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Some Finishes and My First Attempt at Handpainted Yarn

This should prove to be interesting... since my laptop died earlier this week I am now depending solely on the Tab.  So Round Two of Nerd Wars ended back on the 28th.  I submitted a total of five projects to four challenges.  I've shown you two WIPs so on with the show.  

     I only got to talk about the infinity scarf I had been working on previously since I didn't have pictures yet.  Now I do and I have to say, I love how this one turned out.  I haven't blocked this yet and I don't think I'm going to.  I really like how the lace looks as is.


I used this cowl for the Flexible Schedule challenge.  I started this the last day of February so it was a WIP on the first of March.  This round the FS challenge was the cross nerdery challenge.  We had to find a flashback or backstory as our inspiration from another nerddom.  It proved to be tricky for a lot of people, especially since this category focuses on projects already started.  I "copped out" in my opinion and used the series Once Upon a Time.  Dont get me wrong, I love this series and I'm familiar with it, but each episode has backstory on someone.  I just had to choose an episode that would work for my cowl.  I used the backstory on Cinderella.  I used the event horizon of the Stargate for my tie in since the unblocked lace looks like water shimmering and flowing.  This was the Mochi Plus that was gifted to me in the Nerd Wars Swap last tournament.  I plan to give it to my swapee for the Team Stargate Swap.  I thought that would be rather fitting and I'm pretty sure the recipient will like it.  The Mochi is an 80/20 Merino/Nylon blend put out by Crystal Palace Yarns.  I've used it several times, it is very soft and great to wear close to the skin.  

     Along with the cowl I submitted the Indiecita Hat to the FS challenge.  Here it is all done.

The pattern Donnie's Hat details a couple variations.  The brim can be either a 2x2 rib or a 1x1.  Then the slipped stitches can either continue straight up to the top or slant and twist.  I went with the 1x1 rib and the slanty twisty slipped stitches.  The brim is supposed to be knit for 20 rows and then folded up, but I don't like to wear my hats like that.  Since it was for me I only knit a 10 row brim so the patterned portion is longer.  I ended up making a tad too long, but it gives me the option to pull it all the way down on my head when its quite cold and keep the back if my neck warm.  As soon as I finished it I started wearing it,  we had several snow falls and some evenings in the 20s about that time so I can attest to it keeping my neck warm.  I sued Malabrigo Rios in the colorway Indiecita.  It is a beautiful colorway and Malabrigo is amazing to work with.  I didn't have to tie this into the challenge or have a team tie in either, which is good since I had no idea how to do that.  

     I used the Snowflake Hat for the Water challenge.  We had to use one of the states of properties of water for our inspiration.  I used crystallized water as my inspiration.  This was my first foray into Fairisle.  Its a colorwork technique that uses two, or more, colors simultaneously to make designs.  The colors not in use are carried along the back.  There is no twisted when switching back and forth between colors.  I had that wrong in my last post.  I thought i was doing Intarsia where there is twisting.  The hat came out fine.  It just needs some blocking to even everything out.  


I used two colors of Cascade 220 Superwash Sport.  It is very soft and squishy.  I plan to get lots more of this.  Its a great yarn to have on hand for whatever project crops up.  Its inexpensive and its washable, how much better can it get!  I used one of my two go to hat tie ins, Sam or Teal'c.  There is photographic evidence of them wearing hats, so I use it a lot.  


     Alright onto things you haven't seen yet.  For the Architecture challenge I made another hat.  Did I not say this was the March of hats in my last post... I digress.  I made a baby hat. This round our team unity was to make a baby item since all of us seem to have babies showing up in our real lives.  This I'm hoping will be big enough for Christina's daughter.  She will be nearly six months old when winter hits after shes born.  I have no idea how fast babies grow thought soooo, I may make her something less growth dependent like a blanket, which was my first idea anyway.  My inspiration were the domes on the Kremlin spires.  

I used the leftover Berroco Vintage Colors from my sweater Abalone.  I used Shifu the Harcesis child of Sha're and Apophis as my tie in.  I used him while he was still a baby.  I think he was the only baby I hadn't used yet as a tie in.  

     Last but not least I pulled one last project from my behind for the T-shirt challenge.  Last Saturday I took a friend yarn shopping.  We made a stop at AC Moore, since shes just starting out.  While there I picked up some cotton mill ends annd some discontinued yarn.
The yarn is Patons Angora Bamboo .  Its a worsted weight blend of Bamboo wool and Angora.  I wanted to try it out right away to see if I liked it.  I'm still hoping to go back and get more.  It turns out its a really great yarn and its half off now that its been discontinued. So, I made, wait for it, another hat. Yes folks, another hat, and its even another Whitecaps.  

At least this time its gray.  I found a T shirt to use after I started the hat.  That's why I say I pulled it out of my behind.  I sort of stretched the challenge a bit.  I wasn't sure they would let me use it.  The patterning of the lace looks like replicator blocks to me, no lie, I just tend to be nuts.  I drew it out, maybe that helped.  Since this was another hat, I used Teal'c as my tie in.

     I have acquired some more yarn as I said I stopped at AC Moore.  Here are the cotton Millends and the Patons Angora Bamboo.

The cotton looks like it might be DK weight.  Its rather loosely spun, which is why they're most likely Millends.  I needed to pick up the yarn for my swapee so I did that Sunday.  I got some white wool while I was there for the dyeing fun I was planning for this past Saturday.
I'm not going to go into detail about why I picked up Noro, I'm pretty sure my swapee doesn't read my blog but I don't want to risk it since its a secret swap. 
Here is the wool I picked up.  Merino Cable is a DK weight superwash.  I figured it would be a good idea to start with a superwash so I wouldn't have to worry about felting.  I was going to go into more detail about the dyeing process, but this post is turning out to be long and I'm in a rush today.  So it went from that to this:
I have it skeined back up now.  The purple lightened up once it dried and the dark green splotch faded a bit as well.  I'll get some more pictures at some point.  I used Easter Egg dyes, which are color fast and food grade so I could use my kitchen with no danger.  More on all this later.  I found it to be really fun and I want to do some more in the future.  Until later (once I get a new computer since this is impossible), Happy Crafting!
-Q



  

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