May The Fourth Be With You

On May 4, 2017 By FogKnitsIn Crochet, FO Friday, Toy3 Comments

Happy Star Wars Day! and May the Fourth be with you!

My intergalactic amigurumi crochet collection is growing! I gotta say, I’m happy to see this Stormtrooper killed. He’s kind of a reject anyway. If Yoda didn’t do it, Vader would have, soon enough.

While he does look more like a Stormtrooper than a Village Person, he’s a summary of everything I dislike about making stuffies. He’s just a bit off.

At least he’s less phallic than when he started. It makes me wish Rebecca Danger wrote a Star Wars book. I love her toy design. Her pieces aren’t sewn together but rather, picked up and worked more continuously.

That said, if you’re good at tiny finishing and you like fiddly bits, this is the book for you! Rumor has it, you can find it at Costco these days.

I’m not letting the dark side win, I’ll be back to crochet another day. For now though, I’m just going to enjoy a day filled with nerdy puns—and KNITTING!

May The Fourth Be With YOU!

Friday Photo Dump

On April 7, 2017April 7, 2017 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Misc, Scarf, Shawl, Toy, Yarn3 Comments

Hoooooray for Friday! I’m very excited to get some knitting done this weekend! In the meantime, here’s a random bunch of pictures I took but haven’t shared yet!

First, some yarn my Mom dyed for me recently! The olivey green is going to become a felted hat with a wide brim. The color has a lot of depth to it, lots of gold & mustardy tones to it. Hopefully that’s not lost when it’s felted.

The multi is a special handspun yarn I got in Iceland. Not sure what to do with it yet. Something for the torso I think. It’s the soft part of the Icelandic wool, next to skin softness for sure!

Next, my little Yoda, done he is!

His friends will be joining him soon.

My latest foray into beading. The beaded part was lots of fun! I didn’t even mind the pre-strung business. It’s tough on the yarn but it’s way less fiddly that stopping to pick up a crochet hook every time you place a bead. Now it’s just slogging through a regular old scarf. No bells or whistles to get excited about. Oh well, that is what I signed on for after all…

And last but not least, the sequence knitting shawl has been getting lots of outdoor love with spring springing so much in the recent weeks! I’m really looking forward to wearing this one. If all goes according to plan, I predict I’ll love it!

Hope you all have a beautiful weekend filled with lots of knitting! Only a couple hours to go, I’m confident I’ll make it…

Last Minute Halloween Costume

On October 29, 2016October 29, 2016 By FogKnitsIn Crochet, FO Friday, Hat, Toy4 Comments

Who doesn’t need a last minute Halloween costume?? If you’ve got a crochet hook and a bit of green yarn, I’ve got your solution!

It’s a Brain Slug! (which is pretty much what it sounds like.)

It’s a free crochet pattern. You can find it here!

I whipped this little fellow up in a couple hours. Using the safety eye was genius…It’s holding the white of the eye in place as well. No Sew Eye! And he’s sitting on a skinny little headband, just slipped the headband through his stitches and slid him into place! No sewing there either!

Honestly, I didn’t even sew the antenna, I just pulled their ends through and tied them. I even left the ends uncut on the inside…it’s just more stuffing!

I doesn’t get any easier! There’s still time…you could have a costume for that party tonight!

IF…you have the right stash.

(Really, this is a post about stash justification. It only works if you’ve got the right stash. How do you know if your stash is right? You don’t. You’ve gotta collect all the yarns. See?? Proof right here! It’s on the internet, it must be true!)

Happy Halloweekend!!

FO Friday -It’s a girl!

On August 5, 2016 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Hat, Toy11 Comments

With the excitement of a new baby close to home, I wasn’t knitting for a far away baby. It probably helped that far away baby was gender neutral until birth! Imagine that, some folks still like to be surprised at delivery?? I have horrible impulse control, no way I would have been able to wait that long.

The wait is over…It’s a girl! Trillium has arrived and she’s beautiful! I whipped up a quick hat, inspired by her name.

Although, perhaps, it may be a stretch to call a literal representation of something inspiration. In any case, I didn’t know Trillium was a flower. Imagine my delight at finding out it’s an easily knit flower! A Chrysanthemum hat would not have happened!

And then, I had to make something for Trillium’s new big sister! As a kid, I really loved getting presents on my sister’s birthday. Presents for everyone. Who can argue with that? Plus, new knitting is always more exciting than old knitting. So big sister got a monster!

Find the specific details on my Ravelry pages…

Trillium Hat –

The hat is a pattern I concocted myself starting with a picot cast on. The flower is a free pattern with some modifications.

Blue Monster –

This guy is a Rebecca Danger monster. He’s mostly Lydia or Lucas. Her designs are super fun to modify. The options for mixing and matching monster limbs and bodies are endless! This will not be my last monster. Stash busting and instant gratification! Yay!

And now, to prepare for the Ravellenic Games cast on! I still haven’t fully decided what I’m doing. Egads! Time to decide!

The Best of the Secrets

On July 21, 2016 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Toy11 Comments

I saved the best of the secret knitting, or at least the cutest, for last! In addition to the baby sweater, the gift I gave and the gift I received, there was a group project for our pregnant gal! We debated what to do for a long time. Squares for a blanket seemed easiest except when it came to assembly. No one wanted to volunteer for that! Seaming your own work is chore enough. Seaming someone else’s work takes a special kind of nutty.

