Dad's Scarf -- Take 2

After abandoning the Henry scarf I was making for my father, I knit one up in a simple seed stitch. I'm not sure he liked it, though, from his reaction on the phone. And even though he raved over the gloves I made last year, he didn't wear them at Thanksgiving. Hm.

modeling credit: the vase Rob's Aunt Vonnie gave me for Christmas last year.

Monsters Everywhere!

My nephew Jaidan is in a monster phase. At Thanksgiving, all he wanted to do was draw monsters with Rob. One of Rob's co-workers makes these great hats, so we got Jaidan one for Christmas.

Our Daily Bread

Today Rob's Facebook status was that he was waiting for me to drag my ass out of bed so we could go to the farmer's market. He took this photo to prove we did eventually make it.

Here's what we got: eggs, bell peppers in two colors, onions, broccoli, carrots, turnips, heirloom tomato (yes, just one), satsuma tangerines, mushrooms, baguette and, in the very back, a bison brisket I plan to brine for our Christmas dinner. Yum!

Toilet Talk

Fail!

Grammar aside, anyone else see the irony in using a neon sign to advertise hand-painted ones?

My Knitting Bag

In the 70's, my sister made a purse of an old pair of jeans. I decided to make a similar bag for my knitting. You know, the whole reduce, reuse, recycle thing.

I chopped off the legs and sewed them shut. The handle is braided strips of fabric cut from the legs. It's a great bag with lots of pockets for scissors, tapestry needles, etc.

I did make one HUGE mistake: I used velcro to keep it closed and my yarn catches on it all the time. Eventually I'll have to rip it out and put in snaps.

Man Purse

After our trip to New York, Rob asked me to make him a bag to hold his ear plugs, travel pillow and sleep mask. He wanted something he could pull out of his back pack and pop into the seat pocket on the plane. He refers to it as his ‘satchel.’ I call it his man purse.

I chose a stretchy yarn because I suspect the number of items he wants to place in the bag will expand. I’m 98% certain his iPod will be going in here and maybe some aspirin. The ribbed finish at the top of the bag ensures that, even with the drawstring open, the items inside will not fall out on their own. I like to tie the ends of the drawstring together with a half knot to keep the bag even more securely closed.

This is a quick knit ideal for the beginner looking to advance beyond squares. It’s also great for an experienced knitter who wants to do some stash reduction.

Originally this pattern appeared in the last issue of Essentia, the newsletter put out by the now-defunt Black Purl Magazine. It was supposed to be archived on the site, but since that hasn't happened yet (and I know L'Tanya is swamped), I decided to make it available here.

Skill Level
Beginner

Size
Finished bag measures 8 ½” by 4 ½” (21 ½ cm by 11 ½ cm)

Materials
MC: Gedifra Top Soft; 40% Viscose, 40% Polyamide; 20% Silk; 1.75 oz /50 gm 103 yds/ 95 m; color: 6514 (black): 1 skein
CC: GGH Linova; 74% cotton, 26% linen; 1.75 oz /50 gm 110 yds/ 101 m; color 26 (red): 1 skein
1 set size 7 (4.5) mm dpns
1 set size 9 dpns

Gauge
21 sts and 26 rows in st st in MC on larger needles equals 4” (10cm)

Bottom:
Using CC, cast on 25 sts onto smaller needles.
Work 8 rows in garter stitch.

Sides:
Pick up 3 sts along short edge of work, 25 sts on long edge of work and 3 sts on last short edge. Distribute over 3 dpns. Place marker. Work one round in in st st.

Switch to MC and larger needles. Work in st st until piece measures 6 ¼”.

Using CC, work 3 rows in st st.

Eyelet Round:
k2, k2tog yo for entire round.

Work 3 rows in st st.
Switch to MC work 5 rows in 3 X 1 rib. Bind off in pattern.

Drawstring:
Using MC and smaller needles work a 3 st icord until it measures 18”. Leave on needles
Leading with the cast on edge, weave icord through holes created in eyelet round. Using a second dpn, pick up 3 sts at cast on end of icord. Use 3 needle bind off to attach end of icord to picked up sts.

Finishing
Weave in all loose ends. Fill with travel necessities. Enjoy!

Rejection!

Knitty didn't accept my pattern. Given my history with magazines going under after accepting one of my patterns, that's a bit of a relief. I still want to submit this pattern somewhere, though, so I might have to pick a magazine I don't like! : )

They say bad luck comes in threes, so maybe after I get a third pattern published, and a third magazine closed, it'll be safe for me to get accepted at Knitty.

"The Man Who Loves Breasts" Is Here!

Rob's new comic, The Man Who Loves Breasts, debuted at SPX over the weekend. Woo-hoo!

If your local comic shop doesn't have it, you can get a copy from Top Shelf.

Or, if you live in the Bay area, you can pick up a copy from us at APE, where we'll be sharing a table with John Adams. And I'll have knitted Pentapi, too, if it ever cools down enough to touch wool again!

