sOnirOni

Medallion Scarf

2008-01-05T00:48:00.000-05:00

And now for your knitting enjoyment, one of my favorite knitting projects to date! Sadly I was turned down when I submitted this design so now here it is for you.

The pattern is very easy for the body of the scarf and there are step-by-step illustrations for the knot tying. The scarf shown in the pictures is knit with only 2 skeins of KnitPicks Ambrosia (80% baby alpaca, 20% cashmere) on US size 4 needles (DPNs or circulars). Full details are included with the pattern which is in PDF format.

I've set up a button here to receive payment via PayPal after which I will email you the document. Thanks for looking!

Happy 2008!

2008-01-02T14:51:00.001-05:00

Hooray! Christmas knitting is over and I can start posting things on my blog again. I was so excited to be done with my presents I immediately started knitting some socks for myself Christmas day, and finished them before 2007 was over too!

They're simple toe up socks with a separate toe so I can wear them with sandals. The yarn is Fleece Artist Sea Wool, 70% wool and 30% sea cell, so smooth and soft with great stitch definition, I just hope they hold up pretty well.

Also very exciting over the holidays was the new Tom Bihn Swift bag I received, really great knitting bag. I carry everything around in it, but it fits my knitting too.

First resolution I have for 2008 is to finish my chair cushions. Been a bit frustrated with these since I worked the icord around the edge wrong a couple of times and all the frogging started to get to me. However, I was a determined soul yesterday and pushed past the stumbling block and I'm making some good headway now, just have to make sure I keep it going!

Holiday Knits

2007-11-12T13:40:00.000-05:00

Lots of knitting under way but most of it's for Christmas presents so no revealing photos at the moment!

I can show you one I'm working on though, this is Sugar on Snow from Knitty. I made mine a bit longer to make sure it'll cover my ears. All I have left is to bind off and make the cord that runs through the eyelets. I'll get there eventually...

Non-knitting news, Pittsburgh's Handmade Arcade was this weekend and I was able to go for a few hours on Sunday. Everyone had really fantastic booths but the crowd was hard to fight through! I picked up this little guy from Tugboat Printshop. Despite his look, he makes me smile every time I look at him. There were only a few knitters there and I'm thinking if I can get my act together I should definitely do a booth next year, who knows!

Ravelry

2007-10-23T22:54:00.000-05:00

Woo! I finally got onto ravelry and I'm so excited. I've been trying to add projects and photos and everything, slowly getting there.

I've been knitting lots recently but not had time to take any pictures. My brother got married a few weeks back and I made all the wedding favors plus a new sweater for me to wear. I'm so relieved to be done with all the wedding knits but now Christmas is right around the corner and I'll have to start in on presents here soon. I think I'll yarn shop tomorrow... I've got so many great ideas for gifts now that ravelry is around, I just keep linking from designers to users and so on! The one thing I refuse to do is take and share any pictures of my stash. Really I don't want to know how much I have :-)

Cushion Progress

2007-08-12T23:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick bit of what I've been up to with my knitting. First picture here is one of the cushions I'm working on for these cute round chairs I have. This is one of the tops, it's going to get i-cord around the edge, and then flat sides and a bottom. Should be about 2 inches thick when I'm done. I'm very pleased with it so far, actually drew the pattern with Adobe Illustrator and stretched it to the right size according to my gauge and then viola - Illustrator turned it into a grid for me. I can't believe what a perfect circle it turned out to be! Although I have been working on this one a while, I'm still excited and can't wait to get these done. Oh, and the yarn is knitpicks telemark, I'm hoping it will make good sturdy cushions that can stand up to some wear without felting, we'll see!

Next picture, some hand dyed yarn, 100% superwash merino. I have a grand sweater planned for this but it may be a while till I actually get around to it. To help me make sure it really fits I finally roped someone (my sister) into helping me make a dress form with paper tape. She did an absolutely fabulous job and now I've just got to close the neck, bottom and armholes off and figure out some way to mount the sucker. It really is amazing though, looks just like me!

