All Yarn, All the Time

Flo's Triangle

2007-11-07T12:43:00.000-05:00

This is a gift for my Dad's older sister, Florene, who is the favorite Auntie for me and all of my cousins. She is turning 80 this year and we are having a party on Saturday to celebrate her!

Pattern: Flo's Triangle by me as directed by Evelyn A. Clark in her book "Knitting Lace Triangles"
Yarn: 2 ply lace weight "optimum" stretched merino spun by me on my Jensen
Needles: US size 5
Experience: This is a great book to use to make your own combination of lace for a shawl. It was the perfect vehicle for the about 500 yards of handspun optima I had that wasn't sure what to use it for. This yarn is so ridiculously soft and shiny! I cannot find this fiber to buy more - I bought this 4 ounces at the Knitter's Connection in June. If anyone knows where to get some, please tell me! Here is a review of SWT yarn made from the same fiber that describes the process somewhat.

The requisite "unblocked" picture.

My attempt to capture the shine.

Evidence of reckless planning - I ended up having to ply some singles that I sampled because I ran out 5 inches from the end while binding off. The remnant doesn't even register on my kitchen scale. And people think knitting isn't thrilling! ha!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T19:39:00.001-04:00

2 Weeks Later....

2007-10-29T13:30:00.000-04:00

And since the bones are healing nicely we have a lovely blue smaller, lighter, waterproof, glow-in-the-dark-striped cast.

She will have to wear this smaller one for 4 more weeks, but the fact that IT'S WATERPROOF makes it all OK. The worst part for Em seems to have been that she needed help bathing.

snagged from cuteoverload.com for "Caturday"

2007-10-20T16:21:00.000-04:00

You must have the sound on. It's a cat thing.

Cropped Cardigan with Leaf Ties

2007-10-19T18:34:00.001-04:00

I made this in August and am just now getting around to blogging about it. I started this blog so I could keep track of my knitted things, but now there's Ravelry and it seems kind of redundant to post here as well. I may be giving up the blog.

Front view with puffy-looking eyes

back view - note the longer length

Pattern: Cropped Cardigan with Leaf Ties by Stephanie Japel, Fitted Knits
Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha from Little Knits, light granny smith green. 9 skeins
Size: 45"
Needles: US 5 Addi's
Mods:

- I made the sleeves and body a little longer
- I used leftover Cotton Fleece from the diamond mesh sweater for the hem facings because I was afraid I would run out of yarn, but I like the yellow contrast and think it turned out well.
- completely changed the leaf ends and made the ties a little shorter. The seed stitch leaf in the pattern looked wrong to me, so I made a generic leaf from one of Nicky Epstein's edge books and and a matching back for each leaf which turned out really cute.
- The cardi turned out too big even though I got spot-on gauge. I have (maybe temporarily until I think of something better) turned the front edges in at about the place where the cast-on stitches start, and then sewed them in place like a facing. I started the applied i-cord then at the folded edge. Any suggestions for finishing this another way - short of re-knitting - are appreciated.

The pictures look pretty crappy (color-wise) and it's actually more flattering than it appears. The sleeve picture is probably closest to actual color.

See the cool Cotton Fleece yellow facing? Clever, clever!

Tie Front Cardigan #6

2007-10-17T10:35:00.000-04:00

Front of the sweater. Obvi.

The back. I think it looks funny from this angle, I had my husband take the picture.

Pattern: Tie Front Cardigan #6 by Shirley Paden from the Holiday 2006 Vogue Knitting, largest size
Yarn: Kraemer Sterling, less than 4 skeins. 63% Superwash Merino, 20% Silk, 15% Nylon & 2% REAL Silver fibers
Needles: Addi's in sizes US 4, 5, and 6.
Modifications: I didn't make the waist shaping since I don't have as much real-life waist shaping as I would like. This made the ending stitch count on the shoulder seams larger which was OK because I have broad shoulders. I think I could have made them a little bit smaller, though - the pattern said 29 and I had like 35 stitches. I also had to work with the shoulders in order to get them set in - I could have knit them at least an inch shorter on the cap.

Blocked with blocking wires, and I used the small flexible ones to shape the sleeve caps which was pretty neat. You can see them in the blocking pictures.**for some reason I can't upload my blocking pictures, but you can see them on Ravelry. It was a real pain steaming the ruffled collar, but it looked so much better after I had. It really looks much better in person, you can appreciate the "bling" in the yarn and feel the soft silky goodness.

This picture is for Lisa because she complains I'm always headless. Lisa, now do you see why I cut off my head??!!!

Soccer Season is Now Over

2007-10-14T10:21:00.000-04:00

At least it's over for Emily. Poor baby took on the Biggest Girl on the Orange Team in the first game of the playoffs, and paid a price for stopping a goal. She had a clean break of both her radius and ulna just above the wrist on the right arm, and is in the big cast for a couple weeks, hopefully to go to a smaller one after that. She was very brave during the treatment and setting, and we all hope she feels better soon. Thankfully children heal quickly!

She's getting lots of TLC from the family. Oh, and her team won! Go, Blue Bombers!

Knitting updates to come soon. I am claiming that I'm too busy with school, dance, and soccer to have posted since September. :o)

Denim Tank Top

2007-09-06T18:26:00.002-04:00

I still owe pictures of the two cardigans I've finished, but here's a nice little denim tank, WITH BEADS!!

front view showing button closure.

another front view showing right side with increases.

beaded bracelet to match!! only took about one hour to knit!

detail of button closure on bracelet.

before washing the tank and the prewashed swatch. I love the fade!

Pattern: Denim Tank Top from Knitting with Beads by Jane Davis
Yarn: Den-M-Nit from elann.com, mid-indigo color
Needles: US size 5 Knitpicks Options
Beads: a mixture of 2 colors from a local bead shop, size 6, about 1,904 beads total.
Beading Credit: I must give credit to Elise who helped me string lots of the beads, and also to the girls from the Wednesday Night SnB. Thanks, peeps!
Modifications: I put in buttons instead of a zipper closure, and I like the way it turned out. As usual, I did make it a bit longer to compensate for my height.

Knitting with this 100% cotton yarn was nice, not as hard on the hands as some cottons, and the top took me less than a week to finish. I like the way the denim yarn fades in the washer and dryer. It does shrink, but like jeans it stretches right back out. I made the bracelet about 8" unwashed, and it shrunk to a comfortable fitting 6.5" - however with the stretch factor I should have made it shorter.

Yep, I'm pretty happy with this one. :o) Having a little bit of a beading phase - I never should have gone to that bead shop!

Wow

2007-09-01T12:14:00.000-04:00

I just impressed the heck out of my newbie-spinner-self by making a 2-ply sample using beaded silk (my first spun silk!!) with a slightly fatter strand of BFL. The silk is hand dyed tussah from the amazing Abby of Franquemont Fibers. The colorway is "dandelion". Anyhoo, on to the pictures.

I'm going to say it's about fingering weight, and the color seems pretty accurate in these pictures. I'm going to have more opportunity to spin now that football has started, and I might try sampling some 2-plies of only silk with beads next. Who knows what I'll do? I certainly don't.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part II

2007-08-16T08:44:00.000-04:00

I did very little knitting on the beach because I was mostly swimming or playing or just resting. This is part of the Bianca's Jacket from Fall 2006 IK that I would have finished if I hadn't run out of yarn for the finishing border. Curses on my long arms making me use up too much yarn!! Notice the happy man flying his kite and the children in the water. Heaven, I say!

Typical beach scene of me and my doggers.

This is the semi-completed jacket on the porch swing. I sewed up one side to check the fit, but naturally lost momentum after I realized I wouldn't have enough silk to finish. Below is a snap I took myself of the one arm. Fit seems to be right.
Of course it needs a good steaming, too. I think this one is going to be a favorite, even though the silk was tough on my hands. More details about it when I post the finished product.

LYS Review and Vacation Booty

A trip to the beach wouldn't be complete without a trip to the really nice yarn shop a little north of us in Ludington, called Nautical Yarn. This shop is a real treat, and was even better than it was last year with much more lace yarn and all kinds of cool stuff. I purchased enough Kraemer Sterling (reviewed today in Knitter's Review!) to make the Shirley Paden Tie-Front Cardigan from Vogue Holiday 2006 (see a beautiful completed one here). The proprietor had made one for a lace class and I was completely drawn to it in person, where in the magazine I thought it kind of "meh". She used an alpaca with sparkle (was it this?Alpaca Yarn Company "Glimmer" I think maybe), and it was lovely, and she also pointed out errors in the chart for me and was generally a nice person to visit with. All the help in the shop was indeed helpful, and they all seemed like true fiber enthusiasts. Anyway, a couple pictures of the loot, which also included one hank of Fino.

I think I showed remarkable restraint considering all the goodies in the store, including the new Kaffe Fassett sock yarns! More soon on other works in progress, including the other cardigan mentioned before vacation, the socks and some spinning stuff.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation, Part I

2007-08-14T09:25:00.001-04:00

View from my spinning chair on the porch, Cider Moon Australian wool in Peas and Carrots. The view you can't see is Lake Michigan and a beautiful private beach, just a short walk over the dune.

Plying the carrots. I have enough for a pair of shortie socks, I hope. 4 oz. gave me about 270 yards unknown wpi. Oh, and I love my new Louet Victoria travel wheel!!

Peas and carrots in a Fiesta bowl. The cottage has a whole closet full of all manner of Fiesta Ware.

Making the salsa in the morning.

Spinning some avocado singles. I've never knit with my own singles, but I'll be making a scarf of some type to coordinate with my avocado broadripple socks.

Beach dog. Of course. She had a good time this year.

Oh well!

2007-08-02T12:54:00.000-04:00

Just as I'm getting back into the swing of posting, I'm leaving on vacation! I still have catching up to do from before, but just to let you know about stuff coming up: 2 cardigans, 2 pair of socks, 2 mystery stoles (one black, one white, both with beads) and an all-silk version of the swallowtail shawl from Interweave. It's all good.

See you when I get back!

More knitted goodness (plus some spinnings)

2007-07-29T11:07:00.000-04:00

First up, another successful knitted item, from Rowan.
Pattern: Stevie by Kim Hargreaves, It's a Tape Thing
Yarn: Rowan Cotton Tape (discontinued) Fever 555 colorway
Needles: I think I used US 10 1/2
Modifications: There was no closure specified in the pattern, so although I quickly finished the knitting in June, I didn't actually put this together until July when I got "Knitting Beyond the Edge" by Nicky Epstein and found this super-cute leaf toggle. This color doesn't seem to photograph well, but it's actually a nice blue-ish purple color. I wore this the other day received many compliments, but nobody thinks it's looks anything like the model in the book, which is true. I'm very happy with this, and like the drop-stitch detail on the hem and cuffs. I also made this a little bit longer than specified, but it's still on the short side.

Oh, and if you haven't yet, you should join Ravelry! I got my invitation a while back, but just recently started entering my projects, and doing that very slowly. The idea is huge, and I think it'll be a great knitting/crochet/fiber resource. I'm just taking it a little bit at a time, but if you are in and you want to see me there, I'm JulieG.

Next up, the Avocado broadripple socks!
Pattern: Broadripple by Threadbear Fiber Arts
Yarn: Cider Moon Flurry in the avocado colorway
Needles: US 1 dp
How many times have I made this pattern? So many I don't even know, but this is the first time I've used the Flurry yarn. I loved it, it is very soft and knit up beautifully. My picture doesn't look perfectly in focus, but you can see how nice it striped up. I have a bag of the avocado Australian Wool that I plan to spin on vacation to make a scarf this fall. How much do I love you, Cider Moon? :o)

Lastly today I have some nice lace weight merino that I spun, about 500 yards, a little less than 4 oz. This is no ordinary merino, however - it is Optimum stretched merino! I bought this fiber at the Knitter's Connection and now I can't find it, but I absolutely love it for both the softness and the sheen, you have to feel it to believe. The process that stretches the wool fibers basically removes the natural crimp and gives the fiber physical properties similar to silk or cashmere, but it also retains some of the merino characteristics, so I'm told. I can't wait to make something with this! Not sure if I'll dye it or keep it this natural color.

That's all for now! thanks for looking.

