look, a pattern!

I thought I would post my pattern for my iPod cozy/thingie, since I received a few requests for it (shut up, I did so!!) So anyway, if your mp3 player is cold or dusty, and/or you'd like to know where it is and keep it out of the way while you knit or crochet (you know, if you have a dog/cat/spouse/child/?? who sits directly beside you while you knit/crochet and you don't want to put said mp3 player in a place where it may or may not get sat upon by a curious but possibly well-meaning family member or anyone else) then read on, for I have your solution, hang it beautifully from your neck!

How to take your iPod nano (or any other mp3 player-type device, let's face it, this is highly and easily customizable) from this:


To something that may or may not look like this:

Pod Pendant (or Nano Necklace if you prefer)

Dimensions:
3 1/4" H x 2 1/2" W (again, this can be easily customized by doing a little measuring and a teensy bit of math with your tension)

Materials:

Yarn used is Bernat Handicrafter (cotton) Stripes

needles: 4.5 mm/size 7 US straights

Gauge/tension: 10 sts & 12 rows= 2 inches

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin;

Cast on 25 sts.

Work in stockinette stitch until piece measures 2 3/4". Next work 5 rows of garter stitch. Now cast off. Make sure you leave a long tail for sewing (say 12" or so) Pretty painless, right?

Now take your lovely piece of fabric and fold it in half width wise with right sides together. Sew the side seam (I like whipstitch the best, because of the name!). When you finish sewing the side seam and get to the bottom, keep going and sew up the bottom seam, leaving approximately the last 1/2" open to allow for the ear phone cord (it goes without saying (or does it?) that if your ear phones plug into the top of your player, you can just sew up the whole bottom seam, but I didn't have to tell you that, did I? 'Cause you're so smart!)

Now you have a choice to make. For the 'necklace' part, you can choose your poison and either make a 2 or 3 stitch i-cord (tutorial available at Knitting Help, link at the right, go ahead and look, I'll wait) or, in my case, use a crochet hook, attach to the right side with a sl st and chain the appropriate length (approximately 28-29"), then attach to the other side and fasten off. Now you are done, shout it from the rooftops, and enjoy your new pendant/necklace! (but don't forget to weave in the ends!)

hot fuzz

Okay, just a flyby post, despite the provocative title, it's nothing risque...really I'm just excited that I finally finished the knitted Bobby (British policeman) doll for Cee. I'm happy with the way it came out, and he's pretty tickled with it, too, being that he, as a little lad in England, used to have a policeman's outfit to play in....let's face it, we're both just a couple of giant big kids:

In a word, to sum up the pattern, I'd say fiddly...lots of little details, but ultimately a fun knit, and it only took me almost a year to make!! (mostly because I put it down to hibernate more often than I picked it up to work on it.) For anyone interested in the details, the pattern came from Jean Greenhowe's Mascot Dolls, which has some other really cute patterns in it.

"Eere..wot's all this, then?! Nothing to see here...move along, move along..."

overwhelmed

How awesome is this??!

The very awesome and talented Sharon of Chickenlips Knitting and Stitchjones fame sent me some glorious, beautiful, wonderful yarn!! Check out that gorgeous colourway, "La Villa Strangiato"--could you die? Don't you just want to reach out and touch it? Don't worry, I'll do it for you...it's so soft and yummy (I promise I didn't try to eat it, but it IS yummy!) This will be turned into a beautiful pair of socks, once I find a pattern worthy of it's awesomeness.

And look what else she sent, a pretty little hand-made stitch marker!

This little beauty is already being put to use! Thank you Sharon, you are such a sweetie, I am truly overwhelmed!!