What's Going On

So despite the dearth of posts on this supposed log of my crafting adventures, a fair amount of crafting has actually been going on.

Evidence #1: Baby Thorpe Hat

This knit is not technically done because I can't decide if I want to add the braids at the end of the ear flaps or not. Here are a few examples with the braids. But it looks kind of cool without. Since this hat is intended for a baby, will the braid be a safety problem? What do you think?

Evidence #2: Birthday Tote Bag

It is my first sewing project in a long time and OMG! I love sewing! I'm going to have to incorporate more of it into my crafting time. Sewing is near-instant gratification compared to knitting.

I spent a few hours on my birthday to indulge in making this project and it was pure bliss. The fabric is from Purl Warehouse, purchased during this blog buddy visit, and the pattern is adapted from this tutorial. Nothing but good things to say about this finished object. I've been using the bag everyday and it makes me proud and happy every time I pick it up. If that is not the point of crafting, then I don't know what is.

Evidence #3: My Current Work in Progress...The Flutter Sleeve Cardigan

Smooth sailing so far. I am determined to finish this before starting another project, so thank goodness it only has three pieces!

So let me know what you think about the braids on my Baby Thorpe Hat. Otherwise I'll be forced to flip a coin! Decisions, decisions....

2001 Revived and Holiday Crafting Wrap Up

The Christmas handmade crafts are (finally) over. Thanks goodness. It was a lot of fun to commit to handmade for the holidays, but boy oh boy, it was a lot of work. I didn't get to everything on my list, but I am very happy with the things I did get finished.

After all that, I don't have any photos of the recipients with their gifts. Bleh, always a day late and a dollar short in this house.

Dear family - please snap a photo of you and your hand made gift and send the pics to me. Pretty please? I'll crop your face out if you don't want it to be on the blog. Thanks!

I can at least share a run down of what I worked on:
* Foliage for my brother, made with DELICIOUS Malabrigo merino worsted in Azul Profundo (my Ravelry page on this project)
* Thuja socks for my dad, made with Colinette Cadenza (a new find and I love it!)
* My So Called Scarf for my step-mom, made with recycled yarn from a sweater she gave me that never quite fit (her or me) right
* Embroidered felt ornaments for my mother-in-law and father-in-law, made from some of this felt

I did get a quick photo of Mr. Hipp wearing my brother's Foliage before it was gifted. He liked it so much, he asked for a Koolhaas out of the same yarn, but we'll see what happens with that. Mr. Hipp is a patient man. He can be patient a little longer.

I knew I couldn't hand make something for everyone on my list, so I turned to Etsy. This amazing motorcycle passport holder went to one (future) sister-in-law and this cute owl tote went to the other sister-in-law. Etsy is freaking great. I am so going to use it again next Christmas.

My poor mom is still waiting on her Guilt Socks and some newly requested fingerless mitts (perhaps a solid color version of these?). She even bought me the Cascade 200 over Thanksgiving for the mitts. *Sigh* I just couldn't get the mojo going for these projects. She ended up with not one hand made gift this Christmas. Bad Mrs. Hipp. Mom - your birthday is coming up so don't despair!

In the meantime, I have been distracting myself from my responsibilities (knitterly and otherwise) with a different project for Mr. Hipp.

A bulky version of Cobblestone (Ravelry link) by brooklyntweed (aka Jared Flood). Does this yarn look familiar? It's the Reynolds Lopi I bought seven years ago to make a sweater for Mr. Hipp. That sad thing was frogged earlier this year and is now bring revived into a Cobblestone. Let's hope its second incarnation is a happier one.

Happy 2008 everyone!

Should I Dye or Reverse the Sock Pal Karma?

Sockapalooza 4 has arrived to Casa de Hipp. Just my luck, I have been assigned to knit socks for a master sock knitter. She seriously posts four new pairs of hand knit socks on her blog each week. I assume they are all knit by her, but since her blog is not written in English (international sock pal! super fun!) that assumption might make and ASS out of U and ME in the end. We have already exchanged emails, in which I have warned her that I just learned to make socks last year and she has generously said she will be happy with anything I knit for her. Woo hoo! Easy going...now that's my kind of sock pal.

Nevertheless, I want to make socks that will make this nice lady happy in her far off land. The first order of business is yarn selection. Thanks to the Yarn Lady Bag Sale (no worries, purchased pre-yarn diet), I have eight balls of Scholler Stahl Fortissima Colori Socka Color. Go ahead, say it out loud to yourself. "Schoeller Stahl Fortissima Colori Socka Color". Fun, huh? The balls I have are blue, white, and gray. The yarn is good stuff, but my sock pal had no mention of blues or grays in her color preferences. Easy going, yes, but I can do better.

My first thought is to use this yarn anyway and overdye it with Kool Aide into something that is better suited to my sock pal's preferences. I've decided to make a pair of baby socks as my swatch. I'll see how they dye up and go from there. With all the pregnant ladies around me, my swatch can be used as a baby gift, too. Two birds with one stone!


My second thought is to use the sock yarn sent to me by the person who was supposed to knit socks for me in Sockapalooza 3. She ended up not having time to knit me an actual pair of socks, but did send two skeins of gorgeous soft yumminess from Zen Yarn Garden as a karmic offering. I have made a pair of socks for Mr. Hipp out of one skein, leaving this one - Raspberry Chocolate - for me to pet and sigh over. Please excuse the cat-as-background. She decided that it was her time to join the cat-modeling fun.



If anyone out there has any thoughts on the matter, I would be glad to hear them. Off to do some chores before "Heroes" comes on. I don't know what I will do with my Mondays this summer!

