Pattern Round-up: Christmas Knitwear at the Movies

I celebrate Christmas, so this is what you get.  :)

Elf
Confession: I didn't actually watch this; I fast-forwarded with the volume muted.  In my defense, I have a lot of movies to get through before Christmas arrives. The stocking cap worn by Jovie (Zooey Deschanel) is pretty spiffy, so it was worth my time.  Weird to see her as a blonde, though:

 

 

free!  Jovie Hat (from the movie Elf) [Rav link] by Megan Ortmann

Scrooge/A Christmas Carol
There are so many movie versions of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol; my all-time favorite is Scrooge (1970) starring 35-year-old Albert Finney.  The man is amazing.

image via IMDB

free! knit  Scrooge/Kratchit Nightcap [Rav link] by Glenna C.
free! knit  Cratchit Garter Mitts [Rav link] by Susan Newhall
free! crochet  Ebenezer Scrooge Ami [Rav link] by Melanie Blake

A Christmas Story

I don't know what I'll do if TBS discontinues their 24-hour Christmas Day marathon of A Christmas Story.  Before you ask: no, I wasn't able to find a full bunny suit pattern. But I did find this hat, worn by bully Schwartz (R.D. Robb):

image via A Christmas Story House

That's cold.
free!  Schwartz' Stocking Cap [Rav link] by LaDonna Bubak

The Preacher's Wife

I enjoy this 1996 movie, a Whitney Houston-powered remake of 1947's The Bishop's Wife.

Either way, the view is nice.

Gospel music, Denzel Washington, and a lot of knitwear? Sold!  I'm just going to post pictures with any applicable patterns and zero description, because this post is getting out of control, yo.

Easy Childs Hat [Rav link] by Amy Loberg (FiberWild!); $5.00 USD

free! knit  Vintage Allure Beret [Rav link] by Romy Kremers
free! crochet  Crochet Beret [Rav link] by Teresa Richardson
free! crochet  Tivoli Beret [Rav link] by Lion Brand Yarn

free!  Ribbed Hat and Scarf [Rav link] by Coats & Clark

It's a Wonderful Life
It's not Christmas until I watch this every year.

In the Battle of Mary v. Violet, Mary is the clear winner.  But Vi brings it in the cardigan category.  I want one in every color.

 

free! Vignette [Rav link] by Amy Herzog
free! Perfect Paula [Rav link] by Jennifer Little

It's hard to see in this photo, but George's scarf is a very subtle herringbone pattern.

free!  Herringbone Scarf [Rav link] by Dori Betjemann
Reversible Herringbone Scarf [Rav link] by Bruce Weinstein; $5.00

Standard garter stitch scarf.  I just love the looks on his face in this scene.

Mary's airy scarf is the perfect way to keep snow off your hair while saving your family.

free!  Wisp [Rav link] by Cheryl Niamath
free! + Italian  100 grammi [Rav link] by Cristiana


Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Halloween movie? Christmas movie?  This is a serious question, as I've never seen it.  (and now my brothers and 75% of my friends are exclaiming with shock and disbelief.)  OK, fine.  Wait a sec.
...alright, I'm back and have watched the movie in its entirety!  Stuff!

Hats -- all listed are free
knit  Jack Skellington Nightmare Before Christmas Hat Pattern [Rav link] by Kody May Kline
knit  Jackyll & Hide [Rav link] by Saskia de Feijter
crochet  Jack Skellington baby hat [Rav link] by Sara Merrill

Softies (AKA knit dolls/toys) -- all listed are free
Jack, Sally (seen as "Patch Doll" below), and Zero the dog are all very popular.

 

knit  Jack Skellington [Rav link] by Sunshyne Leland
crochet  Jack Skellington Crochet Pattern [Rav link] by April Draven
crochet  Patch Doll Amigurumi Pattern [Rav link] by Irene Strange
crochet  Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas [Rav link] by Mishymishy
crochet  Zero the Ghostly Dog [Rav link] by Meg-Ann Skilton
knit  Zero the ghost dog [Rav link] by Raynor Gellatly

Randomness -- all listed are free

Knitting On Film sighting! 

crochet  Jack Skellington Ball [Rav link] by Catrina Usher
knit + French  Jack Skellington Coffee Cozy [Rav link] by literaryladybug

Skellington-Adjacent Wristwarmers
So you can make this pose.

