knitting – Page 5 – Sheetar.com

Ingress Mittens

By Sheetar 5 November 2013 23 March 2021

When I received my invitation code on January 16, 2013, I had no idea what was waiting for me – this virtual, alternate reality game was something bigger than I ever expected. When I first picked up my scanner, it was cold, but not so bad, and hey, Spring was not too far off in the Philadelphia area, and I still had a lot to learn about the game. The mittens were an idea from the beginning since I’d been knitting for a number of years and thought it might be fun to combine my new obsession with an old one. I made Level 8, and summer came and went with the idea still percolating. Finally, Fall arrived and while the days were getting cooler, I was charting out the design for these mittens. The final design incorporates the Resistance Key on the top of the hand and the Ingress logo on the palm side of the mittens using blobs of XM to balance out the pattern and fill in spaces, preventing longer floats. The resulting pattern fits an average sized Resistance woman’s hand, and expects an intermediate skill level as well as prior experience with stranded knitting on DPNS in the round. I’m offering this pattern for free as per the guidelines set forth by Ingress that allow for fan-created artwork. Sorry folks, no Enlightened pattern is in the works, VIVA LA RESISTANCE!

[EDIT, 5 Nov 2013: Enlightened chart available, due to popular demand! Follow same directions for Resistance mittens, substituting Enlightened chart – LINK (pdf)]

Alternative chart with dark lines – LINK (pdf)

The portal in the image to the left is that of the statue of David Reeves in Reeves Park, Phoenixville, PA, USA. The park was, and still is, Phoenixville’s public square. Gifted to the community in 1871 by Phoenix Iron Company founder David Reeves in his will, the park is an active Ingress battleground, having been a Flash Farm for both factions a number of times. Founder David Reeves was so loved by his employees that they decided, unanimously, to place a statue in his memory at the center of the park shortly after his death. [Portal Link]

Many thanks to agent Sensalia for acting as a hand model, to Abbie for proofreading, and to PAIR for being the best Resistance team ever. Keep Warm and Hack On!

Ravelry Pattern Link (Removed March 2021 due to Ravelry’s lack of attention to accessibility)
Ravelry Project Link (Removed March 2021 due to Ravelry’s lack of attention to accessibility)
Pattern Download (pdf)

Socks

A Year of Sock Knitting, part 2 – 2012

By Sheetar 19 December 2012 19 December 2012

I was originally shooting for 12 in 2012, and I just squeaked by with a quick pair of DK weight socks for grandma. I could probably do another pair, but I don’t think I’ll have the time. Anyway, the lineup is below!

