Blue Handspun Scarf

I was thinking of calling this one "Ocean Camo"

 Stitch detail: Deliciously simple

Red Lace Gloves

Clue is in the name. I like these but for some stupid reason I cut the ends a bit too short. They stay put though. I just dashed these out in a day because I needed gloves and I like this yarn.

Please excuse my gross arms.

Seaflower Jacket

 Original Pattern: http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=123&d_id=1&lang=us

This has taken me FOR EVER. And it's still not even finished. I have plans for buttons, embroidery, beads and adding a flower on the right front panel. I'm deliberating whether to just knit one, or learn to crochet for the purposes of this jacket.

 Here it is in all its majestic glory.

If I could wear one colour for the rest of my life, it would probably be this turquoise.
As soon as I can afford buttons and beads, the saga shall continue...

Que Sera Cardigan

Original Pattern: http://knitty.com/ISSUEss10/PATTquesera.php

The trouble with not living in America is that I can rarely get hold of the suggested yarns for a pattern. What's widely available there is often a) not available at all here b) available, but in small quantities at a time and/or in lame colours or c) ridiculously expensive, because it's shipped from the States.

So I ended up using Cascade 220, and let me tell you this: It's lovely. Possibly the nicest yarn I've ever worked with. Soft, washable, gorgeous colourways, kind to even my ridiculously temperamental skin.

Here is my cardigan in its natural habitat:

Here is a closeup of the lace pattern:

Unfortunately I made this at the completely wrong time of year (I finished it in June, and wearing a 100% wool cardigan in June or July is a bit much even in this stupid country) so as soon as I'd finished I started making a 100% cotton summer jacket on tiny needles...that is taking so long to make that it probably won't be finished until November (if not later). I need to get my seasonal head on.

Hooded Scarf

Original Pattern (scarf): http://brookenelson.com/leafscarfpattern.html

Original Pattern (hood): http://carissaknits.blogspot.com/2008/10/heelhead-scarf.html

Modifications: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/mmessmer/heelhead-scarf

Much like mmessmer, I improvised in combining these two patterns, and in retrospect I can't remember how at all. I'm not even 100% sure what to call this. A scarood? A hoodarf? Either way, it's headgear that also keeps your neck warm. It's also my first proper commission, as I made it for a colleague of mine.

Since I don't want to post pictures of my own stupid face, I improvised by forming a makeshift head out of carrier bags. Imagine a face on it.

Here is the detail for the scarf, which fishtailed a bit at the end for reasons I can't quite fathom but I like the way it looks:

It's not blocked yet, so I may post another picture of it once it is.

HRP hats

Boy am I proud of these. My own design, one-of-a-kind, double knit beanies for my World Of Warcraft guildmates.

 
To quickly summarise: the HRP on the front is the initials of our guild's name. The colours are the in-game colours assigned to different types or "classes" of character (e.g. rogue, warrior, shaman), and everyone's character name is on the back.

The slightly odd-looking one in the middle is mine. It was a prototype, and it wasn't perfect but it wasn't bad enough for me to not want to wear it either.
We meet regularly, so I handed them out at our New Year's party. I didn't tell anyone I was making them, and I was genuinely touched by how cool everybody thought it was. So far, I've made ten of them, though not all of them are finished.

Gamers take note: if you'd like custom-made clan/guild beanies (or indeed wristbands) like these ones for your clan or guild, drop me a comment or email. Max order fifteen (for my sanity).

Haruni Shawl

Original Pattern: http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Haruni_Shawl_Pattern__D50869220.html

My first shawl, and my first attempt at lace. This took months and months to finish. It was a gift for a professor who'd helped me a great deal while I was at university, so I wanted to invest some time in making her something beautiful that matched her style.

My original intention was to give it to her at my graduation, but it was nowhere near finished by then so I ended up sending it to her in the mail. Because of my weird mental block around crochet, I did the edging in a slightly...unconventional manner, but it was very well-received nonetheless.

Tempting Green Jumper

Original Pattern: http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter04/PATTtempting.html

Modifications: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Catherine/tempting

My first "big" project! AND my first attempt at cables! I can't tell you how many times I burst into tears of frustration, threw it on the floor, stamped on it, screamed at it, gestured menacingly at it with a pair of scissors, and started other projects to avoid working on it.
The end result, however, was this:

Because it's ribbed, it's stretchy and fits nicely. For those not on Ravelry, the cable pattern (see closeup pic below) around the top is a lovely little modification by Catherine.

The weird thin line of a slightly lighter green around the top is because I didn't buy enough yarn and didn't want to buy a whole other ball just to do the cast-off row. That's also the reason the sleeves are so short, I had intended to make them 3/4 length. Looking back though, it was fun, easy (I made it much harder for myself with my nooby mistakes) and relatively quick to make.

Musica Fingerless Gloves

Original Pattern: http://coalabaer.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/fingerless-gloves-musica2.pdf

I used Noro Kureyon Yarn instead of plain white. Took me about 3 days to make, they were a Christmas present for my SO's sister - she loved them.

Modifications made by me - slightly longer cuffs. I am such a daredevil.

These are great fun to make, especially with such a cool colourful yarn. Sorry for slightly fuzzy picture. Definitely worth staying up til 05:00am on Christmas Eve for.

Welcome to my humble blag

Well met, traveller.
My name is Ria. You can call me Ria.
I spend a lot of time knitting.
When I mention this to other people and they inevitably say "What kind of stuff do you make?" I'm usually at a blinking, mumbling loss, so I thought it might be an idea to have a place where I can show people the things I can do.
If you see anything you like on here and would like something similar for yourself or someone else, don't hesitate to drop me a comment or an email (address can be found in the "About This Blog" box at the top right of the page) telling me your desired specifications (colour, size, any modifications, etc.).

PLEASE NOTE: Everything on this blog has been handmade by me. However, I am crappy at designing stuff. So, if I've made something someone else has designed, I will always endeavour to link the source of the pattern I've used. I am not attempting to pass anyone else's work off as my own!