Me and my guy, Thanksgiving 2011

He’s a journalist and I’m a part time legal secretary/etsy seller, so needless to say money is tight. The only way we can *possibly* plan a wedding is with a lot of help from our friends and a healthy amount of DIY projects.

This, obviously, lead me to thinking about what I could *knit* for the wedding! I decided very early on that I want to knit myself a veil, so I started scouring the internet looking for just the right combination of yarn and pattern. It has been a frustrating search, but I think I’ve come up with a few good leads… I’ll have a whole post about the veil soon, though, so I’ll tell you more about it there!

I think I’m also going to try and knit as much of my bouquet and the decorations as I can, too, but I’m a lot more flexible about that stuff. I think I’ll just start knitting and see how far I can get along the way!

Stay tuned, I promise I’ll share all of my fun wedding projects here along the way

(This is a very basic teaser shot, I’ll be replacing it when I get a chance to do a real photo shoot.)

Yarn:

• Main color (MC) – Patons Classic Wool, 100% pure new wool, 223 yds/100 g, Woodrose Heather, approximately 110 yards needed
• Contrast color (CC) – Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool, 100% pure virgin wool, 465 yds/227 g, Oatmeal, approximately 30 yards needed (I think?)

Supplies:
1 16″ size 8 (5.0mm) needle
1 16″ size 4 (3.5mm) needle
4 size 8 DPNs
1 stitch marker

Gauge:
4.5 sts and 6 rows per inch over flea pattern
4 sts and 7 rows per inch over ribbing

Lice Pattern:
Row 1 – k 1 MC, k 1 CC
Row 2 – K all in MC
Row 3 – K 1 CC, K 1 MC
Row 4 – K all in MC

Pattern:

Cast on 80 stitches loosely (I suggest using the sz 8 needle to cast on).
With the size 4 needle (or whatever is needed to obtain gauge), work in k2p2 ribbing for 20 rows.
Switch to the size 8 needle, (K 5, make one stitch) all around, you now have 96 stitches
K 1 round in MC
Work in lice pattern for approximately 4″ (for me, this was 6 repeats), and end with either row 1 or row 3.
Start decreasing – Instead of either row 2 or 4 in Flea pattern, (k 14, k 2 together) all around with MC.
Work next row in Flea pattern
(K 13, K 2 together) all around with MC.
Work next row in Flea pattern

Continue like this until you have 48 stitches on the needles (switching to DPNs when needed).
At this point, continue in Flea pattern but decrease on *every* round now.
When 12 stitches remain on the needles, break yarn and pull through the remaining stitches.

Sew in all ends, lightly block (the body of the hat, *not* the ribbing), and enjoy!

(IF YOU KNIT THIS PATTERN, please let me know what you think of it! Hit me up at through.the.looking@gmail.com with any questions, comments, errors, or just to say hi!)

On one hand, it just plain makes me angry. The books are poorly written, the story is half-formed, and the main characters are just plain obnoxious.

On the other hand, I love the base elements of the story. (I’ve often been heard to say that in the hands of a better writer, I’d love it unconditionally!) I love many of the supporting characters in the movie – I think the entire Cullen family does a spectacular job, and Bella’s dad is just the sweetest. But most of all, I *love* all the imagery (and knits!) it inspires! Combining Native American legends, the pacific northwest, vampires… yes please!

Twi-hard: With a Vengeance

Shopping for your favorite Twilight fan? Just like an overprotective vampire boyfriend, Etsy is always there for you!

(I was reluctant to include one of my own items in a treasury, but I couldn’t leave the mittens out!)

The Doctor Who Gift Guide

Etsy: It’s bigger on the inside!

Hello sweetie, I hope you find just the right thing for your companion!

I hope you, my lovely readers, are enjoying these guides! I am *such* a fan of Etsy (not just because of my store), and I am really enjoying this opportunity to introduce y’all to the width and breadth of what you can find there.

A long time ago, in a treasury far far away…

Show your rebel spirit, give some handcrafted Star Wars love for the holidays!

So, without further ado, I give you:

Not All Who Wander are Lost: LotR gifts

Oh, the spirit of adventure, the wonder of seeing the world through tiny hobbit eyes!

It’s so very easy to escape into the magical world that JRR Tolkien created – may these gifts remind you of the little hobbit or stately elf inside of you.

So, without further ado, allow me to present the first in the series:

Winter is Coming: Game of Thrones Gifts for the Geek in your Life

Winter is coming, folks, and with it comes gift-giving season. Are *you* ready?

And a super-big thanks to Kathy, our lucky winner! I’ll have your etsy listing up and ready by tomorrow, and your new mittens in the mail before Thursday!

For those of you who lost out, there’s still time to donate directly to Brian Hoerger’s CureSearch page… or buy your own pair of mitts in my etsy store! For every sale I make before the deadline (the 4th or 5th, I’ll have to check…) I’ll donate an additional $10!

Love you all, you’re wonderful

This got me to thinking – I’d like to do more with my shop.

(Edited to add: And with the recent tragedy in Ohio, what better time than now…)

I have been mulling this over for quite some time, but I think it’s about time I take some action. I have decided to add a new product line to the shop over the next few months:

Grr!
Cat and tiger related items: headbands with ears, hats with ears, other assorted accessories and small stuffed animals, all with a distinctly feline feeling! 10% of the proceeds from all “Grr!” knits will be earmarked for adopting a tiger through the World Wildlife Foundation. After we’ve met that goal, I’ll move on to another large cat! I’m hoping to have a large menagerie of kitties “sponsored” by Through The Looking and all of our customers!

Hay! Sup?

Additionally, I’ve been thinking about an as-of-yet unnamed line, knits inspired by dogs, rabbits, bears, honey badgers… Just like the above category, this would feature a wide variety of products and 10% of all proceeds will be donated to the ASPCA (or another organization of my choosing benefiting animal rights, I’m still doing my homework). Not sure about this one yet, but it’s a definite possibility.

So, I hope you’re all as excited as I am! Expect to see a lot of new items from me in the near future

My friend Brian is participating in the 2011 Charlotte CureSearch Walk, and I wanted to figure out a way to contribute. Here at Through The Looking, we love kids and hate cancer, so I’m auctioning off a pair of these mitts in oatmeal (the color shown). Bidding starts *now* and will remain open through midnight (EST) on Halloween!

Brian has this to say:

Dear Friends,
Please support me in my efforts to raise money for pediatric cancer research. I have been a supporter of CureSearch for several years now as they are one of the leading organizations dedicated to finding a cure for pediatric cancers. Please visit my personal donation page.
Thanks!!

You can donate directly on Brian’s page.

For more information about the mitts, and to see a few more pictures, please see the normal etsy listing, but do *not* bid there!

To bid, please comment on this post with your name and bid amount. Make sure you enter your email address when commenting – it won’t be visible, but I need it so I can contact the winner!

The bidding starts at $5, do I hear $5?

THE FINE PRINT:
Bidding will be open until midnight (EST) on Halloween, at which time I will notify the winner and create a custom Etsy listing for them to purchase, reflecting their winning bid amount!

Of the winning bid, $5 goes to Through The Looking to cover materials and Etsy fees, all other proceeds will be donated directly to Brian’s CureSearch page in the winning bidder’s name.