As promised

2007-07-27T19:51:00.000-04:00

Not the really informational and interesting post that I intended to make earlier this week, but I put together a quick collection of pictures of stuff I've been doing. But to begin, some "toe painting" the girls did in camp this week (and yes, it's what you think it is - fingerpainting but with their feet and toes):

Emily's

Elise's

Nice, eh?
And now for something that should have been nice, but turned out wrong, for the time being.

Pattern: Shaped Lace Tee from Knitting Lingerie Style by Joan McGowan-Michael
Yarn: 8ish skeins of Noro Lily 70/30 cotton silk
Needles: US 4 Addi circular
Modifications Not enough, apparently.
I love Joan M-M's work, and as soon as this book came out I had to have it. Even if you don't want to make anything from it, it's beautiful to look at and she explains a lot of interesting stuff about lingerie history and evolution. There are many patterns in it that are suitable for "ordinary people" wear, including this cute Tee. However, for some reason I can't get the sleeves right! I've made them 5 times, including 3 times after getting a lovely and helpful note from Joan when I asked for help making this fit middle-aged arms better. It still pulls funny and I cannot make them work, even after aggressively wet blocking it when steaming failed. I'm sure it is just me, and not her pattern, and I'm not just saying that. The pattern is very cleverly designed and quick and easy to knit, and I can't actually say enough good things about the Noro Lily yarn - love it! So, I'm going to put this one away for awhile, and see if a little body shape change in the form of weight loss will help me work this out later. The picture doesn't look great because I wadded it up in a ball in disgust. Oh well.

Next up, a success story.
Pattern: Diamond Mesh from Knitter's magazine summer 2007 by Simona Merchantdest
Yarn: Cotton Fleece from Brown Sheep 80/20 cotton wool blend.
Needles: I'm thinking US 4, but maybe 5. This is why I need to stay on top of documenting things!
Modifications: Changed from cardigan style to pullover top. I also made it a little bit longer, but now that I've worn it I don't think I needed to. Anyway, I didn't see the point in having a sort sleeved lace cardigan, plus I hate to pick up all those placket stitches, so here it is. I made the front like the back and sort of ad-libbed the neck shaping, then made the sleeves, assembled the bodice and sleeves, then knit the bottom lace part in the round while reading Harry Potter 7 this weekend. The book saved me from a long and boring section of the sweater! It fits wonderfully, I love the mustard color, and I love working with Cotton Fleece. I must say I think this works very well, maybe even better than the cardigan version. I got tons of compliments when I wore it today.

You know, I have a lot more to post, and it turns out I am being informative in my explanations, so I'll try to get the rest done this weekend. I have the pictures, so it's just matter of writing! Bye for now!

You know it's time to post...

2007-07-23T17:47:00.001-04:00

You know you've been away too long when your mother-in-law asks when she's going to see new work up on the blog. ;o) Hi, Judy!

I have been knitting and spinning all kinds of stuff, randomly, and will have pictures to document these activities soon. It's summer, and I've been busy with the girls home from school and have been having a tough time just making it through one day at a time since Mom passed away on June 14th. Mom was a very good person - you know how God wants us to be? she was that way - and I miss her so very much. My friends and family have been wonderful in helping me get through this, and I feel very blessed to have you, just as I feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful and loving mom.

Pictures to follow soon - the girls are in day camp all week! Yea, camp!!

It's harder than it looks

2007-05-22T19:09:00.001-04:00

Em spinning in her jammies

Both the girls have been trying their hand at spinning on Gramma Kay's wheel. I won't let them touch mine, but Kay is very generous with her equipment. :o) They have both practiced just treadling, and also spinning with some White Buffalo Unspun that I had around and used when I was first starting. Elise seems very at ease with the process. Emily is analyzing it and maybe making it harder than it needs to be at this point, but they are both doing very well. You need to get ready for your lesson, Kay!

I have been doing some spinning and some blending and some more spinning. First I made about 175 yards of 2 ply natural colored Blue faced Leicester (I looked it up because I didn't know how it was pronounced: "Lester") and you can see from the quick sample that it's not super even, but still nice and soft.

Then there is some wool from the Fiber Event I've been playing with. I made a really nice 3-ply - my first!! - shown here in the picture on the left, and then determined I would like to use it to make the Sunrise Circle Jacket (.pdf file) by Kate Gilbert. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough for that entire project, but decided I could blend it on the drum carder with some natural brown ram's wool(also purchased at said Event) for a nice yarn, shown on the right in this picture. You can't really see the swatch, but it's nice. I will have plenty for the sweater, and decided I would make it 2-ply because I can't imagine having the patience to do 3900 yards of singles for a 3 ply. This is my first time really calculating and spinning for a specific project, and I hope I'm doing it right!

Another thing I've been working on is a quicky cardigan, the Stevie from It's a Tape Thing
(but I call it Stella??) out of color 550 Electric Rowan Cotton Tape. This is going fast, and I'm enjoying some immediate gratification: I'm already done with 1-1/2 sleeves.

Finally, talking about a quick payoff, I spent an evening knitting up the Berroco free pattern for the Air Bear using ?? color of Air, about 1/2 a ball. Obvi I still need to sew on a face, but he's still super-cute! This is a really simple and satisfying little knit. I love making toys!

Personal Note: I'm not sure how frequently I'll be posting in the next couple weeks or so. My parents are having some health issues and I'm keeping pretty busy with them. I'm sure I'll be knitting a lot - it's my biggest stress reliever! - so when I'm back I'll probably have plenty to post about.

A conversation yesterday

2007-05-22T19:02:00.001-04:00

Roger: Happy 13th anniversary, honey!
Me: Oh, how lovely...I didn't even get you a card....
Roger: That's OK, you never do.
(hugs)

a couple things

2007-05-17T15:55:00.000-04:00

I haven't felt much like blogging in the past week, but thought I should post this picture of a scarf I made for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day. I think she liked :o) I made the same pattern I made for my mom, but with a completely different result. I used 2 skeins of the Great Adirondack Sequins .

I'm also posting the Nashua Knits North American Designer Collection No. 4 Surplice Lace Top I just finished, but I realized after I took the picture that I really needed a camisole, so I've edited the picture to add one (and of course wore one when I debuted the top in public). I would have taken a flat picture, but it looks so much better on. I used 11 skeins of Jaeger Albany, a mercerized cotton tape-like yarn that knit up beautifully for this. Of course if you want it, it's been discontinued, sorry. I used the yarn from my stash like a good girl. :o)

I might make another one, I like this little pattern so much. It was a quiet, fairly mindless knit and the only change I made was to make the decreases for neck and sleeve fully fashioned - I think it looks a little better that way on this piece. Oh, and I added an extra repeat of the lace for additional length since I'm a tall girl.

Silken Goodness

2007-05-09T16:34:00.000-04:00

see the shine of the silk?

This is a little shoulder scarf I made for my mom for Mother's Day. I gave it to her today along with a cute brown shirt from Talbot's, and I think she really likes it. It was a pleasure to knit, the silk was just luscious to touch, and I think it came out well.

Pattern: Versatile Scarves from Evelyn A. Clark, Fibertrends, the one with the 3 row eyelet
Yarn: Tilli Tomas Pure & Simple 100% Silk (a.k.a. "Butter"), Glazed Ginger colorway
Needles: US size 7 bamboo circulars

Even though the label said dry clean only, I soaked it briefly in Eucalan and blocked it out with wire. I give this pattern 2 thumbs up!

When I went over to see Mom and Dad today, I brought my wheel and gave them a little spinning demo. I think they find it funny and kinda goofy that I'm so into all the wooliness, but as always, they are very supportive. I'm such a lucky girl to have them!

What has Mom been doing?

2007-05-08T16:24:00.000-04:00

It looks like she doesn't have any furniture in this picture, but her room is big and it's all out of the frame. We really didn't give her just a bed and a closet! Oh, and notice the floor: no piles of clothes and toys! She promised me she'd keep it picked up. While I do appreciate the gesture, I'm not holding my breath.

Well, I've been knitting, spinning a little, and playing with blending yarn, but mostly I've been getting Em's room ready. This Sunday she will be 10, and my gift to her is to re-do her room. She picked out the comforter set from Target, and I helped her pick the paint, "Florescent Lime" and "La Fonda Turquoise" from Valspar at Lowes. The carwash style sheer curtains and green glass hardware are from JCPenneys, thank you Sherrie for telling me to look there! Still need to find a bulletin board (is someone getting her one for her birthday?) and a new desk lamp for her. Oh, and a trash can.

Pictures of the fiber related stuff will be forthcoming. The painting etc. has kept me really busy, but I should be ready to post about my knitterly activities soon.

Child labor and Atomic Lace

2007-04-29T12:06:00.000-04:00

the first skein posing seductively in the sun.

Just a few quick pictures - I couldn't wait to share my Atomic Merino Superwash Lace. I haven't done the WPI yet, but it's quite fine enough to make a nice lace item. The Atomic merino is from Cider Moon, and is the first almost complete project on my new wheel. Almost complete, because I still have an estimated 200 yards left on the bobbins that I haven't plied yet. This is nearly 600 yards of 2 ply. I like it.

I was forced to employ child labor as I got tired of winding it on my own. She was most helpful.

This is the yarn posing with dime for perspective.

Finally, this is a little blending experiment I started on this morning, including plain purplish wool, teal ingeo, and a little sparkle fiber in random amounts. Looking forward to seeing how it spins up - I think I used a little too much bling.

Baby Stuff

2007-04-26T11:31:00.000-04:00

Roger's boss and his wife just got a new baby girl (they already had her brother - they are very special people who have adopted these babies!), and this is something I made to keep her in cottony comfort.

Pattern: Made the sweater a time ago just to try this yarn(months ago) and I don't recall, but the booties are from this Leisure Arts booklet, Precious Layettes to Knit. I think the sweater might be from here too, I've made lots of them from this book.
Yarn: Bernat cotton tots in Jelly Belly
Needles: US 3
Fun? lots

I feel like been in a little bit of a knitting of slump, and making these booties Tuesday afternoon during "Night at the Museum" made me feel a lot better. I love having something I can just whip up. The yarn is super soft, and machine wash and dry. I made the cords for the neck and ankles out of crochet chain, and think the effect is very cute.

Here is a quick shot of the first handspun sock, edited for your protection:

I'm working on the other. And because I didn't have the yarn ready, I am also just past the gusset on a Hedera sock. Nice pattern, from knitty.com and Cookie A.

I also cast on for a sweater Tuesday night to help me get out of the slump, the same one that my friend Delana just started.

I will be making a post some day soon for Jacki of Cider Moon about the other toy I got from the Fiber Event, a Louet Junior drum carder. I just haven't had a lot of time for this, and I haven't even had much time for spinning, and I'm still working on the atomic lace weight. I'm finding that I'm probably going to have trouble with spinning monogamy just as I have many projects on the needles at once. Big surprise, right?

The New Wheel

2007-04-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

I'm mostly caught up posting what I've been doing with this third post this week. I still don't have a picture of the finished first Sunny Day sock, and I don't think I really have a great picture of the wheel, but here she is:

I'm not the wheel naming kind I guess, but if I were to name the wheel it would probably be to call it "Jane" after my dear mom who has been encouraging wheel-buying behavior. Everyone should have a mom like her! Anyway, I picked it up at The Fiber Event last weekend in Greencastle, IN. The weather was crap, but it didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying myself. As soon as I got the wheel up to my hotel room last Saturday night, I started sampling some of the many wools that I purchased that day and was able to easily whip up some lace, fingering, and novelty thick-and-thin stuff. Roger looked at me like I was crazy, but he still could appreciate the beauty of the wheel.

This is a Jensen Ashley with a 30" wheel, purchased with probably not nearly enough deliberation from the delightful Carl and Shelby Jaeger. The minute I sat down to spin, I was amazed at the ease of use. It comes with 3 sizes of whorls so I can get about any ratio I need, and is double drive with optional scotch tension, which after I figured out the double drive realized I'll probably never need? It's made of cherry wood and stained walnut, and perfectly compliments the antique wool winder I purchased a short while ago. I honestly could not be more pleased.

I finished spinning the 2nd ounce of single for the Sunny Day socks, and plied it with the 1 ounce single I produced on the Ashford I've been using. My plying is much tighter, and I'm going to have to get used to not having to work so hard to get a thin yarn. I love the way it turned out.

