Cat Approves of Season 12.5 Dr. Who Scarf

Season 12.5 Scarf is done, including fringe.  I folded it, put it on the bed for a minute, and came back to this.

Knit Your Own Zoo by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne

This book includes 24 knitting patterns for zoo animals.  The detail in the designs is incredible, right down to the anteater’s tongue and the lemur’s ringed tail.  From the familiar elephant to the mandrill and meerkat, there is great variety.  Pipe cleaners are used to help the animals hold their shape.  Other than pipe cleaners, you need only small amounts of wool, needles, and fiberfill.

Not only are there instructions for knitting and great illustrations, but also descriptions of each animal with fun facts about each one.  This book is recommended for intermediate to advanced knitters and animal lovers.

I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher.

Great Book for Learning to Sew!

The Magic Pattern Book by Amy Barickman

This is a fabulous sewing course for the twenty-first century.  Like my 4-H books in the seventies, it begins with essential basics such as fibers and fabrics (including newer fibers such as bamboo) and body measurements.  Next come basic sewing techniques followed by patterns of increasing complexity.

Beginning with a basic tank top pattern, each pattern introduces new sewing skills and shows how to make a pattern your own through numerous variations of the six basic patterns.   I would recommend this resource as an affordable sewing class plus a basic pattern library all in one book.  What an amazing value!

I received a free electronic review copy from the publisher, Workman Publishing.

Dr. Who Season 12.5 Scarf

With the stress of this long winter, I decided more mindless garter stitch just might help me survive until spring (the weather, not the calendar season) arrives!  So now there is a season 12.5 scarf on the needles.  Check my progress on the scarf bar above.

Proof that Dr. Who Scarf is Done!

Here's the picture of the completed Dr. Who Season 12 scarf.  All that garter stitch was good "therapy knitting" while I was stressed out over icy weather a little over a week ago.  The next scarf (yes, it was that fun) will be in more authentic colors and all the same weight.  This was done from stash yarn because the weather/power situation meant many stores were not open and/or if they were we had to shovel and struggle to get there.  Thus, some of the yarn is Red Heart Super Saver and some is Caron Simply Soft, a lighter and softer yarn.

Cool Scarf Knitting Link

If you are working on a Dr. Who Scarf, this cool tool generates the html code to show your progress on a scarf from any season of Dr. Who.  See mine above.  Isn't that fun?

Next Project: Dr. Who?

Now that I have made TARDIS scarves for four people, my Whoovian daughter has asked,"Could you make me one of the really long scarves?" Could I? Of course; I am perfectly capable of making 8 to 12 feet of garter stitch!

I found the absolute best site on the various scarves.  Tara Carstensen has studied the scarves extensively, even touching some of them, so her patterns are as authentic as they can get.  She even has a page giving the closest Pantone colors to the real scarves.  I chose the Season 12 pattern.

Since North Carolina got a freak March snow/ice/sleet/slush event yesterday, I went to my stash (no Pantone color matching for me--this is an opportunity to use up my bits and pieces) and pulled the (mostly) correct colors.  I will need to get some olive, but I had the other colors in my closet.

I plan  to work "both ends against the middle" as my Granny used to say.  I figure the ends are the most visible parts of a scarf.  If I get to the middle and run out of a color, I can vary the pattern a little with no harm done.  Plus, working it in one piece would mean the scarf became non-portable after a while.  I'll worry about grafting in garter stitch when the time comes to jon the two pieces.

I am grateful to have kids who actually want to wear things I knit or sew!  Please let me know in the comments if you have ever tackled a Dr. Who scarf.

Alice Scarf is Done!

It's so long and so soft.  Knitting at a looser gauge makes it drape nicely and allows it to be extra long without too much weight.

My Version of Alice's Scarf from Twilight

I love blue and have always worn it to go with my eyes.  In the first Twilight movie, Alice Cullen wears a shaded blue scarf on a field trip. (The field trip is not in the book and struck me as an odd thing to add to the movie, but that's off topic!) I found a pattern on Ravelry and decided to make my own version using the same color sequence, but in 1 by 1 ribbing on large needles.  The beginning looks sloppy, but as I progressed it became a lovely, soft fabric.  This scarf is not too heavy, important for an extra-long long scarf. Finished project picture will be coming soon.

Don't Fear Kitchener Stitch

I just found a wonderful, illustrated resource to keep near my knitting. (My Kindle and knitting basket live near the same chair.) This e-booklet from Smashwords is free this week to celebrate Read an E-Book Week, so get Kitchener Stitch by Liz Cademy today.Leave her a book review, too, so she knows how great her e-book is!

Find Crafty E-Books for Read an E-Book Week!

Check out these sites and get a free or discounted e-book to celebrate Read an E-Book Week:

Smashwords RAEW Catalog

KOBO e-readers and books

My Amazon Author Page