Last year I came upon this post of a beautiful sweater and was struck by its tendency to accentuate a particular body part. My comment was: “I love how it screams: ‘LOOK AT MY BOOBS!’”

Well, now there are sweaters that specialize in the accentuation of other, less obvious areas of the female anatomy.

I am dubbing this “The Vagina Pullover.”

Quick blog because I’m mega busy. Enjoy the patterns, and sorry for being a day late!

If you are knitting or have already knit a pattern that I’m talking about, leave me a comment and I’ll update my post with a link to your version. If you’ve written up a pattern and you want me to link to it, send me an email or leave me a comment and I’ll post it! It makes the list longer and my job easier.

• Three patterns from knit on the net: The Little Black Dress, Giles Bag and Sherbet Smock Top
• All Things Anne
• Sweaterbabe has a nice Basic Tank.
• Here’s an Asymmetrical Cardigan.
• Go Gryffindor! I’m more of a Ravenclaw myself, but if you’re brave you can knit yourself these excellent socks.
• Munchkin Slippers
• Aili’s Mittens. Example here.
• A Felted Squid! Lovecraft would be proud.

My apologies for missing last week; I had a giant stats exam that grabbed my attention for a little too long. To make up for it, there’s a pile more this week!

If you are knitting or have already knit a pattern that I’m talking about, leave me a comment and I’ll update my post with a link to your version. If you’ve written up a pattern and you want me to link to it, send me an email or leave me a comment and I’ll post it! It makes the list longer and my job easier.

• For Valentine’s Day, you can knit some Valentine Heart Rings.
• Heartening is a cute sweater.
• I’ve never eaten a stuffed beef heart, but I hear they’re delicious. If you want a slightly more yarny option, you can knit some stuffed hearts from mochimochiland (example here), or some hearts from Berroco.
• Want to knit a shape that’s not a heart? Try this knitted star tutorial.
• If you’re worried you might be a bit of a wuss, feel free to knit yourself some balls.
• I kinda want a hat that will go around my hair if I tie it back, so perhaps this The Not Too-Too Beret could be good.
• Here’s another Beret Recipe.
• Here’s Vitro a bit of crocheting around rocks and things.
• I love this blanket, but the blog itself is really weird. There’s twice as much space devoted to navigation as there is for the actual content! Maybe her monitor is a widescreen.
• This Little sister’s dress is so cute!
• Sí, Capitán! is a great looking hat. I love the star on top. Example here.
• Evangeline is really pretty. A whole rainbow of examples here.
• Five Fruits is another great MagKnits pattern for a baby.
• I kinda like these White Witch Mitts.
• These Playtime Petit Fours look delicious.
• This chunky hat looks even tastier! Although I wouldn’t recommend eating wool, it’s a little chewy.
• I’ve been waiting a while for a pattern for the Gathered Scarf for your Mother-in-Law. It’s actually quite a basic pattern. Sometimes, you just hit a stitch pattern and yarn combination that just works. This yarn is a beautiful glossy red and sets off the pattern so beautifully. Definitely a must-knit for Christmas. Example here.

So lately I’ve been going through a “what’s the point” stage with my blogging. Blogging is great in that I can learn about all sorts of crafty things, but it’s a bit discouraging to spend lots of time taking pictures or writing a big long post or tutorial and then only having 3 people comment on it, or 30 people clicking through from feeds to read the actual post. But all is well now because apparently I have made Orata‘s day! Thank you, Orata! This is made even more awesome by the fact that Orata is totally rad and I love her blog. So here’s the rules to this thing:

“Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.”

I have to admit to being really visual in my blog choices. Unless it’s a really really really really good blog, I tend to unsubscribe if there are no pretty pictures in the feed. There are some blogs I read simply because their pictures inspire me, if not the knitting itself. The ten reverse-alphabetized blogs below, however (reverse-alphabetized because the Zeds never get enough love), are ones I read because they inspire my own knitting. It’s only a side benefit that the pictures are pretty

Zeitgeist
TECHknitting™
Sisäinen villapaita
MLE Knits
mind of winter
knitting school dropout
Jatta Soheltaa
Good Knit’s Road – Hyvänneuleentie 7
Elliphantom Knits
Another Shopgirl

Thanks, guys! You’ve all made my day!

Here’s the neckwarmer, waiting for a button. I managed to sew the button on just as I was leaving my parents’ place and didn’t get to take a picture, so as soon as the batteries on my own camera are charged, you’ll get your FO photos. Because it was a WIP when I took the pictures, I can still technically post them this week!

I really love the pooling effect that occurred in this yarn. It looks like a blue tiger. I really really really love this yarn and I can’t wait to have an excuse to buy some more. I’d get some in Bulky, and make a beautiful hat and mitten combo. I don’t care if they would match this neckwarmer, I only care that they would be the most squishy, deliciously warm and soft mittens in the solar system.

Read the rest »

If you are knitting or have already knit a pattern that I’m talking about, leave me a comment and I’ll update my post with a link to your version. If you’ve written up a pattern and you want me to link to it, send me an email or leave me a comment and I’ll post it! It makes the list longer and my job easier.

