14. - FO

well well,

that caplet sure was a quick knit!!

Anthropologie Inspired Caplet :


yarn : brown sheep cotton fleece / color : CW 740
needles : US 10 - 16" circular bamboo needles


mods : added 4 sts to add an extra inch (after gauge) - added 1" to the neckline & knit 3 rows before casting off sleves instead of 5.
notes : i love the yarn, its the same yarn i used to knit the slouch hat. i am blocking as we speak.


after finishing this, i immediately went on ebay and bought 4 adorable sweater clips that i am now waiting for in the mail. i am thinking of messing with the pattern a bit and knitting a few more, possibly seeing if i can get them in this cute vintage consignment shop right around the corner from my work.

something else i'm rather excited about... yellow belt up there in the caplet photos? - why yes that cost me $2.00. good thrifting in new york city is a little difficult. i'm debating a driving trip out to new jersey to thrift it up because there are slim pickings in new york for good steals. i'm rather excited i made it out of my local junk shop with 3 good finds. if anyone in nyc knows of A grade thrifting - please tell me your secrets.

i got hired for a huge job that i'll be doing out in LA for a few days in July. makeup and casting! big news, but... if conflicts with 2 friends visiting me from toronto/california. i'll have to sort this problem out.

i hate working in the evenings... i still get up early but i spend the entire first half of my day, waiting to go to work.

i suppose i'll have a shower and start another caplet that i can knit on the train.

before i go, my lauren update:




yes, i was on my phone in that photo. wheelin' & dealin'. booked another makeup job on wed. yessss...

x
-granny.

13.

this is my 13th blog post, tomorrow is friday the 13th, today was a day from hell.

let me just start this with a small rant. i work in the service industry, yes... along with a makeup artist, knitter, i am a waitress. i work at a cute coffee shop in the east village. i like the people i work with, the place has a good vibe over all but there are the occasional shitty bastards that stumble in much like what happened today. NO ONE (and i capitalize that for importance) should ever have to take an order from someone who thinks its okay to order from the waitresses boobs. today, at 11am, i, or excuse me... my boobs took an order from a man in a pink polo shirt 1 or 2 sizes too small for him for french toast. thanks jerk. they get through the meal and come to the register to pay me. leave a mediocre tip (which is another thing i don't think i'll go into right now). my vibe at this point is not yet completely ruined so, i return to the table to bus it and voila! a MOUND of pennies. i don't know what compelled this guy to leave his piggy bank on my table but it was SO insulting. if you really need the money that bad bro, keep it. bad tippers and people who are rude to their waitresses make me INSANE. ugh.

aside from that, i had a makeup job today (TFP which means, no pay). the model was adorable, i knew the photographer from LA but where is the location? at the house of a guy who i'm 90% sure hates me for my flakiness. i don't want to get into it but in the end, i ran away. makeup suitcase, eyeshadow bag and messenger bag in tow.

i hope tomorrow is better.

let's start with things that are going to make it better... idea's on what to knit (i've hit a slight wall) :


i found this on ravelry, after faling in love i realized many people have knit this precious gem. one that i'm partial to
super classy and ladylike. i would love to add it to my closet.


another ravelry find by iKnit2Much. the color and style of this caplet is absolutely amazing. i wish i could pull off wearing classic vintage clothing like this but i always feel silly being out of my 'uniform'. well, maybe this is a good idea as a starter. the pattern is free and it looks pretty quick. maybe this will be my WWKIP knit choice.


almost everything i've seen come from another shop girl is something i would absolutely love to knit. i am all for pockets on everything! skirts, dresses, shirts... you name it, i think it should have pockets.


this is just beautiful.
where do i find you in english?? i want you. i love you.


oh, yes, hello there adorable bag... team knit... ace choice.

a frogging horror story? sure, why not...

i started a hat yesterday with my berocco softwist yarn i've had stored away, very excited i started the slouch hat i've already made and thought to myself... why not try something crazy here. why not try to use a piece of another pattern and make this hat a little more interesting. so i go through my saved patterns on my computer and come across the dizzy. give it a shot, why not... all is going well for about 2" post ribbing when i realize... i've messed up. i don't know what to do, do i keep going because its lace and it works anyway? do i rip it apart with all those yo's and confuse the hell out of myself trying to figure out how to put them back on the needle?

i ripped it. its a mess.

and now, i put my tail between my legs and let it sit for a while. i'll work on my lauren tonight before bed.

goodnight.

x
granny.

12.

hi.

its been entirely too hot to knit here lately so i've been slacking on my lauren but, i'm about 3" into the body now. i can't help but keep trying it on and being very excited about wearing it next winter.

i've also started another slouch hat. i think i'll try and make a pretty lace pattern in this one using this website as a reference.

i've been searching through patterns on ravelry looking for new fun things i want to make to hold me over while the slow process of knitting a sweater continues but, i've hit a slight wall. do i make another tote? more mitts? i had a brief moment where i thought i'd make some socks but, i'm not sure i'm ready for that world yet. so this brings me to my question - what are your favorite 'quick knit' patterns?

here are a few i've book marked :

my so called scarf
maine morning mitts
trinity stitch hat
simple cute socks
pablo deep socks

i need a couple of options for central park this saturday (WWKIP day).

x
-granny.

11. -FO

So, I've finally finished The Yarn Tote that I found on Ravelry.



size : 11 1/2' in height, 9" in width, 9" straps
yarn : Frog Tree Pima Cotton in #652
mods : the pattern said to knit until 24" or until desired length. I knit to 23" because I was impatient and now wish I had gone till 30"
needles : US 8 "way too long because they hit people on the train beside me", US 8 DPNS for icord.

