C-knit2gether

Spot Check Socks

2012-01-29T22:06:00.000-05:00

First month of my Self Imposed Sock Club is almost complete and so is my first sock...Spot Check. Love the end result even if the sock turned out a bit more green than I would have preferred. I was afraid that may happen since the greens in the variegated yarn looked to be very similar in color to the greens found in my skein of Jitterbug. It was somewhat difficult to know how close these colors would be until I was actual knitting in pattern. Sometimes the patterning didn't show much contrast between the two yarns very well...and sometimes that was due to me picking up the wrong skein as I knit. Oops. I ended up loving the overall effect of the socks though...perfect pairing of pattern and yarn.

The pattern did have a couple of errors...at least that's what I'm calling it since I duplicated the same issue on sock 2. Overall it was a simple pattern to remember and produced a stunning sock. I did not make any modifications to the pattern and the fit is excellent.

Details:

Spot Check Socks

Pattern: Spot Check Sock by Beth Parrott found in Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol J. Sulcoski.

Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug's Velvet Leaves, Fingering / 4 ply, 100% Merino, 318yards / 110gram; Unplanned Peacock's Superwash Merino Fingering , 4 ply, 100% Wool,

490yards / 100grams in Whippoorwill.*

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony, US 2 and Lantern Moon Rosewood DPN, US 1

Gauge: 17 stitches and 22 rows= 2"

Side detail

Don't you just love the little details...check out the green line down the side of the sock. It started at the gusset and continued all the way down the sock until the decreases for the toe. So cool!

The pattern I chose for February will be Herringbone Rib Socks by Kristi Schueler also out of Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn. The yarn I selected for this pattern will be be either Austermann Step which is one of my oldest stashed yarns or possibly Trekking Pro Natura. This one had been gifted to my Mom for Christmas a few years ago, but when she became ill and could no longer knit she returned it to me. One problem with the Trekking is that she evidently used some of the skein so I'm concerned about running out before completing the sock.

I'm still leaning towards the Trekking though to honor Mom. February happens to be both her birth month (Feb . 4th) and the month in which she passed one year ago on February 21, 2011.

*The pattern did not require full skeins of either colorway. Once I'm close to my scale I'll weigh what's left to give a more precise amount used to complete the socks.

Startitis...Is that a Real Word?

2012-01-28T16:16:00.000-05:00

I don't think you'll find 'startitis' in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, but maybe they'll add it. Every knitter I know has suffered from it from time to time. It only has one cure that I know of and that requires you to throw all caution to the wind and get busy. Which I have been...busy looking through ALL my books, magazines, Ravelry and whatever else I can get my hands on to try and scratch that itch known as startitis. Not to mention I've been looking through the stash and deciding that I maybe I don't have the proper yarn. Why oh why is that always the case!

At the moment I have pitifully little on the needles and have been fighting against starting 10 other things. I keep hoping that it will pass and I'll maintain some order. I only have 2 inches left on my Sock Club January sock...good thing too since I only have until the 31st to finish it. All that's left is a Hokie Hat that has languished on my needles for way too long and a Josephine Shawl. That's it until I start my next sock on February 1st. It's why I'm having a terrible case of itchy fingers to cast on something interesting. I keep pulling out my sweater patterns, but cannot for the life of me figure out which one to start...maybe I should just go ahead and cast on all of them. Wouldn't that be a trip...maintain my sanity and keep straight each sweater.

How would you choose between Peabody by Leila Raabe which was in BrooklynTweed (Jared Flood) Fall 2011 collections of patterns. I'm in love with the front lace panel of this sweater...not to mention the lovely orange color. The next sweater on the list is Velynda by Bonnie Marie Burns of Chicknits. I adore anything cabled and my dear husband always compliments anything I knit that has lots of cables. One that I've dreamed about since the magazine showed up is the Leif Slipover by Adrienne Lawson. Maybe dreaming about it should give this one the edge. The last one is Eadon by Susanna IC. I have had this in the queue for a while and still have not actually bought the pattern which intrigues me.

How would you whittle it down to one? Anyone?

If You Spun Your Own Yarn...

2012-01-26T12:52:00.000-05:00

BFL and Merino

Well over a year ago I decided that I really wanted to learn how to spin my very own yarn. Yeah, like I already don't have enough fiber in the house I wanted to add to the collection. Not to mention the tools that would need to be bought...good grief I'm getting itchy thinking about it! My dear husband even mentioned that I should take up spinning...'it would be cheaper'! Hahaha, that got me laughing because he has NO IDEA what trouble I could get into if spinning takes over my mind.