I Might Be a Jinx...

I sent a pattern for a "Man Purse" to Black Purl and they accepted it (Yea, me!) and now the magazine is no more. L'Tanya graciously included it in the last Essentia newsletter, but it's not archived on the site, so I might post it here as well.

I'm feeling cursed because MagKnits went kaput a month after publishing my Pentapus pattern. I just sent a pattern to Knitty and find myself hoping it doesn't get accepted. Bad luck comes in threes, and I'd feel responsible if Knitty went under after publishing one of my patterns!

I am woman, hear me roar.

Yesterday I replaced the keyboard on my laptop all by myself. I had to take it apart with a screw driver and reassemble it without losing 4 itty-bitty screws.

Now I can use the shift key and the letter 't'. Woo-hoo!

Matilda Hat

I made this hat for my business partner for her birthday. She'd seen a picture of it on my blog a few months ago and admired it -- even mentioned preferred colors. I can take a hint.

I couldn't figure out a way to get her head measurements discretely, so I had to guess on the size. Luckily, I was right.

The pattern's available on MK Carroll's blog.

I used the recommended yarn, Peace Fleece, for the hat. It felt coarse while knitting but, as several people on Ravelry noted, it washes up to be quite soft. For the flowers, I used a bit of Lamb's Pride Strawberry Smoothie left over from a purse I made her for Christmas. The variegated yarn gave an illusion of depth to the flowers and ties the look together if she happens to wear the hat while carrying the purse.

Modeling credit: Half-empty bottle of garlic and basil olive oil bought at the farmer's market. Yum!

Idget's New Favorite Food

Lettuce.

Yep.

Put a few leafy greens in this dog's bowl and he'll suck 'em down faster than filet mignon. He'll dig through the trash to get the rotting ones I found in the bottom of the fridge.

I knew he was from another planet.

Pastoral Dreams

I like to joke with Rob about getting a sheep when we get a house, so we don't have to mow the lawn and I can learn to spin. I figure we could "loan" the sheep to the neighbors to mow their lawns, if we run out of grass.

That house is still pretty far away, but I'm living the dream vicariously -- I bought a share of Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farms spring shear. I get all the thrill of following my wool from sheep to sweater and none of the dirt. Woo-hoo!

It's Always Something...

This morning I discovered that Idget had chewed the ends off my brand new circular needles -- the ones Rob just bought me to replace what was stolen in San Diego. And of course, the pair he decided to make his new chew toy were the ones I was currently using to make a sweater.

Sigh. I'm jinxed.

Idget Is Famous! (sort of)

A friend was watching Bikini or Bust and who should she catch a glimpse of but l'il ole Idget. Woo-hoo! A celebrity in the family.

Comic-Con Knitting Disaster!

Rob and I spent the last 5 days at Comic-con in San Diego. I brought my knitting for when the booth was slow and because I make toys of his characters to sell. After the show closed yesterday, Rob took a load of things to the car, but forgot his keys. He left my knitting bag by the car (yes, NOT smart) and when he came back, my bag was STOLEN. It had my needle roll in it with ALL of my needles, a scarf I made for my sister in law, at least a dozen balls of yarn and a pair of scissors I’ve had since kindergarten – 3 decades ago. I should probably add that I made the knitting roll myself and the scarf was a new design I had hoped to sell the pattern for.

We drove around the parking lot for a while, hoping whoever took it ditched it when they realized there were no comics in it. No such luck.

And so far, no one has turned it in to the parking garage, the convention center or the hotel connected with the convention center, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

It Tastes of the Earth

I made homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream for a potluck.

Instead of using extract, I cut mint from our garden and steeped it in the cream. Rob was impressed. However, when it was time to eat it, he only had two bites. Everyone else cleared their plate. Someone pointed out he wasn't eating his ice cream and he replied, "It tastes of the earth."

Later, he said that was the politest way he could find to say it tasted like the dirt the mint plant grows in.

Really, Rob? How often do you taste the dirt in our front yard???

The Nazi Wagon

Yup. That's a swatstika.

Keyed into the roof of my car.

We think one of the neighborhood kids is calling us Nazis because I gave him a hard time for peeing in his front yard. You know, because walking 15 feet to the toilet is way too difficult.

Bikini or Bust

Chances are if you ever thought about knitting a teeny-weeny bikini, you probably flipped through Sexy Little Knits by Ashley Paige.

Beginning Friday, July 11,(tomorrow!) Ashley will have her own reality show on TLC, Bikini or Bust. In addition to following Ashley’s career as a knitwear designer, the show will also focus on her animal rescue. Both Toaster and Idget came from RuffHouzen, and Ashley did an amazing job with them before turning them over to me.

If you’re like me and like cuddly, furry creatures as much as you like to knit, this is a show you won’t want to miss!