Tights

2007-08-07T15:06:00.000-05:00

Pattern available for purchase!

Well this was my attempt to make some fishnets for myself. I'm pretty pleased with them except that I knit them a little loser than I intended. They will be great for the fall but certainly way too warm for this hot summer we have going on in Pittsburgh right now. The pattern was my own, simple toe up socks with a YO pattern on the tops of the feet and around the legs. The yarn is Elann Esprit.

Also finished are the wedding favors I was making for my brother - all 24 of them! The pattern is dishcloth reloaded from Mason Dixon Knitting and we're going to tie them up into little bags with something cute inside. I suppose there may end up being a few extra guests so I might have to make a few more, but no need to worry about that for another month or two :-)

Also please take notice of my new bar on the left with my patterns. I'm trying to get stuff written up and posted so check them out!

Phone Fun!

2007-07-15T01:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, I've gone and done something really dorky, but I'm quite pleased with the results. That's right folks, I've decoupaged my cell phone. Why? I don't know, I think silver is a very boring color, now I have every color on my phone. Some mod podge, time and an old KnitPicks catalog - easy enough recipe. I'm just glad my phone still works (no glue got stuck inside) and now it looks good to boot!

Also, market bag is done, it's been working well for me so far!

The Doldrums

2007-07-10T22:19:00.000-05:00

It's summer, it's hot and I still can't put my knitting needles down. Okay :-P at least I'm not knitting with wool anymore. Purely a cotton gal for the next few months. Project updates: still working away at my brother's gift bag / washcloth thingies for the wedding in October but I'm already about halfway done (depending on the guest list I suppose) so no real time crunch there, just slow and steady. Surfing around the other day I came across this little cozy, too cute no? Of course, on further surfing I came across a version with a hood which knocked my socks off even further and I decidedly had to go whip one up for myself.

Ta da! I decided to do mine raglan-style just for fun and so I could start at the hood (yarn was short, I wasn't sure how long I could make the wee sweater!) Anyway, fun, cute and enough to make all my friends giggle at me should I ever let this little guy slip out into public. The yarn was bits of leftover wool, Knitpicks Telemark I believe.

Also this market bag has been on the needles for a while now. Almost done! I just need to push through the final stitches and sew in the ends. I used the body from this market bag with a simple basket weave stitch at the top to make it a bit sturdier. I also added two handles instead of one just like I saw in this post here. Nothing like some good ol' collaborative knitting! Yarn for this project is Lionbrand Cotton-Ease (50% cotton 50% acrylic), new yarn to me so I'll have to see how it holds up with use.

And now for something completely different... just a nice shot of Pittsburgh.

Baby Booties

2007-06-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Used up some of my leftover shrug yarn to make these (knitpicks shine in worsted weight). A coworker was the lucky recipient of these so I haven't seen them on the baby but I hope they fit! The pattern I used was Christine's Baby Booties with fewer stitches because of the weight of my yarn.

In other news, I volunteered to make wedding favors for my brother's wedding so here is the beginning:

The pattern is the Dishcloth reloaded from Mason Dixon Knitting. Four down and 26 to go!

Summer Shrug

2007-05-21T00:22:00.000-05:00

Finally finished my summer shrug! While I was super excited about this project I'm not entirely thrilled with the finished project - but I did learn a lot :-) I had a great time trying to write my own pattern and working a little bit with some lace. I would like to make another one of these with some modifications - smaller armholes, some shaping in the back and more even increases along the edge in the front. I suppose if I ever get around to doing that I'll write up the pattern but as it stands now it needs too much work :-P It was all knit with Knit Picks Shine - sooooo sooooft.

Random bunch of FO's

2007-04-11T17:47:00.000-05:00

Well it's been awhile since I've updated, I have been knitting, just not posting anything I've done. I started a knitting group here in Pittsburgh, and that's been keeping me pretty busy.