	Pattern: Rick Designer: Cookie A Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm) Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits Sheepy Feet in, “Tangerine Tango” –Ravelry Project Link– I ended up having to cast on more to make the sock fit. Cast on 72, and then had to finagle around the heel to get the pattern to line up. The socks don’t exactly match since I’m a lazy knitter who tends not to write down good enough notes to do the second sock the same, but it worked out well enough, and they’re bright and fun to wear.
	Pattern: Dayflower Socks Designer: Dayflower Socks Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm) Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits Grab Bag Mystery Yarn in, “Electric Blueberry” –Ravelry Project Link– These worked up pretty quickly and were the right combination of lace and ribbing so that it was interesting without being boring. The color and the pattern just matched up perfectly and I couldn’t have been happier with how they turned out. The yarn was a neat thing too since it was from a club that offered a ‘grab bag’ option – list the weight of yarn you want and the dyer picked out something that would work. It did! I really like how lofty and airy this particular yarn is and it was fun to try something completely different.
	Pattern: Primavera Socks Designer: natalja Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm) Yarn: Little Red Bicycle Tricycle Sock in, “Mistletoe Grope” –Ravelry Project Link– A friend gifted me the yarn for these socks a few years ago as part of a set where the yarn matched two pots of eye shadow. Pretty neat! I finally got around to using the yarn and love how it knit up in this pattern. It’s totally holiday-yarn-barf, but somehow, the pattern breaks up any pooling and keeps it interesting. I do love the little spot of pooling on the heel since it kinda looks like a candy cane stripe.
	Pattern: Jaywalker Designer: Grumperina Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm) Yarn: Lang Yarns Jawoll Magic in colorway 1001 –Ravelry Project Link– Because no year is complete without a pair of Jaywalkers. Am I right or am I right? My brother brought back the yarn from a trip to the Netherlands and it was just SO much fun to knit with. The colors are spectacular and made for a fun sock. I had worn them before getting a picture, so they’re not as crisp as they were right off the needles, but they sure are cozy.
	Pattern: Pointelle Designer: Cookie A Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits Sheepy Time MCN in “Driftwood” –Ravelry Project Link– These probably rank as my #3 most difficult pair of the year. It wasn’t that the chart was particularly difficult, but it did involve actually looking at the chart instead of knitting away. I knit the larger size, but probably could’ve done the smaller size since there’s a lot of extra room, especially around the foot. I do love them, and love the subtle variation in the yarn that works well to show off the pattern without swallowing it up.
	Pattern: Simple Skyp Socks Designer: Adrienne Ku Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Yarn: Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett 6-fÃ¤dig 6ply in colorway 05958 –Ravelry Project Link– These were very simple and quick two-day socks. We were going to visit grandma and I needed something quick to knit up for her that she’d enjoy, hence these socks. The bright colors really jumped out at me and the pattern has a neat almost herringbone style motif inbetween the ribbing. Grandma was very happy with them and tried them right on – they fit perfectly! Gotta love ending the year with a fun pair of socks like these.

Finished Objects, Socks

A Year of Sock Knitting, part 1 – 2012

By Sheetar 7 December 2012 19 December 2012

I was originally shooting for 12 in 2012, and I just squeaked by with a quick pair of DK weight socks for grandma. I could probably do another pair, but I don’t think I’ll have the time. Anyway, the lineup is below!

	Pattern: Steampunkery Designer: Heatherly Walker Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm) Yarn: Holiday Yarns FlockSock Sock Yarn in, “Vanilla” – purchased as a kit –Ravelry Project Link– They were an absolute PAIN to knit. I must’ve gotten an early version of the kit because there were errors and omissions throughout the pattern. No errata supplied, nothing. I am happy with the finished product though since they’re SO pretty, and what a neat idea to have the fully functional button up flap on the leg.
	Pattern: Child’s Sock in Miranda Pattern Designer: Nancy Bush Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm) Yarn: Little Red Bicycle’s Boneshaker BFL Sock in, “Oh, Io” –Ravelry Project Link– These were meant to be children’s socks, but I cast on 64 stitches and worked the pattern as normal, ignoring the calf shaping. They came out great, and I love that the pattern is replicated from a historical pattern.
	Pattern: Gentleman’s Fancy Socks Designer: Nancy Bush Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm) Yarn: Knit Picks Essential Solids & Twists in, “Sarge” –Ravelry Project Link– A friend requested socks ages ago and I finally got around to knitting them. What took so long? The requestor has a size 14 men’s shoe! Yikes! Took the better part of 2.25 skeins, but he commented in a thank you note that they are, “easily the coolest pair of socks I’ve ever owned.” WIN!
	Pattern: 14 Karat Designer: Glenna C. Needles: US 1.5 (2.5mm) Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, All Your Base in “Sunken Treasure” –Ravelry Project Link– Twisted stitches Ahoy! The chart was easy to follow, just time consuming, and I’m not good at memorizing charts with cables. Still though, they came out beautifully and I love the color depth in the yarn – there are so many colors that pop out of that yarn.
	Pattern: Business Casual Designer: Tanis LavallÃ©e Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, All Your Base in “Fathoms Below” –Ravelry Project Link– They were easy enough to knit, but the photo doesn’t show the pattern very well. The diamond pattern shows up just fine in real life but didn’t photograph very well. The color is a favorite – I love the greens and black together.
	Pattern: Escher-WÃ¼rfel (Escher’s cube) Designer: Stephanie van der Linden Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Yarn: Sheepy Time Knits, Pearl Necklace in “Grey Matter” –Ravelry Project Link– The pattern is really just a stitch pattern to create the cube effect. I cast on 60 and knit a basic cuff-down sock. I was a little worried that 60 wouldn’t be enough stitches, but it was perfect with enough room (and a little extra) to stretch around my calves. Very happy with how these came out!