Bad, Idget. Bad! Bad dog!

Idget is turning out to be way more of a handful than Toaster.

He likes to get in the trash, with a particular penchant for Rob's snotty kleenex and used dental floss. He also like to pee on our bed.

Yep, you read that right. Idget has peed on our bed THREE times.

He is pretty much house-broken, but the second we aren't looking, he sneaks into the bedroom and lets loose on the comforter.

The other night, we didn't discover it till late, and this time it had soaked through the comforter into the mattress. Not what you want to find at bedtime.

Like a true gentleman, Rob offered to sleep on the couch and let me have the joy of sleeping on the half of the mattress that wasn't steeped in urine. I accepted his offer. At least our bedroom has air conditioning!

Idget

We got Toaster a friend. His name is Idget, which is the name he came with. It really fits.

Unfortunately, Idget is the victim of 'second child syndrome.' Even though we got him two weeks ago, we just got around to taking pictures of him.

He's a strange looking dog, which is what I love about him. The woman at the rescue thought he looked like a tall, skinny pig. I think he looks prehistoric. Rob calls him the alien dog.

You should see the other guy

I'm sporting a (slight) black eye at the moment.

The light is broken in my closet, so when I bent over to get something, I slammed my face into my bike helmet. Ironic that something that is supposed to protect me could do so much damage.

At first Rob wanted me to tell people he had punched me, but then he decided I shouldn't do that because the bruise is kind of wimpy and he didn't want people to think he couldn't punch very well.

Off to NY

Rob and I leave tonight for MOCCA.

I'm excited about going to New York and seeing friends, but I am NOT looking forward to the flight. Flying is such a pain in the ass. Last year when we went to Mocca, we missed connections on both legs of the trip and were stranded in Cincinatti for hours. At one point, a very unhelpful gate agent told us we might be there for days.

This year, we used miles for the tickets and are on two different airlines. Fingers are crossed there are no missed connections -- being stranded is much less fun when you're by yourself. Even my bike is happier when it's left behind with Rob's.


If there are no more posts to this blog, it means I have been permanently stranded in an airport, doomed to eat fast food and never shower for the rest of my life.

Gelato Pattern

Here’s the pattern for the tank I posted a few weeks ago.

The top is designed to hit well below the waist – I hate when I raise my arms and my “muffin top” pops out. I also tend to sweat and hate getting pit stains, so it’s cut low under the arms.

This is my first attempt at writing a pattern with sizes. I did my best but, even so, I am 98% certain there are going to be errors. I’ll apologize for those up front and ask that you please let me know if you find any so I can correct them for future users!

SUPPLIES
Knit One, Crochet Too Italian Ice [76 yd per 50g]
MC, Color: 520, Spring, 4 (5, 6) skeins
CC1, Color: 212, Petal Pink, 1 (2, 2) skein
CC2, Color: 258, Carnation, 1 (2, 2) skein

Size 7 dpns (Some of the work done on dpns can be done on straight needles, but I prefer dpns because their smaller length makes maneuvering easier.)
Size 9 24-inch circular needle
Tapestry Needle
Stitch Holders or Safety Pins
Stitch Marker

SIZE
Small fits bust size 34
Medium fits bust size 38
Large fits bust size 42

GAUGE
18 sts/ 27 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on larger needles

BODY
With CC1, cast 128 (146, 164) stitches onto circular needles. Join to begin knitting in the round and place marker.
Work 6 rows in garter stitch.
Using MC, continue in st st until work measures 6 (6, 6 ½,) inches from CO edge.


WAIST SHAPING
Decrease Round: Decrease 4 stitches, evenly spaced through work.
Work 3 rounds in st st.
Repeat Decrease Round.
Work 3 rounds in st st.
Repeat Decrease Round. 116 (134, 152) sts remain and work measures about 7¼ (7 ¼, 7 ¾) inches.
Work 10 (12, 12) rounds in st st.
Repeat Decrease Round. 112 (130, 148) sts remain.
Work 12 (14, 14) rounds in st st.

Increase Round: Increase 4 stitches evenly spaced through work.
Work 3 rows in st st.
Repeat Increase Round. 120 (138, 156) sts on needles.
Work in st st until work measures 14½ (15 ¼, 15 ¾)

Using CC2. Work 6 rows in garter stitch.
Cup Set Up Row Small: K 3, BO 12, K 5, BO 20, K 5, BO 12, K 31, BO 4, K 28
Break yarn.

Cup Set Up Row Medium: K 3, BO 14, K 5, BO 22, K 5, BO 14, K 37, BO 4, K 34
Break yarn.

Cup Set Up Row Large: K 3, BO 15, K 5, BO 22, K 5, BO 15, K 45, BO 4, K 42
Break yarn.

LEFT BREAST CUP
Slip last 28 (34, 42) sts that were knit in cup set up row onto size 7 needle. First stitch to be knit should be closest to armhole. Slip all other sts onto stitch holders.