You can see to your left what I got in the mail today. Lots of yarn and a ball winder! I wound my entire stash today :-) The "Terra Cotta" and "Sunflower" that are pictured are Knitpicks Shine in worsted and I have visions of some kind of shrug I want to make. I also bought some of their new Cotlin and this stuff is fabulously soft and has great drape. Will probably have to order some more for a nice light summery outfit.

Anyway, here's a run down on all the FO's since my last update!

A wee bunny I made for my grandma for Easter. Patons wool stuffed with fiberfil.

An Eagles hat for my friend, he was super excited but I think he brought the cold weather back. I hand dyed the yarn with kool-aid in a quest to find Kelly green. Didn't quite get there, but close enough.

Here are some mittens inspired by Eunny's Anemoi Mittens.

Last but not least, a purse out of Malabrigo that I finished recently, still trying to decide what to do about the straps. It's a simple entrelac stitch and I felted it just ever so slightly when I was done.

Phone Cozy

2007-01-30T16:38:00.000-05:00

This was too fun to make. I had to get my mom a new phone since she lost the last one so this little cozy is to help her keep track of the new one. After I made hers, I decided it was too cute so I made one for myself as well. I made up the pattern but designed it after other cell phone holders I've seen around. The wool is felted Cascade that I had leftover from making my slippers.

The snap makes it easy to attach to whatever bag I'm currently using.

sOnirOni's phone cozy pattern:

Size US 8

I used Cascade but any good felting wool would work fine.

CA = color A
CB = color B

M1R and M1L are both explained on Knittinghelp.com.

Turkish cast on 28sts (14 wraps) - either use DPNS, 2 circulars or the Magic Loop Method. I found the Magic Loop Method worked best for me in this case.

The numbers below represent each round. If all it says is K, knit the entire round.

CA
1: K 28sts
2: K
3: K
4: *M1R K14* 2 times
5: K
6: *M1R K1 M1L K14* 2 times
7: K
8: *M1R K3 M1L K14* 2 times
9-11: K
12: *M1R K5 M1L K14* 2 times
13: K

CB
14: K

CA
15: K
16: *K1 SSK K1 K2tog K15* 2 times
17: K

CB
18: *SSK K1 K2tog K14* 2 times
19: K

CA
20: *K3tog K14* 2 times
21: K

CB
22-25: K

CA
26: K

CB
27-35: K

Bind off after the last row using an icord bind off - this creates a sturdier edge. Simply knit the first 3 sts and slide them back to the left needle. Pull the working yarn tightly across the back of these working stitches and knit the first two stitches and then knit two stitches together. Move the three stitches back to the left needle and repeat K2 K2tog until there are only 3 stitches left. With these remaining 3 sts work approx. 8-12 inches of icord.

You can either tie the end of the icord around in a loop that will fit a button after felting, or you can use stockinette stitch at the end of the icord which will give a small flat surface perfect for a snap. Both methods work great but I've found the snap lies flatter with less chance of being caught on anything.

Next step is to felt the cozy. Either throw it in a pillow case in the washer on warm with a little soap, or just throw it in the sink with warm water and soap and scrub the cozy back and forth against itself. I preferred the hand felting for this project because it was small enough and this way I could watch the size carefully. After rinsing and wringing out any extra water by rolling up in a towel, I actually wrapped my phone in a plastic bag and stuck it in the cozy while it was drying - this gave it a perfect fit.

Enjoy!

Baby Wrap Sweater

2007-01-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

This is a sweater I designed and knit up for one of my boyfriend's coworkers. I'll take any excuse to knit for a baby - always so quick and easy! The yarn is cotton, Peaches N' Cream.

Fiber Trends Clogs

2007-01-07T14:06:00.001-05:00

Everybody's favorite clogs :-)

This is the Fiber Trends pattern done with Cascade 220. They're lovely and speckled thanks to the Cascade 220 Quatro.

Before felting:

After felting (I wish there was some sense of scale between these two photos, these things were HUGE before felting!)

Needle Case

2007-01-07T13:57:00.001-05:00

Click here to download pattern in PDF form.

