An Artist in Engineering: June 2013

Friday, June 28, 2013

FO: My Hope

Needles: US5

I completely forgot to talk about this. I guess I sort of talked about it as a WIP, but I forgot to say that I finished it.

I can't tell you how much I love the colors in this pattern. The way the pops of white and pink and purple and blue showed up in the garter stitch, and the fun cabled drop stitches...*sigh*

I think it's really interesting how the center starts out dark and gets lighter as you move out. I'm guessing that's because of the rows getting longer and not the yarn itself - more time for the pops of color to pool together.

The pattern was really nice to knit, very meditative. It's definitely not something to do if you wanted to knit quickly - the cabled drop stitches required a lot of patience and the beaded bind off took multiple sittings to finish. But it's great for if you just want to sit and relax and knit (and watch video podcasts).

After knitting this I really want more shawls. I've since cast on two other shawls (Gingko crescent and Saroyan) and I want to cast on more. Like KNIT ALL THE SHAWLS more.

all the things from Hyperbole and a Half

I might have a problem.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Last Week on Pinterest

by fryd via sf girl by bay

Fabric Rope from Olive Manna

Sukie on Eat Drink Chic

Milk Design via The Designer Pad

Zak + Fox via Design Sponge

Upcycled Floating Shelves via Curbly

Turquoise & coral nails via C. ueda

Sideways french manicure via C. ueda

Friday, June 21, 2013

2012 FO: Peach and Gray Two-Face

Pattern: Two-Face by Veronica O'Neil

Yarn: Worsted wool from sby4718

Needles: US8

It's a shawl! I think this Peach and Gray Two-Face is the first shawl I've knit, definitely the first triangle shawl.

The pattern was great mindless knitting, but, like most shawls, it got really slow towards the end when I had a bajillion stitches (very accurate estimate) on the needles.

The yarn was not as great as the pattern, however. I bought this yarn online and attempted to judge the softness of it by pictures, which is rather difficult. The colors were accurate to the photos, but the softness not so much. It was listed as "pure wool" and actually feels a little more like acrylic, or a scratchy acrylic-like wool.

I has teh shawl pin

It's not super rough, but it's no malabrigo. It seems to be holding some of the wrinkles when I fold it, but I still like the colors and the way it looks.

So overall, an easy, enjoyable pattern with some not as enjoyable yarn.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

WIP: My Website

I know, it's not knitting. But it's still a work (forever) in progress. I finally made my website presentable on Monday, and it's so exciting!

I took a class on web design in the Winter/Spring which covered the basics in HTML and CSS. I had a mostly complete site by the end of it, but I wanted to make a contact form that sent a message through the server and not through the user's email client. And that's where I got stuck, since the class didn't cover PHP or JavaScript...

But after some troubleshooting and starting from scratch a couple of times, I got the PHP script to work and now people can send emails to me straight from the website. Of course, that doesn't mean the website is finished. This is a WIP post because I'm sure it will always be changing, whether it's updates to my resume or additions to the project or craft pages or a redesign of the layout. I know the next thing on my list is to tweak the crafts page...

Friday, June 14, 2013

2012 FO: Creature Comforts Cardi

Pattern: Creature comforts cardi by Amy Hendrix for madelinetosh

Yarn: madelinetosh tosh vintage in Antique Lace

Needles: US7 & US8

This cardi is very hard to photograph on the type of "dress form" I have (see shoulders). But I'm too impatient to find someone to take a picture of me wearing it, so it will have to do.

I finished this last year, using up just over 5 skeins of madelinetosh. The construction of the sweater is interesting, making more of a shrug than a cardigan. Which also makes it a little difficult to wear.

Nonetheless, it's a finished sweater, and the most yardage I have used yet. It's got a beautiful leaf pattern on the back that I really like and it got a lot of compliments at Vogue Knitting Live last year. Also, it has adorable little pockets.