I love it, think its adorable. Wish I had made it bigger, there's always next time. I'll put it to good use today while I trek to the upper east side to check on the best friend. The Lauren is coming along, I'm working on the body now.

Back to work tomorrow!
x
granny.

10. - status update

well, as i've said before i was taking a patterns knitting class at downtown yarns (which sadly ended last night and i did not end up making it). i've been completely enamored with making all kinds of new things now that i understand how to do them. here are 2 patterns i've been working on :

Lauren by Weaverknits :



here is where i'm at :



yarn : New England Highland in #41 High Sandalwood
needles : US 8 circular 29"

this is the first time i've cabled and its WAY easier than i thought. another trick i picked up in my knitting class (along with crocheting edges to finish) was learning to fix stitches in the middle of a row with a crochet hook! something that has come in very handy with this jacket battle i was having at the beggining. all is well now, i'm 10 rows away from measuring (knit from the top down).

another project i started because i got impatient with the knitting of the sweater is Elisa's Nest Tote published in The Purl Bee. It's a very easy knit, I like to work on it on the train or while i'm with friends. Here is a completed photo i found on Juliaemily (ravelry)'s flickr :



and here is where i'm at :





yarn : Frog Tree Pima Cotton in #652
needles : US 8 "way too long because they hit people on the train beside me"

anyway, thats all for now. i finally have a couple day's off at the end of the week. been working my butt off... makeup jobs and coffee shops.

i updated my website. a whole bunch of new stuff!

x
-granny.

9.

well well, i've got 2 patterns all finished up and woven together.

first, let me start with these wristlets... oh, wristlets. not only did i have to start over again 4 times, but i also had to cast off 3 times! the first time was a dumb mistake on my part... if i'm knitting these tiny things with size 7 needles and i cast off with a 7, they're going to be tiny... no brainer? that was cast off number 1. so, rip the stitches out and try for cast off number 2, with size 10 circular needles. to my surprise, this didn't work either. maybe i have fat hands? i though they were kind of small. anyway, i ripped out the stitches again and finally did the loosest cast off on size 10 needles i've ever done and alas, i could get my chubby hands in!

the yarn i used for them was merinoseta (which was impossible for me to find on ravlery). it was really nice and the finished product looks really pretty but, the yarn splits so easily! maybe i just need to work on my non-splitting technique. anyway, final product of those :






for the second week of my knitting class, i decided i wanted to make a hat. i was going to do the trinity stitch pattern that i posed a couple weeks ago but, i found this one on ravelry and i liked it better... though it was super easy to make. i was hoping for something more challenging but i guess nice and simple is nice sometimes. i used cotton fleece in wolverine blue. i am really happy with the way it turned out but, i am going to have to go out and get an elastic to run through the ribbing.




and so i still have 2 pattern making classes left at downtown yarns, i am going to try to make a sweater. The one i've chosen is Lauren by Weaverknits. i've decided to buy it for 3.00 on the interweb and print that little guy out. i might go buy the yarn for it today... we'll see how motivated i get.

that's all for now!

x
granny.

8.

so, i haven't updated in a little while because i've been working like a crazy woman. i much preffer working days at a coffee shop than working nights at a bar. no more drunk regulars telling me their life stories and such... now i get to hear them in the morning over a cup of coffee. much better.

i have been knitting like crazy, i taught myself a new lace stitch from this website which was easy as pie. so i used the yarn i ordered from eBay to knit this skinny scarf for my friend for her birthday :


this yarn is kind of weird to knit with... it might just be me not used to it but, its berooco softwist. its more rayon than wool so, maybe thats why it feels weird in my fingers. it's easy to split the yarn which wasn't very good for me learning a new stitch and attempting not to mess it up but, all is well. i used size 10 needles where as suggested size was 8 so i am just finishing my second skein and i think i'll use one more. good thing i have 6.

i've also been working on more and more kerchiefs. people keep asking me for them and i keep having left over yarn so i've been cranking them out like crazy. i've started playing around with yo's and different decreases and whatnot :


i have also started my patterns class at downtown yarns and yes ladies & gentlement, that is a thumb hole from my failed attempt at the little green wristlets from the 101 designer one-skein wonders book. these things have been haunting me for ages and with the help of my teacher, i was able to finally figure out what 'knit, working (p1,k1,p1,k1) into yo' meant. it all makes so much sense now. i have another class on thursday evening that i think i'll bring the trinity stitch hat pattern to.




i am pretty sure i am going to choose a cardigan sweater pattern to start. i have yet to attempt making a sweater but, i think that i can pull it off. if not, i can enroll in another pattern making class at downtown yarns but, i have much faith in my ability to potentially make a sweater. based on the opinion of the far more experienced knitters that may or maynot happen across my blog here, would you say a pullover or a cardigan is easier to start out with?

xo.
love, granny.

7.

the kercheifs have been going well, i can now make 2 in a work day if it's not busy. i've been trying different thing's with them, yarn over's to make them more "spring-y". i've got about 5 of them hanging over top of my bedroom door, i'll have to figure out what i'm going to do with them.

speaking of doing things with them though, i did sell one while my sister in law & i had a yard sale on a 'hip' street in brooklyn :


i start my patterns class next thursday, i am going to knit those handwarmers i messed up. persistence. maybe i'll bring in this pattern too. the hat is cute :



love, granny.
x