Fickle Finger of Fate

A more fickle knitter you will never meet. The baby booties, despite the three versions -- plus one more (failed) test for a revised Robin-Hood bootie -- and some super soft cashmere-blend yarn, have been deemed a failure. The ribbed version just didn't look nice in the end. It looked so...home made. As a crafter this is painful to say, since "home made" is usually a motto of pride. But this poor little bootie was less "hand crafted especially for you" and more "you're auntie made this for you so you're going to wear it, no matter how much your friends laugh". I just couldn't bear the thought of starting this child on a path of ridicule.

So I turned to blogland and came upon the Top Down Bonnet at brooklyntweed. Yes!

It was done in about eight hours...not too bad for a last minute change of knitting plans.

Lacking an actual baby to model the bonnet, I hunted around the house for something else small and round. A vase from our Costa Rican honeymoon seemed close enough when turned upside down.


The vase enjoys wearing the bonnet while facing forward...


...and turned to the side.


I am in LOVE with this bonnet. It looks home made in the good way. The parents of this baby are leaving the baby's gender a surprise, so I figured the green stripes would be both gender-neutral and fun.

Now all I have to do is get this thing to South Carolina before Saturday. Ack! Think I have time to knit some baby tube socks before tomorrow's FedEx pick up? Heh heh.

Entrelac Scarf...OC Style!

The entrelac scarf is all done. Yay! It has been chilly in Southern California lately, so the timing could not have been better. What to wear with a fabulous, warm, and wooly entrelac scarf when in Orange County? Why, shorts and Uggs of course!

Tree-hugging is optional, but highly recommended.

Don't worry, I am far too old -- and have way too much sense -- to really dress like this. But if you have ever been to the OC when the temperature goes below 70 degrees, then you know that this is look is laughably common.

Here are the specs on the scarf:

Pattern: Entrelac scarf, a shrunken version of the Lady Eleanor stole in Scarf Style. After seeing how huge Lady Eleanor is, I knew it would be unreasonable for me to embark on the full pattern given my knitting speed (slow) and the local climate (generally warm). But a scarf I can do!
Yarn: Noro Big Kureyon, Color 1, about 2.5 skeins
Needles: US 10 Clover bamboo circulars
Modifications: Used only three base triangles instead of seven for a narrower scarf. The knotted fringe is shorter, too.
Size: 8" wide by 60" long, not counting the fringe

I LOVE this scarf. The preliminary uncertainties in width seem to have worked themselves out. The fabric is sort of stretchy in all directions, so I think the stitches just needed to get settled. It was also a lot of fun to knit. The directions in Scarf Style were excellent; it only took a couple of rows of rectangles for the pattern to click. Then it was easy street all the way.

This scarf looks pretty on the "right" side (left) and the "wrong" side. Brilliant!


BTW, I am hugging our own Hipp little magnolia tree, generously given by my in-laws. Talk about a great Christmas present!

Beer and Knots

My goodness, I am almost done with the entrelac scarf. I finally made it to the end of the knitting! (Woo hoo!) For a slow knitter like me, this is a big deal. Can you believe cosmicpluto knits! did roughly the same amount of knitting in just 18 hours? Amazing.

Now it is on to the knotted fringe at each end. The scarf kept slipping off the table while I was trying to tie the knots, so I had to use my beer to hold it in place. Maybe one day I will be sophisticated enough to sip a kir royal while doing finishing work on my knits. Until then, Sapporo will do just fine!

The Catwalk

In response to this post, my mom emailed me and asked, "Did you knit only one sock?" Despite my tendencies to become bored half-way through a knit project, I actually did complete the second sock. I still have a couple of ends to weave in but they were done enough for some modeling this morning.


My first finished object for 2007!

Pattern: For Me All Me Koigu Socks
I made it up as I went on the first sock then "read" the first sock to make the second one. Toe-up, short-row toes, arch ribbing, and Widdershins heels.

Yarn: Koigu Kersti Merino Crepe, 2 skeins, from my stash.
This yarn was a birthday present from a non-knitting friend. Not bad, eh? I can't find the yarn labels right now. A turquoise somewhat solid was used for the toes, heels, and ribbing, a mulitcolor was used for the rest. I split the multicolor skein in half then knit each sock until each half ran out (ah, the beauty of toe-up socks). Most of the somewhat solid yarn was used; I have about 10 yards left.

Needles: US 4 and US 3 (on the ribbing) Addi Turbos using Magic Loop.
I love me some Magic Loop. It is perfect for DPN klutzes like me.

I didn't get very far in the photo session before someone decided she wanted to show off her modeling skills.



Then she decided to take a nap.

Yarn Diet, or How Many Weight Watchers Points is in a Ball of Koigu?

After successful forays to Ireland and the Yarn Lady bag sale, I think Wendy Knits has the right idea.

Wendy is encouraging personalization of the rules for Knit from Your Stash 2007 in order to make it easier for each knitter to stick to her/his own special needs. Here are the rules I have come up with for Hipp Crafts:

1. Hipp Knit from Your Stash 2007 will start January 1, 2007 and run through December 31, 2007 -- a period of twelve months.

2. I will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:

* If someone asks for a specific handknit gift that I really and truly do not have the yarn for, I may buy yarn to knit that gift.

* If I am knitting something and run out of yarn, I may purchase enough to complete the project.

* If I am traveling in an area with locally produced or otherwise geographically special yarn, I may purchase some of that yarn as a souvenir.

* I am allowed to receive gifts of yarn and/or gift certificates for yarn. (Pay attention, Mr. Hipp!)

4. Necessary knitting supplies (needles, stitch markers, etc.) are exempt.

I have tons of gorgeous, beautiful, yarn just waiting for me to use it. I was excited when I bought it and get re-excited when I see it in my stash baskets, so why not be excited about knitting it?

Will you be participating in Knit (or Craft) from Your Stash 2007? What are your rules?