knittingazoo

[knittingazoo]

I just cast on my first sweater.

I swore I would never knit a sweater. It takes the time of a blanket but has stakes so it’s not a “relax” project.

But here we are.

[knittingazoo]

Here’s our latest shoulder familiar! I’m not sure I placed the magnet quite right. I may have to add another in the tail or pin him in place to wear. But he turned out cute!

Pattern: Manolito the Parakeet by HandMadeAwards

Yarn: Fingering weight merino and nylon blends. The knitpicks yarn is much lighter than the hand-dyed yarn, so I held it double.

Light green and orange: hand dyed by Goldfishlove (www.goldfishlove.com)

Dark green and brown: Stroll sock yarn by Knitpicks

[knittingazoo]

This 7-year project is finally finished!

In my final year of undergrad, I went on a study abroad to England. While in York, I found the pattern for this fierce dragon in the gift shop of York Minster. The printed pattern noted that the local yarn shop had another dragon by the same designer on display, so I decided to use my “free day” in the city to track down the yarn shop. Alas, when I found it, I realized it was Sunday and the shop was closed! But since I was out, I decided to explore the historic areas of the city, and it ended up being may favorite day of the trip.

I casted on the dragon immediately when I got home (January 2017) and just finished it in July 2024. It’s been in and out of storage for those seven years. If you scroll down on this blog, you’ll find WIP updates going back years. But he’s finally complete! He’s my very good derpy boy.

Pattern: Clarence the Dragon by Georgina Manvell. Can be found at OldToyKnittingShop on Etsy.

[knittingazoo]

I completed this little hobbit friend over a decade ago, but never got around to making his Fellowship cloak. Finally, here it is!

Unfortunately, I have lost the pattern information for this one. But many thanks to the brilliant designer who made this pattern free for a little high school student just starting her knitting journey.

[knittingazoo]

Froggy friend! He was originally intended to be another shoulder familiar, but he is too large and unwieldy. So now I just have a cute friend! I may make him a log to sit on eventually. We’ll see.

Pattern from Amigurumi Animal Friends by Michele Wilcox.

[knittingazoo]

A family close to me recently lost their beloved kitty, Scratchy. I made them a Scratchy plushie to remember him by.

He meant a lot to me too. I didn’t have pets growing up—he was the closest I’ve ever had. He was the most friendly and cuddly boy, and we all miss him.

[knittingazoo]

Another in the shoulder familiar experiments! For this one, I took my go to badger pattern, Brompton Badger by Amanda Berry, and knit it with fingering yarn on size 000 needles to make him teeny-tiny.

As with the dragon and the owl (see previous posts), he has a boutonniere magnet in his base so he can sit on your shoulder.

Experiment successes: He’s small enough and the fabric is thin enough that he’s secure on your shoulder. I “wore” him as part of a Helga Hufflepuff cosplay and he did great all day.

To-be-improved: The microscopic knitting is a pain, tbh.

[knittingazoo]

Summer Knitting Dump Coming!

I've scheduled my summer projects to be posted over the next couple weeks. Maybe someday I'll learn to post as I go, but today is not that day. Enjoy!

[knittingazoo]

Experiment time! Since I made Irina Latukhina’s Sleeping Dragon, I’ve been thinking about what other shoulder familiars I can make. Here’s a witchy classic, an owl!

He’s improvised, inspired by the owl from Amigurumi Animal Friends by Michele Wilcox. 100% worsted acrylic yarn. He has boutonnière magnets in his feet and tail so he can sit on your shoulder.

Experiment successes: He’s super cute and a good shoulder size. The heavier yarn weight and larger needles made knitting him up easier and faster.

To-be-improved: The heavier yarn weight makes a fabric that is just barely thin enough for the magnets I used. With the shirt layer, he’ll sit on your shoulder but would be knocked off by a stiff breeze.

[knittingazoo]

Reblogging in honor of Mary Shelley’s birthday! Happy birthday to the mother of science fiction!

Countdown to “Frankenstein’s Footsteps”: 23 hours and 40 minutes. Before I leave, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me in preparation for this trip. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your help, whether you adopted an animal from the shop or simply poured out encouragement. Thank you!

[knittingazoo]

Like Frankenstein building the Creature lol

The vivisection looking stage of making a knit plush is so fucking funny to me tbh.

like yeah, it's going to be adorable when it's done, but in that interim of time it looks like I'm doing morally questionable science on a muppet or whatever.

[knittingazoo]

Don’t lose these mittens! These were challenging in a couple ways. They’re the first sets of mittens I’ve ever done and the most complicated color work I’ve ever done!

Both patterns are by Kulabra Designs

[knittingazoo]

Go, Snorlax!

This massive friend is my first original design! He’s far from perfect (there’s a reason he’s only being photographed from the front), but after 11 years of knitting stuffies from patterns, I figured it’s about time I stretched my wings a bit.

Pattern: From my brain!!

[knittingazoo]

Cute alert! Here’s a dragon so small and gentle he’ll sleep on your shoulder.

Yarn info:

Yellow: Goldfish Love Fibers. Hand-dyed fingering weight, merino and nylon blend. Goldfish colorway

Pink: Patons Kroy Socks. Wool and nylon blend. Brown Rose Marl colorway

Pattern Credit: Sleeping Dragon by Irina Latukhina

[knittingazoo]

Pros of having too many projects for your spouse creature to keep track of: he doesn’t bother to ask which ones which anymore, so you can work on his surprise Christmas present right in front of him

[knittingazoo]

Do you ever have so much that you want to do that you’re paralyzed?

Currently I want to, in no particular order because that’s the point:

G) Finish that pink pair of socks because they’ve been way to much of a pain in the ass for how simple the pattern is and I want to be done

4) cast on the second of the blue and white socks because I’m actually still interested in those and I want the pair

IX) finish that lump of a stash buster blanket under the table that’s been on the needles for about a year

56) cast on a pair of mittens with the scraps from the pink socks with that nice flax color for the cuffs

B) figure out something to do with all that blue that I’ve got now because I only wanted a section of the variegation for the second blue sock (see 4)

XII) finish the tiny badger that’s gonna be a shoulder familiar

3) cast on a pair of fall mittens for myself with (out of frame) hand dyed yarn I got at the renaissance festival

D) put away the crayons and pile of laundry and work stuff

306) drink the wine

[knittingazoo]

My Toxic Personality Trait: Knitting Edition

Me: Ugh I don't wanna do another straight stockinette project it's so BORING

Brain: How about some colorwork?

Me: Ugh, no. Managing more than one ball of yarn is infuriating

Brain: Okay then, how about something with some texture?

Me: Are you kidding? The counting! And the constant rhythm interruptions with the yarn-overs and purling! Don't even get me started on cable needles

Brain: Alright, um...a stuffed animal?

Me: I've already made so MANY. If Toy Story is real I have condemned whole bin-fulls of stuffies to Jessie's dark box closet purgatory

Brain: Okay, final offer--stripes. If you don't want to deal with two balls, you can disconnect and reconnect instead of carrying. Switching colors doesn't interrupt the rhythm that much, and you don't have to have your nose in the pattern constantly

Me: ...but I don't like stripes

Brain: *flips table*