Burtonesque [Rav link] by Jacquelyn Landry; $5.00 USD
free!  Jack Skellington Inspired Wristwarmers [Rav link] by Nichole Verville

Why Buy the Cowl...

when you can go to Melk for free?  Wait, that doesn't make any sense.  What I mean to say is: it's time to knit cowls for no reason!  Other than...

• Christmas is coming and they're quick
• I already have nice yarn in small quantities
• I'm known for NOT being thoughtful -- this'll show 'em
• I have no other WIPs.  None!  Really!
• except for the toddler legwarmers.  Which are boring.

First up: Canaletto Cowl [Rav link], a free pattern designed by Megan Goodacre:

new computer = new photo software.  I'm not very good yet.

The designer suggests a variety of spiffy yarns that I am not about to buy (it's December, I'm in the home stretch of the Great Yarn Fast of 2011!), so I'm using Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton stash yarn Knit Picks Simply Cotton Organic Worsted in colorway Ginger.  It's pretty and neutral and machine-washable and -dryable.  AND it has more give than your average 100% cotton yarn -- to prevent hurting hands -- but no real stretch, so the cowl will keep its shape nicely.

I'll probably make it a present.  But if it slips and falls into my dresser drawer, I won't be disappointed.

Pattern Roundup: Coraline

I've been meaning to watch Coraline for ages.  Not only do I love anything and everything by Neil Gaiman, but I've been such a fan of Althea Crome, the production's knitwear guru.

I saw this video detailing her creation of the signature star sweater and almost stabbed myself mid-purl:

So intricate, so tiny, so precise.  Soooo amazing.
Let's see them, shall we?

Coraline's Real Mom's Pullover
I feel like this most days.

I don't know if Ms. Crome knit this (the video credits her with the star sweater and coveted gloves), but sweaters are knitwear, so it counts.  And this shot was too good to pass up.
Classic Raglan Pullover (Ladies) [Rav link] by Jane Richmond; $5.50 CAD human adult
Lightweight Pullover [Rav link] by Hannah Fettig; $4.95 USD human adult

Coraline's Star Sweater
Yes.  Just yes.

How did she do this?! I mean, I understand it in theory, I've seen it in practice... but I'm still boggled.  As an added bonus, the Coraline movie website offers a much-larger pattern.
free! Coraline Star Sweater [Rav link] by Jenn Jarvis human child

Coraline's Striped Gloves
SERIOUSLY, HOW DID SHE DO THIS??!

Just.  Just wow.  WOW.
free! Coraline Gloves [Rav link] by Tika Belle human adult

Inspiration: Coraline Mittens
Designer brella has given us this free pattern [Rav link] for knit mittens that feature The Cat, a jumping mouse, and a button-ended key.

Inspiration: Amigurumi Dolls
Claymation lends itself especially well to doll duplication, as you'll find with these knitted and crocheted toys.
- Allison Hoffman offers this crocheted Coraline Doll Amigurumi pattern [Rav link] for $5.99 USD; it includes customization instructions to make a mini Cyprienne, for example.
- This Little Me Doll [Rav link] designed by Kimberly Kwon is Coraline-inspired; you can buy this knitting pattern for $5.00 USD.
- Sharon at Homemade Obsessions seems to be obsessed with Coraline, if her free crochet patterns for amigurumi dolls of Coraline, Wybie, The Cat, and a ghost child are any indication (Rav links for all her patterns here).

Knitwear at the Movies: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is such a good movie, but I can't watch it without getting all wistful and weird about bittersweet strange memories... which, you know, may be part of the director's intent.  If you want to know what happens after the "movie" is over, meet me at the end.*  Anyway, New York in winter = knits, yo!

Joel's Watch Cap
Joel lives in this hat.

Seriously, he wears it a lot.  It's just a simple rib, nothing special.

free! + Hebrew  Ribbed Watchman's Hat [Rav link] by Channah Koppel
free!  Modern Rib Hat [Rav link] by Susan B. Anderson
free!  Classic World War II Watch Cap [Rav link] by Helen Waittes

Clementine's Mitts
Can you think of a better place to get your drink on than an isolated train ride in winter?

