Hookers N’ Junkies

Now that the cat’s out of the bag, and I “no longer need to swallow” I’m accepting any or all of your mismatched, poorly colored, silly, whimisical baby items, made specially by *you*. Unfourtunately, this weekend is a bust when it comes to stitch n bitch, since it’s Thanksgiving and all, but I have every intention of filling as many saturdays as possible with the company of my favorite crochet hooks and knitting needles.

Since finding out, I’ve decided that I’m going to do my best for the next year to finish all unfinished projects and ideas, and use up all that yarn I have kicking around so that I don’t start the new life still procrastinating or worse, gettting bored half way through and giving up. I have successfully finished a pair of socks (hard for me since it involves duplicating something) and I have picked up and am finishing the beautiful (how could I have put this down) cashmere shawl. Hopefully this means that I won’t buy new yarn for the next while, the plan is to whittle away at the stash.

Also, now that Chris and I are going to be moving, I will have a house, which means a basement, which means Angoras. MMmmmmmm. Angora. No sheep for me, but I’ll live with the alternative. Especially since it will make Chris Happier. Anything for that. God I love that guy.

 Greetings! I have finally gotten off my heiny to post, which is horribly shameful as I’ve had the ability to since this site was started. In reparation, let me tell you a story:

Once upon a weekend, there was a cottage. And in that cottage, there were three stitch n’ bitchers.

One stitch n’ bitcher brought a string bikini with her. One brought a bikini top she had crocheted.

The third stitch n’ bitcher didn’t own a bikini. However, she was enticed to try on the string bikini and was pleased. She also saw the clever pattern of the crocheted bikini, which was unlike any bikini top pattern she had ever seen.

This percolated in the back of her mind for two weeks. Then, one evening, the third stitch n’ bitcher looked at her yarn stash and her collection of crochet hooks and It All Clicked.

This is the end result. Hooray for figuring out how to access Photo Booth! I finished it this afternoon, after a day of hard, hard labour:

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what do you think of the name? I think that is how we should package it. Just print off some nice paper with that and a nice logo, and wrap around bars of soap. easy as pie.

So, I finished the socks. They are made from 50% Australian Wool, and 50% Angora, and it’s still up in the air weather or not it is rabbit angora or mohair angora, just based on feel, but I don’t really care either way. They are sooper cozy, and wearable. I likes them

This is a picture of me in them. I have issues with home made socks, since I retain a lot of water, I tend to have deep stitch marks imbedded into my tootsies, so what I’ve done with these socks is knitted them inside-out, so the smooth knit side was against my feet, and not the bumpy purl side. So far, a 4 hour test of them in a bar with salty food has proven this wise. I figured I’d make an attempt at even writing out my first pattern. So, this is what I did:

Pattern Notes:

The w&t “stitch” works like this: when knitting: bring yarn forward, slip stitch purlwise, bring yarn back, slip stitch back, turn work. This makes it so that the stitch stays (relatively) tight, makes the working yarn in the right direction, and prevents any holes. To w&t purlwise, bring yarn back, slip stitch knitwise, bring yarn forward, slip stitch back to needle, then turn work. Just try it out. It may sound confusing, but you will get it if you try. It’s a wierd thing to do right off the hop, so if it’s your first time, do it when there will remain at least 2 stitches on the needles. It’s hard-ish to do on the first stitch of a needle.

What you need:

a wee bit more than 50g of sock weight yarn, I estimate about 160 yards of yarn

2.5 mm DPN, one set

2.25 mm DPN, one set

With 2.25mm needle, Cast on 34 stitches.

