Author Archives: The Incurable Homebody

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About The Incurable Homebody

(A.k.a. Maya.) Full-time DIY video producer, part-time blogger, socially awkward recluse, and a crafter with a purpose. I blog about crafting and the pursuit of confidence for the socially anxious.

my ravelry “meret”

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green-beret-top

I’ve finally put my Ravelry account to good use and made this beret (or “meret,” short for “mystery beret,” as it’s called on the site) from a free pattern. All you knitters who do not have a Ravelry account, get one pronto! I used Berocco Ultra Alpaca yarn in Pea Soup, and I loved working with it. Overall, this beret was a fast and fun knit. I want to make a few more — perhaps with a little more slouch — so I’m crossing my fingers in the hope that we’ll get another month or so more of this invigoratingly cold weather! (I live in L.A., hence the need for crossed fingers.)

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new dress + craft sabbath

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I certainly do live up to my blog title. And being such a homebody, I don’t often get the chance to socialize. Which is why I decided to host something which I’ve dubbed Craft Sabbath — a time for folks to get together to get their craft on. I originally intended for it to be a bi-weekly, every-other-Sunday affair — but this proves difficult as I’m attempting to balance full time employment, grad school, a band, and a host of hobbies. So it looks like Craft Sabbath will turn out to be a once-a-month thing. Still, a group of people showed up for the very first Craft Sabbath on the 4th to knit or to learn how to knit, eat snacks, sip beverages and to chat. (Thanks for the terrific photos, Damien!)

Also, I made a new dress from the same pattern I used for my orange/white striped minidress a little while back. It’s a Built By Wendy (Simplicity 3835) raglan sleeve number that was meant for a woven fabric, but I decided to use a stretch knit so that I didn’t have to put a zipper in the back because I’m lazy that way. I got the fabric on sale and I don’t know what it’s comprised of exactly. Rayon maybe? It’s very smooth and stretchy and reminds me a bit of bathing suit fabric. Anyway, now that I know that this pattern can be used with jersey knits with great success, I’ll have to make a couple more in order to put a dent in the large stash of printed jersey knits that’s piled up in my closet.

happy feet

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First off — happy new year fellow crafters! Hope your 2009 brims with joy and inspiration.

I’ve only just recently tackled knitting socks (I’ve been crocheting them up till now) and since learning, I’ve been dying to try out some self-striping yarn. And as I’d been given some Michael’s craft store gift cards for Christmas and said establishment had every skein of yarn on sale (up to 75% off!) this past weekend, I couldn’t resist stocking up on some mega cheap (my apologies, fiber snobs!) but mega fun yarn. For these socks (still in progress) I’m using Red Heart’s Heart and Sole yarn in Razzle Dazzle. I’m not only amazed by the stripes, but by the fair-isle type designs that magically appear as well! I’ve known for a while that such yarn existed, but I still couldn’t helped but get giddy when I saw the designs form before my eyes.

Also completed a pair of chunky cabled leg warmers. I didn’t pay attention to counting the rows between crossing the cables because I wanted a very primitive, almost childlike feel. That and I wanted to be able to watch television at the same time I knitted them. Haha.

I’m a sucker for flecks — especially colorful ones like in this Moda Dea Tweedle Dee yarn (in Sahara).

first step towards a more colorful kitchen

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img_1559Never pass up the chance to make a thing of beauty out of something mundane. It’s one of the secrets of happiness if you ask me. Take, for example, the humble dish towel. Why need they be drab? I found myself in need of a couple, so instead of buying some run-of-the-mill factory made ones, I decided to buy myself some cheerful (and cheap!) cotton yarn and knit my own. For the one pictured at left, I used Vogue Knitting’s embossed vine and leaves pattern (free online here) and the other is a simple stripe using three colors and super easy stitch patterns: garter, moss and seed. The yarn cost me less than $4, and the effect these cheery towels have on my mood when I dry my wet mugs is priceless. Now that I’ve seen what a little splash of color can do, I think I might have to knit myself a pair of cafe curtain panels to match!

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bobbles and twists

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Happy to say that I’ve achieved my goal to complete all my Christmas presents by the 15th! Woohoo!