Using CC1
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl

Size Medium Only: Row 3, knit; Row 4, Purl

Size Large Only: Row 3, knit; Row 4, Purl; Row 5, knit; Row 6, Purl

Short Row Shaping: Knit to last 3 sts of row. Wrap next stitch. Turn work and purl to last 3 sts of row. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 4 sts of row. Wrap next stitch. Turn, purl to last 4 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 5 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 5 sts.

Size Medium Only: Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 6 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 6 sts.

Size Large Only: Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 6 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 6 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 7 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 7 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 8 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 8 sts.

All Sizes: Wrap next stitch, turn, knit to end of row, picking up wraps with regular sts and knitting as one stitch. Turn, purl to the end of row, picking up wraps with regular sts and purling as one stitch.

Continue in st st for 10 (12, 14) rows.
Decrease Rows: Row 1: Knit to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: SKPO, K to end of row
Row 4: Purl
Repeat Rows 1 through 4, 2 (2, 6) more times. 22 (28, 28) sts remain

Row 13(In size Large, this is Row 29): Knit to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 14 (In size Large, this is Row 30): Purl
Row 15 (In size Large, this is Row 31): SKPO, K to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 16 (In size Large, this is Row 32): PurlRepeat rows 13 through 16 until 1 st remains. Place on stitch holder. Break yarn
.
Trim and Strap
Outside Trim: Place the first 3 sts that were knit in cup set up row onto size 7 needle so that first stitch to be knit is furthest from cup.

Using CC2, SKPO, K, pu 1 stitch on edge of cup. Turn work. Knit all 3 stitches on needle. Repeat until the trim reaches top of the cup. Place remaining 3 sts onto stitch holder with single stitch left from knitting cup. Break yarn.

Neckline Trim: Beginning where cup attaches to body and using CC2, pick up 3 sts along the BO part of the Cup Set Up Row.

Turn work. Knit all 3 stitches on needle. Turn Work. Pick up 1 stitch along edge of cup. K 1 stitch, K2tog. Repeat until the trim reaches top of the cup. Transfer 4 active sts from top of cup and outside trim from stitch holder onto needle with live sts from neckline trim.

Strap:

Row 1:K, K, SKPO, SKPO, K. 5 sts remain.
Work in garter stitch until strap is 10 (11, 12) inches long long. Place first 5 live sts from the cup set up row onto a dpn. Use 3 needle bind off to attach strap to back of top. Break yarn.

RIGHT BREAST CUP
Slip next to last 28 (34, 42) sts that were knit in set up row onto size 7 needle. First stitch to be knit will be closest to neckline.

Using CC1
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Purl

Size Medium Only: Row 3, knit; Row 4, Purl

Size Large Only: Row 3, knit; Row 4, Purl; Row 5, knit; Row 6, Purl

Short Row Shaping: Knit to last 3 sts of row. Wrap next stitch. Turn work and purl to last 3 sts of row. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 4 sts of row. Wrap next stitch. Turn, purl to last 4 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 5 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 5 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit to end of row, picking up wraps with regular sts and knitting as one stitch. Turn, purl to the end of row, picking up wraps with regular sts and purling as one stitch.

Size Medium Only: Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 6 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 6 sts.

Size Large Only: Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 6 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 6 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 7 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 7 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, knit back to last 8 sts. Wrap next stitch, turn, purl back to last 8 sts.

All Sizes: Wrap next stitch, turn, knit to end of row, picking up wraps with regular sts and knitting as one stitch. Turn, purl to the end of row, picking up wraps with regular sts and purling as one stitch.

Continue in st st for 10 (12, 14) rows.

Decrease Rows:
Row 1: SKPO, K to end of round
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: Knit to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 4: Purl
Repeat Rows 1 through 4, 2 (2, 6) more times. 22 (28, 28) sts remain

Row 13 (In size Large, this is Row 29): SKPO, K to end of round
Row 14 (In size Large, this is Row 30): Purl
Row 15 (In size Large, this is Row 31): SKPO, K to last 2 sts, k2tog
Row 16 (In size Large, this is Row 32): Purl
Repeat rows 13 through 16 until 1 st remains. Place on stitch holder. Break yarn.

Trim and Strap
Outside Trim: Place the 3 live sts on the cup set up row that are closest to the cup onto size 7 needle so that first stitch knit is furthest from cup.

Using CC2, knit all 3 stitches on needle. Turn work. Pick up 1 stitch on edge of cup, K one stitch, K2tog. Turn work. Repeat until the trim reaches top of the cup.

Place 3 stitches from outside trim onto stitch holder with single stitch left from knitting cup. Break yarn.

Neckline Trim: Beginning where cup attaches to body and using CC2, pick up 3 sts along the BO part of the Cup Set Up Row.