Right now I'm working on lace weight singles out of Cider Moon's Atomic colored superwash merino, and it's like heaven. I really think this is only wheel I'll need to do anything I want.

Thank you to the visitors who have come over from Cider Moon to see the Pistachotis. I have really only been spinning since the fall, in earnest since January, and it seems like it's something I'm meant to be doing and I'm really enjoying it. And really, Gail and Jacki make it easy to have great results with their truly inspired colorways.

gratuitous picture of the dog with the wheel. :o)

Pistachotis, Complete

2007-04-19T12:19:00.000-04:00

colors above are pretty accurate. Below it is draped on a chair for scale.

Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert, available free on knitty.com
Yarn: my own spun from Cider Moon's "pistachio" colorway of Australian wool, 8 ounces.
Needles: Addi Turbo...maybe US 6 or 7. I need to start taking better notes!!
Modifications: made it a little longer than stated in the pattern. It blocked out to a really nice size.

This is a very clever design, and provided an excellent showcase for my handspun. I love the way the stripes came out, and it was a nice mindless knit. Would I do it again? Yup. Do I love the Cider Moon hand paints? Yes I do. I got a lot of compliments on this colorway in particular, and I actually bought it because I Gail had spun up a gorgeous skein of it that she had at the trunk show at the Merc. I don't think it can be spun badly (I was worried I might!), because the colors are just so great together.

Blue Sweater

2007-04-18T12:08:00.000-04:00

detail of the buttons and cables. The color is truer in the picture below.

I've been busy and haven't had time to post, but I have lots to update and I'm going to break it into 3 installments, the first of which is to reveal the finished blue cabled sweater! Posts to follow will include the finished Pistachotis, one sunny day sock, and my new spinning wheel!

Pattern: "Aran Family" women's cardigan from Knitting the New Classics by Kristin Nicholas
Yarn: NatureSpun worsted 100% wool, "Bit of Blue" color
Needles: Addi Turbo US 5 (or 6?) and KnitPicks circular US 4
Buttons: LaMode Vintage #1728, Circa 1900-1919 that I found at Joanns.
Modifications: I made it a little bit longer, and it blocked out even longer than I expected but I like where it hits me, mid-hip. I wore it this weekend to the Fiber Event in Greencastle, IN and got a few compliments and a few "you MADE it?!"s and it kept me very warm. I did get a lot of remarks on my most attractive buttons.

This is probably the 4th or 5th sweater I've made from this book (including the sweater the man is wearing on the cover). I've been pleased with the way the patterns are written, and they really are basic, classic designs for the most part.

This sweater was easy enough to knit, but I got bored with it in several places and put it down for long periods - I think it was November, maybe even October when I started the back. I knit the sleeves at the same time after I finished the back, and then knit the fronts likewise. I actually finished knitting the sweater parts in March, but the finishing took hours and hours, from having to seam it together, knit the button bands and sew those on, and pick up stitches to knit the neck band on and I couldn't tolerate just getting it done at once. Still, I would say it was worth it, and I'm sure I'll get a lot of wear out of this.

Draped over the wool winder for scale, sorry I don't have a picture of me wearing it.
The back is also fully cabled. As always you can click a picture for a big view.

Sunny Day Indeed

2007-04-03T14:53:00.000-04:00

at least until the storms come through later this afternoon.

Sampling

2007-04-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

I spent a little bit of time spinning samples this weekend.

These are a few yards of 2-ply each of the raw alpaca (the beige yarn) that Kay gave me to try with her wheel, and of the ingeo from Mud River Angoras that I finally feel confident enough to spin, but am still not good enough to. I might try blending it with merino next, I think that will help.

These are samples that I've Navajo plied (a nifty way to 3-ply a single, link to video instructions), of the mystery wool from Vicki, the Sunny Day Australian wool from Cider Moon, and an unknown green colorway of superwash that Gail included as a sample with my order. The superwash was really easy to ply this way, but I didn't do as well with the regular wool so when I spun the first 2 ounces of the Sunny Square Pants Day for a sock, I just did a 2 ply, which turned out really cool too.

click any of these pictures for a Big Image.

Here are pictures of the mystery wool being processed by Vicki. You can see that she got many bags of this, and it's all fresh off the sheep and needs cleaning. I spent Tuesday picking through some from the bag she gave me, but she's got a whole system going and has cleaned a lot, I just did enough to card and spin a little sample. The cute dog in the sweater is included just for fun, she's Vicki's dog Jazzy wearing her fancy new sweater.

Blankie Tee

2007-03-31T14:13:00.000-04:00

Shown here with Elise's caterpillar (nylons filled with dirt and grass seed!) from Kindergarten Enrichment Day last week.

For my final entry in the Project Spectrum 2.0 for February/March (blue, grey, white) I finished up this little number I call the Blankie Tee shirt.

Pattern: mine, simple top-down raglan
Yarn: Crayon from knitpicks.com (leftover from this blankie last April!)
Needles: Addi turbo circs US size 6
Notes: I started this sweater in the fall 2006 and then abandoned it for lack of warm weather. I picked it up a couple days ago and finished weaving in the ends this morning. The stripes are a Fibonacci sequence 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13.

The back of the sweater.

I like the softness of this yarn (Elise calls it "a blankie I can wear!!") and I still have a bunch of blue left. I may make Emily a t-shirt out of it. It's not the nicest to work with - the boucle - they call it frisee, whatever that is - is snaggy and not stretchy like wool, but as I said it is very soft and I know from making the blanket that it washes and dries beautifully. After I bought this yarn, they came out with better colors, but it'll do.

on Elise. The fit is nice.

Pistachotis in progress

2007-03-26T17:45:00.000-04:00

My clapotis from knitty.com in progress, using the sweet cider moon pistachio yarn I made. Sorry about the flash, no sun today. But, it is very warm outside, almost 80!

Yes, I know I need to finish that blue sweater. I just had to share how beautifully this pattern with this yarn is knitting up, and what a clever design it is. I had resisted making it since everyone was doing it, but now I see why they were - it's very cool.

Something Blue

2007-03-24T10:06:00.000-04:00

My husband's favorite employee, Stephanie, is getting married in April. She is also a knitter, and I know she'll appreciate the work I put into this garter for her. Even if she doesn't wear it (I didn't wear one), it was fun to make - it's kind of Victorian looking with the ribbon and creamy color, and she probably has a very sleek and modern wedding dress. :o)

Pattern: free lace garter pattern by Diane Willett
Yarn: some natural colored crochet thread, not sure of the weight, but small
Needles: US size 0000
Ribbon: 1/4 inch Wrights Prestige velvet ribbon, Island Blue color from Joanns.
Modifications: none. Unless you include the fact that this project brought to my attention that (despite my denial) I am getting old and I do actually need reading glasses. I thought I was going to go blind working on this!!

I am going to give it to her at her wedding shower today and I do hope she likes it! Funny story: I asked her when she was babysitting for us a few weeks ago (bless her heart!) if anyone had given her a garter, and she said no, she would love a knit one. Then, I asked Roger if he could have her give him her thigh measurement - and immediately realized that was very inappropriate and sent her an email myself! I guess you had to be there but it was funny, and they still laugh about it.

This is also my final Project Spectrum entry for February/March, unless I get it together to finish that dang blue cabled sweate r in the next few days! I finished the main knitting last week, then had to knit the button bands (done!), and sew it together, and now I've just picked up the stitches for the neck band...who knew there would be hours of finishing on this thing?!?!

My First Lace Weight Wool

2007-03-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

click for big picture/close up

This is the first approximately 390 yards, around 54 grams. I've already washed and dried it, and have spun and plied most of the rest, but not wound and measured it yet. I'm going to attempt to design my own lace shawl/scarf for it. I love Barbara Walker. :o)

loop-d-loop capelet

2007-03-15T18:51:00.000-04:00

It was like pulling teeth to get her to pose for pictures (she finally smiled!) but worth it - I love the way this turned out. I finished the knitting yesterday and grafted the hood etc today. I have enough yarn left over to make her some matching fingerless mitts.

Back with hood up, and (below) a closer detail of back showing the shoulder yarnovers.

Pattern: loop-d-loop capelet by Teva Durham
Yarn: purchased dyed wool roving spun by me into a 2 ply in January this year. 2 strands of yarn held together to make gauge.
Needles: I used my Denise size 15 U.S. because I didn't have anything else appropriate. Not a huge fan of Denise, but they certainly have their uses!
Modifications? None, except using my own yarn double-stranded. Super quick to make, easy to follow instructions, clever design, cute results. Will she wear it? Don't know yet, but she usually likes the stuff I make for her.

Sorry about the flash pictures, it's not like the sun was shining today anyway. Where the heck did spring go? It was snowing today for goodness sake!!

How do you know it's a good day?

2007-03-14T16:04:00.000-04:00

1. The sun is shining and it's warm enough to hang your freshly washed yarn out to dry in the shade of the front porch. I finally washed the "Pistachio" so it'll be ready to knit!
2. It's even warm enough to bring the wheel onto the front porch so I can keep an eye on the girls playing while I practice spinning. I bought this unnamed wool specifically for practice purposes, but now that I'm spinning it I'm really starting to like it. I might even try plying it with some lace-weight pale blue silk to see what happens.

3. It is definitely a good when you get wool in the mail. This is some "Sunny Day" wool roving from Cider Moon, and Gail (a.k.a The Enabler) also included some superwash roving and yarn samples along with a nice handwritten note. Thank you, Gail! By the way, Emily thought it was Square Pants colorway, but I think it's close enough. Mom is going to make herself some sock yarn!

Of course, all of this was yesterday, and I was too busy enjoying it to post. I did some more spinning this morning and started knitting the hooded capelet from Loop-d-Loop by Teva Durham, the child's version, for Elise during her dance practice this afternoon. I'm using that pinky-magenta yarn that I spun in January double-stranded and am hoping I'll have enough. It's drying next to the pistachio in the first picture. Gosh my spinning has improved a lot!! Yes, I know I have a bunch of stuff on the needles, but I don't want to get a bunch of handspun piled up and unknit. Really.

Swatching Lace

2007-03-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

I recently got the most gorgeous book, Victorian Lace Today, by Jane Sowerby.

I love just about everything in it and wanted to start swatching some of the patterns to see what I want to make first. My sisters-in-law gave me 3 balls of mohair from Nepal (fair trade imported for the Hunger Site and its related sites) for Christmas, so I thought I would start with that and the pattern for Shoulder shawl in Syrian pattern on page 130. The mohair itself is roughish compared to the Kid Silk Haze I'm used to, but I still really like mohair and this yarn was nice to work with once I got past the animal smell, which did wash out completely, and the yarn softened up quite a bit with washing, too.

Anyway, what started as a swatch became a mini-shawl for Emily's American Girl doll Elizabeth. I had never (that I can recall) done a knitted on border, so I wanted to try that on my swatch, and I think it turned out pretty cute. I didn't do the best job on the corners, but I'm glad I tried it here first. The knitting on wasn't bad once I got into the rhythm, and I think it turned out pretty cool.

The swatch after I blocked it. You can see where I grafted the border together at the top, middle; also how the point is lumpy.

Elizabeth in the shawl. She is about 100 years pre-Victorian (per her story, she's Felicity's friend), but I still think the garment suits her style.

View from the back. Again you can see that I didn't do the best job around the corner, but I love the way the border looks anyway. She might end up with quite a wardrobe of swatches!!

Froot Loops Mom

2007-03-11T15:45:00.000-04:00

Cereal art by Elise Nicole.

Leaf Lace Shawl

2007-03-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

I just have to say that I'm extremely proud of myself for making this (IMO) fabulous shawl. I would like to thank the Academy, my Mom, and all of you who encouraged my spinning efforts, with a special shout out to Beth, Kay, and Vicki, and of course Evelyn A. Clark for her lovely Leaf Lace Shawl Pattern, and the girls from Cider Moon for creating this marvelous Victoria colorway in the Australian wool. I used 2 bags of wool, about 8 ounces total, and spun it up to average about sport/light worsted weight 2-ply. I knit this simple but satisfying pattern using bamboo circular needles, size 10 U.S. The beads are from Byzantium in the Short North, somewhat heavy pewter baubles. Pictures below.

Pre-Blocking

Truest color? It was snowing this morning and cloudy.

Detail of the point. If you click on them you can see any of these pictures really big.

