The end of another knitting year

A couple of year ago, I made some knitting resolutions for New Years, most of which I've broken since (most notably the washable yarn one). There are really no resolutions for this year, other than to make sure that the things I'm making are things I love. That means 1) no knitting obligatory Christmas gifts (they haven't been obligatory in the past, but I have been a little unrealistic about time investment) and 2) if I don't love what I'm knitting (for whatever reason), I rip it back and start over. Most of the stuff that sits unfinished for a long time is stuff I just don't like. (That includes you, Print o' the Waves Stole.)

In seasonal knitting news, I received Knitting Rules! by the Yarn Harlot for Christmas. This book solves a huge conundrum for me - people sometimes ask what books I've read lately and then look at me funny when I say I don't read anymore, I knit. Sorry, but it's the truth. It's not that I don't love reading - I really do, and I used to do a lot of it - but I'd just rather knit, so much so that I've given up one hobby entirely in favor of the other. But this past week, I read Knitting Rules! from cover to cover in a couple of days. How great is this - a book about knitting! And, like, not a pattern book. The Yarn Harlot is entertaining as always, and it's nice to hear someone else's thoughts on all things knitting. Considering I don't belong to any knitting circles, blog rings, or have many (currently) knitting friends, I don't get that very often.

I also stopped by the Yarn Garden when we were in Portland and got some new yarn with my Christmas money. A ball of socks yarn that is half way to being a pair of Monkeys, 3 balls of Classic Elite Classic Silk for the Coquette Lace Tube Top, a ball of Berroco Comfort for a Koolhaus Hat, and a skein of Malabrigo Laceweight for a scarf of some kind.

Happy New (Knitting) Year!

Trudie

I'm not sure what inspired Trudie, the turtle, other than an episode of Wild America I watched one Sunday back at the beginning of the summer. I liked the pattern on the bottom of the turtle shell and it occurred to me that it could be replicated in knitting by knitting into the front and back of a stitch. I just started knitting and stopped when she was done.




I actually started to make up a pattern for Trudie, with the intention of submitting it to Knitty for the winter issue. (I even took these pretty pictures - I'm sure the other people in the park thought I was nuts for taking pictures of a toy.) After I went to the trouble, I found they'd published a pattern for a knitted turtle last year. Damn. Mine is different, but I'm sure they don't need two turtles. Want the pattern? ETA: See below!

Pattern: Mine.
Yarn: about 2/3 of a ball of Dale Svale
Needles: US size 5 dpns
Comments: :-)

Trudie
by Sarah Castor

Difficulty: Intermediate

Trudie’s body is knit in one piece in the round, leaving an opening for her head to be knit on later by picking up stitches. Increases make the sunburst pattern in her plastron (undershell), while a simple knit and purl pattern forms the carapace (topshell).

SIZE

One size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Length: 6.5 inches from head to tail
Height: 3 inches

MATERIALS

Dale of Norway Svale [50% cotton/40% viscose/10% silk; 114yds per 50g skein]; color: 7432 light green; 1 skein (about 80 yds used)

1 set US #5/3.75mm double-point needles

Polyester fiberfill for stuffing

Two small white 4-hole buttons

black sewing thread and sewing needle

tapestry needle

stitch marker

US size E-4 (3.5 mm) crochet hook for picking up stitches (optional)

GAUGE

24 sts/32 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch

Gauge is not important for this project; just make sure the fabric is firm enough that the stuffing does not show through.

PATTERN NOTES

Eyes:

If you are making Trudie for a small child or baby, forgo the buttons and use the black thread to embroider the eyes onto the head. Button eyes can be popped off and swallowed by young children.

Needles:

Since the pattern is worked in multiples of 8, a set of 5 dpns is recommended, although not necessary.

sk2p:

Slip the next stitch knitwise, knit the next two stitches together, pass the slipped stitch over the stitches knitted together and off the needle.

PATTERN

Body

Cast on 8 sts, leaving 6 inch tail of yarn. Distribute sts evenly on dpns and join for working in the round, placing a marker at the beginning.

Round 1: K to end.
Round 2: Kfb to end. (16 sts)
Round 3: [K1, kfb] to end. (24sts)
Round 4: K to end.
Round 5: [K2, kfb] to end. (32 sts)
Repeat the last 2 rows, adding one knit stitch before each kfb until there are 80 sts.
Round 18: [K9, P1] to end.