Turn work. Knit all 3 stitches on needle. Turn Work. Pick up 1 stitch along edge of cup. K 1 stitch, SKPO. Repeat until the trim reaches top of the cup. Transfer 4 active sts from top of cup and outside trim from stitch holder onto needle with live sts from neckline trim.

Strap:
Row 1: K, K, SKPO, SKPO, K. 5 sts remain.
Work in garter stitch until strap is 10 (11, 12) icnhes long. Place last 5 live sts from the cup set up row onto a dpn. Use 3 needle bind off to attach strap to back of top. Break yarn.

FINSIHING
Weave in all ends.

Enjoy!

NOTE: This pattern is for personal use only. This pattern, or works made using this pattern, may not be sold.

Are effigies back in fashion?

This is hanging off a telephone pole about a block from my apartment.

Charming, isn't it?

Gelato

At long last we have some sun here -- too much, almost. It's been in the high 90's for days.

But sun means good light for photos. Here is the shirt I finished a couple of weeks ago. I'm calling it "Gelato" because the colors remind me of that yummy ice cream.

I'll post a pattern in a couple of days...

Who needs sleep?

At midnight, a guy stopped his car in the middle our street, blared his radio and revved his engine. After 20 minutes of this, we called the police. He drove off before they arrived. We thought we were in the clear.

At 1AM, he returned and repeated this scenario. Again we called the police. Again he drove off before they arrived.

A few minutes later we heard fire engines and an ambulance. I am not embarassed to say, I hope he crashed into a telephone pole.

I'm really hoping I get some sleep tonight.

Where is the sun?

We're having June gloom a bit early in LA this year. It's been overcast since Sunday.

I finished the tank top I was working on but won't be posting pictures until I get some good natural light to snap them by. The pic I took before leaving for Stumptown was shot under a lamp and does a great injustice to the lovely colors. : (

Hurray!

I just noticed on Ravelry that someone has started making a Mah Jongg Bag based on my pattern. She is 30% done, but there is no picture of it yet. I can't wait to see the finished project!

Spring is in the air

Now that I've frogged Dad's scarf, knitting has become fun again. I started tinkering with an idea for a tank top. This is what I have so far.


I have to set this aside for now, though. We leave for the Stumptown Comics Fest tomorrow and I haven't made a Pentapus since February. Yikes!

Pentapus: The early years

This is the first Pentapus I ever made. It doesn't look quite as pathetic in the photo as it does in person, but there's a reason this guy lives in Rob's office and not on our convention table!

I'd like some crackers to go with the cheese

I was just walking the dog and had the following coversation:

Guy: Your dog is beautiful.
Me: Thank you.
Guy: Just like his owner.
Me: Thank you.
Guy: Are you from Tennessee?
Me: No.
Guy: Well, you're the only ten I see.
Me: I'm married, okay?

Really, really, really never ever thought anyone ever used that line in real life. How often does he get anywhere with it?

Twins separated at birth?

MK Carroll and I "met" through Ravelry and have been messaging each other about how uncannily similar our dogs look. They're the same age, too. This is Toaster. Her ridiculously cute puppies (yes, plural!) can be seen here.

The End of MagKnits

I've been debating what to say about this. I'm sad to see the magazine go. I'm grateful to Kerrie for publishing my first pattern. I HATE that the whole thing had to be tainted by all these problems.

I'm extremely grateful to everyone on Ravelry who has offered words of support. Extra grateful to Knotions for agreeing to give the pattern a second home on its site.

To think getting published in MagKnits was the impetus for starting this blog. Sigh.

Frogged!

This is what Dad's scarf looks like now. I've knit entire sweaters in less time than it took to get halfway through this project. Sigh. Defeated by the herringbone stitch.

A New Home for Penatpus

May 29, 2015
The book my husband created this character for has finally been published.  Check it out here! 

Since MagKnits has gone offline, I have decided to reprint my Pentapus pattern here. Enjoy!

My husband created Pentapus for a children’s comic he has been working on. I thought this cute little guy would make a great toy, so I challenged myself to find a way to knit him even though I was still fairly new to knitting.

Each leg of the toy is knit from the bottom up. The stockiness of the legs, combined with the way they are joined together, enables the toy to stand on its own. The recommended yarn results in a super soft toy whose stitches are evident, but I have also used “furry” yarns to create cuddly Pentapi whose stitches are not apparent.

The toy is worked in the round to minimize finishing. Instead of being knitted as a separate, detachable “accessory,” the hat is attached directly to the body and is used to close off the toy. These features make this adorable, cuddly critter a quick knit that can be whipped up in a single afternoon. The minimal yarn requirements also mean this endearing fellow is a great stash reducer.

Materials neededCrystal Palace Merino Frappe [80% Merino Wool, 20%Polyamide; 140yd/128m per 50g skein]
[MC] #065 Cinnamon Toast; 1 skein[CC] # 020B New Sage; 1 skein

Note: Each skein of Crystal Palace Merino Frappe will make either 3 Pentapus bodies and 2 hats OR 2 Pentapus bodies and 3 hats, so 2 skeins will make 5 complete Pentapi.

