Actually knitting a friggin' pony

Stitch Update: 2038/4714 of first leg.   368/3133 on second hoof.

Quick comparison photo of the two legs.  There's a few extra rows on the big one but you can see how much smaller and tighter the little leg is.

Stitch Update: 3133/3133 of first hoof.   368/3133 on second hoof.

Hello hello!

Photos have been a long time coming but the knitting is going well!  You can see above how big the too-big leg really was, and the smaller size of the new hoof.

So.  I have a leg of the pony finished.  I'm exhausted (insomnia) so no photographs, but I'm at a quandry.

The leg is big.  I mean, I knew it seemed big, but I really think that it's too big.  I'll measure it later, but I think somehow I've effed up the math again, and I'm now making a truly gigantic pony.

Which brings me to my quandry. If I am, indeed, knitting too big, and I need to do something like go to a smaller needle or drop one of the threads of yarn... or both... do I actually do it? Or do I suck it up and make a gigantic pony so I don't lose all the work on the leg and foot?

I really can't afford to try to re-do the pattern at this stage. It's right, it's the right proportions, so I can't re-do it with fewer stitches or rows.

Stitch Update: 3120/4714 to finish first front leg. (pattern now complete!)

Check out my progress here

Now is the time on Sprockets when we giggle like twelve year olds.

Finished the knee!  It now looks a little... interestingly shaped.

(sorry for the blur, it was LATE when I took that.)

It should look a little less phallic once I get the top bit of the leg on it.

I also switched yarn for the first time!  You can see i was using a yellowy off-white that was just a small ball, and now I have tied on a light brown.  (I'm tracking my yarn use on the spreadsheet, if you're curious.  I actually bought the light brown, because the 'pound of love' yarn is thin, and I needed a thicker feel to keep the over-all thickness consistent.

I'm thinking next time I might try to make the transition a little cooler looking by using the new color in a random handful of stitches on each row before the transition has to happen, so the colors kind of fade into one another more naturally.

So I did write to a couple companies about the project.  I just got an email back from Red Heart:

Thank you for your recent somments about our Red Heart Yarns  We are always eager to hear from people who use our products, and we were delighted to hear of your satisfaction with it.  Your comments will be shared with both our Marketing and Manufacturing departments and we will be following your progress as you knit your pony. Thank you for taking the time to write to us.  Please accept our best wishes for continued success with your needlework projects. Sincerely, Ann Blalock  Manager, Consumer Information 

Stitch Update: 1014/~4500 to finish first front leg. (I haven't finished the pattern yet)

Check out my progress here

Just a quick photo update as of last night.

SO, it occured to me this would be a great place to type up a little story that was once written for me.

A dude named Brendan put together a site called Ommatidia, where he posted 101 word stories very regularly for a while.  He sold some of his stories in a book, and for a little extra he'd write you a story of your own.

Here is the one he wrote in the front of my book for me, reproduced thanks to his CC license on all his work:

"Of course, women's brains are a bit soft for the mightier schools of sorcery," Zarzotsz explains.

Laurie resists the urge to stab him with on eof the big pointy things in her hands.  "Well," she says, "I suppose I'm lucky I prefer yarn magic, then."

Zarzotsz smiles in what he probably thinks is a kind manner.  "Indeed!  Mind if I demonstrate one of the higher arts for you?  Pyroturgy's my specialty - it makes lovely fireworks."

"Can it create life?" asks Laurie curiously.

Zarzotsz sputters.

A click, clatter and purl of busy needles, and the slowly booming shape of a Shetland mare.

Beautiful, isn't it? :D

Stitch Update: 3133/3133 to finish first hoof - DONE!

Check out my progress here

As promised, here are photographs of the shaped first hoof:

The little pony actually fits inside!

I know it looks huge, way more than the 4x as large as promised, but keep in mind it's flat and it gets shorter once stitched and stuffed (as it gets fatter).

So, now I tie on the light color for the first leg!  I've worked out most of the pattern in the spreadsheet, but I will probably wait to finish it until I get to that actual bit of the pattern and work it out as I go.