This is also a milestone post for me, as I’ve attempted to write out my very first knitting pattern. I wanted to make some arm warmers/gauntlets that had both cables and bobbles, but found none that I liked, so I took a stab at designing my own — and I think they came out alright. I’m a little bit nervous about sharing my first pattern, but here goes. Please do tell me if there are any errors.

Note: I tried, at first, to knit them in the round with double pointed needles so I wouldn’t have to seam, but it wasn’t fun making the bobbles and cables while contending with all those needles, so I switched to straights. If you absolutely hate sewing and you’re more adept at DPNs than me, then they’d definitely be the better choice.

Bobbles and Twists Arm Warmer

US Size 9 (5.5 mm) straight needles
Gauge: 4 stitches in stockinette = 1”
Worsted weight yarn of your choice.

MB = Make bobble. [k1, yo, k1, yo, k1] all in one stitch (you have turned one stitch into 5), turn and p5, turn and sl 2, k3 together, pass 2 stitches over the first stitch. For video instructions on how to make a bobble, click here and see “Creating Basic Bobbles” under Decorative Stitches.

(Bobbles and Vines panel from Reader’s Digest Ultimate Sourcebook for Knitting and Crochet Stitches.)

Right arm warmer:

CO 34
Rows 1 and 3: *k2, p2, repeat * to the end
Rows 2 and 4: *p2, k2, repeat * to the end
–Start Bobble/Cable pattern between stitch markers with reverse St st on either side of markers–
Row 5 (RS): p6, pm, k16, pm, p12
Row 6 (WS): k12, p16, k6.
Rows 7 & 8: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches
Row 9 (RS): p6, slip 4 stitches on CN and place in front of work, k4, k4 from CN, k3, MB, k4, p12
Rows 10 – 14: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches
Row 15 (RS): p6, k4, MB, k3, slip 4 stitches on CN and place in back of work, k4, k4 from CN, p12

Repeat Rows 5 – 15 until the arm warmer is the desired length (not including the lower ribbed edge). Mine have three full bobble/cable pattern repeats before beginning the ribbing.

Next row (RS): *k2, p2, repeat * to the end of the row
Continue in k2, p2 rib for 9 more rows
Cast off in pattern.

Left arm warmer:

CO 34
Rows 1 and 3: *k2, p2, repeat from * to the end
Rows 2 and 4: *p2, k2, repeat from * to the end
–Start Bobble/Cable pattern between stitch markers with reverse St st on either side of markers–
Row 5 (RS): p12, pm, k16, pm, p6
Row 6 (WS): k6, p16, k12.
Rows 7 & 8: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches
Row 9 (RS): p12, k4, MB, k3, slip 4 stitches on CN and place in back of work, k4, k4 from CN, p6
Rows 10 – 14: Knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches
Row 15 (RS): p12, slip 4 stitches on CN and place in front of work, k4, k4 from CN, k3, MB, k4, p6

Next row (RS): *k2, p2, repeat * to the end of the row
Continue in k2, p2 rib for 9 more rows
Cast off.

Finishing:
Sew the side seams to make a tube, leaving a gap approximately 2.5 inches long for a thumb opening. If desired, you can pick up stitches around thumb opening to create a thumb gusset in the round with DPNs—but I’m lazy and never bother. 🙂

Please let me know if you make them yourself. I’d love to see!

more christmas knits

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***CHRISTMAS PRESENT SPOILER ALERT!!!***

More Christmas knits to report.

First off, how adorable are these miniature sweaters?! They’re meant to be tree ornaments, but I thought (if made slightly bigger) they would make terrific gift card holders. So I made these and that’s what I intend to use them for. Might also make one for myself to hang from my rearview mirror. This pattern (and many more) are available free here at the Berocco site.

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A chunky cabled neckwarmer (no pattern used — pretty straightforward cable pattern done over 6 stitches with seed stitch on either side).

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And some fingerless mitts, one embellished with very simple embroidery and the other with an ultra easy fair isle pattern.