Glamour shot of the shawl on the window, to get an idea of the size, it's fairly large.

I love it.

Pistachio

2007-02-28T08:07:00.000-05:00

First round, about 175 yards, of the Pistachio roving from Cider Moon. Haven't done the WPI yet but it's looking like fingering weight. In my opinion, gorgeous. I still have 1.25 ounces to spin from this bag (plus what's left on the spools to ply) and another 4 ounce bag of this color. I'm thinking lace shawl, of course.

This weekend I knit some bed booties for my mom out of my new love, Rowan Soft Baby. I made them in the soft blue angel color in the spirit of Project Spectrum (but just because I liked the color) and they are the softest ever. I didn't get a picture, but I made them double stranded on US 4 needles with a short cuff and simple slip stitch design, started on Saturday afternoon and finished Sunday evening. She likes them.

Project Spectrum 2.0

2007-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

I signed up for Lolly's Project Spectrum, Part Deux and have neglected to post about my participation. Actually, I've been so wrapped up in learning to spin(!!!) that I forgot about it until I clicked on her fun blog the other day. The first two months are Blue, Grey, and White. Turns out that with my efforts to complete projects that I already had on the needles I have serendipitously been keeping with the program! I'm getting closer, little by little, to finishing the fronts of the cabled sweater. It's going to look so much nicer blocked, but I love the cabled design.

I've been distracted from completing the sweater not only by spinning but also by a project I've been working for a while, piecemeal, which is also blue: the Snapping Turtle Skirt by Norah Gaughan in her book Knitting Nature. Because the Berroco Suede is rather costly, I've been buying it just a couple balls at a time to help rationalize the overall cost, and because of the modular design of the skirt, I think the different dye lots will only enhance the look. Anyway, I've completed 9 hexes, and so far it's looking like it will fit very well and has been pretty fun to make. I drew lines on the picture to show where the zipper goes and how the stitches are picked up on the previous hexes and then the remaining sides are cast on. This is a time I really wish I were the same size as when I married because I would probably be done already! And yes, I know I said I would never knit a skirt, and generally knitted skirts are a bad idea, but it's so darned cool! The skirt is worked with the stocking stitch side facing, but this will be the inside of the skirt when it's completed.

Weekend Fun

2007-02-20T08:09:00.000-05:00

How delightful to have been able to get out of the house and down to the Merc to meet the Cider Moon artists! Jacki and Gail were there, with tons of their hand dyed yarns and rovings for a trunk show on Saturday, and I ended up spending a good four hours there. Jacki was spinning the whole time with an interesting mixture that Gail was carding up for her in rolags, and making a most eclectic looking spool of yarn. I'm curious to see how she plies it! Lori was also busy spinning some gorgeous stuff called Stir Fry.

I showed them my Leaf Lace shawl in progress, and bought another bag of the victoria roving to complete the project. I finished spinning and plying it before dinner on Sunday, and got about 340 yards of pretty even looking 2 ply. Each batch I spin is getting better! I also bought a small bag of blue bling (sparkle nylon) to mix with my black alpaca/silk roving, and 2 bags of Pistachio wool.

I talked with them about dying roving, since I have a pound of merino on hand that I'm planning to dye. Sounds like it's pretty similar to dyeing the yarn, you just have to be more careful not to agitate at all.

Much fun, I hope they'll come again!

happy you-know-what day

2007-02-14T13:39:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.
Yarn: Louet Pearl, baby willow 100% merino
Needles: 0 US
Modifications: just the heel, done in the usual slip stitch heel flap rather than plain stocking stitch.
Experience: These were fun and quick! I got half way through the first one and realized they would be perfect for my mom, so I made them to fit her little feet. I will be making another pair for myself, possibly soon!

We are currently enduring our 5th "calamity day" (used to be called snow days) in the last 8 school days. I am so done with snow days, but this storm was really bad. Here's Elise and the girl next door enjoying a little slide.

Here also is a close-up of the Leaf Lace Shawl in my handspun. The Cider Moon girls are keeping back a bag of this colorway for me so I can finish the project. I'm very proud of myself. :o) Color is a little off, but you get the idea. I've also spun a teensy bit of the ingeo, but it's very difficult and I haven't had too much time to work on it. Very soft and silky, though.

Happy Day

2007-02-08T09:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is a happy day for me. Not only did the girls go back to school today after 3 long days off due to weather, but I picked up my package from Mud River Angoras at the post office right after I dropped them off at school!

I got about a pound of natural colored merino, which I plan to dye (after I pick the brains of the Cider Moon ladies! They will be at the Merc on February 17th.) and the most interesting stuff made from corn sugars, ingeo. I have about a 1/2 pound of each color, burgundy and teal, although the teal is a very rich color more to the blue side of teal, and the burgundy is an incredibly gorgeous true burgundy which appears more purplish than in the photos. Loralee gave me a few extra ounces that she had left, which I very much appreciate!!

I tried to get a close up of the ingeo so you can see how silky it appears. I think I need to put a macro lens on my Christmas list next year! I had corresponded with Loralee from Mud River about my order, told her I was a new spinner, and she advised me to spin this from the fold as it is very slippery. I can see what she means now that I have it in hand, but I can't wait to try it. More on this as the spinning commences!

Pretty Cider Moon

2007-02-07T17:48:00.000-05:00

A while ago I bought a little bag of roving from the Merc, dyed by Cider Moon.
The last couple of days I spun up this little batch from that bag, about 155 yards of maybe dk, maybe light worsted. The colorway is called "Victoria", and I'm thinking that I can get another 100 yards of 2 ply out of my remaining roving, and if I can get another bag in this color I can spin enough to make the Leaf Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark. Wish me luck. :o) I'm feeling like this might be too ambitions for a newbie spinner. Oh well.

I have also completed one Monkey sock out of Louet Pearl Baby Willow, and finished the knitting part of a bridal garter, pictures to follow soon.

Yes, I'm still working on the blue cable sweater, but it got too big to transport and I've been on the go a lot.

My New Toy

2007-01-29T13:45:00.000-05:00

I'm not a big fan of antiques, it's just not my thing, but I found this skein winder in a shop in Delaware and had to have it. I know nothing about it (age, origin) but I bought it for the functionality. I imagine it's pretty old as all the "nails" holding it together are wooden, but it works well. It cleaned up pretty well too, and I'm thinking I might try to figure out how to fix the "ticker" inside the box that is designed to count your rounds out loud for you. The gears are wooden and very cool looking.

The yarn on the winder in the above picture is more of the 100% wool roving I bought locally. I haven't gotten my other fibers in the mail yet but I can't wait. I've spun about 325 yards of this stuff, the latest about 76 yds of maybe DK weight, though I haven't measured it yet. Each batch I spin is so much more even and I'm getting closer to my goal of lace weight, yea me!

I have actually been knitting too, and have finished the back and arms of the blue cabled sweater, and begun on the fronts. I hope to finish that pretty soon, but man is this spinning distracting!!

more beginner spinnings

2007-01-23T12:08:00.000-05:00

The pink stuff is from some hand dyed wool roving that I bought from the yarn shop, and I have a ton more to spin up. This is about 110 yards of 2 ply thick and thin (because I'm not that good) and I'm hoping to think of something cool to make from it when I get more done.

The brown is natural alpaca that the Sock Princess gave to me to try. Spinning this stuff is not the easiest, probably due to my newness, but it is so incredibly soft! I can't wait to do some more - this is only about 32-35 yards and a little thicker than the pink wool. The color is truer in the bottom picture, I think.

I did order some more wool, and also some INGEO, which is made from corn I believe. Will post more when I get the stuff.

Spin a little, knit a little

2007-01-16T15:22:00.000-05:00

I am so proud to show my first efforts on the wheel! My friend Kay, the Sock Princess, has loaned me her Ashford wheel to allow me to try my hand before I buy one, and I finally had time to sit and practice.

You can see the progression from the yellow and white on the left, my first try, to the yellow, orange and white (each about 45-50 yards), and finally my most extensive effort, the blue and white (about 75-80 yards). All are 2 plies, and they are all pretty uneven, but by the time I was spinning the blue I had a little better control of my twist, and Beth had given me a little coaching on the drafting technique. I have a lot to learn about spinning, that's for sure! The white is some corriedale blend I bought on eBay, the blue is from a hand spindle kit I bought from kpixie.com. The yellow and orange are single strands I used from White Buffalo Unspun to get the feel of the wheel.

I met Beth at the mall today, and while I was showing her the yarn a lady came up and asked where we bought the yarn. How much more encouragement do I need to keep trying to spin?!

Meanwhile, since I don't have tons of spare time to work on the spinning, I'm trying to finish up some of my projects. This is a cabled cardigan from Knitting the New Classics, and I've finished the back and have started the sleeves. This will be my first saddle shoulder, and I'm interested to see how it comes together.

Little Majolica

2007-01-11T09:10:00.000-05:00

Here it is!

Pattern: Little Majolica from Fall IK 2006
Yarn: Plymouth Galway in as close to the same color scheme as the original as possible without using the suggested yarn, Nashua Julia, which was not available to me locally.
Size: 31"
Needles: can't recall
Experience and Modifications: I changed the pattern from knit flat to entirely knit in the round. This modification gave me the opportunity to try steeking for the first time, which turns out to be not quite as scary as it seems (although it took me while - I finished the knitting before Thanksgiving but didn't get the nerve to finish it until right after Christmas).

I made steeks for the arm holes and the front neck, and as you can see, it turned out great. I used Eunny's steeking tutorial from the Winter IK 2006 issue and did a crochet reinforcement

I only have this blurry picture, but the fat arrows show the crochet

and the thin line is my cutting line.

because although my yarn was "sticky" it wasn't knit tightly enough to bind alone. The only thing I would do differently would be to sew the armhole facings to the sleeve instead of back to the body as I think it might have made it smoother initially - although blocking took out any excessive lumpiness (see pre-blocked picture below). I also did a 3 needle bind off for the shoulders. The yarn was delightful to work with, and is wearing beautifully as expected. It blocked wonderfully, and I was so pleased to be able to find the colors I needed -thank you Vicki for your help picking these out!

One thing I noticed once I started knitting this lovely pattern was that the chart is different from the knitted sample pictured in the magazine. The magazine shows 2 rows of green between each motif, but the chart shows one, and I knit it as charted. I think the one row actually fits better with the one vertical divider, if that makes sense. Also, the yellow and blue in the center of the motif are supposed to be done in duplicate stitch, although on the sleeves I did the yellow as intarsia and just duplicate stitched the center blue. On the body I did it all duplicate. Either way, it was a pretty big pain.

Elise loves the sweater, and has chosen to wear it several times already (as opposed to me "suggesting" she wear it). I have gotten so many compliments on it, and am very pleased with the result.

You can see the 2 rows in this picture from IK - not a big difference, but noticeable to me.

of course I am!

2007-01-10T08:18:00.000-05:00

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

I don't usually play these games, but this cracked me up! Especially the part about fluxuating moods. :o)

Anemoi Mittens

2007-01-08T12:11:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Anemoi mittens by Eunny Jang
Yarn: 1 ball Pure Camel from elann.com (not currently available) and 1 ball Paton's Kroy in navy for the contrast color.
Needles: US sizes 000 and 0. No lie.
Experience: I love this pattern and purchased it as soon as it was available. Eunny is just amazing, and this seemed like a great thing to make from stash yarn. I made no modifications, but actually knit 3 mittens. The first mitten I made using the suggested needle sizes for my large hands and undyed knitpicks fingering for the contrast color. The mitten was huge, and I considered felting it a little, but decided it would obscure the gorgeous pattern and just picked out another yarn to make it with, and some really tiny needles. The next mittens turned out to be the perfect size.

The right hand cuff was a little tight, but loosened up with blocking. The corrugated ribbing took as long to make as the whole hand, and I don't know why it went so slowly for me. The color work was fun because every line was different, and I also learned a new cast on, tubular (link to tutorial).

Aren't they just wonderful? It might even be cold enough to wear them today!

presents presented

2007-01-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

This year was a little different for me as I refrained from forcing my knitting on all of my friends and family as gifts. I did knit teacher gifts out of mohair, the little Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (one of my favorite resources!) The pink ones are made from some slightly sparkly mohair I got from Kay, and the white from Kid Silk Night that I finished my Icarus shawl with.

