mmm...mmmm..mm..mmm. Toasty.

I love making hand warmers. They keep my notoriously cold hands toasty, and they're pretty, but I don't think those reasons have much to do with it. I just like making them. I have many pairs and I'd be lying if I said I wore them all that much. But they're satisfying. They go from ball-o-yarn to wearable item in just a few short hours.


I was more or less successful in my learn-to-knit-lace endeavor. I had set out to make a double helix (dna) design on the hand warmers out of lace but that didn't work out. I just couldn't get the dna design expressed on something as relatively small as a handwarmer. So I gave up and made a spiral out of said lace. I'm quite happy with the result, and it was a great use of some fantastic yarn that was gifted to me by a friend. Also, these are great for larping. They keep your hands and arms warm without getting in the way the way fingered gloves do, plus they keep your hands protected from the horrors of weapon-related-blistering.

I'm quite pleased to tell you that next week I'll be having an extra-special guest designer. My good friend (and roommate) J.J. Carrera will be joining us with a Halloween costume for my cat that she put together. J.J.'s a writer and I'll tell ya more about that when her book comes out. In the meanwhile, she has graciously offered to fill in for me when I'm working on a project that just can't happen in one week. When I'm done typing this I will ball up my yarn, polish my needles and gird my loins to make an entry for the penny arcade Katamari Damacy contest.

Normally I would avoid doing a Penny Arcade project so soon after just having done one, but I couldn't walk away from trying to win that scarf. The idea of rocking it at PaxEast was just too much for me. I must enter. November is a big fan girl month for Knerdy Knits in general. I'm going to be doing a Dreseden Files project and a New Moon project (don't judge me). And I might make a Wheel of Time project what with the new book coming out but we'll have to see.

Lacey Handwarmers

©Megan-Anne Forsythe, 2009

Difficulty level: intermediate

Yarn: Any worsted weight yarn

Needles: Size US5 straight or circular needles

Abbreviations:

CO = cast on

BO = bind off

K = Knit

P = Purl

Sts = stitches

R = Row

YO= Yarn over

M1R= Make one Right (pick up stitch under stitch on right needle and knit it. Aka an increase)

M1L= Make one Left (pick up stitch under stitch on left needle and knit it. Aka an increase)

SkS= Slip Knit Slip (slip one stitch as if to knit, knit next stitch, Slip slipped stitch over knitted stitch. Aka a decrease)

K2tog= Knit 2 together (aka a decrease)

Skn= stockinet stitch (K on Right side and P on Wrong side)

M= Marker

Instructions:

CO 72 Sts

Work in K2P2 ribbing for 10 rows

Make lace: (purl all sts for Wrong Side rows)

Right side rows:

1. K
2. K24, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
3. K22, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
4. K20, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
5. K18, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
6. K16, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
7. K14, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
8. K12, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
9. K10, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
10. Sks, K7, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K last 2 sts, K2tog
11. K5, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
12. K3 sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
13. K1, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
14. K46, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
15. K44, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
16. K42, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
17. K40, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
18. K38, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
19. K36, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
20. Sks, K33, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog
21. K31, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
22. K29, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
23. K27, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
24. K25, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
25. K23, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
26. K21, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
27. K19, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
28. sks, K16, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to last 2 sts, k2tog
29. K14, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
30. K12, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
31. K10, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
32. K8, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
33. sks, K5, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to last 2 sts, k2tog
34. K3, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end
35. K1, sks, YO, K1, YO, K1, K2tog, K to end. Work wrong side (purl) row.

Work 2 rows skn, decrease one stitch at each end of both rows.

Work 6 more rows skn.

Make thumb gusset:

P all wrong side sts.

Right side:

1. K28, place st marker, K1, M1R, K1, M1L, K1, place st marker, K27 (to end)
2. K to M, K1, M1R, K3, M1L, K1, K to end
3. K to M, K1, M1R, K5, M1L, K1, K to end
4. K to M, K1, M1R, K7, M1L, K1, K to end
5. K to M, K1, M1R, K9, M1L, K1, K to end
6. K to M, K1, M1R, K11, M1L, K1, K to end

Next row: (wrong side) P to M. BO all sts between Ms, P to end

Next row: (right side) K to BO sts. Work K on other side of BO sts, and pull yarn tight creating thumb hole. K to end.

Next row: P

Work 7 rows K2P2 ribbing. BO Sew side seam. Enjoy their toasty glory.

Keep Your Brains Off My Hands

It's been a tough week knitting-wise. Thanks to a post on one of my Ravelry groups I have been left pondering my own mortality. And by mortality I of course mean knitting style. The issue of "process" vs. "project" knitters came up and I want to be a process knitter, but if I'm being really honest with myself I'm a project knitter. In the spirit of trying to improve my knitterly-self I've spent much of this week to knit lace. More on that next week.