 

The mitts almost seem too pedestrian to grace her hipster hands, what with the powder blue and the predictable striping.  They look super comfy, though; I ain't hatin, Clem.
free!  Two Blue Ruins [Rav link] by Raven Sherbo
free!  Long Striped Hand Warmers [Rav link] by Purl Soho

Carrie's Aran Cardicoat
Now this I want to make.

It's got everything: bobbles, lumpy cables, moss stitch, ribbed collar, button band, waist tie.  PLUS, Carrie (Jane Adams) and Rob (David Cross) crack me up.  Which has nothing to do with the sweater, I know, but I had to say that.

Kinda Remindy patterns

free!  #05 Coat [Rav link] by Lana Grossa
free!  Josephine [Rav link] by Melissa Dominguez
Fireside Sweater [Rav link] by Amber Allison; $5.00 USD
Blackberry Cabled Cardigan [Rav link] by A.C. Dafoe; $7.00 CAD
free!  Shawl-Collar Jacket [Rav link] by Patons; site needs free regis.
for kids  Manti [Rav link] by Eveli Kaur; $6.00 USD

Clementine would make a ... good mother
Or so she says.  I just like her scarf.

And the sweater's cool, too.  But I really like the textured scarf; 2x2 broken rib, I think? Maybe even crocheted?

Free! Kinda Remindy patterns

knit  Easy Mistake Stitch [Rav link] by Purl Soho
knit  Brisbane Scarf #90619C [Rav link] by Lion Brand
knit  3x3 Slip Stitch Scarf [Rav link] by Barbara Kobayashi
crochet  Tunisian Ribbed Scarf [Rav link] by Anne Gee White

Chinese Restaurant Scarf
Also, she can kill you with her mind.  Wrong movie, yes, but that's what this picture says to me.

There's a little bit of color and a lot of texture in this; there's a woven herringbone look in a heavyweight yarn that adds interest to the rest of her plain black outfit.

Kinda Remindy patterns

free!  Super-Fast, Ultra-Cozy Scarf [Rav link] by Jen Reilly
Embraceable Cowl/Scarf [Rav link] by Brenda Lavell; $5.50 USD

Another Clementine Scarf
Purty!  Even though it's curling like whoa.

Nitpicking: I wish it was another color.  Olive is beautiful, but it doesn't do justice to that eyelet pattern.

Kinda Remindy patterns

Pieceful Creations Lace Stole - Sampler & Scrap Friendly Shawl [Rav link] by Tina Edgar; $5.00 USD
free!  Lace Scarf [Rav link] by Cathy Davies

Clem's Snow Tam
This is just lovely; I wish I could wear it with short hair, but I don't think it would look right.

The top is seed stitch (UK: moss or rice stitch) and the band is moss stitch (UK: double moss stitch).  Are you confused yet?  I was. Thank you, internet, for your help.
free!  Moss Stitch Beret [Rav link] by Kent Turman

Patrick's Beanie
This is on Patrick's (Elijah Wood) head.  I promise.

I find this hat (simple, yet stylish) to be the only redeeming thing about the character Patrick.  He's cute in an earnest, hobbity way, but think about it: the tech who performed the memory erasure is now dating the oblivious client while copying her ex's moves to the letter.  Creepy x wrong.

Kinda Remindy patterns

free!  A Hat Fit for a Boyfriend [Rav link] by Stephanie Nicole (irony)
free!  the Reversible biking hat [Rav link] by indigorchid design

Clem's Crocheted Cloche
At the very least, it's cloche-adjacent.

This is the kind of hat that makes me look bald.   But it looks good on her and fits well with the character, so...  yeah, I don't like it.  Oh well.

Kinda Remindy patterns
NOTE: these patterns all require modifications to make the flower as big as your head

Tara Flapper Cloche [Rav link] by Diane McGettigan; $5.00 USD
free!  Rachael's Hat [Rav link] by Jayna Grassel
free!  Floral Cloche [Rav link] by Julie Bueno
free!  Cloche Rouge [Rav link] by Melody Maria Fulone

Rob's Pointy Gnome Hat
First hobbits, now gnomes (please see David, the).