• Don’t knit Cecil unless you’re prepared to have it showered with mushy peas.
• If you knit Cisco, you can make your child look like a miniature Japanese teenager. (I like to imagine that all Japanese people wear wacky clothes and live on the covers of Gwen Stefani albums.)
• If you’re already preparing for Easter, here’s a pattern for knitted Easter eggs. And here’s another.
• These Picot edged mittens are mega-cute.
• Here’s a rough guide for a slouchy beret. I’ve not had success making hats for myself, so I might want to try something like this to fit over my hair, which is usually tied back and too big for my tighter hats.
• This Sheila Cape is so adorable!
• Bristol is a neck warmer, and it’s pretty classy.
• Brompton is a pretty cardigan pattern. I love the colour! But I like tighter-fitting sweaters so it may not be my style. The basket-weave stitch on the edges is really smart, though! Example here.
• I never realized there were lots of other Smariek patterns! Here’s a Heart Lace Cloth (in time for Valentine’s Day), Persephone Mitts, Swirl Hat, Osiris, Regina, and an Embossed Turtle.

The Cabled Baby Jacket now belongs to a real live baby. And it fits! Oh dear Lord it fits and I’m so relieved. Here are some pictures!

I’m a bit squeamish about putting pictures of babies on the Internet (that’s for them to decide when they grow up), so all faces have been replaced with characters from a recent blockbuster movie-film.

I finished 9 projects this year. Not the most amazing turnout, but I learned quite a lot. I think my New Year’s Resolution for this year will be to finish at least one project every month. I have three sweaters that are close to completion, so those will be the first to go.

Here’s a little meme I found via Reunasilmukka:

1. Your best FO of the year

Definitely my Cabled Baby Jacket. It took a long time to finish but I learned a lot about seaming and it turned out so beautifully.

2. Best FO of the year made by a blog you link to

Birgitte’s Bubble Pullover. I love all the sweaters she knits, but this was my favourite and I can’t wait to make my own this year.

3. Best yarn you tried

Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo
Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo Malabrigo

4. Best new book/mag/pattern of 2007

I was going to put in Knitting Nature here, but it turns out that was released in 2006. I haven’t seen too many new books, although Romantic Hand Knits looks really pretty and so does Fitted Knits. I’d like to get them both.

In terms of mags, my favourite has been Phildar, but the most lusty patterns have once again been 2006 patterns. My Touch of Grey sweater and Colchique are both Phildar patterns from about a year ago. I love them, and I can’t wait to finish them and wear them.

Best pattern overall is a toughie, and I’ll set it as a tie between two. The queen of cable patterns this year has been Tikru, who not only put out these beautiful Chevalier Mittens but also this Green Gable Sweater. They’re my favourites of this year.

5. Best new knitting technique or gadget you tried in 2007

This year I did a bunch of seaming, which is kinda basic but something I had to get used to. I want to buy The Knitter’s Book of Finishing Techniques so I can get better at it.

6. Top 5 inspirations – what five things inspired you the most over the past year?

Runways, blogs, science images, my work with AI and genetic algorithms, people on the subway.

7. Designer who most amazed & inspired you throughout the year

Tikru!

8. Knitting resolutions for 2008-what’s next for you and your blog?

One FO every month, and five of them have to be sweaters. Let’s hope I can do it.

My apologies, folks, for being absent this past week! I’ve been working hard to finish up my master’s thesis proposal (completed yesterday afternoon) and the Christmas and New Year’s season has also gotten in the way. I’ve got a few posts lined up starting on Monday, and plenty of knitting to show you guys! I’ve started back on Colchique and I’m blocking my swatch for the Somewhat Cowl. I’ve stalled on Orangina due to yarn run-out, but it’ll be back and soon finished once more yarn comes in! And now for your regularly-schedule pattern programming.

If you are knitting or have already knit a pattern that I’m talking about, leave me a comment and I’ll update my post with a link to your version. If you’ve written up a pattern and you want me to link to it, send me an email or leave me a comment and I’ll post it! It makes the list longer and my job easier.

• Beautiful Latvian Mittens. Here’s the PDF.
• Situate is a knit that you sit on! Get it??? Berroco is FULL of LOLs!
• A little late, but also more than a little cute. Check out Rory the Reindeer. Yay!
• Vogue Knitting put up a few of their 25th anniversary knits and I just caught on. There’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 patterns! And some others I haven’t bothered linking. They’re all PDFs.
• A nice basic boy’s hat is necessary when you are dating beaus like mine. Here’s the uncomplicated, non-indie Twisted Rib Watch Cap Pattern, example here.
• If you speak German, you might want to check out Waldpassage, Diagonale, Allegro, Diagonalsocke, Blümchenschal, Kornblume, Kosima, and Pearls!
• Here’s a stylish Moss Stitch Beret (for the boys but I would totally wear it if I was into berets), example here.
• Dizzy is a swirly hat.
• Madison’s hat, a fair isle hat in bulky yarn.
• And finally a Baby Dress/ Christening Gown.

Happy Christmas Eve, suckaz! I am finishing things like all get out.

Cabled Baby Jacket, started June 13th, 2007, finished December 21st, 2007
Pattern: Cabled Baby Jacket from Nursery Knits by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Higgins Tweed, sadly discontinued.
Needles: Size 4 circulars.
Modifications: None! The pattern was wonderful, perfectly clear and needed no improvements.
Would I knit it again? I love this little jacket so much. I would definitely knit it again for any future babies that spring from my womb, but I think I’ll stick to knits that require less seaming when I knit for other people’s babies. I don’t have much time for finishing, because I prefer to knit on the TTC instead of seaming and all my other time is taken up with school. I’m terrible with putting it off, so it takes me longer to finish a seamed object than a non-seamed object, which means there’s greater pressure and I constantly fret that the baby will get too big and the present will be ruined. Still, it came out fantastic and hopefully the parents will like it.

Read the rest »