Clown barf hat and a busy November

Today while I was taking pictures of a finished hat to blog about I started to hear this noise and looked outside. It's officially working it's way towards winter, boo!


Reminds me of one of my favorite random quotes: "knit fast, die warm!"

Anyways here's a hat I finished a few weeks ago, right around the time I realized my short hair means there's no option to wake up and run out the door without doing something about it. I move alot in my sleep thus when I wake up my hair is usually in about 20 billion directions! Almost as crazy as this hat!



The yarn I bought a while ago while yarn shopping with my friend Beth, she thought I was crazy, I knew I was. It was on clearance times five and I just loved the crazy colors! One issue with it is it pills a TON, like while I was knitting it I'd get rainbow pills all over me and I had to wash it really well to get all the lose ones off the hat. I totally understand why it was on sale and being discontinued but I love it anyways!


Also, it's less than a month till Chicago TARDIS now, which means marathon of getting everything done. This is on the top of the list. It's for my friends Lynne and Michael's daughter. Next month she's got a huge surgery and when I heard about it I knew I needed to make her a little companion who could protect her.
He's modeled after Bob the Dalek from Torchwood Babiez who's the protector of baby Rose. He's not done, I'm just starting the bottom but I have to admit he's pretty adorable and I'm already jealous of Cait and her new buddy!
♥ Freckled Crafter

PS: Thanks to everyone to all the well wishes on my last post!

Study Mitts

When I'm super stressed with school I tend to find myself knitting in every spare moment. It eases my mind and give my hands something to do for a bit, all the frustration going out through my fingers. So with midterms in full force I picked up some yarn my friend gave me recently (my SnB is awesome!) and started knitting. All I knew was I wanted something small and easy so I started swatching. Three days later and I had these:

Details can be found here!

Sometimes my favorite thing to knit is something quick, simple, and straight from my mind.

♥ Freckled Crafts

Tyrolean Stockings

These have been on the needles for AGES! At least a year, probably more. They're full of mistakes and far from perfect but I think they're perfect! I like when my handmade items aren't absolutely perfect, then you can tell they were made with someone's own hands and my hands are far from perfect.

My friend Kathy from SnB actually has recorded on her blog a photo of me from September 27th, 2009. I believe I was just a few inches in so it was sometime around there.


Pattern: Tyrolean Stockings from Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Good old Fisherman's Wool, some say they dislike it but I think it's a great basic wool for an even better price.
Modifications: Casting on more stitches, working the leg longer, thus almost knee high.

(Disclaimer: I threw on the skirt for the photos, no I didn't think wearing that shirt with that skirt would work, it just happens to be peaking out in this pic)

I finished them in perfect time for fall, although they're so warm they are probably better suited for winter. How bout them boots and that skirt? Both are thrifted, an issue I keep meaning to blog about.

♥ Freckled Crafts

Finished Project: Doctor Who Scarf

So I finally finished it! About a month ago I decided my almost one year struggle to complete a full sized season 18 Four scarf was pointless. So I started over with the width I wanted and in less than a month finished it!


Made with the now discontinued Lion Brand Suede this scarf is super warm and just about perfect! It's my new favorite.

♥ Freckled Crafter

Hello Friday!

A few months ago my coffee maker broke, it was a small Mr.Coffee and I was quite sad. Luckly my parents were nice enough to give me an extra french press they had. I'm loving french pressed coffee SO much more than from that old machine! Sadly being glass it would be cold and sad within two minutes. A few weeks ago I decided I needed to fix this and thus made up my own pattern and started knitting. Sometimes I love doing that, it's really encouraging to see something you sketched out come to life from your own mind.

Rasberry Chocolate Coffee Press

There were issues and a false start. I may re-knit it and produce it as a free pattern cause it was fun and I was able to knit it in a weekend. Best part is by using 2 yarns (SWS & Wool of the Andes) it insulates really well and keeps my coffee warm much longer.

Oh, and it's Friday, so here's my inspiration for the week. I really don't need anything else because I want this jacket a seen on Hermione in the Deathly Hallows trailer so much! Sadly I can't find any other images and will thus have to wait for more before I can make my own. It will be mine though!
♥ Freckled Crafter

Where I jot down my ideas

I thought I'd go ahead and share my pile of pens, sketchbook, and planner I carry around with me. I actually just finished the pencil pouch last weekend! It was quick, easy, and fun. Now looking at it my button eyes kind of make Shaun look like he's dead, ah well, cut either way. It's all stash yarn and fabric, the zipper was my only purchase...which I must say looks fantastic! Best zipper instillation I've ever done.



And here's some notes etc from my sketchbook. The first two are ideas, inspiration, and notes for my printmaking class. I need to work on some ideas for next week, we're doing etching! On the far right is my silly little sketch of my femme!eleventh Doctor.


♥ Freckled Crafter

Finished Project: Boomtown Carpet Bag

A few months ago I decided that I finally wanted to learn how to make granny squares. I've always wanted to be able to make them since I think they can be really cute and kitschy in the right project. So I sat down with some rum, leftover yarn from a scarf, my mom's old crochet hook, and youtube crochet tutorials. I'm left handed so crochet has always been a little awkward for me. Before we moved into the current apartment I made some wonky crocheted circles out of wool which I then felted and sewed some patches on to hide all the wrong stitches.

In about a week I had crocheted up seventeen squares and used up all the leftover yarn. Unsure what to do with them they went into a shopping bag and buried in my craft trunk. I finally decided a few weeks ago that I wanted a big bag for my current projects.

