Buggering Knit Monkies

Knitting Shoulder: abbreviated version

2011-11-15T20:25:44Z

I have been suffering in silence.

I have not been able to knit in 2 weeks.

I hurt myself knitting.

Except that is not entirely true. I hurt myself 4 years ago after I decided to cut down a tree by hand with a rusted saw blade.

Flash forward to almost 4 years later. My shoulder hurts on and off when I do stupid things -- like clap too hard or carry Monty's leash in my right hand. I figured out how to work around it and make it not hurt as much. I coped.

Until I started knitting.

I love knitting. I am good at it. I'm fast. I could knit for hours and, in fact, have done so.

Until now.

I can't move my right arm. My fingers go numb and the muscles around my shoulder (where the rotator cuff is) are screaming in pain at all times. I can't carry anything that weighs anything and my arm aches after typing or surfing the web. I have an appointment to see the doctor and will get a physio referral on Friday.

Until it's fixed, I can't knit.

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See the full post over at Buggering Crap Monkies.

Stitchery too - purses, ereaders and things.

2011-09-22T10:39:39Z

Oops. Thought I pushed publish.

While I did spend a large portion of the summer involved in knitting, I spent a good portion of time sewing too. I love sewing, but my sewing room is sometimes a disaster zone and I either have to face it or not sew.

Also, it takes time away from knitting.

Hats of the baby variety

2011-09-14T16:09:00Z

One of the things I worked on all summer: baby hats. You would think, with the amount of baby things I'd made that I had 6 of them myself, but you would be mistaken. There is just something about baby things that makes me want to knit.

I'm sure it has a lot to do with how lazy I am. I love to knit, but I love to knit things that will be finished sometime before I die of boredom. Baby knits are the perfect cure for that. You can whip something up in a couple of hours and amaze everyone around you -- except the other knitters who think you're selling yourself short.

Who can resist a perfect little hat that can be knit in one evening?

Baby hat atop a pile of books.

Same style, different buttons.

If I'm working on something I'm not overly pleased with, I can set it down and start a baby hat. Baby hats never fail, are always cute, and always finish in an acceptable length of time.

Knitting with a touch of crochet!

My house is full of baby hats now. They are littered across the side tables, piled on top of books, and busting out of drawers.

If only I knew more babies with cold heads.

Remember you can find all my creations at my Etsy shop -- KnitMonkies.

Shrugging it off - Knitting misadventures

2011-09-06T21:14:20Z

It's my own fault. I bought some yarn -- just to try it out. I liked the colour and had worked with the type of yarn before. I thought Oh, just a small project! I ordered two small balls and figured if I wanted more, I could get it easily.

It wasn't until I got the yarn in the mail that I realized I was in love. The yarn was perfect for the project I had in mind -- something for my sister to go with the brooch she had inherited from my Grandma.

I never got a good shot of this. It's so delicate, I couldn't get it right.

The yarn complimented the brooch exactly. Then, I found a pattern that I knew I had to make. It was the delicate shrug found in the book Sock Yarn: One Skein Wonders. I knew I would have to resize it: I mean, it was delicate and "fit small" so no way was it going to fit the likes of the Hingston girls. We're built like brick houses -- girls of good Irish stock. Even with the resizing, I was sure I was safe. It said One Skein and I had two. Duh.

Why do I never learn?

Here is how far I got before I ran out of yarn.

Started. Moments before I ran out of yarn.

Beautiful, right? I knew I had made the right decision. The lack of yarn was a small problem, but I could over come it. I went online to order and... sold out. Until August.

I put the order in and crossed my fingers it would come in before then. Ky was arriving at the end of June and was heading back to BC by the middle of July. Surely the fates would smile on me and send it sooner?

Fate is fickle, fickle mistress.

Two days before Ky was heading back to the coast, the yarn arrived in the mail. Almost a month before the date they thought, but still too late. I hoped I could still make it, but I wasn't sure.

I knit like the wind. (yes, I am aware the wind prefers crochet.)

Two hours before my last chance to get the shrug to Ky, I finished the last stitch. It was a thing of beauty. I couldn't have been more pleased. I sent it off with my friend to give to Ky and that was that.

I hounded Ky for a picture of it with the brooch and her. She doesn't think I should share it, but she wore it just as I intended: as though she was a model from the 40s or 50s. I love it.

Back in the saddle -- knitted, of course

2011-09-06T19:47:06Z

I've been lax on the updating in regards to my knitting. One would think that is because it's summer and thus no knitting has occurred, but one would be wrong. I have been knitting up a storm. I've been knitting so much, in fact, that I have been unable to write anything because it meant putting down the needles.

