Friday Felines: Vol. 9 2014

Nikoh

This is a crappy night time photo with my phone, but it gives you a good idea of how much of a goober he is.

A little predicament?

So I started this sweater four years ago ... I may have weighed slightly less back then ... like 8-10 lbs. Literally, like, I'm over 30 now and no longer 22 years old - so some body parts are slightly more bulky nowadays. I've got an extra inch here and there - and for being a stick figure my whole life, some places having extra uummph and curve I'm just fine with :) Its nothing significant.

I'm knitting a size 35" with the correct gauge (I checked it - honestly - a few times now), my body is somewhere between a 32" and 34" bust ... so this still shouldn't be an issue. But I'm feeling like this sweater might just be a touch too small to be comfortable in the end.

Measured out flat, its more like 28" - now I know I haven't blocked it yet - but how do you go from 28" to 35"?!?! If I block it that severely, it'll be WAY too short.  Maybe it won't, the body is primarily lace.   I've knit lace shawls before, I understand how much lace grows when blocked.

Hhmmm - yeah 28" unblocked + 6" does in fact result in 34".  Maybe it is the blocking, my actual waist measurement is 28", yet this still scrunches out so far over the waist area even though this should technically be 28" right now.  

Have you had this issue with a sweater before?  This is the first cardigan I have knit, I usually knit a pullover in the round, so maybe this is just fine and will be after blocking, but I'm hesitant to start the sleeves right now.

Friday Felines - Vol 8 2014

Dragon-Cat

Friday Felines - Vol. 7 2014

Unicorn Cat

I don't have any photos prepared for today, so here's a little unicorn cat for you.  I was focused on Riley's face when I took this and didn't see the thing in the background right in the middle of his head until after.

More Fun with Painting

This past Sunday I took a freestyle canvas painting class at the shop where I have gone to paint pottery and canvases.  Freestyle means that you can bring in your own photo or picture and everyone is doing something different, unlike the other classes where everyone paints the same image.

I was thinking I was going to do the Dr. Who Tardis or Toothless from How to Train your Dragon ... until I came across this:

At first, I thought it was a fat little baby humming bird because of the colors and the pointy beak.  But its not, its actually a Narrow-billed Tody from the Dominican Republic.

I needed  no assistance during the class - I just grabbed the paints and off I went.  I guess I did inherit my grandmother's genes ... because she painted wonderful things, I have one of her paintings in my living room.  I think though that I need a little (or a lot) more practice before I get to her level.

I am very happy with my painting and my little bird.  It looks a bit nicer in person because the background colors don't look quite so stark and brush strokey like the camera picks up.

New Pattern Finished!

I finished the shawlette that I was designing, the pattern is all done - I just need a real photo for the pattern document.  I blocked it today.  The above photo looks a little strange, I hope my camera is not going kooky - it did something weird earlier.

Maelys (mah-ay-LEES) is more than a scarf, but not quite a shawlette.  It is wide (62”) and shallow (11”) and perfect for one skein of sock yarn that you’d rather display proudly around your neck.  It is worked from the bottom up in a lace pattern, then garter stitch and short rows for shaping.


And technically speaking, this also counts as a Finished Object!!!

VideoCast: Episode 79 - Malabrigo!

Theme-a-licious January Update

Here's the progress I made on the hummingbird cross stitch .... not as much as I thought!  I thought I filled in more leaves, but it doesn't look like it to me.  In addition to the bird, there was some red added to some of the flowers.

I'm not sure what I will work on for Fantastical Fiction February ... this doesn't really fit the theme.  I did want to get back to tatting, and I think I had seen a pattern for a Tardis bookmark - bookmark!  That's got to do with fiction right?!?! Or I have a pattern for a tatted dragon .... hhmmm.

Friday Felines - Vol. 6 2014

Nikoh & Riley

Mommy's boys snuggled up with me on the couch watching tv.  As you can see I disturbed them to get a photo - they were all snuggled up together ... and my legs are somewhere under the blanket.