LOLOLOL

Have you seen Teh Yarn Bukkit, by Craftster user angelbum? It's awesome!



Not only is it practical and cute, it's also flippin' hilarious If you still think LOLcats are funny (I do...). Plus, bonus, it's recycled. check out the needle storage:



I copied the basic shape to make a Christmas present for my knitting mother in law. It's a little more classic than hilarious, but I'm still going to share a tutorial with you as soon as I get one together.

Fancy Scarf #2

Continuing my official "artist wait mode" at work (read: I have literally nothing to do). No, it's not really because of the writer's strike. But I am making another scarf, a fancy lacy scarf.

This is my first attempt at doing fancy stitches like "yarn overs" and "knits through the back loop," so I'm not using the mohair that is recommended, just some cheap worsted weight that I happened to already have.



If you are new to these stitches, as I am, check out the Knit Witch videos for instructions.

Here's where it gets g33ky: I was having a lot of trouble keeping track of what stitch I was on, until I realized that the design was symmetrical, and that the line of symmetry was visible. When I realized that this equation was true:

ssk = k2tog x -1

it all fell together. How's that for geeky??

reprinted with middle stitch in bold cast on 27 st 1. purl; purl every odd row 2. Ssk, (yo, sl2-k1-p2o)x3, yo, k1-tbl, yo, sl1-k2tog-po, yo, k1-tbl, (yo, sl2-k1-p2o)x3, yo, k2tog. (21 st) 4. Ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2tog. (25 st) 6. K1, (yo, sl2-k1-p2o)x2, yo, k2tog, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, ssk, (yo, sl2-k1-p2o)x2, yo, k1. (23 st) 8. K1, yo, k2, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k9, ssk, yo, ssk, k2, yo, k1. (23 st) 10. Ssk, yo, sl2-k1-p2o, yo, k1-tbl, yo, ssk, k7, k2tog, yo, k1-tbl, yo, sl2-k1-p2o, yo, k2tog. (21 st) 12. Ssk, yo, k1, yo, k3, yo, ssk, k5, k2tog, yo, k3, yo, k1, yo, k2tog. (23 st) 14. K1, (yo, sl 2-k1-p2o)x2, yo, k1-tbl, yo, ssk, k3, k2tog, yo, k1-tbl, (yo, sl 2-k1-p2o)x2, yo, k1. (21 st) 16. (k1, yo, k3, yo)x2, ssk, k1, k2tog, (yo, k3, yo, k1)x2. (27 st) Repeat as needed

Alien creatures Hamlet and Rama inspect the goods.

Knitted (River) Tam

I have been seeing tams, those giant slouchy knit hats, a lot lately, and I like them. In honor of River, I'm making a blue one (because rivers are blue-ish). Here's the pattern I'm using, an amalgam of some different ones I've seen.

Supplies
Size 7 circular needles
Worsted weight yarn (wool-ease in denim)

Brim
-Cast on 72 stitches.
-2 rows seed stitch (knit-knit-purl-purl)
-Proceed in stockinette (knit-purl) until 1.25" long
-2 rows seed again

Body
-Increase to 96 with k3 (knit 3), m1 (make one)
-Rib stitch 4x4 until 4.5" long

Crown
-1st row: p2tog (purl two together) in the center of each depression (decrease 12)
-2nd row: proceed with rib
-3rd row: k2tog (knit two together) in the center of each stockinette section (decrease 12)
-4th row: proceed with rib
-Continue in this fashion until 12 stitches remain. Sew together.

UPDATE: I learned something about myself. I f@#$ing hate circular needles! And I don't have the patience to figure out DPNs. So... screw this!

Writer's Strike Fancy Scarf

Joss Whedon, wunderkind creator of Buffy, Firefly, and stuff, has some great observations about some of the media coverage and public opinion surrounding the ongoing WGA strike. It's rousing, eloquent stuff. Joss has always been surprisingly good at political waxing.

After the article, the disparaging image of a writer as layabouts in emo glasses and boho scarves stuck with me, so I decided to make a scarf in honor of the strikers. Initially I thought I would try to send it to Joss, but since he will probably get scarves by the bucket load after this, I'm just going to give it to my sister-in-law for Christmas ;)

Chunky "mistake rib" scarf pattern


This is what the mistake rib looks like close up.