The stockings are made from Paton's Classic Wool, for my sister-in-law Laura and her husband Mike. I made a little prototype first,shown below prefelted and felted, and then just made the real thing like a really big sock. :o) They seemed to like them.

Not technically a gift, but knit to fit her little hands are the Hot Mitts for Emily made from hot pink and orange and black Dale Falk. This is my own pattern, another experiment in color work. I used a cabled 2 color ribbing from knitting on the edge, and the snowflake motif is from knitting over the edge, I think - not sure, it had to go back to the library.

Finally, here is picture of the yarn I dyed for Kay's birthday, and from which she made her pedicure socks. I'm particularly pleased with the way this turned out.

Emily in the nordic sweater

2007-01-04T10:27:00.000-05:00

Remember this one?I notice that this yarn, Peruvian Highland Chunky, is available again at elann.com. If I didn't have so much to do already I would be getting more, I so love the way it knit and washed. She has been wearing the sweater (as children wear clothes) and it is holding up beautifully, although if it doesn't get cold she won't be wearing it much as it is a very warm garment.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-04T09:22:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've been somewhat lax in my posting, and I have actually done a bit of knitting. I'm planning to try to get things updated in the next few days.

One of the things I'm going to try to do is finish up some things on my needles before I start anything new. I'll posting pictures of those shortly, which include Elise's sweater and some mittens for me, some stockings for the newly weds, etc...

Did someone say "Posh"?

2006-11-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

So when I got my winning sock club yarn from PoshYarns.com I decided I couldn't be decadent enough to make socks from this super-soft cashmere/merino delight. This is what's going on:

A little simple feather and fan action to highlight the soft drape and lovely colorway. If I decide I don't like this pattern, I'll keep looking because this yarn deserves something special.

Good bye, October

2006-10-31T10:14:00.000-05:00

I had to get a couple of shots of the color in the back yard. Yes, I know it's not yarn related but maybe it will inspire some dyeing?

Anyway, Happy Halloween!!

Meet Joey

2006-10-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

Elise is my knitted toy baby. I so enjoy knitting things for her because she really, truly loves them. Take the latest, "Joey", for example. I found this free pattern by Curly Purly on the internet and just had to make my very own miniature pumpkin. It really only takes an hour or so, and Elise requested that I give this one to her. She also requested the vampire teeth, or I would have made it smiling. Now she has to sleep with Joey, Pasha, and two little fish from The World of Knitted Toys. Oh, and Spotless of course (I didn't make her.) :o)

Cheers to you, Elise!

If you must know, Joey was made from scraps of orange lamb's pride worsted and Paton's wool I haven't gotten around to making his brothers yet.

Icarus Shawl

2006-10-23T20:32:00.000-04:00

I finished the Icarus Shawl from summer 2006 Interweave Knits. It went very quickly, and due to the seductive nature of the yarn I subbed for it I was virtually unable to work on anything else for about 2 weeks.

Here she is pre-blocking and blocking, with the medium Kong for size reference. I'm posting the blocking pictures because someone asked me the other day how I do it. Yes, on my living room carpet on top of beach towels, with blocking wires and pins. Some day perhaps I will show it on a person because it is much bigger than I expected.

Pattern: Icarus Shawl IK summer 2006
Yarn: I subbed Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Meadow (581) 4 complete balls, and since my LYS was out of it I finished the last few rows with Kidsilk Night in white with sparklies - I can't find the label but it's probably 607.
Needles: Addi Natura Bamboo US size 4
Notes: I would recommend this as a beginner shawl for anyone wanting to knit an easy lace shawl. The pattern begins at the center top and works down to 500 something stitches at the edge, and the bulk of the pattern is just simple yo/decrease combinations and stocking stitch to make the rays from the center. The feathery edge pattern is very simple to follow as well, and if you are new to lace, by the time you finish the simple part you would be ready for a little challenge. The yarn, the luscious yarn!! I had 2 balls of this in my stash for at least 2 years, probably 3, waiting for the right project. I have to say I think this was worth the wait, but the 3 balls of magenta I picked up on sale will not languish in the stash because this stuff is fabulous to knit up. Like butter. ahhh.

I did a little 'accounting' after I got this puppy off the needles, and have quite a few things awaiting my attention. I will first finish Little Majolica, since I want to get it done before Elise outgrows it. I also have to finish Roger's socks, and make some new mittens for Emily. Oh, and I have those other fairisle gloves for me, those might be next. So much to make, so little time.

Oh! Check out my poor friend Kay. She is known in our circle as the Sock Princess, and the poor dear just broke her wrist. I got my Posh Yarn in the mail the other day (isn't it gorgeous!?!) and it reminded me of some sock yarn I had dyed (although mine pales in comparison!!), so I gave my home-dyed to Kay to cheer her up. If I were a real friend I would have given her the Posh, but I'm not quite that generous. I'm thinking it's almost too nice for socks, too. :o) Anyway, Kay is too sweet, and is one of the best enablers I know. Love you Kay, get better fast!!!

Emily's sweater and some unfinished stuff

2006-10-03T10:01:00.000-04:00

I realized yesterday when I posted about my big win that I hadn't posted any of my knitting stuff for a little while. We have been very busy with school and dance and cello and soccer, and well, I just hadn't gotten around to posting a picture of Emily's finished sweater.

Yarn: Elann.com Peruvian Highland Chunky
Needles: I've forgotten since I didn't write it down immediately, but I'm thinkin' US 7 bamboo
Pattern: Loosely based on this pattern book from Paton's. I used some motifs from the Best of Lopi and then kinda when off on my own for the yoke. I'm sure it's someone's pattern...
Notes: I loved the way this yarn felt to knit up, and it blocked out beautifully for a nice even finish. The yarn is very soft, so when(if) it becomes available again I'm sure I'll come up with something I need it for. I have enough yarn left over for a matching hat and mittens, but am not ready to make those just yet. You can see the colors nicely in this picture and how well it blocked. I would like to have a picture of her wearing it because it really fits very well.

I also finished the toe up socks: and I'm pretty happy with them. They are softer since they've been washed and are comfortable to wear, but I think that unless I have to toe up for a specific pattern, I'll stick with cuff down. And yes, I have big feet.

I finished Roger's smoke tire tread gloves as well, but he's got them in his car so I couldn't photograph the finished pair. I really like the way they turned out, and it was fun getting his input on the design. I made them out of Paton's Kroy sock yarn for ease of care and durability.

So, what have I been working on? Well, I'm making snowflake socks from Magknits.com out of undyed knitpicks sock yarn, and some ribby socks for Roger out of -gasp!- Koigu. I'm also working on this absolutely gorgeous little girl sweater from the Fall 2006 Interweave issue: Little Majolica, for Elise. For some reason the pattern is written to be knit flat, but I couldn't stand doing the colorwork that way and ended up joining the first sleeve in the round just above the cuff. For the body I'm going to learn to steek and do that in the round as well, I just hate doing color while purling!

I am sooo lucky!

2006-10-02T11:36:00.000-04:00

Got an email this morning from Posh Yarn saying they were having a contest to win a skein of their totally gorgeous sock club sock yarn (bummer, the club is closed to new members) in the Weekend in Vermont colorway. Drool, drool. I made my guess of 71 by counting the picture Dee posted of the pile of yarn, and then she gave a clue that someone was only 1 skein off. Whee! I'm thrilled!!

Check out their stuff, I see more yarns in my future...
thanks, Dee!

Raglan Ruffle Sweater Pattern

2006-09-22T10:03:00.000-04:00

Thanks for all your lovely comments on my work, I really appreciate it. So for your amusement, I present the Raglan Ruffle sweater. Kay (aka Sock Princess) knit this one a year or so ago, and I think Vicki made one too. I'm sure I never updated the pattern with your comments, so if you see any problems please let me know so I can correct them - I did my best to make this as clear and error free as possible. Elise got a lot of wear out of it, and the Cotton Twist was machine washed many times with excellent result.

Notes: This short sleeved child sweater is knit from the top down in one piece, with an eyelet trim below natural waist and ruffle finish on the bottom. The eyelet band is threaded with contrast yarn made of twisted cord. The sweater is worked in plain stockinette stitch. Ruffle bottom is not represented in the schema measurements. Shown in size 25 inch chest on almost-4-year-old.

Needles: US 8, 6 or to make gauge

Size: 27 inch chest , about 4-5 year old size

Gauge: 5 sts 6 rws per 1" Stockinette stitch

Estimated Ydg: 470

Yarn: 6 hanks of Berroco Cotton Twist, 85 yds/hank, 70% Cotton 30% Rayon

Start

With larger needle, cast on 44 sts. Do not join.

Set Up Row

RS: Knit 1, pm, K1 (seam st), pm, work 8 sts (sleeve sts), pm, work 1 st

(seam st), pm, work 22 sts (back sts), pm, work 1 st (seam st), pm, work 8

sts (sleeve sts), pm, work 1 st (seam st), pm, work last st.

Turn, work one WS row (purl).

Neck Shaping

Working back and forth in stockinette, inc 8 sts on each RS row as follows: *Work to

marker, M1, sm, k1(seam st), sm, M1; repeat from *. Cont in this manner until

2 sts before the first marker. [2, 10, 24, 10, 2, + 4 seam sts] (52 total sts)

Working back and forth, inc 10 sts on each RS row as follows: Inc 1 in the

first st. *Work to the marker, M1,sm, k1(seam st), sm, M1; repeat from *,

end inc 1 in last st.

Cont in this manner until there are 12 sts before first marker. [12, 20, 34, 20,

12, + 4 seam sts] (102 total sts) On the next RS row, increase before and

after each seam stitch (8 increases). Complete row, cast on 10 sts. Join and

cont working to the first marker, round start. Round sequence: sleeve, back,

sleeve, front. Sts: [22, 36, 22, 36, + 4 seam sts] (120 total sts)

Bodice Shaping

To complete the bodice:

M1 on either side of each seam st (8 incs) every 1 rnd/rnds 1x, then every

2 rnd/rnds 11x. Sts: [46, 60, 46, 60, + 4 seam sts.]

Work even until 48 rounds [8"] are

complete.

Slip sts for each section onto separate pieces of scrap yarn. Sequence:

sleeve sts, back sts + 2 seam sts,sleeve sts,front sts + 2 seam

sts.Sts: 46, 62, 46, 62

Work Sleeves

Sleeves (work 2)

With larger size needle cast on 5 sts, work 46 sleeve sts, cast on 5 sts, place

marker and join.

Shape Sleeve

work 1 rnd. Begin sleeve shaping:Dec 1 st on each side of marker every

2nd rnd 8x.Cont in pat st until piece measures 2"[rnd

12].

Change to smaller needles for cuff.

Sleeve-to-Rib Dec Round

[Work 12, k2tog] 2x, work 12.

Work rib for 6 rounds[1"].

Bind off 38 sts.

Work Body

Slip front and back body sts onto a circular needle. Cast on 5 sts, work

across front, cast on 5 sts, pm(side seam), cast on 5 sts, join front and

back, work across back, cast on 5 sts, pm(beg of rnd marker), Join.

Work in rounds until underarm to bottom measures 9" or as long as you need to hit just below the natural waistline, or as desired.

Begin eyelet band and finishing ruffle:

beginning at the side seam,

round 1: purl

round 2: k1, *yo, k2tog, k5. repeat from * to end (may not work out exactly, but should be OK…fudge at the end if you must to make it look mostly even)

round 3: knit

round 4: purl

round 5: knit

round 6: k1, m1 across. You will have 244 stitches now.

round 7: m1, k2 across. You should have about 325 stitches.

round 8 and 9: knit

Bind off all stitches and admire your ruffle!!

Finishing

Graft underarms.

Weave in all ends.

Standard Neck Finishing:

With smaller needle, pick up 72 sts around

neck edge. Inc or dec as necessary on

the first row to balance pattern. Work

rib for 1" or desired length. Bind off

loosely.

Twisted cord (directions adapted from All Stitched Up by Jane Crowfoot, an excellent book on finishing techniques):

With contrast yarn, choose 3 strands of yarn that are twice as long as needed to thread through eyelets and tie a bow...you will have to estimate.

Tie strands together at one end and and tape the knot to the wall with masking tape. Twist the yarn in one direction until it is tight.