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warm things for winter

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**CHRISTMAS PRESENT SPOILER ALERT! Friends and family, read on at your own risk!**

I was that high school slacker who pulled caffeine-fueled all-nighters banging out term papers begun just that evening but due the next morning…and my lousy grades reflected my habitual lack of planning. After much determination and effort to put that all behind me, I’m proud to say that I’ve learned to get (most) things completed way ahead of time—including taking care of my Christmas list before the holiday crunch. This year, pretty much everyone’s going to get a knitted/crocheted item—but of course I’ll try to throw in a sewn one here and there as well.

So, needless to say, every free minute I’ve had for the past couple weeks has been spent knitting gifts, as my goal is to have them all completed no later than December 15th. We’ll see how I fare!

So far, I’ve made this crocheted Peruvian style earflap hat using this pattern…

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…a basketweave stitch scarf (not pictured), and some neckwarmers…

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…using this very pretty lace scarf pattern, free here. I cut the scarf in half lengthwise (cast on 17 instead of 34 as the pattern calls for) as the lace pattern was repeated once on each row, and I used a thicker weight yarn — and I love the result!

Last but not least, get a load of this ultra kitschy 70s-style clutch, complete with pom-poms, that I made with some leftover yarn. knitted it up on a whim just this evening, but I’m not sure if it’ll get stuffed into any stockings this year. Think the kitsch factor might be too high on this one to consider it a serious gift!

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orange crush

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Orange is definitely my color of choice for this winter. Actually, it’s been my color of choice for the past two winters…as well as the past few springs, summers, and falls. Alright, forget what I said, I just love orange in general. And to prove it, I present here two creations: a completed cardi-belt set and a UFO (unfinished object, for my non crafting readers) — the Best Friend Cardigan from Big City Knits I’d mentioned in the last post.

So, energized by my first knitted garment, I set to work on this little number that I based on my blue shrug. I basically extended the length (decreased a bit at the center back so it wouldn’t be too baggy), added about 5 inches of ribbing on the bottom edge and created a two-button seed stitch belt to give it some shaping. I’m thinking it might end up someone’s Christmas present.

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And now for the UFO. When I first laid eyes on this cardigan in Twinkle’s Big City Knits, it was love at first sight, so I delved right in without going online to check for any tips from other knitters who’d attempted the same project. Had I done so, I would have discovered that this item knits up tiny. And I mean TIIIIIINY.

So, all the knitting is done (I had plenty o’ of fun making those bobbles and cables!) and all that’s left to do is to attach the sleeves, sew on the buttons and weave in the ends…all of that tedious stuff that I HATE to do. And since it’s ended up too small for me to wear, I ran out of the motivation to complete it. *sigh* So for the moment, it’s shelved until I find a little girl to give it to. Either that, or a very thin friend.

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my first knitted garment!

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Well not exactly my first, but my first wearable knit garment, that’s for certain. Hurrah! I’ve finally graduated from beginning knitter to advanced beginning knitter, but not without a whole lot of trial and error (with the scales tipped toward the error). But oh how happy I am to have finally knitted something that I can actually wear outside of the house! I made this Anthropologie Inspired Shrug, an adorable pattern (and a super fast project, btw!) that I found on Craftser.org.

Inspired by this success, I’m currently attempting to make the funky, chunky “Best Friend Cardigan” from Twinkle’s Big City Knits — a book that contains some of the most gorgeous knitting patterns I’ve ever seen. We’ll see if it doesn’t end up being ripped right back into a humble yarn ball like so many of my other failed attempts at making something too fabulous for my skill set. Gotta have hope, though!

to obi or not to obi

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I apologize for the crummy blog title, but it’s past midnight and when it comes to wordsmithing, I’m definitely a morning person. So, I think it’s fair to assume that I will NEVER tire of the Burdastyle Anda dress + obi belt combo. First off, this dress is so easy to make, it’s almost laughable — and when paired with an obi belt (doesn’t have to be an obi, really, any type of waist cincher will do) it’s also incredibly chic and figure flattering. Also, simple dresses like this are perfect for showing off a bold print. That said, I’m totally unapologetic for the amount of Anda dresses I’ve made — and for the number I shall make in the future!