This week (when I wasn't tearing my hair out trying to decipher lace charts for next week) I made a Flash hat. Actually, I made two. The first one came out much too small and I have designated it as a Christmas present for Kevin's nephew. The second one was a bit more thought out and successfully fits my head :) My father and I have collected comic books together for as long as I can remember and the crown jewel of our collection is a mint-condition Flash of Two Worlds. As I was working on the Flash hat Kevin and I wound up arguing over whether or not the Flash could kill someone by vibrating his hand so fast that he could pass it through their skull and then stop vibrating said hand and kill them via brain-poking (the medical term). Kevin suggested (and is wrong, of course) that if he were to stop vibrating that hand while it is in someone's skull his hand would have brains inside of it as the molecules would mix. Obviously this is false. His hand would seek to recreate it's original genetic structure and wouldn't allow the brains to get caught. Bodies reject things that don't belong there. It's science.

On an unrelated to brains note, I positively LOVED the yarn I used this week. It knits beautifully, shows ribbing fantastically, and sparkles. Nothing competes with sparkles.

Flash Hat

©Megan-Anne Forsythe, 2009

Difficulty level: Easy

Yarn: (1 skein each)

Vanna’s Glamour™ in Ruby Red (Color A) and Topaz (Color B)

Needles:

1 set of double pointed needles, size US3

Abbreviations:

CO = cast on

BO = bind off

K = Knit

P = Purl

Sts = stitches

R = Row

K2tog = Knit 2 stitches together (decrease 1)

Instructions:

Hat is knit in the round from the bottom up.

CO 140 sts with color B.

R1: K

R2-11: work all stitches in K2P2 ribbing.

Break color B, join color A

R12-17: With color A, K all sts.

Determine where you want the front of the hat to be. I like to make the front of mine the opposite side of the beginning of each row (so ½ way around the hat).

Next 23 rows: Work chart on front of hat, K all other sts with color A.

Next 20 rows: K all sts with color A.

Begin decrease rows:

R1: K2tog, K5 around

R2: K

R3: K4, K2tog around

R4: K

R5: K2tog, K3 around

R6: K

R7: K2, K2tog around

R8: K

R9: K2tog, K1 around

R10: K

R11: K2tog around

BO by breaking yarn and pulling it through all sts and pulling yarn tight so no hole remains on top. Weave in ends. Now put it on and run really fast.

I can has will save?

I have two cats. Before I had Gambit and Inara I had many whole, complete sets of dice. I had so many I could frolic through them. I could have filled a kiddie pool with D12s and bathed in them. Since bringing the kittens home two years ago I've had to start hording them like a squirrel protecting her winter stash. A couple weeks ago I sat down to get ready for a game, opened up my very tasteful Vera Bradley dice bag...and discovered that there were absolutely no d20s in it. Over the following 1/2 hour (which I spent rumaging around under the couch and behind the tv trying to figure out where they had stowed my dice) I finally came to terms with the fact that my cats have a problem. It was time to get out the intervention banner and take some action. The prospect of actually reforming them was overwhelmingly daunting, and I figure St. Jude is busy enough without adding my cats to his to-do list of lost causes. So I've gone with the next best thing. I have given them a cat friendly dice alternative. I put catnip in them, and to make them as attractive as possible have told the cats that they aren't allowed to have them.

Dice You Want Your Cat to Have (instead of the ones they steal from you)

© Megan-Anne Forsythe, 2009

Difficulty level: Easy

Yarn: (1 skein each)

Vanna’s Choice™ in Brick Red and White

Needles:

1 pair size US4 needles, tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

CO = cast on

BO = bind off

K = Knit

P = Purl

Sts = stitches

R = Row

K2tog: Knit 2 stitches together (Decrease by 1 stitch)

Instructions:

D20:

(Make 20) CO 10sts with red yarn.

R1: K

R2: P

R3: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog (8sts)

R4: P

R5: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog (6sts)

R6: P

R7: K2tog, K to last 2 sts, K2tog (4sts)

R8: P

R9: K2tog, K2tog

R10: P

R11: BO

Using white yarn and tapestry needle backstitch numbers (1-20) onto triangles. Then stitch pieces together. I used an actual D20 as a reference when I put it together so it would be accurate, but whether or not you do that is up to you. Before stitching the final seam stuff the die. You could also put some catnip in when you stuff it.

D4:

(Make 4) CO 20sts with red yarn.

R1: K

R2: P

R3-20: Odd rows: P; Even rows: K2tog, k to last 2 sts, K2tog

BO. Using white yarn and tapestry needle backstitch numbers onto the pieces. (note, for a d4, each triangle will have 3 numbers, one in each corner, not one large number on each) Before finishing the final seam, stuff the die.

D6:

(Make 6) CO20. Work in stockinet stitch (K on right side, P on wrong side) for 22 rows. BO. Using white yarn and tapestry needle backstitch the numbers onto the pieces. Stitch pieces together. Before finishing final seam stuff the die.