Sweaters

Knitting Update – finished objects!

By Sheetar 20 May 2012 18 May 2012

So I actually have been knitting, honest. I just haven’t posted everything here. So, here’s a quick post with a few recent finished objects.

On the top above, is 14 Karat. The yarn is from the club I’ve been a member of for a while now, and is a colorway called “Sunken Treasure.” I figured a pattern referencing jewels would work nicely with a color referencing treasure. They were pretty labor intensive and required working from the computer with the chart, but they’re well worth it!

On the bottom above is Business Casual, using another yarn from the club, this time the colorway was, “Fathoms Below.” Easy to knit, and they worked up pretty quickly. These two pairs of socks were worked at the same time, but the Business Casual socks didn’t require looking at a chart and were taken along with me everywhere. The faux-argyle diamond pattern shows up more in person than it did in the photo, and I really love how they came out.

This is the big project that I’ve had sitting in my Works in Progress (WIP) queue for a while. I started the Royale sweater in November of 2010 for the National Knit a Sweater Month (NaKniSweMo). I got about 5 inches up from the bottom and set it aside. With Ravelympics 2012 coming up soon, the team I joined decided that we should spend the month prior to the Ravelympics ‘training’ and finishing up WIPs. This one isn’t my oldest one, but it was a huge undertaking – the cables, twisted stitches! All the hard work was totally worth it though, I mean, just look at that! It’s sort of unfortunate that I finished now, mid-May, when I won’t be able to wear it all summer long. The pattern and charts were easy to follow. My only big mistake is that I usually don’t do as many increases for the bust as the pattern sizing calls for – everyone has different measurements and should adjust a knit pattern to suit their individual measurements for a best fit. Nooo I just kept trucking along! So, the bust is a little loose, but it’s not a dealbreaker, and there’s NO WAY I am going to go back and work all that over. The yarn used was Valley Yarns Northampton in the color, “Twilight Heather.” The photos above are pretty color accurate, and I’d call the color kind of a purpley maroon heather. I over estimated on the yarn purchase, so I have three skeins left – I’ve got a short torso, so while most folks have 4 or more repeats of that center cable pattern, I only needed three, cutting down drastically on the yarn requirement. Love this to bits, and I’m so glad I finally finished it!

Ceramics, Scarves

All Things Crafty

By Sheetar 15 February 2012 15 February 2012

Spinning and spinning and knitting. Spinning up clay on the wheel, spinning up yarn on a different wheel, and as always, knitting.

Not too long ago, I started going to Cara’s open studio Wednesdays at the Cobb Studio. She’s a wonderful teacher and it’s been an incredible amount of fun getting my hands dirty. I got a quick lesson in throwing clay on a wheel one day when the studio was a little emptier than usual, and I’ve slowly been working on getting better. Just wanted to share a few pieces I’ve made that I’m super happy with so far. The first is a little tea cup. It’s a bit heavy and thick on the bottom, but I absolutely love how the handle came out. The second is a mug with a leaf applied to the side so that you can slip your hand inside and keep your hand warm while you sip on your tea. Unfortunately, I neglected to account for the shrinkage of the clay when it dries, so it came out a little smaller than I expected, but I can still get my fingers inside the little leaf pocket.

For fiber spinning, I’ve spent the last week or so not knitting. I think I may have over-knit recently and my elbow is telling me to take a break. I’ve got two bobbins spun and plied so far, and am working on some 100% silk which is challenging, but AMAZING at the same time. Below, on the left is some superwash merino fiber from Twisted Fiber Art in the colorway, “Maple” and on the right is more superwash merino fiber from PigeonRoof Studios in, “Illuminated Moss.”