I then had to teach myself how to crochet the squares together, I'm pretty sure I did it wrong but I'm not too worried. A pair of handles, some plastic cross stitch sheets, and some fabric from the stash and a few hours and I had a new bag for my knitting!


It doesn't have any type of closure but it stays together pretty well. I like being able to grab stuff out of it on a whim.


I also love how perfectly it holds magazines and patterns. Last weekend I even put my current book I'm reading in it.


This is about what it looks like with all my stuff. Not too organized but I have everything I need, all my current projects in one tidy place. It's large enough I could even have a sweater project stored in here.

• Right now I've got a finished pair of socks to show off to my knitting group tomorrow.

• My knee high stockings, one is done and the other is about two inches in.

• Knitpicks Time Traveler sock yarn, for my upcoming nerdy socks.

• The second skein for the test knit gloves I'm knitting for a friend (they'd be in there too but I was knitting them :P ).

• One finished sock to the pair I'm making on a whim without a pattern.

• Various needles scattered on the bottom and magazines and patterns for all my projects.

So yeah...it holds ALOT XD

Hope everyone's weekends are being productive, I made a new nerdy bag today I'll show off soon.

♥ Freckled Crafter

Finished Project: Mini K-9

I made this last weekend in between writing bouts and I finally found a little time to post it! I'd been wanting to make this for such a long time and I finally just pulled out the yarn and cast on, it was perfect because whenever I took a mini break I'd knit one piece and then once I was done for the night I could sit down, enjoy some classic who and assemble my little friend!

Pattern: Mini K-9 by Helen Callis
Yarn: Scraps from my stash and embroidery thread.
Needles: US #3 I believe

I love how wonky he is! Perfection in the imperfection, I always like to think. He goes perfectly with my little handcrafted Five doll by InkyPaws. I'm seriously thinking about commissioning her to make me a four doll to match K-9 perfectly, her work is so cute and you all know how I love supporting hand made!


♥ Freckled Crafter

Day 4 of Show and Tell Week: Seven Circle

(holy cow! windy much?!)

Sorry about last night. Sometimes the days just get away from me before I get things done that I plan. So here's the late thursday show and tell.


Pattern: Seven Circle by Kristen Johnston
Yarn: random unknown wool from a kit I bought ages ago
Mods: I started by following the pattern but ended up being lazy and casting on however much I felt like for each round.
Notes: Fun project, great FO! My only complaint is all the casting on and binding off but what can you do? Plan to make more of these in the future, maybe some in cotton for summer :D


Like my new FO layout? I think it's much easier to read and more organized (which I could always use, haha)

Back later after class with my current work in progress and then friday inspiration. Three posts in a day?! That's crazy!!!

♥ Freckled Crafter

Day 2 of Show and Tell Week: Chevron and Feather Scarf

Today is a scarf I made quite a while ago. It's the chevron and feather scarf from The Little Box of Scarves. The patterns are really convenient because they're each on a little card so you can throw them in your bag and keep them with your knitting.

The yarn is Lion Brand Midnight Mohair which I found on sale for a $1 but foolishly only bought two skeins. This resulted in a shorter scarf. Luckly I found this perfect peacock pin at Micheals, I think it really complements the yarn and pattern.


The yarn is made up of two threads stranded together, a bright multicolored shiny yarn and a whispy mohair. The effect is something not easy to photograph but in person you can see it's true beauty. The pattern was fun and easy to memorize quickly (my favorite kind of lace).
Well that's all till tomorrow,
♥ Freckled Crafter

Show and Tell Week: Day 1...the vest of glory!

So I've decided that I haven't posted nearly enough of my own work on this journal. Therefor I declare this week show and tell week. Each day I'll be showing something I've made recently. This week is all knitting and thanks to lovely weather and lots of sun I've got relatively good pictures to show off.
First is something I've been working on for the past month. I finished it on saturday and it's just in time for a Doctor Who photoshoot I'm attending this weekend.


I used The Doctor Who Pattern Book by Joy Gammon with heavy modifications. First off I made it sans sleeves because majority of the time I'll be wearing the jacket over it and when I'm not there will be puffed or rolled up sleeves sticking out (I like doing a modified femme!five instead of classic to the T). I added alot of shaping in hopes of creating more shape because for whatever reason white cricket sweaters are generally not too attractive on me. It looks a little wonky here but when it's on it fits quite well, although I'd love even a little more negative ease. When it came to the neckline I did some odd short rows across the front and up the sides of the neck in order to get the right width and number of rows per color without alot of bulk around my neck. You can see this especially with the burgundy which should actually be brown but I took my own creative liberties with it. The original worn by Peter Davison WAS brown but it just looks burgundy to me.

(ooo, pretty cables are pretty!)

I used Knitpicks Bare Superwash for the off white and Telemark in black, poppy, and garnet heather. I've got 3/4ths a skein of superwash left and almost all of the three telemark yarns. I'm debating between the five hat on ravelry and making up my own wristwarmers (for when I eat celery, naturally!).

Overall I'm quite happy with it, it's quite soft and pretty, and if I can find the right pairing may actually wear it outside of cosplay once or twice. Pictures of me wearing it WITH costume this weekend after the shoot along with a full costume breakdown.

See you tomorrow with something else I knit up this weekend!
♥ Freckled Crafter

(Forgive my nerdiness, this gif was necessary)