Doesn't he remind you of young Santa or something?

Kinda Remindy pattern

The Gnome Dome [Rav link] by Diane Serviss; $5.00 USD

_____

* Six months after "and they lived happily ever after," Joel and Clementine realize relationships shouldn't be this hard and they part ways.  There are a couple months of fraught phone calls that peter out into nothing.  And that's it.  Joel marries a really nice woman who likes horror movies and loves his dogs.  Clementine marries a really nice guy who likes the Bee Gees and loves her family.  I know that's not what you want to happen, but trust me on this.

FO: NaKniSweMo Cardigan

It's Oblique by Veronik Avery.  I call it "The Me Mine Selfish Cardigan" because it's been two full years since I've made something for myself.  There are no buttons yet and the photo is horrible, but I needed proof.  Proof!

And it fits!

The T-shirt is a high-fives shout-out to my fabled attempt at NaNoWriMo in 2005.  My brother attempted it this year... well, sir, didya do it?

Previously on "Skeins of Our Lives," there was that quarter-sized ball of worsted weight wool/alpaca blend, Berroco Ultra Alpaca in colorway 6207 Salt & Pepper, severely downsized from the original five skeins.

Yeah, that yarn.

That yarn was not nearly enough to complete the collar AND the cardigan itself.  So how did I do it, you ask?  It's simple.  I am the greatest knitter that ever lived,  nothing less than an absolute genius, prone to feats of miraculous ingenuity and fits of hyperbole.

You see this yarn?

This yarn is a full skein of fingering weight wool/alpaca blend Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine in colorway 1207 Salt & Pepper, also known as my first-and-last sock leftovers (totally haven't done a FO post for those yet.  It'll happen).  And if you double this yarn, with the wave of my wand needles, it becomes a near-perfect match to that yarn.
And now you may applaud.


Final counts...
Cast On: 11/1/2011  10pm
Bind Off: 11/30/2011 10pm
Total Yardage: 1075+ yards
Total Stitch Count: 45,276

Wait, not 50,000?

No.  Not 50,000.  I lose.

And yet, somehow, I still win.   :)

NaKniSweMo Week 4

The home stretch!  And I have this much yarn going into the collar...

George does not approve.

Oooooops.  There may be magic involved.  Stay tuned, citizens.

Right Front

Two of 'em!

Cast On: 9:30pm 11/20/2011
Bind Off: 11pm 11/22/2011
Stitch Count: approx 6195 stitches
Yardage: approx 169 yards

Left Buttonband

Picked Up: 8:30pm 11/24/2011
Bind Off: 9:45pm 11/24/2011
Stitch Count: approx 649 stitches

Right Buttonband

Picked Up: 10:15pm 11/24/2011
Bind Off: 11:30pm 11/24/2011
Stitch Count: approx 649 stitches

Here's everything pre-collar, with the raglan shoulders seamed:

STITCH COUNT SUBTOTAL: 42,839

Pattern Round-up: Despicable Me

Last night I watched Despicable Me while casting on a new project and waiting for the sleeves of the cardigan to block.  It occurred to me that there is a lot of "knitwear" in this animated movie... plus the minions would make some supercute toys.  On to the round-up!

Edith's Stocking Cap
Edith isn't so very excited about dance class.  Edith thinks sleeping in an old bomb is cool.  Edith never takes her hat off.

image by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment via IMDB

This combination of slouchy stocking cap and earflap hat makes for a very distinctive fashion statement.
free!  Guinny's Despicable Hat [Rav link] by Sjoella Phipps 
free!  Despicable Edith Hat [Rav link] by Christie Allen 

Gru's Evil Scarf
You can tell there's mischief afoot when the scarf appears.

image by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment via IMDB

Simply striped, this should be an easy knit for someone with patience.
Despicable scarf [Rav link] by Brigitte Pini; $2.00 USD

Minions to Do Your Bidding
Remember what I said about making minion toys?  Here you go!

