Saturday, January 31, 2009

Copy holder for chart patterns

Do you need a copy holder for your chart patterns, yet you're on a budge because the economy's in the toilet?

Simple: get a piece of metal, for example, a tray, two refrigerator magnets (these are delightfully in the shape of chocolates), and a colored piece of paper. Added bonus: a magnet in the shape of a Danish boy from Andersen's Pea Soup that is the perfect cable needle holder.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Bike helmet ear warmers

I know that compared to a lot of places, the San Francisco Bay Area does not really have winter. But some mornings, before dawn, riding to work on the waterfront, the wind coming off the saltwater takes the temperature down below freezing. On those mornings, uncovered ears lead to dizzy spells, it gets so cold.

Before I made these earwarmers, everything else I tried interfered with how my helmet fit on my head--balaclavas, scarves, headbands--these fit right on the helmet's straps, below where the helmet hugs my head, so they pop on easily for the coldest mornings, and pop off when they're not needed, without any helmet adjustments required!

And they're so warm!

Details on my Ravelry project page; the pattern's available for free in MenKnit issue one. And be sure to see the comments on the Ravelry pattern page for this pattern for an explanation of a possible typos in the pattern as published.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Finished

It's finished! It only took 17 months. It came out great--very soft, fits as it should, and best of all--I had so much fun making it.

Details: 6.58 skeins of Louet Gems Fingering weight. Color, "Ginger."

Yes, fingering weight. It's a sweater out of yarn the size of sock yarn--but so worth it. It's so soft, and the ribbing looks so good in the fine gauge knit. (If I do say so myself.)

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Piroshki

They were so delicious! (This is about half of them.) We roasted turkey, then ground it with plenty of onion, hardboiled eggs, herbs, spices, s&p--and wrapped it all up in a sweet dough made with eggs, real butter, and milk. The dough took all day to rise, this time of year, but it was worth the wait!

They went down easily with this year's Christmas ale from Anchor.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

The Daily Sweater

I really like the look of the Daily Sweater in Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines, but according to the Ravelry page for this pattern (requires login), extra-small is for a 38 inch bust.

I just don't live in a universe where a 38" bust is extra-small. In my universe, where I buy all my clothes, extra-small ranges from about 32" to 35" and anyone with a 38" bust would be shopping several racks away from extra-small.

So although the sweater looks really cute, the pattern was apparently written to be made in a universe far, far away from the one in which I live.