I have a lot to do.

I mean, I did this to myself last year. Last year, though, at least my excuse was that I hadn’t actually decided I was going to participate until October 28th. I didn’t have time to do more than jot down a few notes about my characters and what would happen to them, why, where, etc. I had maybe a page and 1/2 worth of jumbled and vague notes and notions in one of those black and white composition books when November 1st rolled around and it was showtime.

Here it is October 28th again. This year I have been planning on participating. If by planning we mean, yeah, I’ll give it a go. What the “it” is that I’m giving that go, I don’t know. I have no outlines, no research, no notes, no iPod playlists, no schedule, no character profiles, nothing. I also have very little coffee in the cabinet. I’m not ready. Where has October gone?

To decide in the next few days:

Am I writing a whole new story from scratch or am I scrapping everything I wrote for last year’s novel (VERY tempting) and starting from scratch on that one?

What am I taking notes on, notebooks, index cards, writing software*, or some combination?
(*Microsoft OneNote, Scrivener, something else?)

What am I writing in, Word or Scrivener?

10 hours later:
I stayed up all night and did some synopsis writing. This is gonna be awesome!

It was knit to fit my (dearly departed) iPhone, but it really would fit a variety of phones and smartphones or be great for keeping your ID and credit cards together while you go clubbing with your Gryffindor pals in Hogsmeade.

Anywho, see pattern below:

Yarn: Knit Picks Palette fingering weight 100% Wool, much less than 1 ball each of Pimento (MC) and Semolina (CC)
Gauge: 9 stitches, 12 rows / inch – stockinette in the round.
Needles: US 0. I, more than likely, knit looser than you, so make a swatch and use what needles work best for you. Think sock gauge.
Size: 5″ tall, 6″ circumference.

This was knit and written for Magic-Loop on one long circular needle. If you prefer double-pointed needles (DPN), knit needle 1 (N1) instructions across 2 DPNs and N2 across 2 more DPNs.

Magic Cast-On 54 stitches in main color (MC) and, working in the round, knit 6 rounds.

On N1, work Chart 1 and on N2, work Chart 2. Use MC for grey stitches and CC for white. Be sure to keep your tension from being too tight so your work doesn’t pucker.

Chart 1

Chart 2

When through with charts, work garter stitch (alternating back and forth between knit and purl rounds while working in the round) for 1/4 inch or desired length to fit your specific phone.

Bind Off:
Stop work before the last 3 stitches of N2 on your last round. Bind off 33, very loosely. Remaining stitches on N2 will now make up the flap closure. You will now work back and forth across these stitches.

You may knit your flap to be as long as you want it, and might need to if you increased the length of your cosy. To make yours like mine, knit garter stitch (knit every row) for at least 2 inches before beginning the buttonhole.

Buttonhole rows:
Knit 7, bind off 7, knit 7. Next row: knit 7, cast on 7, knit 7. You may want to adjust your buttonhole size to fit your button better. My button was about 1″ diameter.

Knit about 4 more rows.
[Knit 2, k2tog, knit to 4 stitches til the end, ssk, knit 2, turn.
Knit to end, turn.] 6 times. 9 stitches left.
Bind off. Sew on a button. Weave ends in.

Something else I discovered in my notes is that it seems I originally intended this to have a strap of some sort. I even called it “iPhone wristlet.” I don’t know if I wanted it to be drawstring, but I don’t think that the fair isle pattern would have looked good all bunched up for that. Also, it ended up fitting my phone snugly, so there wouldn’t have been a point. So yeah.

I’ve long since given this cozy away, but if I were to make another (and I may!) I would think about adding a buttonhole into the top garter border and sliding a bit of crocheted chain, knitted i-cord, or an actual lanyard through to create the wristlet effect.

Part of the reason the blog went by the wayside is that last fall I started back to school. I found myself doing less of everything, especially crafting, and suddenly my dull, day-to-day life was even more dull and even less blog-able. The changes didn’t stop there, either. I fell out of contact with a number of good friends because I simply wasn’t sitting at the computer as much anymore.

Happily, Julie (my Borg other half) and I have reconnected these past weeks. Funny thing too – the CraftBorg has inspired motivated me to pick my handwork up again. And while I still have no solid plan for this blog, our recent interactions have given me an idea for at least one post’s worth of blog fodder.

I guess I should say, for those of you that didn’t know the CraftBorg, that we basically started podcasting and then video blogging because heck, we’d spend all day every day updating each other on our various crafty endeavors anyway. Seems like we have picked up old habits, as emails, texts, and IMs have been flying back and forth with photos of stuff.

For instance, the other day we congratulated each other on washing our hair and sent pics of our wet hair.

Not crafty, I realize. But really, who doesn’t enjoy having a cheerleader? And yes, we’re dorks.

I have been drawing lately, and it’s motivating when I can periodically share my progress. Here are the start of some things I’m working on for future gifting.