Next, hold the end of the yarn firmly in your left hand and pinch the middle of the yarn with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand. Take the end in your left hand up to the secured end and let go of the piece held down by your right hand.

The yarn will twist itself into a cord. Tie the free ends together and even out any bumps using your fingers.

Rejected, but Not Dejected :o)

2006-09-20T10:50:00.000-04:00

Remember back at the beginning of summer when I was submitting stuff to Debbie Stoller for her next SnB book? Well, I finally got my rejection letter. Very personalized, too, addressed to Dear MY LAST NAME IN ALL CAPS. Whatever. Anyway, here are some of the glamour shots of Emily in her Cucumber Cool top that I submitted, and if you are interested in the pattern I will get it together for you. Yes, Vicki, I know I was supposed to that before, but I'm busy! ;o)

The yarn is just that coned cotton stuff that I dyed myself, about 200 yards for this project. It's a simple lace body with seed stitch top and straps. Very cute, I think.

This other is really just an over-grown swatch that I made into a halter top. I'm not at all surprised this wasn't chosen, but I still think it's pretty cool. Made out of TLC Cotton Plus, which was actually pretty nice to work with. Modeled here by the Elise.

I'm finishing up the collar on the yoke sweater for Em, and got the yarn to complete Roger's other glove so I'll be working on those things. Then back to the drawing board, I guess!! Thanks for looking!

Shoalwater Completed and more

2006-09-18T08:56:00.000-04:00

Here is the blocked out Shoalwater Shawl I finished last Tuesday, posing on the bay window for dramatic effect. I love the way it turned out and despite an (obvious to me) mistake, I love it.

Yarn: Henry's Attic Kona Superwash Fingering weight, dyed by me with Procion MX aquamarine and pale aqua.
Pattern: Shoalwater Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark, from Fibertrends
Needles: US size 7 bamboo circs
Modifications: none. I had thought I might not do the i-cord finish on the top of the shawl as it seemed a little superfluous on top of the 3-stitch garter edge, but decided to do it because the waviness of the Old Shale pattern needed a firmer finish. Of course I should know that Ms. Clark would know what she's doing!! I loved the picot edge, and I love the way it turned out with my dye job. The yarn is very soft as well with a lovely drape.

Here are a couple of pictures of WIP's (works in progress):
Sweater for Emily, out of Elann.com Peruvian Highland Chunky 100% wool from stash (not currently available, I bought this in January 05). I purchased it with the intention of making her this sweater from Patons, but decided I wasn't thrilled with the pattern and am making this my own with ideas from The Best of Lopi from the library. Now that I'm into it, I think they all look very similar and I could have saved myself some Math from just doing the original pattern. Another learning experience, eh?

This is the first (unblocked) of the gloves I'm making for Roger. Note the smoke tire tread pattern that matches his tattoo? He actually made the chart for this, and is very happy with this first one. I had to order more yarn because I used more than half of the ball of the brown-grey heather and didn't want to mess with the dye lots not matching. I don't care if the whole glove doesn't match the first exactly but I don't want the fingers on the same glove not to match. Not much of a perfectionist, am I?

It's soccer season!

2006-09-10T12:57:00.000-04:00

Yes, Fall is upon us and with school comes soccer season. For the next 8 weeks we cannot go anywhere or make any plans to do anything on Saturdays because the girls are busy being fabulous on the field. The first games were yesterday, and they both won. Well, at Elise's level (her team is the Pink Flamingoes) everyone wins, but Emily's team (the Tigers) really did win 3 to 2, and she almost scored on a rebound but kicked it over the top of the goal. She is looking really tough this year. I tried to get a picture of them, but they really weren't in the mood.

However, the sun is shining, so I took a quick picture for color purposes of the Shoalwater Shawl I've been working on this week. I'm in the home stretch and should finish it today, I hope. It just takes a long time to a row when you have 400 stitches on the needle. I love the magic of lace: it looks like a shapeless lump of wool, and then blocks out to a thing of beauty. Will post pictures when it's done!

And another summer project done!

2006-09-05T09:42:00.000-04:00

Ever since Wendy posted her Sizzle top, I waited anxiously for her to publish the pattern. I bought it as soon as it came out in July, found a suitable yarn in my stash, and whipped it up in about 5 days (she says it's about a 3 day project - well maybe in her size!). So without further ado:

Pattern: Sizzle by Wendy Bernard
Yarn: Berroco Linet (discontinued) from stash
Needles: don't remember, maybe US size 4?
Modifications and Notes: I made the shaping darts with the increases and decreases on the inside of the markers as opposed to the method indicated in the pattern because I started it before her pattern revision came out telling me to do it outside the markers. Basically the same result. I loved working with the Linet, it has excellent drape and a lovely sheen, so of course it's discontinued. Next time (because I'm sure I'll make this again) I think I will make it a little longer in the shaping section before I start the neck and arm decreases.

I loved the simplicity of the pattern, because you know lately I like to knit anything that is tricky just for the sake of keeping my interest, hence the lace and now the colorwork. But simple garments often look best when worn, and I've received many compliments on this top. I also appreciated that Wendy had the pattern instructions in "real" sizes, from 30" all the way to 54" chest measurements. More designers should include a better range of sizes. Check out her blog - she has some other really nice designs, plus she's a hoot to read.

Thanks for looking! Those of you who know me know why I chose this top this summer!

Socks, Socks, Socks, and Sock. Oh, and some freshly dyed yarn.

2006-09-03T14:00:00.000-04:00

Today I have lots to show and tell to catch up from not posting all summer.

First: the completed Broadripple socks with the geisha toe.

Yarn: Regia cotton tip & top color
Pattern: non-stretchy Broadripple sock from Threadbear Fiber Arts
Needles: US size 0
Modifications: Split the big toe, just for fun. I was pleased to be able to figure it out, and the socks actually fit very well.

Second: Pink Ribbon Socks for my mom for her birthday (as modeled by Emily):

Yarn: Dalegarn Baby Ull in a lovely soft pink color
Pattern: Pink Ribbon Socks
Needles: don't remember, maybe US size 2
Notes: I didn't make any modifications except only used 2 ribbon repeats, but I have to thank my friend Vicki for gifting me the yarn and pattern for my birthday in July so I could actually have a good idea for my mom's August birthday! Mom is a 17 year breast cancer survivor, yea mom! Sorry about the poor picture quality.

Third: Emily's loud wool knee socks

Yarn: Paton's Classic Wool Merino from stash in black, hot pink, green, and blue
Pattern: Tradition Socks from Sock Hop book (scroll down)
Needles: US size 3 bamboo
Modifications: None, really. These were my first "real" fairisle project, and now I'm just as addicted to colorwork as I am to lace. They were really fun to knit and I quickly figured out how to do the 2-handed knitting which is easier to do than it looks. For the socks, I made them with the same colors, only on the second sock I switched the blue and pink for that mismatched look. Emily loves the color scheme and is very happy that I've finally made her socks - I had refused before because her little feet are growing so darned fast!

Finally: One generic toe-up sock
Yarn: Brown Sheep Wildfoote in bright green and Lana Grossa Weilenweit Multiringel (not the cotton kind) in color 5122
Pattern: Wendy's toe up sock pattern
Needles: US size 0
Modifications: none I guess since the pattern is very generic. For the short row toe, heel, and cuff I used the solid green, and for the rest of the foot and leg I alternated the solid with the self-striping yarn. I think it's a really cool effect. This was my first toe up short row sock, and I have to say I didn't enjoy the method so much, but the sock fits well and I guess I'll make one to match. I may try another toe up method instead of the short rows, we'll see.

And now, for the home dye I did yesterday with about a half pound of fingering weight Kona from Catnip yarns:

We still don't have sunshine and wish I could get a better picture of the color, it turned out so soft and beautiful. I show it here with the intended pattern, the shoalwater shawl from Fiber Trends. And now, since I've finished the shawl club shawl and Elise is napping, I'm going to ball it and begin. :o)

Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend Shawl

2006-09-01T13:35:00.000-04:00

Here is my latest finished item, the Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend Shawl from Goddess Knits.

Pattern: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend July 2006 Bo Peep Shawl Club pattern
Yarn: Jaggerspun Maine Line in Claret, a nice fingering weight wool
Needles: Addi Turbo US size 5
Modifications and notes: Because this is a club, we have an associated discussion group. Several of the group members, including a good friend of mine had much trouble with the diamond edging, even with the corrected chart. Some of them also ran out of yarn before completing the border(scary!!). To avoid any unnecessary hassles (too busy/not interested in working out the issues), I just put a loopy crochet border on it, which I think turned out great. I do not think I would have run out of yarn, but eh, I wouldn't have wanted to have had to do it over if I did run out. Otherwise, I did find a couple errors in the pattern as did other club members, so I'm hoping that the next shawl kit which is due in October will not have any of these little problems. :o) Oh, and for sizing reference, I am 5'9" tall.

I love the color of this yarn, and it was very nice to work with. You can see from the pictures below that it blocked like a dream. We have had much rain and clouds the last few days, so I can't get a picture to show how rich and deep the color is, but maybe another time. I wore the shawl this morning to my LYS, and was very pleased and flattered by all the compliments I received. I think it really is a beautiful pattern.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled knitting content.

2006-08-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know I only made 2 posts this summer, but when the kids are out of school it is pretty darn busy around here.

First, an update on a group project that I hadn't mentioned before so as not to ruin the surprise. I present the result of "Project Blankies" (this is supposed to be a glamour shot of the blankies on Elise's bed):

Pattern: 5 inch knitted squares crocheted together, with a crochet scallop binding
Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic in primary colors plus Orange, Purple, and Green
Artists: the members of our Delaware SnB group.
Notes: We each took two hanks of a certain color and made six blocks of any pattern, with only one person doing green and one doing blue. The blankies were then pieced together by Delana such that one blankie had green blocks and blue binding and the other had blue blocks and green binding, all the other colors being in the same proportion in each blanket. Let me tell you, it took us a while to figure out what to do, and Delana did an outstanding job putting them together. :o)

Anyway, the recipients of the blankies are the son and daughter of a member, Lynne, who is very busy and hadn't been seen since the birth of the babes about 13 weeks ago, at about 31 weeks gestation. Warren and Ruth are getting along very well now after a brief stay in NICU, and we got to see them tonight. Man, are they super-cute! I wish I had remembered to bring my camera, I would be posting pictures of them right now. Maybe some day, as Robin brought her film camera.

Tomorrow (or very soon) I will get back to other knitting content, as I've actually finished a couple of projects that I need to document, including fairisle knee socks for Emily. Bye for now!

In Which Emily Does a Very Good Thing

2006-07-29T20:54:00.000-04:00

Long time no post, but it's High Summer here in Ohio and we have been very busy with Summer Activities. Today, however, I need to break the silence with this important update about the oldest child and her good deed.

Many of you may know that Emily had long hair, but you may not have known that her purpose for growing the hair was to donate it to Locks of Love. She reached her goal length this summer, and today was the day I took her to the salon to have it cut.

The following are before, during and after shots. Hurrah! for Emily and all the other girls and boys and men and women who contribute to this cause. And many thanks to Tim for making her look fabulous. :o)

(I have indeed been busy knitting, and I promise to update about that very soon!)

Broadripple Geisha

2006-07-03T10:44:00.000-04:00

I couldn't wait until I finished them both to post a picture of the silliest sock I've made to date: the Broadripple with a geisha toe. I like it, and hope that Her Majesty the Sock Princess approves. And I also hope that I remember what I did so I can make the other one match! I think I could have made the 4-toe section smoother at the top, but I'm OK with it as is. I will post the yarn information etc. when I'm done with the pair.

Peacock feathers WIP

2006-06-27T10:04:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend visiting the grandparents in Michigan, with bonus time spent playing with Aunt Alli and Uncle Eric.

Since the girls were otherwise occupied, I was able to work on the Peacock Feathers shawl a little more. I'm up to row 126ish?(near the end of the 4th chart), and here's how it's looking:

I also worked on the broadripple cotton socks. Can't wait to get to the toe since I'm going to try splitting off the big toe - I think it's going to be pretty darn cute.

Since it was a little cloudy this morning, we did a little kitchen craft: SpongeBob gummy candy. Not the most wholesome of activities, but pretty fun, fairly tasty, and a good time all around. Off to the library this afternoon!