2 set(s) US #7/4.5 mm double-point needles
Tapestry needle
5 Stitch holders or safety pins
Polyester fiberfill for stuffing
Yarn substitutes
GGH Bel Air [90% Merino Wool, 10%Polyamide; 142yd/80m per 50g skein]
GGH Esprit [100%Polyamide; 87yd/80m per 50g skein]

SizesOne size fits children of all ages. : )

Gauge
20 sts/24 rows = 10cm (4 inches) in stockinette stitch

Special Stitch Instructions: Duplicate Stitch Embroidery
Thread a tapestry needle with desired embroidery thread. Bring the tip of the needle from the WS of work to the RS at the base of the first stitch to be worked. “Trace” this stitch by bringing the needle through both loops of the stitch above it and reinserting it at the base of the stitch being traced.

Legs – Make 5
Using MC, cast 6 sts onto a DPN using long tail cast on. Distribute over 3 needles so that once you are working in the round, you have 2 sts on each needle. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist.
Round 1: Knit, knitting in tail from cast on.
Round 2: Kfb every stitch. You will now have a total of 12 sts, 4 on each needle.
Cont in St st until work measures 2.75 inches. This will create a tube about the length of your index finger and it should fit your finger like the finger of a glove.
Place the next 8 sts on a safety pin or stitch holder. Leave the last 4 sts on the DPN. This DPN will become a holder for all subsequent legs. Break yarn, leaving a 3 inch tail.
As you finish each subsequent leg, transfer the next 8 sts to a safety pin or stitch holder. Place the last 4 sts on the same DPN that is holding the last 4 sts of each previous leg. Break yarn, leaving a 3 inch tail. Be sure that the open tops of each leg are all on the same side of the DPN.

Joining Inner Portion of Legs
Take the DPN that holds all 5 legs in your left hand. The open tops of the legs should face away from you. Using MC, attach the legs to each other as follows: k3tog, k3tog, k3tog, k2tog, k3tog, k3tog, k3tog. 7 sts rem.

Distribute these 7 sts over 3 DPNs Join to work in the round being careful not to twist. Work as follows: k2tog, k2tog, k3tog. 3 sts rem.

Place the 3 rem sts on a single DPN. K3tog. Break yarn. Pass end of yarn through remaining stitch and pull loop closed.

Joining Outer Portion of Legs and Forming the Body
Distribute the 40 sts that have been on stitch holders or safety pins over 3 DPNs.
Round 1: Using MC, knit each stitch, except where one leg ends and another begins. In these 5 places, k2tog with one stitch coming from each leg. 35 sts rem. Legs are now joined for working in the round to form the body.

Cont in St st until work measures 2 .25 inches from where legs were joined together. Break yarn, leaving a 4 inch tail. When attaching the hat to the body, knit this tail in. These few sts of MC will serve as a guide for embroidering the band of the hat.

With work still on the needles, flip work over so the bottom is facing up. Using the tails left from making each individual leg and a tapestry needle, stitch closed the gaps that resulted when legs were joined. When each gap has been closed, draw the end of the yarn inside the toy and knot off. There is no need to weave in ends as toy will be stuffed and ends hidden inside.

With CC, embroider the face as desired. The top of the eyes should be at least 4 stitches from the needle so they will not be covered by the brim of the hat.

Making and Attaching the Hat
Using CC, cast on 68 sts onto second set of DPNs. Join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.

Round 1: K, p entire round.
Round 2: [k, p, k2tog, p, k, p2tog] to last 4 sts. K, p, k2tog. 51 sts rem.
Round 3: [k, p2tog] to last 3 sts. K, p, k. 35 sts rem.

Place the DPNs holding the brim of the hat on top of the DPNs holding the body of the Pentapus, as if putting a hat on the toy’s head. Align the DPNs so that the next stitch to be worked on the body is next to the next stitch to be worked on the hat. Insert a DPN through next stitch to be worked on the body and next stitch to be worked on the hat. Knit these 2 stitches together using CC and the tail of MC attached to the body. Continue in this manner until hat has been joined to the body.

With CC, work in St st until hat measures 1 .25 inches from the point it was joined to the body.

Insert a DPN through the next stitch on the needle and through the purl of the stitch that is 2 sts below this stitch. Knit together the stitch on the needle and the purl of the stitch 2 sts. (You may need to use the tip of a tapestry needle to lift the purl over the working yarn when knitting it together with the stitch on the needle.) Continue in this manner for one full row. This creates a ridge at the top of the hat and changes the direction of the work so that the top of the hat lies flat.

Leave work on the needles – you will continue knitting to close the hat once you have embroidered the band onto the hat and stuffed the toy.