The other day I started a new afghan project. It’s totally Julie’s fault. Such an enabler, sheesh! But yeah, basically I’ve pulled a bunch of yarns that have been languishing in the stash and am going to end up with a massive blanket before too long. (Because I’m pumped and I am going to tear through it in typical Rosemary fashion.)

That’s my at home project. Here’s what I started to take on the go:

A lovely Eula (owl, auf Deutsch) colored yarn for mindless, plain socks.

Pattern below.

10/30/10 There was an error in the chart. It’s been fixed and replaced.

Size: average women
Materials: 1 skein Sunshine Yarns’ Classic Sock Yarn (100% Merino Wool, 370 yards / 100 grams)
Needles: 1 32″ or 40″ size US 0 circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge.
Gauge: 8.5 stitches / inch, stockinette in the round

Abbreviations:

Note: I knit socks using the Magic Loop method, which can be easily knit on 4 double-pointed needles (DPNs), with Needle 1 (N1) referring to the first two DPNs and Needle 2 (N2) referring to the second two.

Toe:
Using Judy’s Magic Cast-On or other toe-up cast-on of choice, cast on 40 stitches (20 stitches per side of needle).
Round 1: (K1, M1, knit to last stitch, M1, K1) two times.
Round 2: Knit plain.
Repeat these two rounds until there are 64 stitches total (32 stitches per needle).
Knit plain until toe measures 2”.

Foot:
Work chart on Needle 1 (N1) and knit plain on Needle 2 (N2), until foot measures 2″ less than foot length.
(Plain boxes are knit stitches.)

Heel flap:
Leaving N1′s stitches on the cord and working across only N2′s stitches,
Row 1: Slip 1, knit to end.
Row 2: Slip 1, purl to end.
Repeat these two rows 11 times.

Heel turn:
Row 1: Slip 1, knit 17, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 2: Slip 1, purl 5, p2tog, p1, turn.
Row 3: Slip 1, knit to gap, ssk, k1, turn.
Row 4: Slip 1, purl to gap, p2tog, p1, turn.
Repeat rows 3 and 4 until only one stitch remains on the far side of each gap. Then,
Slip 1, knit to gap, ssk, turn.
Purl 1, purl to gap, p2tog, turn.
18 stitches remain.

Gusset setup:
N2: Knit across 18 heel stitches, pick up 11 stitches along side of heel flap, pick up one more stitch in stitch below 1st stitch of N1.
N1: Work starting with next row of chart pattern where the foot left off.
(Still on N1) Pick up stitch in 2nd stitch below last stitch worked, pick up 11 more stitches along 2nd side of heel flap.
Rearrange needles so that the last 12 stitches are on N2. Knit plain to end of N2.
Rounds now start on N1 at side of sock.

Gusset:
Round 1: On N1, continue working chart as established. On N2, k1, ssk, k to last 3 stitches of needle, k2tog, k1.
Round 2: On N1, work chart as established. On N2, knit plain.
Repeat these 2 rounds until N2 is back to 32 stitches.

Leg:
Work chart 2 on both needles, 2 more complete times or until it has reached nearly your desired length.
Work 1×1 twisted ribbing (K1 trough the back loop, purl) for desired length.

Bind off very loosely. (I prefer Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Sewn Bind-off. See Below.) Weave in ends. Dance
around a lot. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~
Elizabeth Zimmerman’s sewn bind-off:
Break off yarn, leaving 3 or 4 times the circumference of the hat and thread it onto a tapestry needle.
Pass the yarn through the first two stitches purl wise and pull all the way through. Pass the yarn back through the first stitch knit wise, pull all the way through, and drop that stitch off of the left-hand needle.
Repeat around.

I’ve made a fair number of hats off the top of my head, but this one came out so well that I wanted to get it down. The combination of the cotton yarn and the gauge that I got with the needles I happened to grab I think made for a good balance of firm, hard-wearing fabric and touchability. Thought I’d share.

Pattern below.


Size: Average adult. (My head is 22″ around and it fits nice. It would also stretch quite a bit bigger or fit a smaller head well, too.)
Gauge: 7 stitches and 9 rounds in stockinette knit in the round.
Yarn: 1 skein Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (Worsted weight, 215 yards, 80/20 Cotton/Wool)
Needles: Whatever is needed to make gauge, and one size smaller. (I Magic-Looped on Addi Turbos 40″ circular in size 2 and 1, but my tension is increasingly looser as I go along. Everyone else will probably want size 4 or something.) Needless to say, a hat knit in the round can be done on a set of 5 double-pointed needles, 2 sets of circulars, or one long circular. Do what makes you happy!

