my first hyperbolic plane

so this squirrelly little guy is my first or second crocheted hyperbolic plane. there are two of these fellows, but the other lacks beading, because applying 192 seed beads is a bit... tedious. i wanted to make two so that i could have earrings, but i decided that it was not worth the effort. this will make a lovely necklace for my friend dana; she fell in love with him, and i will happily relinquish him to her once i figure out how i'd like to string him.

if you google "hyperbolic plane," you'll find all sorts of information about the math behind this figure. the really neat thing is that you'll probably find links o' plenty for knit and crocheted models.

it's really easy to make one. i used some nylon that i had found in a thrift store in hawai'i. it's pretty important to make sure that the fabric will be nice and sturdy, so choose your needle/hook and yarn accordingly. hyperbolic planes start small, then expand, so start with only a few stitches. i started with 3, but i think i'm only going to start with 1 next time. i doubled the amount of stitches each increase row, though you can most certainly increase at a different rate. how beautiful math is!

i do love the beads, but again, not enough to make them a standard detail; instead, i'm going to do the last row in a contrasting color. i probably will try my hand at making a set for earrings very shortly, because i would like to shop them around at some local places. i also want to get my online store up and running sometime very soon.

i have yet to do more than cast on for emily's mon petit chou hipsters. i guess i needed a break. i'm going to start those back up sometime this week. i've cursed myself because in the past week, i've mentally added at least 10 new projects to my wish list. next post will most likely be about several other works-in-progress.

salut!

for my inaugural post, i present knitty's mon petit chou hipsters. i did (not?) enjoy making these! i am in love with the design, it is truly elegant. i strongly recommend kate gilbert's chart. following the instructions line-by-line made me want to stab my eyes out with my knitting needles, and i normally prefer to do it that way. this pattern gave me a new appreciation for charts; this is my first knitted lace piece, though.



the picot edging is so beautiful, as is the lace. i intend to start logging my hours on projects; this one i estimate that i spent about 30 hours knitting, most of which was spent frogging... ehem... i mean, admiring the design of everything. it truly is clever.

i used the recommended yarn and needle sizes, though i must admit that i did my gauge swatch with the wrong size needles. however, i did it with the yarn relaxed (it is elasticized), and i figured that by having the tight tension for which the pattern called, i would be okay. i also knit a size smaller than what is suggested for my size. i knew to do this because i had to start over so many times.

what is so nice about these hipsters is that i really get the sense that they can be made to fit anyone. just add/subtract repeats as necessary, and the pattern does give good instructions for adjusting how high they rise, and what to do to get the perfect fit.

the laces finish it off so well, and combined with the stretchiness of lace and the yarn itself, these are some comfy undies. really. i wouldn't wear them under any thin fabric, because even after washing, they are pretty bumpy. under jeans, thick corduroys, or a loose skirt i think they'll be fine. i haven't truly test-driven them yet because i've been wanting to show them off to all of my friends without actually pulling my skirt up or dropping my pants.

i made them for burning man, so i could have a little something to wear if i don't feel like being completely sky-clad.


i wasn't going to have an action shot, but the masses in the livejournal knitting community kept asking for one, and after taking many different shots, this was one that i don't mind sharing. you know how sometimes stuffing shows through a stuffed toy when a picture is taken of it? without divulging way too much information, i will just say that there will be no frontal photos shown of this item.

i already have started another pair, much smaller, for my roommate emily. i am making hers in a variegated colorway, so this should be interesting.

there will probably be a frenzy of posting over the next several weeks because, you know, i just started this thing, so i have a lot to show you! i tend to free-form crochet, and use patterns to knit, but i'm branching out. i will eventually have patterns of my own creation available, but i'm keeping what they are a secret for right now, because i'm going to submit them to different sites first. i guess this entry is not too much by way of introduction, but i'll get to that sometime very soon. i also will be adding a lot more content in the links, because there are so many wonderful resources out there!