My first drop spin

Anyway my dear brother-in-law just happened to mention while visiting that he'd love to make a spinning wheel...oh be still my heart. Problem was I had no idea what I wanted or for that matter what I needed in a spinning wheel, not to mention I had no idea if I even liked spinning. I bought a drop spindle and a small bag of merino roving and started playing. I figured that I taught myself to knit so why couldn't I teach myself to spin on a drop spindle. I did find great book/dvd Respect the Spindle by Abbie Franquemont to help the process along. Not to mention all the videos and information I found online that proved very helpful.

BFL

silk hankie

first handspun yarn

My first 'spun yarn' was definitely not much to look at...thick and thin with 'slubs' all along it, but it was my first spun yarn. Of course things got busy I lost focus and stopped playing with the spindle until a few months ago. In December I managed to take a beginning drop spindle class at a local shop, Holly Spring Homespun taught by Daryll Sneden. It really helped jump start the spinning bug again. She showed us how to spin all kinds of fibers, even silk hankies. I had never plied yarn before and she showed us how to do that as well. I started practicing everyday until I was out of roving. By the time I had finished spinning the singles and plying everything I ended up with a whole 55 ounces! Not a huge amount, but each spindle full of fiber looked better than the previous one. Wow! It's true that practice does make perfect! I even used some of my yarn in knitting some miniature sweater ornaments for a few special friends and family.

Christmas has replenished the supply and now I really need to set aside time to spin. I'd love a wheel, but still no idea what type. Yet.

mini handspun sweater ornament

Plaid

2012-01-24T17:32:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my youngest asked about the possibility of knitting him a scarf. You cannot imagine my excitement at the request. He did say that he was 'picky'...imagine a 24 year old guy that is very particular about his clothes kind of picky. Game on!

I started the process immediately by searching Ravelry for an appropriate pattern to suit him. His request was fairly simple- he wanted something plaid, in fact one similar to the 'fake cashmere' one he bought for himself. Definitely did not want argyle or stripes or 'fancy' cables...so off I went on a search for the perfect plaid. Ran into a few problems, the largest one being my youngest not liking any of the patterns that I found.

After a few days I did discover a pattern that I thought would work...maybe a bit weird, but the faux plaid was very similar to the scarf my youngest liked. It was weird in that it was a pattern for a plaid mini skirt! After a trip to the library for the book and a few calculations I decided against it. The skirt was knit using bulky yarn and after changing the gauges and playing around with the pattern it just wasn't quite right. I ended up finding a pattern just as weird though...how about a bolster pillow as my inspiration? You bet & it worked out perfectly for a plaid scarf. Hopefully my youngest likes it as much as I do.

Details
Pattern: Family Pillows (modified)

Yarn: Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd's Wool, Worsted / 10 ply, 100% Wool, 250yards / 113grams in denin (~150 yards) & black (~100 yards); Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Worsted / 10 pl, 50% Alpaca, 50% Wool, 215yards / 100grams in a light gray (~22 yards) and a very small amount of Patons Classic Wool Merino,

Worsted / 10 pl, 100% Wool, 223yards / 100grams in cream

Needle: US 7, Addi's

Gauge: really did not measure nor did it matter

Size: Post Blocking 7' x 72"

Modifications: CO enough stitches to get a full pattern repeat and knit flat rather than in the round. Continued the pattern until I reached a nice length. I stopped the pattern halfway through in order for the pattern to match the cast on edge when worn.

Once dried after blocking I measured and cut an appropriate length of gray fleece to line the scarf. I sewed the 2 layers together using an overcast or whip stitch so that there would be a bit of give & take between the two. It worked terrifically and covers up the knitted back which wasn't all that attractive. Also solved the huge problem of rolling that stockinette loves to do. I love the end product...it's warm & cozy. It's been mailed & now waiting to hear if the youngest actually likes it. Time will tell.

Well heard from the youngest and I failed expectations...he doesn't like the "stiffness and style", but does like that it was "soft". Oh well I gave it a shot. On the other hand he liked the vest that I sent along with the scarf...so I'm 1 for 2. At some point I'll try again with a skein of cashmere...what's not to like about cashmere!