Using Judy’s Magic Cast-On, cast on 8 stitches. Working in the round, form the crown by knitting the following:
Round 1 (and all odd-numbered rounds): Knit
Round 2: Knit in the front and back (KFB) of the each stitch. Repeat around.
Round 4: K1, KFB. Repeat around.
Round 6: K2, KFB. “
Round 8: K3, KFB. “
Round 10: K4, KFB. “
Round 12: K5, KFB. “
Round 14: K6, KFB. “
Round 16: K7, KFB. “
Round 18: K8, KFB. “
Round 20: K9, KFB. “
Round 22: K10, KFB. “
Round 24: K11, KFB. “
Round 26: K12, KFB. “
Round 28: K13, KFB. “

Note: An added or omitted increase round will change the hat’s circumference by a little more than an inch, if you’d like to change the finished size. If you do, the ribbing will still work out evenly.

After the crown, knit plain for about 2.5 inches.
Switch to smaller needles and knit twisted ribbing (K1 through the back loop, purl, around) for 2 inches or desired length. Hats on circular needles can easily be tried on as you go, so you can make it just the right length.
Knit 2 rounds plain. (A personal preference of mine – I don’t like the way ribbing looks with any bind-off technique)

Bind off using a nice stretchy bind off, like Elizabeth Zimmerman’s sewn bind off:
Break off yarn, leaving 3 or 4 times the circumference of the hat and thread it onto a tapestry needle.
Pass the yarn through the first two stitches purl wise and pull all the way through. Pass the yarn back through the first stitch knit wise, pull all the way through, and drop that stitch off of the left-hand needle.
Repeat around.

Weave in ends. Wear with pride. Break some hearts.

Edits:
1/13/11: Fixed numbers in crown shaping.

This is a pattern I haven’t been able to recover from an internet archive or anything else, but it is simple and I can easily reconstruct it.

Yarn: Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Yarn Mini-Skein Set (6 skeins were included)

Needles: size 4  (3.5mm) I used Circular needles with a good length cord so I had room for all my stitches.

Grab your first skein and, fairly loosely, cast on a lot. I think I did about 3 hundred stitches, but it’s up to knitter’s taste on this point. Knit on both odd and even rows until you run out of that skein. Add in the next skein, do the same. Repeat until you have just about enough to bind off all of those stitches. Do so with the stretchy bind off of your choice.

I ended up giving my own scarf a twist and seaming the two short ends together to create a sort of moebius cowl. This isn’t necessary but I enjoy it this way. I then double it up and wear it around my neck like a big ole scrunchy.

~~~~~

Gillyweed_Socks (PDF)

~~~~~

Pattern:
4.5 st/inch gauge, to fit someone like me (22 inch circumference) CO 94 with smaller needles, knit for 1.5-2 inches, purl one round. Switch to larger needles (with which you get gauge). Knit til its big enough (I switched colors every other round, folded the brim up when the hat part was the same height and knit the brim together with that next round, then kept going). Do a crown of some sort. I go “K8, K2tog around; K7 K2tog around; etc” until I have just a handful of stiches left then cut and pull the tail through all of the stitches. Weave in. Tada!
Yarn:
Berroco Comfort, in Bitter Sweet and Olive. This is my 2nd hat from these skeins and I STILL HAVE SOME LEFT.
Comments:
I love turned brims; They’re so finished looking. And this yarn? LOVE.

~~~~~~~

A couple of weeks ago I had a sudden desire to make a ridiculously big hat. I was at the yarn store and fell in love with a bigass hank of hypersoft yarn, despite the heat and despite being warned that it would pill like mad, I got it.

This is very simple and has likely been done many times before, but I’ll share my “pattern” anyway.

Big Hat
A thick and quite large crocheted hat with a rolled brim. Fits loosely on an average adult.

Yarn: Twinkle Handknits Soft Chunky Shown in 18 French Grey
Hook: 6mm / J
Gauge: 7.5 stitches and 3.75 rounds = 4 inches

Chain 3, slip stitch in 1st ch to make ring.
Round 1: Ch 3, dc 11.
Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc right below chain 3, *dc 2 in each stitch* around to end. Sl st in 3rd ch to join.
Rnd 3: Ch 3, dc 1 right below, dc 1 in next st *dc 2 in next st, dc 1 in next 2 sts* around, dc 2. Sl st in 3rd ch to join.
Rnd 4: Ch 3, dc 1 right below, dc 1 in next 2 sts, *dc 2 in next st, dc 1 in next 3 sts* around, dc 1 in next 2 st. Sl st in 3rd ch to join.
Rounds 5-9: Ch 3, dc 1 right below, *dc 1 in each st* around to end. Sl st in 3rd ch to join.
Round 10: Ch 3, dc 1 right below, dc 1 in next 2 sts, *dc decrease in next 2 sts, dc 1 in next 3 sts* around, dc 1 in leftover stitches to end.
Weave in ends. Roll up brim. (If you don’t, it will surpass so-ugly-it’s-cute and go straight to friggin’-ugly.)