Blue lace June

2006-06-20T18:54:00.000-04:00

I guess the Stanley Cup Finals were good for finishing blue lace sweaters, right Lolly? I finished this during the games except for the closure, which I cannot decide on - I'm thinking just some small middle buttons and skip the leather tie through the center as suggested in the pattern. I seem to be having trouble with my pictures, so please bear with the sidewise shots.

Pattern: this garnstudio pattern
Yarn: Skacel Riviera, Navy color, cotton/linen/rayon blend
US 6 bamboo circular needles
size made was the XL, and for reference I'm 5'9"
Modifications: I knit the sleeves flat instead of in the round because I was carrying them around to finish and didn't want to fiddle with DPs. I was also planning to make them open at the bottom, and made them quite a bit longer for the flow-y effect, but now that it's together I'm not so sure. Will have to wear this baby to determine it's final form.

Verdict? I love the yarn, although it is splitty and very, very linty - not terrific on a white background. It might make a quick trip through the dryer to de-lint. It blocked beautifully, and didn't bleed too much when washed in Eucalan. The pattern was very easy, and I love the effect of this simple lace with the texture of the yarn.

You can see the sleeve detail and the back in these pictures.

Thanks for looking! Oh, and I finished the patterns I was submitting, so I'll be starting on something new soon. I'm working on some more socks right now, can't seem to finish any that I've started, and they might get "reassigned".

no more braces! (for now)

2006-06-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

Emily got her braces off yesterday, and we celebrated with a little corn on the cob.

Nautie, baby

2006-06-12T17:41:00.000-04:00

One down many to go, but I'm motivated to get the unfinished stuff done.

Nautie from Knitty.com was indeed made from stash: some Kraemer Natural Nazareth wool (the shell) from the teeny tiny tote, and some Encore worsted from something, probably mittens? (the animal). This is a quick knit if one follows the instructions. I made a couple false starts on both the shell and the animal because, as usual, I was multitasking while working on it - today it was the zoo. We actually got to see the wolverine, yea!! Oh, and I still need to add the eyes, I'm thinking about it.

I have everything together to finish up my blue linen cardigan from this garnstudio pattern.
I have 3 inches on the back shoulders to finish, then just make the sleeves to be done. I think I just got bored with it because I love the design and I love the yarn. oh well.

doily madness and other business

2006-06-10T09:55:00.000-04:00

It's been 2 busy weeks since I last posted. To get up to date:

Pioneer Day was great. Here are a couple pictures of the square dancers and some little butter makers. I was on Team Butter, and of course it was a 90 degree day and we were in the hottest spot...we had some melting issues but for the most part, butter was made and the children enjoyed it. We had the leftovers on our biscuits and corn at lunch. Emily had a great time, and especially enjoyed the candle making and tin punching.
The last day of school was Thursday, so we will probably have less knitting time for a while.

In the past 2 weeks, I've completed the cucumber cool top, and worked on some "mystery" projects. I cannot post pictures of the completed stuff because I'm going to submit them for publication, but here is a snippet of the mystery stuff: Note the blue for Project Spectrum June?

I also started the Peacock Feathers Shawl from Fiddlesticks in Basil Zephyr wool-silk, and I'm currently at row 70. I have not been even remotely successful at participating in the Summer of Stash because there was a ridiculous sale that was impossible to resist - trust me - deal of a lifetime on high-end yarn. I have also started knitting Nautie from Knitty.com for Roger for Father's Day, but I am actually using stash for this. OH WAIT! I was using stash for my mystery projects too...maybe there is hope for me? I have 2 different unfinished socks on the needles. I still have not finished my linen lace cardigan.

Finally, for some reason I felt I needed to make a doily. I used a pattern from the First Book of Modern Lace Knitting , the "Azalea" design. I just made a glass sized doily out of some #30 crochet cotton, ecru, on US 0 needles. You can see by my blocking picture that it is far from perfect:

The "madness" was not with the actual knitting of the lace which was pretty fun, but rather with the starting and finishing. I'm not a crocheter, the center starts with a crochet chain circle. I didn't have a teeny tiny hook, so I think that is part of the reason my center is wonky. The edge is finished with a crochet loop bind off, and although I went a got the proper sized miniscule hook for the job, it was still very challenging and probably took me way too long. I'm not giving up on this, though. There are some really cool designs in the book that I want to try, and I may even incorporate them into a shawl.

Summer of Stash

2006-05-28T14:05:00.000-04:00

Something has come up to help me reduce my 'little' stash: the Summer of Stash Knit Along. A few months ago I made the mistake of completing a yarn inventory, and although at time I vowed not to buy any more, I've probably added 6 pairs of socks, 10,000 yards of lace weight zephyr for shawls, and yarn for a couple of tank tops. Oh, and maybe some stuff from KnitPicks for baby gifts. And some wool for felting. I think SoS is a good thing for me right now. :o)

Here is an in progress picture of my Pomatomus sock, being worked in Sockotta:

I made a little mistake by not paying attention, so I need to tink I few rows and get back on chart, but I'm still loving this pattern!

I hope everyone has a good holiday weekend, we are just taking it easy.

Cool as a Cucumber

2006-05-25T10:56:00.000-04:00

Emily called this yarn "Cucumber" after her favorite veggie. I find it to be a very good name, so I'm calling the top I just finished for her "Cucumber Cool". It turned out very nicely, but I don't have pictures of it yet.

I've finished the heel and am working the gusset of the Pomatomus sock, will post pictures of that tomorrow. I'm still trying to get caught up with things...

Flower Basket Shawl

2006-05-22T14:19:00.000-04:00

Pretty, yes?

pattern: Flower Basket Shawl, Evelyn A. Clark
yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr Wool-Silk, magenta. 2 - 2 oz. balls double-stranded
time: about 9 days knitting off and on
modifications? just made it ~maybe~ 11 repeats instead of the 7 suggested.
I blocked this with blocking wires overnight.

I love this zephyr - it is, in my opinion, the nicest shawl yarn ever. The silk makes the fabric drape just wonderfully, and the yarn just glides through your hands. I cannot say enough good things about it. The pictures of the finished shawl show the truest color.

The pattern is super-easy to memorize, and knit up very quickly with the double-stranded yarn. I would probably like it with this yarn single-stranded for a different look. There really isn't anything very tricky about this pattern, and the instructions are well written and charted, so I would confidently recommend this one for a first-time-lace-knitter shawl.

The following pictures include blocked detail, unblocked detail, unblocked view with the 8 grams of yarn that I had left, out of the about 100 I started with
.

In other news, during my recovery I've kind of had Knitting ADD. I have ripped Emily's green thing 3 or 4 times, trying different patterns with it. I may have a winner, and I will post a picture when I get it going. The gorgeous Pomatomus socks? I did 1.5 repeats and had to rip them all the way back due to an error. I haven't restarted them yet, but I will. I like this pattern very much. I also started this Heirloom Shawl(scroll down) in black Jaggerspun zephyr, but have stalled after the 1st chart was completed. Either I'm still messed up from surgery, or the pattern is very poorly written because I'm having a heck of a time following it. I'm sure it's the pattern's fault.

Back to the needles!

belated Mother's Day post :o)

2006-05-21T19:53:00.000-04:00

Just have to share the pictures of one of the highlights of my Mother's Day: Emily painted my nails with an "Underwater Theme".
Not that they need explanation, she did all of these free hand with a nail polish kit she got the day before for her birthday. How sweet is that?

Hope all the mommies had a great day, I'll be catching up with my yarn posts very soon!

Down to the Wire

2006-05-15T20:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been super busy trying to get everything done before my surgery tomorrow, so I haven't had taken time to post. I borrowed a butter churn from my friend Lisa for Pioneer Day, thanks Lisa! I finished sewing the costumes for both me and Emily, including bonnets and pantaloons. Elise had her kindergarten screening today, so she's ready to go to school. Emily had a great birthday on Saturday, she is now nine and sassy as ever. Emily gave me a fabulous sea-themed manicure for Mother's Day, pictures to follow. I made the Flower Basket Shawl from IK out of some gorgeous zephyr wool-silk in magenta, pictures to follow. I started the Pomatomus socks today to have a good portable project for waiting, and I'm loving the pattern so far.

That's about it for now. I'm excited to get this over with, and looking forward to resuming my normal schedule soon. Thank you for your well-wishes and kind thoughts, and I expect to be back in touch, and posting some fun pictures of yarn again, very soon.

Simply Lovely

2006-05-03T09:45:00.000-04:00

Couldn't wait to post the finished socks!

Pattern: Simply Lovely Lace Socks from IK
Yarn: Lorna's Laces shepherd sock
Needles: US 2
Modifications: On the first sock since I was working on it intermittently, I accidentally decreased less than I should have on the gusset, which I didn't realize until I shaped the toe - oops! However, I liked the way it fit with 6 more stitches underneath, so I made the other sock the same way. Also, the first sock had some mistakes from just generally not paying attention, but not enough to want to rework it. I'm the kind of knitter who lives with her errors quite easily. :o)

I haven't blocked them yet, and I think they could use it. I liked working with this yarn, but again, I was dissapointed to have a knot in the first hank. I'm anxious to see how well it wears for as soft as it is.

Bonus: the socks are partly green, to go along with the May color for Project Spectrum!

Green yarn and clean dog

2006-05-02T20:04:00.000-04:00

Because I have a quickly approaching deadline for the Pioneer Day costumes, I clearly cannot work on them. Instead, I felt compelled to swatch and work on a design for a summer top for Emily. The yarn is that white worsted weight 1 pound coned cotton that you get to make dishcloths, dyed with I believe RIT dye, but maybe with some Procion. I thought I was keeping better records, but obviously I'm not. I worked with these pictures to try to get the truest color, but I'm not sure I really captured it in either picture, it's very fresh-looking. Neither picture is really representative, but the top one is closer - I'll try again after I get going on this project.

And since it is a new month, we get another picture of a freshly cleaned dog, this time (and for the first time!) with bows in her hair. She hates them, but man does it look cute!

Hopefully tomorrow I can post pictures of the completed simply lovely lace socks - I'm really cranking that 2nd one out!

Last post of April

2006-04-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

Seems like this month went by in a flash. We only have 3 more soccer games of the season. There's just a little over a month left of school. And it's time to move on to a new color in Project Spectrum tomorrow.

To wrap up the gorgeous month of yellow and orange, I leave with you a few images:

The orange Henry's Attic Irish lace I dyed and swatched. It's a light weight 80cotton/20linen blend that knits up almost bulky gauge. It is destined to be a simple top, when the top-knitting moratorium is lifted.

Second is a snap of the fabric Emily and I picked out to make our Pioneer Day costumes. The natural muslin is for the aprons and Em's pantaloons, the brown paisley is for my chemise, and the girl picked the ORANGE paisley for her dress. Go Emily, way to embrace the April colors (not that she knows about this silly thing mom is doing)!!

Finally, and shot of Elise "helping" me yesterday morning by washing the new freezer cups from Joann's - you can see her washing the yellow one, but we also got orange, green and blue. Sweet!

Looking forward to another exciting month of color - and it is by far my Favorite Color Ever - GREEN!

Catching up

2006-04-27T20:25:00.000-04:00

I keep trying to get "caught up" with my projects. As if. No matter what I do, I keep getting sidetracked so that when I finish one thing, it seems like I have 2 more on the needles. I'm really trying to be better about it, but oh man, the yarns are so pretty!! I think part of my problem is that since I cannot stop buying yarn, or even if I'm not buying it I shop my stash, and I'm constantly swatching something new. You know, just to see what the yarn wants to be if I don't have something specific in mind? I guess it could be worse - I have heard of people who don't actually finish anything.

I set aside the navy sweater, and am just finishing the toe of the first simply lovely lace sock. I am going to try to finish the other sock by the end of next week...we'll see. The Lorna's laces is lovely to work with, but horror of horrors! there was a knot right at the finish of the gusset shaping. And I left it. I will have to see what I might do with it later if it turns out to bother me, and I must say that I'm very disappointed that this premium sock yarn that I've never splurged on before would have a knot. In the middle. I know I should have taken it out, but sometimes you don't always do what you should. I'll keep you posted. The next ball better not have any problems...

Here's a picture of the bags in the sunlight this morning. Not a huge difference, but maybe you can see the colors a little better.

