Imbri Knits

[Imbri]

I got the yarn for my silk parasol! It's a hand painted, lace-weight silk.



It's a bit darker, in person, but you can see the colors nicely.

The wooden piece underneath is a teak finial, meant for a clock. It needs to be sanded and I haven't decided if I'll stain it or oil it, but that will go on the tip of the parasol. It'll be both decorative and protective.

 

[Blood Eclipse]

Wow, you have amazing knitting skills. I like each piece and their color combinations.

 

[Imbri]

Thank you, Kuriboh. Color can be such a subjective thing that I truly appreciate that.

 

[Imbri]

Not a finish, but a work in progress pic.



This is something of an experiment. I started with my basic "vanilla" sock pattern and grafted elements from 3 other patterns onto it. Additionally, I'll be trying out a new way of closing the toe. You should see the pages of notes I'm keeping as I go along so I'll be able to make a matching one. I plan to offset the pattern so that the rib channel mirrors the gusset on the other one. It isn't centered and that would bug me.

It looks a little funny around the ankle area right now because I used different sized needles. I want the leg to slouch but want it fitted over my ankle and foot. It won't be noticeable once I'm wearing them.

 

[Kirbyz]

You’re very talented! All of those look very lovely, and they look like a lot of effort and work was put into them!

 

[Imbri]

Thank you, Kirbyz! That's very sweet of you!

 

[Imbri]

I don't have anything in the way of finishes to show just now. Still working on the socks, and I have a few other projects - a blanket for my father (it'll be a year-long project), a shawl for me (it just looks like a little blob right now, but I'll post once it is recognizable), and last night I cast on for a winter hat for myself.

The hat is the same yarn as the shawl (I pulled a sweater apart and am reusing the yarn). It's a squishy, soft, fog-grey that will be warm and comfy. The pattern calls for a pompom on top, and I splurged at the shop for a rabbit fur one, so teaser time:



It's hard to gauge the size on this, but it's a little smaller than a softball. I can't wait to get this done so I can wear it!

 

[Imbri]

Finished my hat. I was going to block it, but I don't think it needs it. I'm really pleased with it and can't wait to wear it out.



It pulls down over my ears but still sits just above the top of my head. Because I used a bulky yarn and smaller needles, it's very dense and warm. And the pompom is soft, fluffy goodness. It's attached by ribbons that are threaded through the top and tied inside, so it'll be easy to take it off if I want to put it on another hat or need to wash this one.

 

[Imbri]

I finished my first slouch sock. It needs to be blocked, but I'll wait until the pair is done to do that.



I'm seeing a few things I would have done differently, but overall, I'm rather pleased with the look. And it fits perfectly. On to the second!

 

[Mayor Monday]

Oh my gosh- you're so talented! Great job on your projects, they're beautiful!

 

[Imbri]

Oh, thank you, Mayor Monday.

 

[Imbri]

A very quick, very small project I did last night, because I needed a break from the cardigan and throw.

Behold, the Bag of Ideas!



I cast on at my knitting group last night and continued it when I got home. I stayed up way too late, but I wanted to get it done. It will hold 3-4 sets of dice, but I plan to put my story dice in it. I have two sets coming today - story time and fairy tale. If I ever get my hands on the third set (scary tales), they will fit in here, as well.

The yarn is all cotton, Sugar 'N Cream, so nothing special there, but I love the colors. And I think the wooden beads on the ends of the drawstrings are cute.

 

[Xara]

A very quick, very small project I did last night, because I needed a break from the cardigan and throw.

Behold, the Bag of Ideas!

View attachment 231182

I cast on at my knitting group last night and continued it when I got home. I stayed up way too late, but I wanted to get it done. It will hold 3-4 sets of dice, but I plan to put my story dice in it. I have two sets coming today - story time and fairy tale. If I ever get my hands on the third set (scary tales), they will fit in here, as well.

The yarn is all cotton, Sugar 'N Cream, so nothing special there, but I love the colors. And I think the wooden beads on the ends of the drawstrings are cute.

oh that’s so cute!!

 

[Imbri]

faiiry, thank you. Sorry I didn't say so before.

I made another, because the dice ended up being a bit larger than I thought, so it should be one set per bag. Since the fairy tale dice are pink and white, I used those colors (same brand). My girl Raven is being an unwilling model to provide scale.



I also redid the drawstrings, using only one bead as a stop. It seems to work better.

One more set to go (hopefully; I've had it cancelled on me twice so far), and that will be the scary tales. Those are green glow-in-the-dark, so I have a green, yellow, and white yarn for that.

