1. knit all the things (31 x 31)

On January 21, 2011 I inventoried my yarn, my goal this year is to use it all.

1 skein navy blue lamb's pride wool - the ugly dog sweater
1 ball brown lion acrylic/wool mix, bulky weight - home quilt
1 ball maroon lion arcylic/wool mix, bulky weight - home quilt
3 balls yellow/green/blue wool, bulky weight - the ugly dog sweater
1 ball blue/multicolored silk/wool mix - sea needles blanket
1 ball teal cotton, light weight - sea needles blanket
1 ball spring green alpaca wool, bulky - sea needles blanket
1 ball natural white/tweed wool
1 skein marshmellow cream handspun alpaca/wool mix, bulky
1 skein glowing embers handspun polwarth/llama mix, bulky - sea needles blanket
1 ball peach cotton - sea needles blanket
1 ball white cheap acrylic - sea needles blanket
1 ball baby blue/pompoms cotton - sea needles blanket
1 ball yellow cheap acrylic - sea needles blanket
1 skein grey cotton/acrylic mix - sea needles blanket
1 ball white lion acrylic/wool mix, bulky weight - home quilt
2 balls black lion acrylic, bulky weight - sea needles blanket, gnome hat
2 balls royal purple Jenny gift, wool - international yarn bomb
1 ball mardigras confetti silk/cotton mix - sea needles blanket
1 ball heather lion acrylic bulky - sea needles blanket
1 skein lavendar acrylic baby weight - sea needles blanket
1 ball dark grey wool, fingering weight - sea needles blanket
1 ball shag-carpet blood orange acrylic - sea needles blanket
1 ball beige acrylic, baby weight - sea needles blanket
1 ball blue/lavendar/pink Colorado wool - sea needles blanket
1 skein damaged baby green cotton, fingering weight - sea needles blanket
1 ball black cotton/alpaca mix - Millennium Falcon
2 balls military green acrylic/cotton mix - Millennium Falcon
1 ball light grey acrylic, baby weight - sea needles blanket
1 skein rainbow acrylic I Love this Yarn! - sea needles blanket
1 ball dusky orange wool, bulky weight - sea needles blanket
1 ball champagne acrylic fingering weight - sea needles blanket
1 ball forrest green wool - sea needles blanket
1 ball purple/light green/dark green/cobalt wool - sea needles blanket
Crayon Knit Picks: Blue (4 skeins), green (4 skeins), buttermilk (5 skeins) - kate baby blanket (not finished)
Shine Worsted: Light grey (4 balls), green (2 balls), teal (3 balls), salmon (2 balls) - sea needles blanket, rae rae blanket
1 ball pink cotton - sea needles blanket
1 ball white cotton - Millennium Falcon
1 ball rainbow/white wool - sea needles blanket
1 ball cobalt mohair wool - sea needles blanket
1 skein (1 pound) black acrylic - sea needles blanket, Millennium Falcon, rae rae blanket
1 skein natural white fisherman's wool - Unicorn Sweater
1 skein natural brown fisherman's wool - Unicorn Sweater
2 skeins madarin petit baby blue cotton - sea needles blanket, Face mask for Sarah
2 skeins dusky light green wool/acrylic mix - ninja blanket
2 skeins dusky beige wool/acrylic mix - ninja blanket
9 skeins natural organic cotton - Face mask for Bernie, cast sock for Debbie,

Let this knit begin!

Ugly Dog Sweater:




Pixie Hat


Amy & Joe Ring bearing pillows




Ninja Blanket


Face Mask


Home Quilt


Millennium Falcon blanket


Gui Baby Sweater


Alexi Gnome Hat


Bilbao Headband (commissioned)


Steph Gater


Xy headband (commissioned)