image via IMDB

free! crochet  Despicable Minion [Rav link] by Linda Potts 
free! knit  Your Own Personal Minion [Rav link] by Kat Lewinski
free! crochet  Despicable Me Minion [Rav link] by snacksies snacksies
free! crochet  Minion [Rav link] by Lupita Suarez
knit  Despicable Minions [Rav link] by Hennie Nimbleneedles; £1.00 GBP

Minions on Your Noggin
Or you could indulge your desire to become a minion, if you don't mind being frozen or shrinking or floating into space.

image by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment via IMDB

free! knit  Minion Hat [Rav link] by Maura Houston
free! crochet  Minion Hat - crochet [Rav link] by Tara Hawkins
free! knit with some crochet  Despicable Me: Minion Hat [Rav link] by Katie LeComte

BONUS: free! chart of Gru in profile...  Gru Chart [Rav link] by Tami Hunt

NaKniSweMo Week 3

Wool makes my eyes burn.

Left Front

Cast On: 10:30pm 11/14/2011
Bind Off: 11:15pm 11/16/2011
Stitch Count: approx 6195 stitches
Yardage: approx 169 yards

I'm a good 80% done with the right front -- not complete yet -- but there is a large source of worry on the horizon.  I'm also 80% sure I do NOT have enough yarn for this project.  I'm knitting the smallest size and, given the width of the button band in the sample picture, I'm heading for disaster.  The pattern calls for 13 balls of Adrienne Vittadini Natasha at 72yd per 40g ball.  Let's do some Cyp math:

13 balls of Adrienne Vittadini Natasha x 72 yards = 936 total yards
936 yards / 215 yards per skein of my yarn, Berroco Ultra Alpaca = 4.35 skeins

So I have five skeins, 1075 yards, bought in 2007 and depleting super quickly in 2011.  Sad face.

And if you ask me about my gauge square, you will get no answer, because I didn't knit one.  Now kindly wipe that smug look off your face because I'm walking away.

There is Too Much; Let Me Sum Up.

1. My computer machine is dead.  It might just be a power supply thing (which I really hope it is because I'd like to retrieve, oh, all the pictures of my daughter's life) but the tower itself is six years old, so I'm not too terribly surprised-- just bummed.  Research for the next machine is underway!
2. Convertible carseats are expensive.  But we're all set on the diaper situation (thank you, parents!) so that's two steps forward.
3. My friend's wedding -- AKA Shrugfest 2011 -- was yesterday and it was not only merely awesome, it was really most sincerely awesome.  Awesome x whoa - no-glasses headache + Time Warp + pinata.  SO full of love those two are, it's a beautiful sight to behold.
4. NaKniSweMo is killing my right arm, even with more than a day's break between pieces.  I think I'm doing something wrong.

Year-iversary

Today is that day.

NaKniSweMo Week 2

I went five days between sleeves -- this may not bode well for the finishing the sweater.

Second Sleeve

Two of 'em!

Cast On: 2pm 11/11/2011
Bind Off: 10pm 11/14/2011
Stitch Count: approx 8682 stitches
Yardage: approx 218 yards

I seriously don't know how this ridiculous stunt is supposedly possible.  (How many modifiers can I stick in a sentence?  No matter.)  My arms feel like they're about thirty seconds away from seceding from my body in a huff.

STITCH COUNT SUBTOTAL: 29,151

FO: Snappy Flappy Cap

It's getting colder -- let's make a hat!

It's Cozy [Rav link] by Alison Williams, done with a little more than a quarter skein of Cascade 220 Superwash Paints in 9860 Jelly Bean.  This photo was taken during blocking; why the crochet hook, you ask?  There is a single crochet edging on that bad boy.  What?  Who?  Yes.  I did it, with the only crochet hook I own, thanks to this YouTube vid from Berroco!

Also pictured: awesome board book versions of Romeo & Juliet and Pride & Prejudice-- thanks, Sarah!

The hat is a little bit small, which I chalk up to my own hubris.  There are six sizing options (Preemie/Baby/Toddler/Child/Woman/Man) with Toddler at 16" head circumference and Child at 18".  The small girl child is approximately a year and a half and her head size is considered small for her age; I used my new Knit Kit to measure her head at 17".  Hmmm.  She is definitely a "toddler," not a "child" -- but 16" inches would be too small.