 

[Mayor Monday]

Just as lovely as ever. I love seeing these!

 

[KazooSquirrel]

You make awesome stuff! Is there by chance a particular book or website you would reccomend to someone who wants to learn to knit?

 

[Imbri]

Mayor Monday - Thank you!

itsaplatypus - Thank you, so much! For someone new to knitting, I'd say first, check out Ravelry. You can join for free and it's an awesome database for patterns of all sorts. Plus, there are forums where you can chat with others and get advice.

The website I hit up most often is for lefty knitters, so that probably won't be much of a help, but I have heard some good things about the YouTube channel Very Pink Knits. There are a lot of other channels that might work for you, as well.

If I had to say one book... well, I'm going to give two. The first is Stitch 'n ***** by Debbie Stoller. The first part is all about how to knit and then it has several projects of varying degrees of difficulty that you can try. The second book is Vogue Knitting: The Knitter's Handbook. I have a copy of this and constantly use it to look up stitches I don't do often or some technique I'm a bit fuzzy on.

The absolute best advice though, would be to check out your local library, community center, or yarn shop. There are classes and groups for all skill levels offered all the time. Even some craft stores have classes you can take. The weekly group I go to at my yarn shop (it's technically a class, so they charge $5, but they give us a huge discount if you buy any yarn, supplies, or books) is a lot of fun. Everyone jumps in to help if you have a question, there's lots of praise for how your project is coming along, and we have random party nights. And nothing beats someone sitting right there to help you figure out what happened to your knitting when you weren't looking.

Sorry to go on so long, but I hope that gives you somewhere to start. If you have questions, feel free to shoot me a message.

 

[KazooSquirrel]

Mayor Monday - Thank you!

itsaplatypus - Thank you, so much! For someone new to knitting, I'd say first, check out Ravelry. You can join for free and it's an awesome database for patterns of all sorts. Plus, there are forums where you can chat with others and get advice.

The website I hit up most often is for lefty knitters, so that probably won't be much of a help, but I have heard some good things about the YouTube channel Very Pink Knits. There are a lot of other channels that might work for you, as well.

If I had to say one book... well, I'm going to give two. The first is Stitch 'n ***** by Debbie Stoller. The first part is all about how to knit and then it has several projects of varying degrees of difficulty that you can try. The second book is Vogue Knitting: The Knitter's Handbook. I have a copy of this and constantly use it to look up stitches I don't do often or some technique I'm a bit fuzzy on.

The absolute best advice though, would be to check out your local library, community center, or yarn shop. There are classes and groups for all skill levels offered all the time. Even some craft stores have classes you can take. The weekly group I go to at my yarn shop (it's technically a class, so they charge $5, but they give us a huge discount if you buy any yarn, supplies, or books) is a lot of fun. Everyone jumps in to help if you have a question, there's lots of praise for how your project is coming along, and we have random party nights. And nothing beats someone sitting right there to help you figure out what happened to your knitting when you weren't looking.

Sorry to go on so long, but I hope that gives you somewhere to start. If you have questions, feel free to shoot me a message.

Thanks a TON for the advice! Actually if you wouldn't mind sharing your lefty site also, that would be AMAZING! My eldest daughter is a lefty and I struggle a bit teaching her crochet because I am a righty! It's hard enough just finding left handed scissors for the poor kid, let alone lefty craft instructions! (Look at me over here, preaching to the choir. YOU obviously know left-hand difficulties! XD)

 

[Imbri]

Glad I could help! The lefty site is called (appropriately enough) The Left Handed Knitter. It's more of a blog, but there's a searchable archive, so your daughter should be able to find articles that answer her questions.

I'm actually starting to learn to crochet and found a book that makes sense to me. Your daughter might find it useful, too. It's called ReCrochetions Presents: Rowan's Learn to Crochet Sampler Afghan, Left-Handed Edition by Laurinda Reddig. It walks step-by-step through the basic stitches, with pictures. And it's all done left-handed.

 

[Imbri]

Since I'm spending so much time at home now (still working, but they've reduced our schedules so we don't have as much exposure to people), I decided to start a project for my brother. He turns 50 in a few months and I wanted to make something to give him a chuckle.

He loves Calvin & Hobbes, so when I found a knitted Hobbes doll, I knew it was the perfect thing.

This is as far as I've gotten, so far. The stomach (white) is supposed to be done at the same time, but when I tried it, there were too many strands to keep track of and it was messy. I ripped back to the 2nd pic and started again. I'll just knit the body in the orange and black, then put the white in with duplicate stitch after he's done.