Sea Needles Blanket


International Yarn Bombing project


rae rae blanket


Current Projects:
Socks - Jojoland Rhythm black, yellow
leggings - fisherman's wool, brown
scarf - malabrigo worsted wool
throw - grandma's reuse, teal
throw - waterford wool, grey
fair isle sweater - alpaca wool: 4 skeins olive, 2 skeins royal blue, 1 skein baby blue, 2 skein royal purple
baby sweater - taco, Crayon Knit Picks: Blue (3 skeins), green (3 skeins), buttermilk (4 skeins)
baby sweater - aiko baby cashmere, sky blue
daisy blanket - spud & chloe watermelon, pollen, ice cream
circles blanket - dusky light green wool/acrylic mix, dusky beige wool/acrylic mix
sofa throw - natural organic cotton

Unaccounted for stash:
red acrylic half pound ball
1 ball dusky teal wool
1 ball dusky orange wool
1 ball dusky grey cotton/alpaca mix
2 skein abstraction blue corriedale blue

29. knit a blanket with +10 strands of yarn (32x32)

This item was initiated sometime last spring when I saw a youtube video of some ladies knitting with 1000 strands of yarn:

This led to watching a video on garden knitting:


which inspired a way to "knit all the things" which was the first item on my list of 31 x 31. Unfortunately, I got more yarn as gifts so, have been unable to use up my stash completely, which was the goal. This project put a SERIOUS dent in the stash though.

I wound the yarn for this project the first time sometime in the Spring of 2011.





Then, I found projects which I needed some of the yarn I had already wound, so I deconstructed the garden yarn...


in the process pulling a Lillputian move on Cara's cat, Tea Bags.


I used some of the grey and black and olive for the Millennium Falcon baby blanket. Then I actually finished the sea needles for the project at my dad's work shop. When I brought them home, I readied the yarn again, using the same method as before.



After knitting with the yarn though, I think a better method would have been to not wrap them all together, but to keep the skeins seperated in their boxes and to pull directly from the skeins. It added a lot of extra work AND the tension wasn't uniform throughout so I had to interrupt the strands by cutting and reconnecting them.

Cast on:


A few rows into it:


After one night!





All done after finishing the Sherlock series, the Downton Abbey Series, and a few episodes into Psych. This project went very quickly! And now off to Sandy & Michael's place up in the Small Wonderful, after they were so kind to watch Clawdia with such care last year.

4. Crochet a doile (31x31) or, The Eternal Feminism

The Complete Book of Crochet. 1946. Mathieson, Elizabeth L. Greystone Press, New York, NY.

History of Crochet
"Today, when crochet is enjoying such unprecedented vogue, it is doubly interesting to delve into its past and discover that what once helped save a nation from starvation became the accomplishment of queens. By curious irony, though its history dates back to the sixteenth century, crochet only came into its own with the birth of the Machine Age and has been growing in popularity ever since.

"The word itself is derived from the French crochet, meaning hook. Originally the crochet hook was one of a number of tools used in the intricate process of lace making. As time when on, a repertoire of stitches and designs evolved, and crocheting graduated into a separate and pleasurable art. In the beginning it was was almost entirely a convent art, classified with other types of handiwork under the general heading of nuns' work. It took a famine - the great Irish Famine of 1846 - to give crochet its greatest impetus. At the time nuns taught it to their pupils and the proceeds derived from the sales of crocheted articles helped alleviate existing miseries. It was then that it became, along with playing the harpsichord, one of the graceful accomplishments of the well-born young lady.

"Fascinating and versatile, crochet has become one of our best-loved handcrafts. With hook and thread agile fingers are capable of producing an endless variety of beautiful modern and traditional designs, each with its own special charm. Probably one of the loveliest is that known as Irish Crochet, famous as far back as 1743 when the Royal Dublin Society awarded prizes for outstanding examples of the art. During the famine it became more generally popular when rare patterns of old lace were so skillfully copied by the Irish girls.

"The machine has brought us many comforts and luxuries, but when it comes to the touch of beauty which is every woman's birthright, nothing, it appears, will ever supplant the charm and inimitable loveliness of the "handmade." This is especially true of crochet. There is a joy in wearing it, a subtle magic that goes into it, that the machine cannot copy or equal. That is the secret charm of crochet - whether it is done for profit, or as a hobby, a means of brightening a wardrobe or beautifying a home. It is an art that grows on you."