Toe:

P 33sts, w&t

K 32 sts w&t

P 31 sts, w&t

K 30 sts, w&t

P 29 sts, w&t

K 28 sts, w&t

P 27 sts, w&t

K 26 sts, w&t

P 25 sts, w&t

K 24 sts, w&t

P 23 sts, w&t

K 22 sts, w&t

P 21 sts, w&t

K 20 sts, w&t

P 19 sts, w&t

K 18 sts, w&t

P 19 sts, w&t

K 20 sts, w&t

P 21 sts, w&t

K 22 sts, w&t

P 23 sts, w&t

K 24 sts, w&t

P 25 sts, w&t

K 26 sts, w&t

P 27 sts, w&t

K 28 sts, w&t

P 29 sts, w&t

K 30 sts, w&t

Foot:
P 32 sts, then pick up 30 sts along cast on edge. Divide stitches onto 3 needles so that there are 30 on one, and 17 on two. Change to 2.5mm needles. Knit in the round for 50 rows. This will make the toe stockinette stitch, and the foot reverse stockinette stitch, but knitted inside out. (so you will have reverse on the toe and regular stockinette on the foot)

Heel:

On the needle with 30 stitches change to 2.25mm DPNs:
K 28 sts, w&t

P 27 sts, w&t

K 26 sts, w&t

P 25 sts, w&t

K 24 sts, w&t

P 23 sts, w&t

K 22 sts, w&t

P 21 sts, w&t

K 20 sts, w&t

P 19 sts, w&t

K 18 sts, w&t

P 17 sts, w&t

K 16 sts, w&t

P 15 sts, w&t

K 14 sts, w&t

P 13 sts, w&t

K 12 sts, w&t

P 13 sts, w&t

K 14 sts, w&t

P 15 sts, w&t

K 16 sts, w&t

P17 sts, w&t

K 18 sts, w&t

P 19 sts, w&t

K 20 sts, w&t

P 21 sts, w&t

K 22 sts, w&t

P 23 sts, w&t

K 24 sts, w&t

P 25 sts, w&t

K 26 sts, w&t

P 27 sts, w&t

Ankle:

Now, change to 2.5mm DPNs and continue working in the round for 30 more rows. Change to 2.25mm DPNs and work in 2×2 rib for 5 rows, and cast off VERY LOOSELY (it helps to cast off with a 3-4mm needle)

repeat for other sock When you turn the heel on the other sock, you will notice that instead of K (even number) w&t, you will be K (odd number) w&t. that is normal. get it?

Well, I finished her last night at work. It was a quick job, that I’ve been putting off a bit. I hate deadlines. Being a procrastinator, I feel the need to put things off until said deadline. bah. When it really should have been done like 4 weeks ago. oh well. It is done now. I do still need to find a pendant for it, and a button for the clasp, but that has nothing to do with the construction. Or does it?

So possibly due to my dedication to my art! I am gimped on the right side.

I am endeavoring to re-program my brain to work leftly.

This awesome bag is what I will begin with in my new ways.

I’m doing a beading tutorial if you’re interested. So, I’ll go through methods and techniques. If you are interested, bring some beads, crochet thread or beading wire, and an apropriate size of needles or hook.

Saturday. Remedy? 1300hrs

I totally got into it last night. The chairs I have at work are not very good for yarn work, since the arms are either too high or too low, making me strain my arms a lot, and eventually tiring, and (le gasp!) having to do the work I get paid to do. But, for some reason, last night, I just got into it. I got a lot done on the project I am working on, and I’m quite pleased with the results, as close to finishing that they are.

Now, if only I could remember what all my projects are, I would be well on my way to finishing them

I thought I’d include this picture of Fritz who jumped on the ironing board immeditely after I finished ironing on it. He loves warm laudndry. What can we say?

My boss’s bday is tomorrow so (short story, she mentioned she likes turtles, and, well I love turtles) this is my gift to her… unfinished, it does have a head but pics are coming…

What a success! Fun was had all around, I think, with the only exception of my hangover, but hey, I managed despite. So, for all you bitchers (stitchers? sbitchers?) wanna go every 2 weeks? 4 weeks? weekly? Sunday? Saturday? Let me know here, so we can start the festivities

I loved the location! Thanks out to Mel on that one *best* *chai* *evar*!