We started to run out of time. We couldn’t decided on a type of project, let alone a pattern or yarn. And then a flash of brilliance struck! Someone suggested a mobile…perfect! Picking a theme was easy for our resident biologist/open water swimmer…Under the sea!

We all set out to pick our own patterns, use our own yarn, knit at our own gauge. Exactly the type of accommodations a group project of this nature needed! In the end, the ‘related separates’ idea brought a terrific dynamic to the finished mobile. Every critter has it’s own little personality. If one of us had made all the critters, I think it would have been a bit flat. They’d all be the same style, a bit homogenized. Instead, we’ve got a super little underwater party happening!

As the collection started to grow, we still needed someone to do assembly. Being unemployed, I had the time so I volunteered. I just kinda winged it all, and somehow it all worked out! I started by wrapping the inside hoops of a couple old embroidery in yarn, some random random Noro from the stash. Yay Stashbusting!

Then I hung the critters using an invisible nylon thread. Took a little trial and error to get the best method but in the end, everybody played nice together!

As it came together, it was hard to contain the excitement of how perfect it really was. In the end, everyone loved it and it fit the nursery perfect. It’s hard to think of adjectives other than ‘perfect’ and ‘adorable’. Once again, not having a plan, was a really good plan!

13645193_10153918672293198_7765544579158115717_n

Get a closer look and more details on some of the critters here:

And now, it’s time to get back to current knitting. I’m only halfway through my 576 stitch beaded picot bind off. Progress, thy is Thursday!

Stuff on my Cat

On May 9, 2016May 9, 2016 By FogKnitsIn FO Friday, Hat, Rocky, Toy7 Comments

Of all the ridiculous things I’ve done in my time (Hello knit portrait of Bill Murray!), I’ve never submitted a photo to Stuff on my Cat. I think I’ve found a new mission in life! I’m envisioning the scene from ET when he uses stuffed animal camouflage to hide.

Rocky isn’t convinced yet but I think I can win him over with the power of knitting and an assist from Rebecca Danger! Clearly, I’ve got my work cut out for me! Today, I’ve got twice as many critters as I did yesterday…so I’m making progress!

$stuff on my cat fractional fish rebecca danger knitting$

This little swimmer is the Fractional Fish from Rebecca Danger’s 50 Yards of Fun. Yay Stashbusting! And three cheers for instant gratification knitting!

Once the instant gratification bug hits, there’s not much to be done except ride it out. I think it’s going to be another hat binge. This blog has operated for 28 days without a finished hat!?! It’s time.

So I jumped in with both needles! It took about two inches for reality to set in. The yarn will absolutely win this round of yarn chicken so I quit while I was ahead. I ripped it off the needles but couldn’t bring myself to undo it. At least, not yet. I really like the way the variegation is pooling & spiraling, maybe I’ll find a way to salvage it! In the meantime, the needles are clicking away on this…

…definitely enough yarn this time! This is some of the yarn my Mom dyed for me. I think the ‘special occasion’ I’ve been saving it for is finally here! I’ve got an idea. It’s a good one. It involves surface crochet?!? I rely on duplicate stitch too much. It’s time for something new!

Fingers crossed that I’ll have something noteworthy to share for FO Friday! I’m excited about this one!

Being Knitworthy

On January 31, 2016February 1, 2016 By FogKnitsIn Misc, Toy12 Comments

Every knitter has it — the knitworthy list.

It’s always been hard to get on my list and it’s only gotten harder as the years pass. Just because I can do something, doesn’t mean I want to or that I ever will, so don’t ask! That’s rule #1 of being knitworthy. Coincidentally, it’s also rule #2 of ~~Fight Club~~ being knitworthy, DON’T ASK.

So how does one become knitworthy? First you have to realize that knitting takes time, a whole lotta precious time, it takes patience and time, to do it right. You also have to realize that it takes money, a whole lotta spending money, plenty of money, to do it right. (And it helps if you know that’s a George Harrison reference!)

After that, it’s like winning the lottery. You need to be at the place where my inspiration, your birthday and jupiter all align. Once you’re on the knitworthy list though, there are some things you can do stay on the list, like show your appreciation through photos! I love seeing my knits in action shots.

I was blessed this weekend with lots of knitterly appreciation! First, my sister sent me pictures of her silly, dress-up loving cats in their new hats…

12637181_10208172431492071_471362891_o (1)

As if that didn’t tickle my fancy enough, I was treated to an entire album of photos featuring my old pal Roscoe. Roscoe went to live with a little friend of mine. Little Friend’s Dad went on a business trip to Shanghai and Roscoe tagged along, Flat Stanley style!

12604773_1138319202867256_4735232608146853735_o

12605459_1138318236200686_385907775685853376_o

12640322_1138317929534050_4184354847998394612_o

12640322_1138317936200716_7780074599603190757_o

12640501_1138316109534232_3748089542144230558_o

Roscoe went sightseeing. He went to restaurants. He went to work. He posed for pictures with all of Dad’s coworkers…several times over! Yes, Roscoe had a grand old time.

And that, my friends, is how you stay on the knitworthy list! It takes serious commitment but then again, so does knitting!