Stitch Update: 2126/3133 to finish first hoof

Check out my progress here

I'm most of the way done with the shaping on the first hoof, and miracle of miracles it looks hoof-like!  Pics when I get home later tonight.  

Mostly, I want to talk about my obsession with stuffing things.  If I could, I would stitch up my knitting every other row and stuff what was stitched up while it was still on the needles.

Stitch Update: 1524/3133 to finish first hoof

Check out my progress here

So!  I am halfway done with the first hoof, and the proportions and size are right on target!

I know it looks a little huge next to the small pony, like more than four times the right size, but I assure you the hooves looked big on the small pony too when I started'em.

I'm really excited now that I have put my pattern on the spreadsheet, because it occurs to me now that as you can see above, I will be able to actually keep track of the exact number of stitches.  I've also started a page on the sheet to keep track of the yarn skeins I use, and where they're from, so that I have those numbers too at the end of the project.

I've decided I will always put the stitch update and link to the spreadsheet at the top of every post, just for ease of everything.

So, I'm not sure where in my mathiness I decided to do 5 times the rows and 4 times the stitches, but it must have been before I thought to do triple the yarn.

I just finished the equivalent of 4 of 21 rows on the hoof.  It felt... big.

I measured it out, checked some proportions, and discovered if I continued on this path my horse would be 25 hands tall.  Note that ponies top out at 14.2 hands tall, and the interwebs tell me the average quarter horse is actually 15-16 hands tall.

Clydsdales are around 18 hands tall.

Um.  This horse is way beyond horse size.

So while I probably have the right proportions for an AT-AT, should I ever choose to make it, this is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too big for a pony.

If I size it down to 3 times the rows and twice the stitches, we come out at a nice 14-15 hands tall.  So.  I shall be ripping out all this and starting again:

It does make a rather spiffy hat.

So it's been ages since I updated -- the holidays kind of took up most of my time.  

First!  I have finished the test pony, and it's kind of adorable:

You can't tell so well from that picture, but the hair is varigated pink/blue/white yarn, and the tail somehow got tucked up under it so it doesn't look as full as it is.  But there the pony is, in all her glory.

This of course means I'm ready (lol no I'm not) to cast on with the REAL PONY.  I've decided to go with the pattern on the fly, which means I'll be tweaking each individual row into five rows, adjusting how the increase/decrease works to make sure it's as gradual as it should be in most cases.  I'm doing this via spreadsheet, and if you like you can see how I'm working here (Google Docs link).

You can see the first "two" (actually ten) rows on the needles here!

As you can see, I'm using triple yarn, in three dark colors -- red, black, and blue.

(I should add, at this point, that the needles and black yarn came from a very awesome source -- aylathebunny, who sent them to me as a Christmas present along with some white yarn and a lovely card and fic!  AND the yarn was wrapped up with a beautiful bow and bell, which I am saving to put on the bridle when the pony is done.  Ayla, you kick some serious arse. <3)

So!  What's next?

I'm going to finish the hoof, and then I'm going to pin it together as if it were stitched up (while still on the needle), stuff it, and do some measuring to make sure that the ratios work out and the pony's the right size.  If that works, we're officially off to the races.

I think too that I might write to Lion and just say 'thanks for the pattern, look at this awesome thing I'm doing'.  Also Red Heart because I suspect I'll be using a ton of their yarn.  They might be interested.

I also need to update my Ravelry account with this info, but I'm not used to actually using it, so that'll take a while.

And finally: if you'd like to contribute yarn to this project, please do and know I love you! Some thoughts, if you do:

I'm super happy to take leftovers, but nothing less than half a skein, if you please.

I need a lot more light-colored yarn than dark, so white/brown/cream/pastels are super-duper welcome

I'm starting with some Red Heart Super Saver acrylic worsted weight, so anything similar would be most useful

But in the end, the thought that people want to give me yarn for my project just fills me with joy, so whatever you have, I'm happy to receive.

If you drop me an ask, either here or at knitmeapony, I can get you my mailing address.