I made this some time ago but kept forgetting to post pictures. Anyway, it's just a simple needle case I made for my KnitPick Options needles. Each section was double knit with bind-offs in the middle to create openings for the needles. The yarn is Peaches 'N Cream.

Christmas Knits

2007-01-05T13:22:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted any of the things I made for Christmas so I'm putting them all up now in one big post :-)

First thing I made was a bag for my sister. This is similar to the booga bag pattern but I used entrelac on the sides instead of stockinette stitch. I knit it with Patons SWS and the yarn shrunk like crazy. It started out bag sized but definitely ended up purse sized!

Before felting:

After felting:

Next I made some stockings for my brother and his fiancé. Simple Wool of the Andes, toe-up knit and felted socks.

Before felting:

After felting:

For my dad I made a hat. Knit with Knitpicks Shine, it was intended to look like one he owns already but was getting pretty worn out.

For my mom I made an awesome scarf that comes together in the front in sort of a twisted knot but I'm not posting pictures as of yet because I may try to get the pattern published :-)

Washcloth

2006-11-29T00:05:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows what this is :-)

I didn't have the exact pattern with me but I just started slipping stitches and figured I would get close enough.

Besides being useful (I really needed some new dishcloths!) this project was also a welcome distraction from all my christmas knits.

Penguin

2006-11-17T16:02:00.000-05:00

Well I made a cute stuffed penguin with a little winter scarf (to cover up holes in his neck...) but sadly I gave him away already and some how erased all my pictures of him. You'll just have to trust me, he was cute.

Pumpkin!

2006-11-03T13:08:00.000-05:00

A felted pumpkin!
I did this with some left over yarn from a sweater and just made up the pattern. The pumpkin is only about 2.5 inches accross but I like him that way :-)

sOnirOni's knit pumpkin pattern:

pattern note: the m1t and m1a increases are from knittinghelp.com but feel free to use any increase you like

CO 12sts
1: k
2: *k1 m1a k1 m1t* around (24 sts)
3: *sl st wyif k3* around (24 sts)
4: *sl st wyib m1a k3 m1t* around (36 sts)
5: *sl st wyif k5* around (36 sts)
6: *sl st wyib m1a k5 m1t* around (48 sts)
7: *sl st wyif k7* around
8: k
9: repeat row 7
10: *sl st wyib k7* around
11-15: repeat 9 & 10 for odd and even rows
16: k
17: *sl st wyif k7* around (48 sts)
18: *sl st wyib k2tog k3 ssk* around (36 sts)
19: *sl st wyif k5* around (36 sts)
18: *sl st wyib k2tog k1 ssk* around (24 sts)
19: *sl st wyif k3* around (24 sts)
20: *k2tog ssk* around (12 sts)
21: k

work remaining 12 sts with stem color:
1: *p2tog* around (6 sts)
2: p
3: *pfb* around (12 sts)
4: p
5: *pfb p* around (18 sts)
6: p
7: *pfb p* around (27 sts)
8: p BO

stem:
pick up 3 sts at top of pumpkin and work i-cord for 1 inch

leaf:
CO 5 sts
1: k
2: p
3: k2 m1t k1 m1a k2
4: p
5: k3 m1t k1 m1a k3
6: p
7: k
8: p
9: k2 ssk k1 k2tog k2
10: p
11: k1 ssk k1 k2tog k1
12: p
13: ssk k1 k2tog
pull yarn through remaining sts, sew on leaf

vine:
CO 15 sts, kfb each st, BO - twist and attach

After sewing on the leaf and vine, felt it! While drying twist the vine around a pencil to make sure it keeps it shape. Use extra yarn to tie around the body and the pumpkin will have nice deep grooves.

Pinwheel Sweater!

2006-10-29T18:21:00.000-05:00

My first completed baby sweater. Isn't he cute :-)

I got the pattern from Elann.com. It's knit with four skeins of Patons SWS: two Natural Earth and two Natural Blue.

Took me about a week to do and it was fun! The yarn is super soft and best of all the little guy likes wearing it :-)

I got a blog!

2006-10-28T01:24:00.000-05:00

Yep, I got a blog!