Sunday, August 10, 2014

Bow ties are cool


You may remember that after Aubcon I started working on a pattern for bow ties.  Well that got put on the back burner for a few other projects.  Since then I've got a bunch of stuff done and have decided to go back to it.


In honor of all things Doctor Who (and generally being classy) I'm happy to announce that I've perfected a pattern for bow ties that I like.  You can find the finished item now available in my Etsy shop.

Pattern is knit in the round on two double pointed needles.  Uses Judy's magic cast on and Kitchener stitch for a seamless bow.  The collar is knit flat and the button loop is made with basic crochet chain stitches.


Materials
- Three double pointed needles size 4
-Tapestry needle
-One skein of your favourite colour yarn (medium weight)
-Crochet hook size 4

                                                     Abbreviations

Sts - Stitches
CO - Cast on
K - Knit
P - Purl
K2tog - Knit two stitches together
P2tog - Purl two stitches together
BO - Bind off
Ch - Chain one
Pattern

 Gauge is 6 sts x 8 rows knit in 1".

Bow

CO 20 sts using Judy's magic cast on
Knit all rows until piece is 3" long or desired length
Set aside


Collar/Headband

CO 4 sts
K in garter stitch until piece measures 12" or desired length
K2tog, K2
K2tog, K1
BO 1
With last st ch5 then slip stitch back into the collar, creating a loop for the button

Take bow and attach to collar by pinching the rectangle of the bow and looping scrap yarn around it.




Finally weave in the ends and sew on a button.  Now you're all set for a night on the town!






I am so in love with these bow ties that I made up a whole bunch of mini ones using half the CO stitches.  The wifey and I then got all dressed up and put them out an about Halifax.  We figured there were quite a few statues that could go for  good bow tie!






Photography done with the assistance of Kaidáin Ivy’s Sanctuary for Magical Misfits








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Thursday, July 17, 2014

5x5

Recently I have been putting a lot of work into my Etsy shop.  It seems like every day I'm doing something to work on it.  Sometimes it's as simple as reading the seller's handbook.  Other days the Wifey and I will go out adventuring and she'll be my hand model for new gloves.  (She's fantastic like that.  Got a manicure and everything!)

Another aspect I'm focusing on is my local business.  There are a few markets that I have done recently and as always my work can be found in among the wonderful items at the Cocoon Bout-ique.  The real exciting news though is about a new co-op store that my friends Raquel and Terra have opened up.  It is called 5 X 5 and they are located right on Esplanade st in Truro.  There is a great selection of items from local artists, comic books, video games, vintage clothing, and even movie rentals!

The two of them have been going around to local markets here in Halifax for some time now.  They had a table at Aubcon and at Quantum Frontier comics during free comic book day under the name 2 Hearts 2 Suns.  The two of them make such fabulous items ranging from soaps in all kinds of nerdy shapes, (my favorite is the Han Solo frozen in carbonite) to cross stitch art, and even some wicked jewelry.  Seriously, their studs are so good it's always the first thing I check out.





My friend James Parker accompanied me with some of his amazing clockwork jewelry.    Each item is very carefully handcrafted and takes hours of work.  And people say they don't have the patience for knitting!




There is even a whole wall dedicated to Andre Myette's prints.  You may remember him from the Spring Geekquinox.  He had the table right next to ours and I absolutely love his work! 







So if you're in the area be sure to pop on by.  Hope to see you there!







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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Into the yarn bin

As many knitters do I get excited at the prospect of a beautiful pattern.  There are many moments were I start a pattern that I love, get my yarn and start knitting it, only to get interrupted by finding another really beautiful pattern that I just have to make!  I'm not the only one with a host of unfinished projects. (Though I have never succumb to the dreaded second sock syndrome)

We are going to take a quick peek into my unfinished pile.  I'm a huge fan of gloves!  The right pair of lacy/cabled glove just speaks to me.  You can tell by the amount of gloves I have started, but never finished for whatever reason.  I'll get around to it...soon.






This is the start of a pair of star trek fingerless gloves designed off my star trek drink cozy pattern.  Just the single glove, no pair for it yet.






These were actually really fun to work out and I still love the pattern. Seed stitch + short cuff = the cutest little gloves!  All it needs is two fingers, a thumb and a matching pair to be finished.  






This is the first is a pair of gloves.  The main body of the hand is knit in purl and the design is achieved by a very simple cable pattern.  The fingers are going to alternate between the blue and purple yarn with a blue edging around the cuff.  I fully plan to finish these one day.  Very happy with the pattern!






These are going to be some very long gloves.  As you can see the cuff is going to be just past the elbow.  Obviously there is still quite a bit of work left to do but it is going to make for some beautiful arm warmers.






One of the first pair of gloves I made for myself.  These are actually knit flat and sewn up the side, leaving space for the thumb hole.  The pair is fully knit, only needing to be sewn up and the ends weaved in.  Having to sew them up is actually what put them on the back burner.  I now knit my gloves in the round because I don't have to sew nearly as much. 




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Monday, June 30, 2014

Island business


This weekend I had a glorious time in the sun.  Me and the Wifey ended up going to Boland's island out in East Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia.  It was a great deal of fun in the sun.  We were put to work (you've got to earn your meals somehow) and torn up an old dock.  We burned all the terrible rotten parts

in the most massive campfire I've ever made.  There were some salvageable bits though and we re-did the walkway out to the island.  It was a lot of hard work but so completely worth it.  It was great to be outside, getting some real work done.

It was also a fabulous opportunity to take some new product shots.  I'm working really hard to improve my Etsy shop and have been reading through the seller's handbook as well as doing some Etsy seminars.  One of the first things they suggest working on is photography, as it's usually the first thing that attracts someone to your store.  I spent some time playing around with my camera and ended up with some really amazing shots for my Star Trek drink cozy.  You can see them all here on my Etsy store.









I've also just recently moved into a new apartment and there is yarn everywhere!  On one hand it's really nice, being surrounded by all my beautiful fabrics.  On the other hand it is so frustrating not having an organization system.  Almost every box I look into is stuffed with yarn.  I have bags and bags full.  There is stuff that I don't even remember how or when I got it.  Mostly my problem is that I don't have anywhere to store it all!  At the last apartment I had an (overflowing) shelf full.  One.  Shelf.  This is clearly one of my next big projects.  I've been checking out fantastic yarn storage ideas on pintrest but have yet to put any in action.

If you have any photos of your stash organization or messes I would love to see them.  Also if you have any storage ideas I would love to hear about them!  Feel free to leave a comment here or on my facebook page.



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