As an intro back into regular updating (I promise... this time, I mean it!) I thought I would show you what I have been up to.

My sister Ky was nice enough to come and take pictures of my creations for me. After an afternoon of modelling my goods, I finally had a portfolio of sorts. Since the last time I showed you the brooches I got. I figured this time, I would show you some of the finished product.

This is what I created for the brooch that Grandma gave me. I wanted something unique and pretty. I used burgundy wool yarn I got online and found a really cute top down knitted cloche. Seeing it finished? I think I'm in love.

This scarflett is of the same yarn as the hat, but in a brioche stitch. It turned out nice and thick, super chunky and the perfect piece to showcase the snowflake brooch.

Of course, I have a lot more to show you. But, since I promised regular updates... I think I will save them for later.

Brooch-ing a new subject.

2011-05-18T20:10:00Z

Brooches! Or Broaches! Depending on how you want to spell it.

I have been working on many new items over the last few months (you know, since I remembered this blog) but haven't been taking pictures because there is no sunlight in our house and, well, I'm lazy.

But lately, I've come up with an idea that is too good not to share. And, friends, that idea is brooches.

I have brooches and I'm not afraid to use them.

I have been hitting estate sales, garage sales, Grandma's jewelry box, etc to find little gems. Then, I use the brooch to create a pattern for a piece. When the piece is done, the brooch is fixed and the piece is complete.

These three are estate sale finds. The first one cost me $5! I cannot wait to make something that suits them and have a billion ideas for them all.

This one is for my little sister, LynnieC, from my Grandma's collection. I love it and it just looks like it fell from a tree and settled into the grass. I can't wait to make her something awesome to go with it.

And here is my first finished piece that stemmed from this idea: The leave hat. Pattern is mine with some bits and pieces stolen from others.

All in all, I'm pleased!

Lilac scarf

2011-03-09T11:12:00Z

When I found the Lilac yarn at KnitPicks, I knew I had to have it.

I settled on another Eternity scarf -- 26 inches long 6 inches wide.

I'm happy with how it turned out, despite the terrible pictures.

Remember to visit my Etsy shop and tell your friends!

Stuffed.

2011-02-21T01:01:00Z

I decided to try my hand at knitting stuffed animals for friends babies.

They didn't turn out great, but they're cute enough for undiscerning 1.5 year olds.

First was this wee little elephant I adapted from from this pattern.

He was a little awkward to knit, especially since he was so teensy, and he was a little difficult to get balanced, but I like the final result in the end. Especially his wittle tay-ol.

Next, I decided to try this pattern (sorry, you have to be a Bernat member to see it), but not in the boa yarn, since it gives me the heeby-jeebies. Also, I thought a blue dog would be much more interesting than a brown dog, so that's how I made him.

He ended up being ginormous compared to the elephant which was not what I expected. For some reason I figured they'd be the same size.

As I worked on the puppy, things were looking scruffy and ratty, so I ran with it and decided to make that his personality. I put a thread through each ear, and pulled it in so the ears would scrunch up funny.

Then I embroidered the face, and gave him a collar (to try to hide the hack job I did on sewing his head to his neck). I think it works. I like him.

But I've decided that stuffed animals are too hard. I'm going back to scarves, mitts, hats, and maybe sweaters.

Another slouchy hat

2011-02-20T02:54:00Z

I had some left over yarn from my last project, so thought I would make a kick butt hat to go with it. So, I measured and did math and ended up with a great hat about 3 times bigger than I intended. Yet, I love it.

Slouchy hat. The same colour as my hair.

I had to sew a tie in along the part that actually goes on your head because the hat actually settled over my face on my shoulders if left to it's own devices. Thankfully, I love the tie to the side, so it worked out.

Could I look more serious and awkward?

It is so comfortable I've been wearing it for about an hour and just noticed. However, I'm not going to keep it because I always feel so false when I wear hats. Especially indoors. I keep expecting someone is going to rip it off my head and show how bad my hair is underneath.

Over the shoulder shot. I'm so talented.

I will put it on Etsy tonight and hopefully it will go to someone who will love it.

Long scarf turned cowl

2011-02-16T22:46:00Z

I finished my second "for hire" scarf today. That is a good thing because I see the woman tomorrow.

It's a long scarf (about 70 inches) and can be worn double wrapped or full length.

It's pretty simple, but I like it.