I am all about the hyperbole, but this lady takes the cake. I started reading this around 11:00pm last night.







I attempted a few different doilies, but then I read on to the chapter...

Irish Beauties [and since I am one of those, I thought this would be the more appropriate place to start my birthright crochet career]

"Way back in 1743 Irish crochet was winning handwork prizes. Today connoisseurs still consider it one of the loveliest designs in the crochet family. The world has done a lot of changing in the intervening years but The Eternal Feminine remains essentially the same - home and family still her dominant interests - the same need to make her surroundings attractive.

"For two hundred years exquisite examples of Irish crochet have graced the homes of beauty-loving women. As a decorative accessory it is extraordinarily versatile. Even a small amount used as a trimming - either as an edging or insertion - can transform a counterpane into a notable beauty, give an everyday tablecloth party manners [or Betty Friedan a headache]. Curtains, pillow shams, dressing-table skirts - any number of household needs - acquire new personalities [like Sybil] when treated to an Irish edging."

All feminism aside, they ARE very lovely patterns. You can see the Irish Roses, periwinkles, thistles, and heather in the laces below.



I decided to try 7577 with silk I frogged from a scarf Mart got me for Christmas a few years ago and a crochet hook I yoinked from Jenna when she was moving to Brooklyn. Turns out the crochet hook was too large for the gauge silk thread I am using. So! I HAD to go to the yarn shop and get another hook. Dang.



Crochet has an entirely new set of abbreviations which I hope to forget quickly.

20. knit an adult-sized sweater or cardigan (31x31)

Also, I registered with ravelry! http://www.ravelry.com/people/banannas. I fell behind with noting my stash though, so when I go to post about 1. knit all the things, I'll update it then.

I started with a picture of a unicorn silhouette, found in a google search.
http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/File:Silhouette_unicorn.jpg

Then I used a (life-saving) website, http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/ to make the picture into a knitting pattern:


Half-way through the project, I decided to add a little flare to the sleeve, so I drew this pattern on top of the unicorn pattern so the scale would be correct.


I used 3 single pound skeins of Lion's Brand Fisherman's Wool for this project. The pattern "Piers" by Martin Storey in the Rowan Vintage Knits book. I followed some parts of the pattern, but apparently you really should follow ALL the parts of the pattern. I used different sized needles and did not use the same weight yarn, so my shoulders are GINORMOUS, and the collar chokes me.

With the front and back plackets sewn together on one side, with one sleeve attached.




All the seams sewn, no collar yet.


Final product!

21. make garden needles (32x32)

First, find some great big sticks from which you will make your needles. I found mine on the side of 95South in the small wonderful.


Then shave off all the bark and things that yarn would catch. I tried to use a planer for this task, ended up bruising my hand something heinous.


After abandoning my tools for Daddy's more extensive set of chisels, I managed to chisel off all of the little knots and bumps on the sticks. There were still lots of splinters and rough wood so I thought I'd try to use the table sander for the job.


Shop chic: ear protections, eye protection.

Bonus of the wood shop: a ventilation system to suck the dusty air outside, a room-wide vacuum machine hooked up to the radial arm saw, table sander, and band saw (fucking brilliant)

In the following picture, from left to right, you can see the progression of work. The first needle was finished with a planer, the second with the chisels, the third with the band saw and the table sander. This method turned out very well. The first one I did was with a piece of drift wood collect from the Fenwick marsh, but there was only enough wood for one needle. The second time around, I tried using some pine driftwood, which was breaking apart too easily. The third time was charmed. The driftwood was most likely from a poplar tree.




Luckily, I was able to spare the natural knob at the base of the needle. They ended being about four feet long and about an inch and a half in diameter.




How to tell if you are a carpenter's daughter:
1. Your snot looks like this

2. it's not coke, just sawdust, I swear!

3. you can take a nic and keep on ticking.
4. your modus operandi is trial and error, that way you get to use as many tools as possible.