Use duplicate stitch embroidery to make the band of the hat. Knitting in the tail of the body when joining the hat to the body results in a good road map for embroidering the first few sts of the band.

Thread a tapestry needle with a double length of MC. Bring the tip of the needle from inside the toy to outside the toy, at the base of the first stitch joining the hat to the body. “Trace” this stitch by bringing the needle through both loops of the stitch above it and reinserting it at the base of the stitch being traced. Repeat on the adjacent stitch in the row, continuing until you have made a band that fully encircles the hat. Knot off ends.

Stuff toy with fiber fill. Be sure to stuff legs firmly so toy will stand on its own.

Closing the Hat
Round 1: Knit
Round 2: [K, k2tog] to last 2 sts. K, k. 24 sts rem.
Round 3: Knit
Round 4: K2tog entire round. 12 sts rem.
Round 5: Knit
Round 6: K3tog entire round. 4 sts rem.
Transfer all 4 sts to a single DPN. K4tog.

Break yarn and thread tail through loop of single remaining stitch. Pull tight. Thread a tapestry needle with tail and weave through a few stitches in top of the hat. Push needle through center of hat, down into body and out the bottom of toy. Knot off. Trim excess yarn.

One of the 5,286 reasons I LOVE Ravelry

But who's counting?

A woman I met at a comic convention in Portland found me through Ravelry. (We were both hunched over our needles while manning the tables of our significant others.)

Browsing through her queue, I found the pattern for this hat by MK Caroll. It was love at first sight!

Scarf Season Part 2

Still trudging along on Dad's scarf. I've been working on this for almost two months and I am BARELY halfway done. Yikes! I wanted to make a spring sweater using these needles, but I don't think that will be happening. Good thing Christmas is still 9 months away!

Now that I'm on Ravelry, I've been reading about other people's experiences with this pattern. A lot of them found it tedious as well. Part of me wishes I knew that before I began, but I'm not sure reading about the frustrations of others would have deterred me from taking a stab at this -- my ego usually thinks I am not susceptible to the same issues as mere mortals!

What's worse, is I'm not even sure if this going to look good when it's done. I used a different yarn and the herringbone pattern is barely visible in it. Also, one row of stitches looks completely funky and I have NO idea why. When I look at them closely, they appear to all be slipped and knitted correctly, but for some reason that particular row looks like a run in a pair of panty hose. Ugh! Other ravelers say blocking does wonders for this pattern. I've always skipped blocking, but I'll give it a try this time. After all the hours I've invested in this, I've got to somehow find a way to make it look presentable!

The slow progress of this project has totally gotten me down. To get a sense of accomplishment, I decided set it aside for a while and start a scarf for my Dad's wife, Barb,. It's knitted with Misti Alpaca, on 9's instead of 10's to create a denser, warmer scarf. Rob says it looks like television static. After I got done being mad at him for that, I decided he was right. Hopefully, Barb will like it. I asked my Dad for her favorite colors and he thought she'd like a mix of grays. Then again, I asked my Dad for color advice. That may have been mistake number one!

Pentapus Marches On

I knitted this army of Pentapi while manning the table at WonderCon.

Rob will be selling them this weekend at Super Market.

I've been invited to teach a class on how to make Pentapus. For details, check out The Little Knittery website.

Pentapus Pattern

My pattern for Magknits is FINALLY up! You can check it out here.

Ravelry

At WonderCon, two people asked me if I'm on Ravelry. I had no idea what they were talking about. Tonight, I was at my favorite LYS and someone else mentioned Ravelry. I decided to check it out and now that I know what it is, I can't wait to get my invitation! Judging by the numbers posted on the site, it will be at least a week before I can log in and start enjoying it.

If you are equally as clueless as me, you can check out Ravelry here.

Wonder-Con

Rob and I spent the weekend at Wonder-Con in San Francisco. I'm sure he'll be blogging about it for those of you who are interested in actually hearing about the comics. You can check out his blog here.

What I am excited to report is that, by some fluke, a woman who freelances for Craft magazine came by our table and saw the toys I knit based on Rob's character Pentapus. She wants to interview me for the magazine. Sweet!

Does Anyone Know What's Happening at MagKnits?

It's almost March and the January issue is still the live one with no February issue in sight. Any ideas???

Scarf Season

I've been swamped with work (before Valentine's Day is a VERY busy time for the home pleasure party business) but I've still managed to get a few stitches in.

