Cylon Centurion Hat 2012 Update, Done! Finally!

Remember this?

It took several months longer than I wanted, but the Cylon Centurion Hat pattern has been rewritten!  It is longer (the pattern, not the hat), and probably looks more complicated, but it should make more sense and actually make the hat without trying to divine what I was attempting to communicate in the first version.  I was very, very, very new to pattern writing and using relatively unfamiliar-to-me shaping when I wrote the original pattern.

The updated pattern has been uploaded to my Ravelry store, still for free.  

download now

If you spot any errors please let me know.  If you have any questions about construction, don't hesitate to ask!

Wonderfallz(at)gmail(dot)com or message me on Ravelry

And check out who's face is uncovered.  By finishing the pattern, I paid the ransom (to myself, god, I'm such a nerd), and the digital post-it over Nathan Fillion's face has been removed.

It's like my very own slow moving, lame video game.

7 Year New York-iversary

Seven years ago I flew into NYC to live.  I'm not sure why it is that I can't remember birthdays outside of my immediate family but the day I arrived in NY is etched in stone.  I remember the first 6 months when I cried every single day in a haze of terror, anxiety and homesickness.  I remember the 3rd and 4th year when I swore I would leave by the 5th year because NY summers are the worst.  There is so very much to hate about the day to day grind of living in NY that sometimes I find myself surfing the craigslist apartment listings in Maine.  But then I find myself walking around the lower east side, on a hunt for some kale chips that I had read about in NY Magazine, and I run into a friend on St. Marks, the street I thought was the absolute coolest when I visited at age 15 and saw RENT for the first time.  I take a sprawling long walk to my subway stop, get the kale chips, stop by the good gelato place, and run into a yarn store.  A few days later I leave from work, get a good mocha from City Bakery made with read chocolate, not syrup, run into the paper crafts store, browse for books at Books of Wonder, Barnes and Noble, and The Strand, get fancy little forks for .99 at Fish's Eddy, and check out what the occupy people are doing in Union Square Park.  It is on these wonderful walks after work and on the weekends, or when I see a musical, or go to a movie in the park that I understand what is so completely amazing about the city and why we all put up with insanely high prices and incredibly frustrating behavior.  At this point I know, it will physically hurt, like a really bad breakup, if I ever leave NY.  So in honor of my New York-iversary I stopped by the Madison Square food market, picked up a slice of Crack Pie from the Momofuku stand and then ran over to the Shake Shack, because this is NY and I can.

Lantern Festival Cowl

I am a sucker for pictures of dinners, picnics, events held at dusk under pretty glowing lanterns. After seeing a particularly pretty picture of a bunch of Chinese Lanterns hung up for a festival I thought I would try to capture the idea in knit form. Here is my latest design, the..

Lantern Festival Cowl

This pattern is written for two sizes. The small is made using a fingering weight yarn on US Size 2 needles and the large is made using a worsted weight yarn on US Size 5 needles. The small hugs the face and neck while the large creates a large plush wall around the head. The bottom of the cowl has four gussets so it flares out, sitting nice and flat over the shoulders.

The pattern is sold through Ravelry (you don't have to belong to Ravelry to purchase) for $5.00.

Details about gauge and yardage requirements are included in the pattern.

In case you were wondering, the pictures were taken in the costume shop where I work. I have had little time to scout good picture taking locations, plus it's allergy season and I have no desire to spend time outside right now. So what you see in the first picture are bins and bins of ribbon, trim, beads, zippers, ect. The second picture, the one that looks like it as taken in front of a wall at Mood is taken in our fabric storage. I tell you this because knowing the treasures behind the boring background might make it a little more exciting. :) The last two pics are in front of some artwork in progress and I will have to leave it as vague as that unfortunately.

Pop Blossoms Cowl

Before Christmas I altered my Pop Blossoms Hat pattern to become a cowl for my dear sweet cousin.

I quickly slammed it out without any regard to yardage or measurements, so while it was successful and cute, I had no idea how much yarn I used or what the gauge was. When I got back to NY from my Christmas break (and yes I realize how ridiculous is is to be mentioning when I got back from Christmas while blogging in April) I worked up two more Pop Blossoms Cowls so I could get all those pertinent numbers. So here it is...

Pop Blossoms Cowl

This cowl is big and chunky. It doesn't hug your neck and face as much as it creates a plush wall around your head. It is knit using heavy worsted, Aran, or Bulky weight yarns on size US 9 circular needles.

The example with the gold background and maroon pattern was knit using Cascade Eco+ in Butternut Squash and 2 strands of Vanna's Glamour in Garnet.

The example with the green background and pink pattern was knit using Vanna Choice Solid in what I think was the color Fern and 2 strands of Vanna's Glamour in Rhinestone, the best sparkly hot pink yarn ever. The pink was next to impossible to capture correctly with my camera so if the wall behind the cowl looks oddly blue, that is my attempt to make the cowl colors look like they do in person. Failed attempt I should say because it still does not look as gloriously pink as it does in person.

The pattern is available by itself or in discount bundles (ebooks) with the Pop Blossoms Hat and/or Pop Blossoms Mittens through my Ravelry Store.

Up next, a change to the blog appearance and the Lantern Festival Cowl

Up soon because I am dragging my feet something fierce, the reworked Cylon Hat.

Hey Girl...

Handmade Ryan Gosling has always been the best of the "Hey Girl..." sites and this submission really takes the cake.

Thank You Ryan Gosling, I just hope other people like my Lantern Festival Cowl (coming soon!) as much as you do.

Working in a Costume Shop Means...

...wrapping yourself in 4 very full boas because they are there, and so are you.

...every so often seeing a show during previews, and sometimes that show is NEWSIES!!!*

Newsies opened this week and if you are coming to NY anytime soon, it is well worth seeing. If you liked the movie growing up, you will love, LOVE the stage version. They change some things, but those changes work well. The girl role is expanded, given a little more power which is always a good thing. The guys dance their asses off and their energy is crazy high. I sat there grinning like a fool the entire night.

Best $20 Art Project Ever, or at least the Sparkliest

I was bored the other night and took a short visit to my favorite costume jewelry store. This place is amazing. Almost everything is under $4 and absolutely encrusted in cheap rhinestones. It is one of the best craft supply stores in town. After this visit I got home, looked at these ridiculous earrings and brooch and inspiration struck. I had this awesome $3 frame from Pearl River Mart and had nothing to put in it, until tonight. I raided my glitter paper stash and for less than $20 total I have the most awesomely tacky wall art.

If you are visiting NY and want to check out the costume jewelry store, there are actually two owned by the same people, check out Earrings Plaza or Jewelry Plaza. They don't have websites but they are on google maps. Don't be scared away by the ugly presentation, because the product is fun.