Make opening for head:

Round 19: K2, bind off 6 sts, K1, P1, [K9, P1] to end.
Round 20: K2, cast on 6 sts, K1, P1, [K9, P1] to end.
Round 21: As round 18.

Begin topshell:

Round 22: P to end.
Round 23: P2, [K5, P5] to last 8 sts, K5, P3.
Round 24: P1, [K3, ssk, K2, P3] to last 9 sts, K3, ssk, K2, P2. (72 sts)
Round 25: P1, [K6, P3] 8 sts, K6, P2.
Round 26 and 27: [K8, P1] to end.
Round 28: [K3, ssk, K3, P1] to end. (64 sts)
Round 29: P1, [K5, P3] to last 7 sts, K5, P2.
Round 30: P1, [K5, P1, K1, P1] to last 7 sts, K5, P1, K1.

Start stuffing the body and add stuffing as you go.

Round 31: K1, [P1, K3] to last 3 sts, P1, K2.
Round 32: K1, [P2, p2tog, P1, K3] to last 7 sts, P2, p2tog, P1, K2. (56 sts)
Round 33: K2, [P2, K5], to last 5 sts, P2, K3.
Round 34: K2, [p2tog, K5] to last 5 sts, p2tog, K3. (48 sts)
Round 35: K2, [P1, K5] to last 4 sts, P1, K3.
Round 36: K1, [P3, ssk, K1] to last 5 sts, P3, ssk. (40 sts)
Round 37: K1, [P1, K1, P1, K2] to last 4 sts, [P1, K1] twice, rm, purl the first stitch of the next round to make it the last stitch of the current round, pm.
Round 38: [K3, p2tog] to end. (32 sts)
Round 39: [K3, P1] to end.
Round 40: [Ssk, K1, P1] to end. (24 sts)
Round 41: P to end.
Round 42: [Ssk, K1] to end. (16 sts)
Round 43: K to end.
Round 44: Ssk to end. (8 sts)

Add the last stuffing. Cut yarn and thread through the remaining 8 sts to close.

Head

Note: Stuff the head as you knit it.

Using three needles and starting at the right edge, pick up 18 sts around the head opening.

K one round.

Next round: [K2, M1] 3 times, K5, [M1, K2] 3 times, K1. (24 sts)

K 3 rounds.

Next round: [Ssk, K7, k2tog, K1] to end. (20 sts)

K one round.

Next round: [Ssk, K5, k2tog, K1] to end. (16 sts)

Next round: [Ssk, K3, k2tog, K1] to end. (12 sts)

Next round: [Ssk, K1, k2tog, K1] to end. (8 sts)

Last round: [Sk2p, K1] to end. (4 sts)

Add the last stuffing. Cut yarn and thread it through the remaining sts to close.

Legs (make 4)

Cast on 18 sts, distribute evenly on three needles and join for working in the round.

K 4 rounds.

Next round: [Ssk, K1] 6 times. (12 sts)

K one round.

Next round: Ssk to end. (6 sts)

Cut yarn and thread through the remaining sts to close.

Tail

Cast on 10 sts, distribute on three needles and join for working in the round.

K one round.

Next round: [Ssk, K1, k2tog] twice. (6 sts)

K one more round. Cut yarn and thread it through the remaining sts to close.

FINISHING

Use cast-on tail to close the hole in the belly. Stuff the feet and sew onto the body. Press the tail flat and sew onto the body (the tail is not stuffed). Weave in ends. With a sewing needle threaded with black thread, sew button eyes onto head.

© 2007 Sarah L. Castor

Please use this pattern responsibly - that means, print a copy for yourself, but do not print copies for distribution or sale or use the pattern to make little Trudies for sale. Thanks.

Quarterly update

It seems that's about how often I get around to this. Wish List, In Progress, and Finished! have been updated, but I don't have pictures. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I suck at pictures, Matthew has been really busy, and frankly, life has kinda sucked lately.

And I've been working on a secret project. It's secret because I'm going to submit it for publication and it can't appear anywhere before that.

I really will try to get it together soon and make a post of substance.