On January 31, my older sister had a big birthday, the kind that ends in a zero. She always makes presents for people -- scrapbooks or something she has crocheted -- so I decided such a momentous birthday merited a handmade present from me. I knitted her a scarf, but sadly I can't post any pictures because I finished it 30 seconds before the UPS guy arrived at my office. Does this sound familiar? I can say she loved it and she told me it is the first handmade present she has ever gotten. This depressed me a bit, so I am thinking about what I can make her for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I resolved to knit Christmas presents early this year. Staying up till 4AM on Christmas Eve to finish a gift will, hopefully, be a once in a lifetime experience. I started a scarf for my Dad to match his gloves. That pattern is here and it is kicking my butt. I decided to do it in Cascade 220, which is what I used for the gloves, and even though I knit a fairly large test swatch, I still goofed it up and had to rip it out twice. That may have had more to do with how exhausted I've been and not a reflection of the pattern's difficulty. I'm now about 12 rows in and seem to be on track. I'll post a picture as soon as I have completed enough for it to actually look like something.

In other scarf news, I'm planning to knit a scarf for my best friend, Patty, as a thank you for letting Rob and I stay with her. Rob has a table at Wonder-Con in San Francisco and Patty always lets us use her as a hotel when we are in town for conventions. Wonder-Con is in two weeks and I haven't been able to get to the yarn store to pick out some awesome yarn. It's a good thing San Francisco is a 5 hour drive from LA. Sigh. This will probably be one more masterpiece that doesn't get immortalized with a photo on this blog. : )

It ain't easy being green

Boy, Kermit sure had it right, but I don't think he was talking about the environment when he sang those words so many years ago.

For three years, my husband and I have shopped every Sunday at our local farmers' market. In addition to the usual fare, our market has several vendors who sell artisan soaps. We like these soaps very much, but much to our chagrin, every time we buy it, we have to FIGHT not to get a bag.

I heard today on NPR that one trillion plastic bags are produced every year, about 1,000 for every person on the planet. Even before I knew that horrifying piece of trivia, I've been a fan of reusable, canvas shopping bags. I mean really, it's not that hard to say, "I don't need a bag." Five simple words that can do a lot of good for our seriously diseased planet.

Five simple words that are simple to say, but not so easy to hear, at least not for any of the three different soap vendors at our market. Every other vendor at the market has always respected the fact we bring our own bags. Soap vendors really have an issue with it, even when I show them that one of our canvas bags actually has a separate pocket where the soap can sit all by its lonesome, safe from whatever terrifying injuries our tangerines might want to inflict on it.

We've tried all sorts of tricks to avoid arguing with the soap vendors. At one vendor, we've learned to always have exact change --that way we can pick up our bar and scoot away while he's still waving a plastic bag at us. Yesterday, however, we bought from a vendor who has to cut the bars from a large brick. Despite our objections, our soap was wrapped in a cardboard take-out container, which I have now set aside to bring back to the market so I can avoid having another one forced on me next week.

What are these soap vendors so in love with their packaging? Is naked soap really so offensive? Or perhaps they are afraid that without a bag, their beloved soaps might -- gasp! -- get dirty???

Before and After

My friend Geraldine started a scarf and then abandoned it because she had run out of yarn before the scarf reached the desired length. When she got tired of this unfinished piece taking up space, she handed it off to me to see if I could do anything with it.

The scarf was curling in on itself because she had worked it in stockinette stitch with no edge stitches. The yarn was very bulky and she had cast on 23 stitches, resulting in a VERY wide scarf. After looking at it, I realized the only option was to frog it and start from scratch.

Geraldine is a fashion designer, so I wanted to make her a scarf with a little pizzazz. I toyed with a few ideas, including mixing the bulky yarn with a lighter weight one to create contrasting textures.

Ultimately, I decided just to use the existing yarn. I cast on 120 stiches and knit the scarf lengthwise, in the round, in seed stitch. After reaching the desired width, I cast off all but 10 stitches and unwound those 10 columns. The resulting yarn was cut at the center point, creating the fringe.

Even though I cast on and off loosely, the edges of the scarf are a tad stiffer than I would have liked, but they give the scarf a bit of structure and Geraldine seemed to like it!

Bang, bang! Merry Christmas?

I stayed up until 4 in the morning on Christmas Eve finishing Rob's present. Around 3, I heard a guy who lives in the building next door talk another guy out of shooting him.

From what I could hear of the conversation, the guy with the gun had been driving around looking for someone who had "done him wrong." He came across our neighbor drinking 40's with his friends in their front yard and pulled a gun. Our neighbor very calmly explained he had the wrong person and the guy eventually drove off without firing a shot.

I considered calling the police, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Over the summer, shots were actually fired into the courtyard next door and when our downstairs neighbor called, the cops came half an hour later. Their "investigation" consisted of driving down the street once with a floodlight on.

Gotta love Hollywood.


Back to Rob's present. I used the "Hero" sweater pattern in the fall issue of knitscene for inspiration. Rob likes his clothes to be fitted, so I did the whole sweater in a stretchy 3 X 1 rib instead of doing the front in chevron as the pattern called for.

Here's a picture of Rob modeling it in our front yard. He wore it to a New Year's Eve party and Jenny Ryan, who runs Felt Club commented that it was a "nice fit." Coming from such an expert, that seemed like quite a compliment!