'Coasting' along

I only have 18 days left to get all my Christmas knitting done! AHHHH! I did my best to stay up late last night and get the nerd coaster project finished. I got the last one started and almost halfway complete before my eyes and brain retaliated and forced me to bed.

Here's what we have so far:

The rebel ones have been blocked and even though they are all very different sizes - I am telling myself that it is okay and I can make a new batch of four after Christmas if required. They blocked out close to the same so they'll just have to do - this pattern was not my favorite.

The empire symbol looked very very intimidating, but has been way fun to knit. Probably because I'm using the same yarn for both colors and am not having the same issues with sizing because of that fact. Plus, it's interesting and that makes it fun.

Pretty close to finished!

I forgot to take a photo of the finished socks, but they are complete. I just need to package them up and send them west!

It's finally getting cold here so I've been feeling an urgency about knitting - I know why people who have long winters enjoy knitting so much now!

I'll keep ya'll posted on all the holiday projects!

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Today is a special day, not just because of Pearl Harbor although in my heart it secretly pleases me that the rest of the country mourns with me - that sounds way more horrible than I mean it - I promise but because fifteen years ago today was the most tragic day of my life. The day my mother was hit by a car and killed while out walking. Losing someone close to you is always hard, but it is so much harder when it is sudden and without warning. I also lost my father in 2006, but he was sick and I knew he was dying, so I do not say one with worse without knowing. She was a wonderful, caring, outgoing person and a fabulous mom. She cooked, baked, sewed, quilted, crocheted, knit, hung wallpaper, painted, stenciled, laid tile, hung trim, worked hard - gardened, could handle a chainsaw, pull brush, change a tire, drive standard, make ceramics, and was never afraid to try something new.
My childhood was innocent and sheltered as it should be. I remember with fondness all the fun things we did as a family and the wonderful opportunities my parents went out of their way to provide us. She was the driving force behind those opportunities and I cannot express how much I cherish the short amount of time I had with her. She taught me so many things, but the biggest lesson she instilled - before I was even a teenager - was that I could do anything - It might be hard, but hard work pays off.
I remember being told to look up words in the dictionary that my sister, father, and mother used if I didn't know what they meant. And we did look them up, together. She taught us knowing where to find an answer was more important than knowing the answer. A very important life skill that has brought me where I am today.
Everyday I carry her memory, but today, I share that carried memory, just for a moment, with you.

My First Pattern

The long awaited 'special project' for my brother-in-law. It has been confirmed that he doesn't read my blog therefore I am free to share this surprise with the world before he even knows about it.

My brother-in-law is into all things 'nerdy'. I am not here to define 'nerdy' just to try to give you an idea of the person this project is intended to surprise. His dream man cave involves a space invaders painted wall, a computer wall, a large table for role playing games, and lots of Star Wars stuff. This project is to be used in this 'dream cave'.

My sister text me asking if I could take the Star Wars logo and make coasters for the man cave. I said sure! First, I looked on ravelry thinking someone must've created these already. I could only find the rebel logo in a crochet pattern. I wanted to knit it for the intro to working with multiple colors. So I hit up the ol' google machine and downloaded a Rebel and Empire logo. Next I researched the typical size for a coaster - 3x3.5 to 4x4. These things are going to be used in a man cave so they need to be washable and durable. I figured the Red Heart Super Saver acrylic would be ideal. The guage on the label on size 8 needles is 17 stitches by 23 rows equals a 4 x 4 square. Perfect! My coasters will be 4 x4.

I resized my logos in Microsoft word to 3.5 inches and 3 inches across the widest part, printed them, and then traced them onto graph paper.

 

Initially I created a graph that directly copied the tracing. I counted each box as a stitch and realized I needed to do a bit of resizing (First Picture). So I played around with a couple of different sizing and patterns to attempt to get the logo as much like the original as possible (Second photo).  Then I created a final graph with a border which in my head was a simple seed stitch with the logo being in stockinete stitch (third photo).  

 The Empire's logo was a bit more complicated, it is extremely hard to get a good visualization of a round logo on square graph paper. I made a few attempts and then gave up. This logo is going to be crochet instead of knit so I can crochet it in a circle like a beanie and I'm going to write a pattern as I go. I need to do a few calculations to make sure everything is divisible in order to create the colored pattern, but I have not given up on this one.

This is what the Rebel coaster looks like at the moment. Keep in mind I have never worked with more than one color of yarn and that this is a self created pattern. It's actually coming out pretty good. The back looks like hell, but I can always sew fabric on the back to cover all that up. While typing this blog about my fantasic first pattern ever, I'm positive that this coaster is not going to be the dementions I intended. I wrote the pattern sideways, meaning my cast on row would be a side not the bottom or top. So I'm actually going to have 23 stitches 19 rows high. It's going to be a rectangle. Good thing this is the first one and if it isn't perfect, oh well. I've got to make a set so making one more isn't going to be that big of a deal. This is only about 30 mins/45 mins of work with me trying to work out how to carry yarn across the back. It should take a lot less time once I get it down.

I like it anyway. It's pretty cool that I created that! Once I get the pattern worked out I'll post it on ravelry.

 Also, I'm using some leftover grey yarn from the stash that is not Super Saver and was initially used doubled up. I'm going to neck it down to a single strand for the others cause it's really really thick, but it's how I had it and I was itching to get a test run going.
So, I'll be posting the changes as they come. Hopefully sooner rather than later! Ya'll have a great week!
-Em