Where is my trust: words or numbers?  I chose words... I chose unwisely.  But it'll be a nice gift for somebody else's small girl child somewhere along the line.

NaKniSweMo Week 1

I went a little crazy.

Cardigan Back

Cast On: 10pm 11/1/2011
Bind Off: 11pm 11/3/2011
Stitch count: approx 11,787 stitches
Yardage: approx 311 yards

First Sleeve

Cast On: 9pm 11/4/2011
Bind Off: 8pm 11/6/2011
Stitch Count: approx 8682 stitches
Yardage: approx 218 yards

As a reminder, I'm knitting Veronik Avery's Oblique [Rav link], a free pattern, with Berroco Ultra Alpaca in colorway 6207 Salt and Pepper (the color is way off on these pics; I'll get better shots for the final piece, but I'm just documenting progress now, so deal with it, yo).

And I have a full time job and a husband and a child.  And I took a couple of nights to knit a hat (more on that later) and an additional night to do nothing, because YES!

NaKniSweMo Begins with a Whimper

A quick assessment of WIPs left me aghast: only one evening project on the needles [Rav project page]?  Okay, fine, I'll churn out some sock rows.  Then I remembered: it's finally November: NaKniSweMo!  I've always wanted to participate in National Knit a Sweater Month, the knitterly version of my beloved NaNoWriMo and this is my year, I can feel it.

Now it's, oh, 10pm and I'm finally casting on for a cardigan I've had queued since 2007, Veronik Avery's Oblique [Rav link], a free pattern, bien sur.  My late start means I'm already behind on my required row count, but I have every hope of catching up in the home stretch... provided my lack-of-swatching doesn't come back and bite me in the tuchus.  :)

My Parents Love Me

A Heavy Package came in the mail yesterday; on the wrapping paper was a card filled with my mother's handwriting.  It read, in part:

...So your daddy & I walked down to the Farmers Market.  On the way, we stopped by [the brand new only LYS in town!], open for business and beckoning us.  You will love it!  She even has big, comfy chairs where you can sit & knit & enjoy a cup of chai & chat...

My hometown finally finally has an LYS and it's beautiful, apparently -- yay!!  Now, you can tell already that my parents are wonderful.  What you may not know: up until, oh, five months ago, they were a little in-the-dark on the extent of my knitting habit.  Knitting was my favorite hobby, of course, and I had supplied them with scarves, hats, etc etc blah blah for over ten years.  But my parents "have known me a long time" (sometimes my mother reminds me) and when I lived with them, there was no stash to speak of.  Zero yarn lying around.  Each skein in my possession was promptly knit and the product given away before the next shopping trip.  Let me repeat: I once was a knitter with no stash.

June 2011 featured a weeklong visit that could be cast as some bizarro Clue answer: the Parents, in the Guest Bedroom, with the Stash.  At the time, I didn't think much about it, which could be considered a victory for one attempting to breathe more and worry less... no stash-revealing anxiety, no fear of some Mississippian moths fleeing their luggage and find a warm home in a nest of sport weight merino.  In fact, the full meaning of the meeting of the 'Rents and the Stash didn't dawn on me until I got the aforementioned Heavy Package.

Now they know.  I knit.  A lot.  I am a knitter.  It's my thing. And so...

The contents: a beautiful handmade yarn bowl, signed by the potter, and a Knit Kit, perfect for on-the-go projects.

look! a crochet hook, a tape measure, a row counter, a thread cutter...

...stitch markers, point protectors, a darning needle, and TSA-compliant collapsible scissors!

 What I'm trying to say is, my parents love me.  My mother gave birth to me when she had no idea what to expect and my father changed his first diaper ever that night.  They helped me concentrate on school and reading and music and important things until I finally realized that I'm not as unfortunate-looking as previously thought and who gives a hoot about that anyway.  They endured my angsty adolescence and came out the other side to raise my brothers. They have traveled by car halfway across the continental US more than once to spend time at the hardware store and make me pancakes and take my daughter on walks and enjoy falafel.  And now I receive perfect presents in the mail, just because, during the Great Yarn Diet of 2011.  I don't need any proof of their love, but they keep delivering it, and for that I will always be truly truly grateful.