IndigoMuse Knits

Monday, February 25, 2008

Heartfelt Dolls

(Cue the french music)

Introducing a couple of little additions that were late arriving for Valentines Day.

Pierre

Heartfelt Doll - Pierre

and Jean Claude

Heartfelt Doll - Jean Claude

Specs:

Pattern: Berroco Heartfelt

Yarn: Araucania Nature Wool Chunky

Mods: Added needle felted eyes, moustache and hair using roving and i-cord arms

These little cuties are so quick to knit up and would have made great Valentines if I'd found out about the pattern sooner. I don't think it was included in the Berrocco Knitbits newsletter and I only found it through Ravelry's new newsletter.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

40 days

For Lent this year, I decided to make a commitment - a challenge of sorts - instead of giving up something for 40 days and 40 nights. My challenge (albeit a shorter version): The Louhi Coat by Finnish designer, Tuulia Samela.



If you're on Ravelry, you can access her profile and designs HERE. Click HERE for her blog and the Louhi pattern.

I had forgotten how much I love cables until I started swatching for this project. The twists. The turns. I am so enamored with how each one develops. I'm 15 days into the project and I have a sleeve and am 70% finished with the hem strip.

Louhi sleeve number 1

Louhi Hem Strip

All out knitting of the body will hopefully commence by this weekend. This thing is going to be blanket sized before its all said and done. This is the only instance where I'm glad that its still cold and will use it to keep me warm in the evenings. I'm sure that I'm overly ambitious in thinking I can finish this behemoth in 40 days but damned if I'm not going to try. By the way, the yarn is Patons Classic Wool in Denim Marl.

Ya'll, I miss my little puppy more than I can put into words. I came home after dropping Thing 2 off at school, opened the door and forgot that her little nose wasn't going to push it the rest of the way open in a possible effort to run away. I swear I think I saw her. I burst into tears, the kind that stain your face for hours and make your chest ache.

Different poses of Corgi stitch markers

These sweeties have helped ease the pain. I can't help but smile when I see them guarding my knitting.

Corgi stitch markers

Close up of Corgi stitch marker paws

Just look at the detailed paws. Too cute for words. Order your favorite pet or animal from Wee Ones, if you must have some. Thanks CM. I. LOVE. Them!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Superbowl Shaun

I had the most fun watching this year's Superbowl than I have in ages. What a great game and what fun ads. For those who don't know, I'm a HUGE fan of commercials. I might have been the only person in the US who was using the DVR to rewind the commercials instead of the game. My favorite - the Bridgestone "Screaming Squirrel". La casita de Muse loves rodents so we're a bit biased. I had to give the Tide "My Talking Stain" a strong second place. It reminded me of the Steve Correll mumblese from Bruce Almighty.

Oh yeah, knitting. There was quite a bit of that during the Superbowl. I cast on and finished 80% of Shaun the Sheep from the original Patons pattern I was able to find thanks to the kind peeps on Ravelry.

Shaun the Sheep

I still have to finish his legs and I'm not sure I will make the sweater or not. And there was no way that I was going to knit and seam a bazillion little pieces so I knit everything in the round. I used Berroco Plush for the body and its not a bad substitute for sheepy looking wool. I used the same ball of yarn for my Snome and had just a titch left over. I love the softness but its hard to keep up with the stitches and its pretty dammed expensive for novelty yarn.

Last week I was in sunny, warm Coconut Grove in Miami Florida. This is the view that I woke up to each morning...

Sunrise on Coconut Grove Florida

Alas, my trip was for work so there was very little fun except for a wonderful poolside Mojito at our hotel, the Sonesta Bay (their's was hands down the best of all I tasted while we were there) and dinner at an incredible Cuban restaurant. The locals were "freezing" and it was 75 - 80 while we were there. If that's freezing, count me in!

Whilst in the meetings that started at 7:30 and ran until 7 pm each day, I worked on the Wollmeise wrap that I'd cast on the week before.

Indigomuse's Not Mobius Wrap

Thanks to Ravelry, I now have a crazy insane love affair with German and Scandinavian patterns. I decided not to make it a mobius as written because I get claustrophobic. I cast off on Saturday only to find that I'd like it to be a bit longer (its currently 60"). I want something that reminds me of the mountains and bodies of water from the region and love how the main part turned out. I'm going to add on to at least one of the ends, maybe both, and use a drop stitch pattern that will look like rain to add to the motif. I found all but two skeins of yarn in my stash and about 1/3 of it is handspun (Yippie! I'm finally starting to do something with it). I'll do a photoshoot once I can really wrap it around me. This is a very fun and funky pattern!

In non-knitting news, I bought one of those nano ionic hair styler thingies. Doesn't sound exciting but then again, my current blow dryer is 24 years old and refuses to die. Yes, you heard me right, I've had it since I was 14 and its still going strong. Anyhoo, this thing works so well I could just cry. It used to take me 30 - 40 minutes to dry my hair and now I'm done in like 15. For fun we straightened Thing 2's naturally curly hair and POOF, Leif Garrett appeared in our living room. Scary, huh?

Thing 2 sporting Leif Garrett hair