Then I have another spun-to-knit project because this month has been all about handspun.

Fiber is from Fiber Optic yarns and is 80% Merino and 20% silk dyed into one big long gradient. The colorway is Gold-Copper-Cinnamon-Espresso.

All spun up! 480 yards, fingering weight, and chain plied to keep the color progression.

Knit into Saroyan! (Ravelry Project Link) The pattern is pretty easy, and the only issue is that it wants to curl up. I thought I had blocked it pretty well, but the garter border at the top still wants to curl under. Other than that, I’m really happy with how this came out and how even the not-so-even handspun knitted up. Can’t wait to wear it out and show it off!

Gloves/Mittens

Owlie Gloves

By Sheetar 7 February 2012 7 February 2012

Owlie Gloves! They’re just too cute, and a great way to use up my growing stash of handspun.

First, the Fiber:

Fiber is by Gnomespun and is Polwarth in colorway, “Hidcote” – I picked this up at Rhinbeck in October 2010

Second, the spun yarn:

Yarn was chain plied, and came out to 328 yards. It probably falls between worsted and DK and is pretty slubby and uneven, but it’s got a very handspun quality to it which is perfect for gloves. The unevenness seems to disappear, especially when knit at a smaller/tighter gauge. The yarn is lofty and squishy and perfect for gloves.

Thirdly, the gloves!:

Pattern is Owlie Mitts that I added fingers to so that I’d have gloves. I love fingerless gloves and mitts, but really, it’s my fingers that get cold, and adding fingers to mitts is pretty easy! They fit perfectly. The gauge is pretty tight (think knitting a thick DK yarn on US 1.5 needles), but there’s no way the cold is getting in through these. The beads were sewn on later rather than knitted in since I didn’t have the crochet hook or floss necessary to add them during the knitting. No big deal. Here’s the Ravelry Project Link if you want to see my short bit of notes.

11 in 2011, Socks

Warm Up Sox

By Sheetar 25 May 2011 23 May 2011

It sounds naughty right? Well the pattern comes from a book called The Joy of Sox, and yes, it’s a clever play on another book about something entirely different. The pattern was originally knit starting at the toe and finishing at the cuff. Now, I can knit socks toe-up, but I loathe every second of it. I learned to knit socks from the cuff down (top-down), and it’s more familiar and comfortable for me. So, I pretty much took the stitch pattern and worked it into a top-down sock. Yeah, the cable is upside down, but it really doesn’t matter to me, and the basic idea of the sock is still preserved (or at least I think so anyway!). Really love the eye searing green from the colorway called, “Night Vision,” and the yarn was fun to knit with, making a squishy pair of socks. So sad that it’s summer and I won’t really be wearing them till the fall again, but when the cold weather comes, I’m sure they’ll be ready for my feet. This is the third finished item in my 11 in 2011 goal for knitting this year.

knitting, Socks, Spinning

Go With the Flow Socks

By Sheetar 16 April 2011 16 April 2011

Finally, another spun-to-finished project. I’ve been accumulating quite the stash of handspun, and I figured it was time to put some to use. The yarn is dyed by Meg at Twisted Fiber Art, and she’s really quite the magician with dye. The colorway is called, “Intrigue,” and was part of a club Meg ran for 3 months. I spun the superwash merino roving into a thin single and then chain or navajo plied the yarn so that the colors would stay together as they were dyed. I ended up with about 425 yards of fingering weight yarn that was then turned into a really squishy pair of Go With the Flow socks. The pattern knitted up quickly, and I only made a few modifications – worked a plain slip-stitch heel and didn’t turn the work inside out after the heel flap was done. I love the way they came out and refuse to take them off now that the photos are taken. Yeah, it’s almost not-sock season, but that won’t stop me from stocking up for the winter!