De-signer!!!

12/14/2008 Posted In , , , 0 Comments »
Sold my first pattern on Ravelry today. I am officially a designer! Whoot-whoot! *Does happy chair dance*
Check it: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/princess-sara-mitts

whoot-whoot!

Hat Update

1/31/2007 Posted In , , 0 Comments »
I got busy again. So the hat was pushed off to the side a bit.

Anyway, I went to La Petite Knittery in Ladera Ranch on Sunday looking for some bulky, rove looking yarn. I had in mind something like Rowan Big Wool, but thought it looked to "spun". So then I was thinking something like Rowan Big Wool Tuft, but couldn't find any. I think it has been discontinued?

Anyway I did find some Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky. I had originally wanted a Merino Wool, but as soon as I spied this and touched it, I was in LOVE! It is perfect! I bought a skein each of Grey Wolf and Porcupine.

So now that I have the perfect yarn, the perfect stitch search began in earnest. I printed out the pictures my co-worker emailed to me and have been pondering them for two weeks now. Thinking through each stitch possibility in my head. At first glance I thought Knit. The website also lists the hat as "a hand knit item." But as most yarn crafters know, many times items are just listed at knit when they are definitely not. I was also thinking knit because of the edge above the eyes. That looked like a knit bind-off. I was also thinking knit because of the stitch uniformity. So I tried some knit stitches, and nothing seemed to look like the picture.

Then as I looked a the actual stitch, it looked more crochet. Like the hat had been crocheted sideways, instead of from the brim up or the crown down. So I tried some crochet techniques, and again, nothing seemed to look right.

Then I posted for some help on Craftster. Early posts are suggesting tunisian. After looking at the pictures Amalas posted, I have to be inclined to agree at this point. I have some experimenting to do doing my lunch today, but I think we have a winner! Good thing I brought this project along with me today. I don't think I could have waited the rest of the day to try this out!

Hat

1/10/2007 Posted In , , 0 Comments »
As word of my crafty-ness has spread around work, I get more and more co-workers asking for fixes or "mimics" as I call them. They will see something they like somewhere and ask me to make it for them (or something like it for them) as they assume it will be a lot less.

I do enjoy this as I never quite know what project I will get when I agree to make something for them. I love the research going into the construction, the stitch type, the guage, what media will I be using... love it!

So I had a co-worker email me these pictures and request this item the beginning of December, you know, right before busy last-minute gift-crafting time.


So I finally have some free time to investigate. The hat is from Free People, I believe their Winter catalog. My co-worker said it retails for around something like $160** (Don't quote me on this, I don't get the catalog so I can't verify this).

So I begin my research.


**Thanks to someone in the Yahoo Knit group, she pointed me to the Free People website and to the hat. Price is $168.00