 37, 39: K20 with Red, K13 with Bright Navy
Row 41, 43, 45, 47: K20 with White, K13 with Bright Navy
Row 42, 44, 46, 48: K13 with Bright Navy, K20 with White
Rows 49-56: Repeat rows 33-40.

Begin straps.

Row 57: Knit 8 with White. With Red, bind off the next 12 stitches. With Bright Navy, bind off 5 stitches, then knit to end.

Buttonhole strap:
With Bright Navy, knit these 8 stitches back and forth for 30 rows.
Create buttonhole: Knit 3, bind off 2, knit 3. On next row, knit 3, cast on 3, knit 3.
Work 4 more rows with Bright Navy.
Bind off all stitches.

Button strap:
Return to the 8 active white stitches on the other side of the work.
With White, knit 29 rows.
Bind off all stitches.
Sew button on to right side of this strap.

Embroider stars on to the field of Bright Navy with a length of White threaded on to a tapestry needle. Each star is composed of five short straight stitches radiating from a central point: one vertical, two horizontal, and two angled down and out from the center point.

Weave in all ends.

Sweetheart Hat

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Modeled by my sweetheart. She chose this red and white Cotton Ease from my stash, and I made up a little two-color pattern as I went along. I thought the row of single red stitches in the white band looked like little hearts, hence the name.

Fair Isle Feature

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

I added in two pony holes at the crown to accomodate one of her mainstay hairstyles.

Daisy Hat, top view

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

From Itty Bitty Hats, in Lion Cotton and Sugar 'n' Cream.

Bea in Daisy Hat

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Playing in the front yard this afternoon.

Blue, White, Grey..

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

And, for some reason, upside down.

Marley Hat

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Adapted from Itty Bitty Hats, in blue and light purple Cotton Tots. I gave this to the daughter of one of Greg's co-workers.

Completed Shell

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Seat of my pants design, in white and teal Wool-Ease.

Pumpkin's PS Shell in progress

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Laughing Bea

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Warm Up America Blocks

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

In Project Spectrum blue and white.

Basketweave sock

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Completed man-sock! Next to it is what will eventually become the matching sock.

Basketweave detail

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Log Cabin in Progress

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

Here's the middle of my Cascade 220 log cabin. This is a perfect TV watching project. It's about 33 inches square at this point, and I'm not sure how much bigger I will make it. I may just keep going until I run out of yarn.

Lullaby Sweater

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Originally uploaded by gldyas.

B modeling the "Julie's Itchy Fingers" sweater I made for her while I was pregnant. It's still a little big, but it's a good outer layer on chilly days.