And yea! Tomorrow is Friday, and I'll try to get to KM in the morning for a little knitting, then my work out, and then in the afternoon I have my pre-op physical! The countdown is on!!!

Wednesday Night SnB

2006-04-26T20:41:00.000-04:00

As usual, we had a great group at our Delaware meeting. I'm so happy to have these women to share my yarn passion...even when I come feeling grumpy or sad, I always leave smiling and feeling much lighter.

I have finished the body and fronts of this cardigan that I'm making out of Skacel Riviera in navy. I figured that it didn't count toward my self-imposed sweater knitting prohibition because it's not really fitted. I love this yarn - it's cotton/linen/rayon/whatever and a nice, light, thick/thin, hard to describe textured yarn, perfect for warmer weather. This pattern comes from the Garnstudio free pattern database, which, if you haven't been there yet, you should make time to enjoy. And by make time I mean you will get lost in there, so make sure you don't have anything else to do for a while.

Here is a flash picture of the little mini-bags that I made as teacher gifts, plus Emily's rewashed for a firmer felting - I will try to get a sunshine pic tomorrow for better color representation. I like the way I finished the edges on the teacher bags with an i-cord bind-off rather than the bind-off method recommended in the pattern. I can't remember if I noted this before, but I used Kraemer Naturally Nazareth in I think spring and winter colorways. It felted beautifully, was easy to knit with and fairly soft. I will use it again.

Finally (and if I were a real blogger I would know how to keep my FO's in a separate place) here is a picture of my finished Hourglass sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I finished it this year, maybe a month or two ago? it was still cold enought to wear a couple times? and I've also included a detail picture. I know many people have made this, and it really is a quick, fun knit. The hems give it a nice finish. My only problem with the design was that the neckline was too loose, which I remedied with some light elastic sewn into the neck hem - works like a charm. I used Dalegarn Sisik in the jalepeno color, and the yarn is just yummy. I'm very happy with this, and hope that it will still fit.

Weekend Update

2006-04-24T14:01:00.000-04:00

Another busy weekend here. The weather was great so there was a lot of playing outside. Elise got an attachment for my bike so we can all go riding together, shown here with Daddy:

Pretty cool, huh?

I am not going to make any sweaters or tops until I recover from my upcoming surgery, but I couldn't help swatching this sleeveless turtleneck from elann.com with some yellow (Project Spectrum April!) TLC cotton Plus. I have never worked with this yarn before, but I like the feel of it, although it was a little splitty casting on. We'll see how it goes when I really get into it.

I also finished knitting the other teacher gift bag, which will look like Emily's "littler companion", and they are both in the washer felting right now.

Finally, I completed this Lion Brand happy baby blanket that I started maybe 2 weeks ago?, made with 2 skeins light blue, and one each of lime and buttermilk Knitpicks Crayon. I used US size 9 bamboo circular needles, and the finished size after washing is about 26" square. It is shown below pre-washing, with a cameo by Beef. This yarn is incredibly soft (plus it was really linty while I was working with it!), and I was concerned about how it would hold up in the washer and dryer. I washed it in warm water, and it came out of the dryer even softer. I have plenty of left-overs since I over purchased, so I'm going to make a tee for Elise - I made a tentative pattern on the sweater wizard this morning for a top-down raglan v-neck.

Book Review

2006-04-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Since I am working as a mom instead of having two jobs as a mom as well as a corporate drudge I have, from time to time, reviewed games for Jill on her site, Nights and Weekends. Apparently my reviews have been good enough for her to trust me to review a knitting book, Classic Knits for Real Women and my review has just been published here. Thanks for taking a look!

happy Friday!

2006-04-21T07:54:00.000-04:00

woohoo! I couple of our tulips survived the marauding deer! And in perfect April colors:

Here is a picture of my shawl, looking very tiny. I'm thinking I'll use the godmother edging from Barabra Walker's Second Treasury to make it bigger.

During the Day of Dental Misery I got a little bit done on the sock. I don't know why these are going so slowly, but aren't they pretty? Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock that I bought while visiting my friend Sherrie in Cincinnati.

I'm recovering nicely from the extraction, I think, but it still hurts. I imagine it will for a few days. At least it's beautiful outside - hurray for spring!

Nice Eggs!

2006-04-18T13:19:00.000-04:00

What a nice weekend! (except for the part I'll mention later) Aunt Laura came to visit on Friday and we colored eggs that night. The girls had soccer games on Saturday morning and they both won, and afterward we decorated little egg-shaped cakes that I had baked the night before. Oh, and Emily and Laura got some frosting "facial hair".
Yum!

And of course, hunting down the eggs the bunny left on Easter was very fun!

Saturday night Roger and I went to the Blue Jacket's game against the Blackhawks, for a great win of 5 to 2. When we left the house I started another baby companion bag, and by knitting while walking around and all during the game I had it mostly bound off by the time I got home. Emily liked hers so much we decided we should make them for teacher gifts. She is knitting one for her teacher and is almost done with the bottom of the bag.

Sunday I finished binding off the starfish. I love the way it turned out with my home-dyed merino lace from KnitPicks, however, it's way too small. I blocked it out (will post a picture soon!) and didn't make it big enough. I have plently of yarn left, so I'm thinking I'll try one of the knitted borders, perhaps from Knitting on the Edge?, and see how that goes. Any suggestions?

Now for the bad thing about my weekend: I got a toothache starting on Saturday about lunch time and it's just gotten worse and worse, extremely painful. Went to the dentist today, and I have a nasty abscess and will be getting a root canal in about an hour. Have a pity party for me, OK?

my little companion has a baby!

2006-04-14T11:58:00.000-04:00

Emily loved my little companion bag so much that she wanted to make one for herself. I thought it might be a little big, and found the teeny-tiny felted tote recipe (scroll down her page for the pdf link) and told Em I would test it out first. Well, I made it pretty much according to the plan, but sort of free-lanced the flap and used a crochet chain for the strap. I also impatiently put it in the dryer instead of waiting for it to dry on it's own. I think I'll wash it again to remove the rest of the stitch definition, and actually block it dry for better shaping. I like the way it used up most of my scraps, and I knit it in the afternoon yesterday mostly while walking around the neighborhood while the girls played outside. April project spectrum? Dig the Orange flower button!

On the shawl: I'm almost done. I finished the recommended rounds in the pattern but have quite a bit of yarn left, so I'm going to do about 6 more - I think that's all I can stand since I'm already over 500 stitches per round, and then do the little picot edge as described in the directions. .
Even unblocked you can see the star shape produced by my sweet hand-dyed colorway - I am particularly proud of this dyeing as it's my first of lace weight, and really, isn't it pretty cool? ;o)

my little companion bag

2006-04-11T16:33:00.000-04:00

Here is a before and after shot of my little companion. Note the orange for P.S. I started this project on Saturday night, and finished knitting the straps yesterday while walking around at the zoo with Elise. I think I'll like it. I used two skeins pink, and one each of the orange and green Lamb's Pride worsted weight, on US size 10.5 needles, with some left over and a good sized swatch I'm planning to use for an inside pocket. It took me 4 washing machine cycles to felt it to my satisfaction, and I think I would use larger needles next time. The striped pattern is based on the Fibonacci sequence, and I just used 2,3,5, and 8.

I also wanted to post a picture of my loot from KM from last weekend's anniversary celebration when I won a really big door prize: 6 luscious skeins of Wool in the Woods. Whee! I never win - and needless to say, I was practically drooling when I opened the bag.

I am still working on the socks and the starfish shawl, but getting closer to done on the shawl since it's a really easy walk-around project.

whew! busy Saturday

2006-04-08T19:26:00.000-04:00

It was such a busy Saturday, I'm happy I finally have a minute while the girls are in the bath to sit and, well, not be standing. It started before 9 a.m. with an Easter egg hunt (wearing my perfectly Easter-y fixation socks!) at my neighbor's church, which we returned from about 11:45. Then, Ames from the Delaware group came over and we went to the Merc for felting yarns. Ames is a serious felter, but I've never been that terribly interested in it, focusing lately as much as possible on Lace or dyeing, but she made a great little bag that I just had to try - see below.

Arriving home at 1:45, I was just in time to make sure the girls were both dressed and ready for soccer. Emily won 7 - 0, and Elise won because everyone wins on the four-year-old teams. Yesterday it was 78 degrees, but of course today it had to be only 42 and super windy, so we were all quite cold and tired by the time we finally got home at 4:30. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little quieter, and a little warmer too!

orange toes and yellow flowers

2006-04-07T11:45:00.000-04:00

The first pedicure of the season, done in Orange for Project Spectrum.

April flowers from my back garden.

I finished the fixation socks and started the simply lovely lace socks from IK, which really are simply lovely.

I'm also cranking away at the starfish lace shawl from Just One More Row, made from my purple/pink home-dyed lace weight. I think it's going to be really cool, and it's a very quick knit.

Have a happy Friday!

Happy 14th Birthday, Fifi!

2006-04-06T08:18:00.000-04:00

Impossible to resist the pile of yarn in the Lazyboy with sunshine pouring in. You are a good cat, Fifi LeMieux.

Welcome, Spring!

2006-04-05T10:40:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been pretty busy, but I'll try to be better about posting my yarny goodness.

It's a new month for project spectrum, and in honor of the yellow/orange theme, I present my new home-dyed sock yarn:

Happy April!

clean dog and blue yarn

2006-03-20T13:29:00.000-05:00

The blue yarn that I dyed Thursday night is finally dry! I thought it would never be done - you can see how I laid it out over the bathtub, well, I moved it to hangers in the laundry room which took out the last of the moisture. Here it is posing near the ficus - it's a little cloudy today and I was trying unsuccessfully to get some natural light. This is two skeins of Henry's Attic Casino II cotton/rayon yarn, dyed with cobalt blue. I like the way it came out variegated, and it really has a lovely shine to it.

My mom's friend Pat is a lovely woman who was blessed with 3 boys. Her boys have only given her grandbaby boys - until now! In January she got baby Sophie, yea for Pat! I'm sending mom this little set for the baby that I made a while back out of Sugar & Cream cotton. How cute are baby clothes?!

Finally, I would be a bad mom if I didn't post a picture of Beef. She went to the doggy salon this morning and doesn't she look beautiful? Smells a whole lot better, too.

new socks

2006-03-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

I finished wrapping the rest of the pink cotton yarn into a ball, and then continued work on my little fixation socks. I started looking at the sock, though, and decided I didn't like the pattern I was using with the multicolored yarn or the way the short-row heel looked, so I ripped it all out and cast on again for the reliable broadripple.
Much better.

Saturday yarn

2006-03-18T13:47:00.000-05:00

I stayed up late last night thinking that I was going to be able to untangle my pink yarn barf. Unfortunately, I only finished the first two piles. It sure is purty, though!

I'm posting a picture of my latest: the opal jaywalker socks by Grumperina. I knit the larger size on size 0 needles, and I think they are just super-cute. Notice the My Little Ponies in the bathtub. ;o)

ok, I'm really going to try to do this blog thing now.

2006-03-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

I can't resist any longer, thanks to Jill and her little on-line games - this time, Project Spectrum. I spend a fair amount of time with this girl, and thus I end up involved in her projects, and she in mine. But Project Spectrum proved to be too much for me, as I love color. Really - you should see my house, my closet, my little girls - no one could accuse me of being neutral.

So, as part of my participation in P.S., I present the Womb, from knitty.com, posing in my ficus. I love my OBGYN, he's been my doctor for longer than I care to share with you. He delivered both my girls, and recently took care of a little problem for which this was a little thank you gift. He wasn't sure exactly what it was at first because the fallopian tubes don't stick up like this, but once aware of the exact nature of the creation he did compliment the cervix as being quite accurate.

Continuing with the March theme of pinks and reds, I dyed a large batch of cotton that I will share with you as soon as I get it untangled - the stuff came undone in the washing machine and looks like three big piles of tangly spaghetti.

color, give me color!

2005-09-21T19:54:00.000-04:00

This is a skein of Knitpicks dye-your-own sock yarn, done with Violet, Pink, and Cornflower Blue Wiltons cake icing colors. Easy-peasy. Let me know what you think.

pictures, anyone?

2005-09-20T20:11:00.000-04:00

My next trick will be to post pictures with yarn-y goodness. Probably best to come back tomorrow...