First Half Done

2012-01-23T19:07:00.003-05:00

I'm half way done with my first sock of the My Personal Self Imposed Sock Club 2012 adventure. First sock is complete and I really love the pattern. It's such a great way of breaking up a variegated colorway. Hopefully, the second sock will move along quickly since I'm 'supposed' to be done by the 31st.

I got sidetracked by a special request from my youngest for a plaid scarf...who could turn that down. The scarf is on it's way to him and hopefully he'll love it as much as I do. Tomorrow I'll track down the info and post some pics...really got to get knitting on Spot #2!

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T23:24:00.003-05:00

It's the beginning of a new year and wonders of wonders I'm actually going to post something. Lately I've been thinking about decluttering and that has led me to a self imposed sock club for 2012.

I have a significant stash of sock yarn that's been languishing in it's drawers & bags for quite a while. I know that some has been around since 2006...it was a free skein given to me by a fellow knitter who was guilty about her stash. Seems to be a fitting way to start the New Year. I've picked my first pattern for January...Spot Check. out of Knitting Socks out of Handpainted Yarns As for the yarns I'll be using Jitterbug's Velvet Leaf and Unplanned Peacock's Whippoorwill. The Jitterbug has been in the stash a long time...the yarn shop were I bought it recently became a closed shop. The Whippoorwill hasn't marinated in the stash (joined in June 2010) nearly as long so why not pair the two together.

I'm hopeful that this will be fun and I'll have 12 pairs of socks by the end of 2012. My rules are simple:

Pick patterns that will either:
1- show off the yarn in the case of the variegated skeins
2-spice it up with more complicated patterns for single colorways

New patterns only
New Techniques- toe up, magic loop and 2 circs are planned

By the end of the year I'll be down at least 13 skeins of yarn...if I can maintain not adding to the sock yarn one goal for the year will be obtained. Now if I can make myself post regularly...

Maybe I"ll Update...Some Day

2011-05-05T00:32:00.002-04:00

Once again I've been nonexistent on the updating. I'll keep it short...still knitting although nothing big. I did finish a new tank top from Chicknits. One poor sock is on the needles to finish up so I have a matched set, but otherwise I have nothing. I did frog a couple of old projects that weren't working with the chosen yarn...both were socks.

I really want to start a sweater, but should choose something in the baby line for a couple of baby gifts. What to do? Think about another day or maybe 10...

What a Year it's Been

2011-01-18T18:59:00.005-05:00

Yes, I have not posted to the old blog in quite some time have I? Not sure where the time went, but went it did. I've been way too busy dealing with other things going on in the real world to post about the knitting. Good news is that I'm still knitting...bad news not much to show. Not sure if I can remember much about the details of what got done over the last 12 months so I'm figuring that I'll start fresh for 2011...maybe I'll post as I finish things.

I was fortunate enough to knit a couple of new projects for Bonnie Marie Burns...the Cerisara and the V-neck cardigan. Both were fairly quick to knit and really nice additions to my wardrobe. At some point I'd like to knit Cerisara again in a different yarn choice. The Silky Wool I used was a good choice, but I'd like to use something softer.

My biggest accomplishment was finishing the Eco Urban...complete with a zipper. Love this sweater! The zipper installation actually wasn't nearly as hard as my head thought it would be. The only "problem" with the sweater is that I lost a good bit of weight after I had knitted all the components so it's not as fitted as I'd like. It's wonderfully warm though so I keep wearing it.

Other projects included finishing up 5 pairs of various socks for my Mom...she was unable to finish these due to her illness so I finished up a couple of Tidal socks, Jaywalkers and a good ole plain sock. Now she has one she knitted and one I knitted to wear which makes her happy. Now I'm off to finish up a scarf for one of her friends. It's very sad when a knitter can no longer knit...very sad.

Three Weeks Late

2010-01-26T19:30:00.000-05:00

Just realized that I have yet to post anything in the New Year. You could call it lazy, lack of effort or forgetfulness...more like a combination of all three. Still knitting although nothing much to show for it. I finished up another "Capitals" hat for my nephew, K. Report from the teenager was something along the likes of "thanks, I like them." Man of few words. Of course his mom said the most fav response amongst the kid set, "oh good they'll keep him warm." I'm sure he may NEVER wear them when the weather is actually cold...most teens seem to wear their beanies when it's 90 degrees or better. Why is that?

As for the details:
Pattern: Used a hat calculator from earthguild. It a nifty way of knitting up a simple hat.

Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable Solids (100% acrylic, worsted weight), 277 yds/4.5 oz, in the colors navy, claret & white. I still have way more yarn left over than I care to have after knitting 3 hats...

Needles: Knit Picks Options, US 6 & 8, 24" circular, US 8 DPN.

Gauge: 4.5 sts/inch

Size: 20" head circumference

The best part was the addition of a couple of pins from the teen's favorite hockey team...the Washington Capitals. As for the rest of my knitting...not much to say. I'm still plugging away on a couple of things I started way back in November. The Lacy Baktus scarf and the Beaumont tam seem to never progress...could be the lack of serious knitting on either. I also started knitting these bitty socks for a sock blocker key chain. I did a few of these back for Christmas presents to be used as ornaments. Now I think I need one for every pair of socks so I'm 'coordinated'...weird, but true.

I did finish a birthday present that I can now post about since the gift has been received. My friend C, mentioned a pair of mittens she picked up at a Church Bazaar & asked if the cuffs could be lengthened. I figured I could do that, but rather than pull those apart I'd cast on a new set in something warmer & softer. These were wonderfully simple & quick to knit in just a couple of days. She liked the softness & the cuffs were plenty long enough. My only fear is the dreaded pilling which may occur...or not. I have used the yarn for scarves, sweaters, etc. and have yet to see any problems with anything. Others have not been so lucky so we'll see how these wear overtime.

As for the details:
Pattern: Very Cabley Mittens by Kelly Porpiglia. To date there have been done on Ravelry.

Yarn: Mala brigo (kettle dyed pure merino wool, worsted), 216 yards/3.5 oz. I used about 1 skein to complete these mittens.

Needles: Knit Picks DPN Harmony's, US 5 & US 8.

Gauge: 20 sts/29 rows = 4 inches in stockinette

Size: woman's small

Modifications: I used US 5's for the cuff so that I could be sure that it was a snug fit. I also lengthened the cuff by adding an extra pattern repeat. The only other change was to shorten these up a bit to fit smaller hands...ended up needing to stop after 5 full pattern repeats.

The simple cable pattern really makes these a bit more special than stockinette all the way. I should cast on a pair for myself...not that I wear mittens, but I could. I have some of the Malabrigo Twist leftover from a cap that's dying to be knit into something worn next to the skin.

What Got Done

2009-12-28T13:38:00.011-05:00

About a month or so ago I decided that I was not going to have one of those stressful holiday knitting episodes of the past. In fact I wasn't planning on knitting anything for anyone. Yes it seemed a bit 'Grinchy' at the time, but I just had no desire to knit for everyone. Of course I changed my mind and only knitted a few small items for much fewer people than I would normally feel compelled to gift a hand knit.

My list of items: keychain sock blocker socks (5), Cassidy cap, super cupcake cowl, Capitals cap, felted handbag, Christmas Tree Lot face cloth & rib's & ruffles scarf were all so quick to complete it hardly counted as true Christmas knitting. Some could be called 'cheating' since it happened to be a test knitted item, but I had decided when I cast it on that I knew who I'd gift it to...otherwise I would not have decided to add that particular item to my test knitting obligation.

My favorite items were the sock blocker socks...so neat & fast that ideas ran through my head as I knit these up for a friend. I used 5 different sock yarn leftovers. Perfect solution to that problem and the extra perk of remembering those yarns. Each sock used really very little yarn of the following: Brown Sheep's Wildfoot, Wisdom Yarns Chicago, Pagewood Sock, Fleece Artist Merino Sock, & Mountain Colors Bearfoot. Next year I'm planning to have an entire garland out of these little cuties using up left over sock yarn and attaching them to i-cord for our tree.

The Cassidy Cap was a dream to knit if for no reason other than the yarn, Malabrigo Twist felt so wonderful in my hands. The cables popped and the softness of this yarn was unlike anything I've knit with lately...100% baby merino wool. The color was called green gray, but I would say it's more in line with teal in shades of lights & darks.

I've decided that I must make one for myself out of my left overs from my Cassidy cardigan.

I mentioned the test knitting for the Super Cupcake Cowl...or you could call this one a "tube top" which was the recipient's first thought upon opening it. My youngest asked me to provide her "directions" on it's use...and I thought I was the one slightly behind at being modern & chic. She'll get a chance in a few days to check out it's warmth when we head off skiing. No, I don't think it'll be seeing use as a tube top, but then again you never know.

I knitted up another rib's & ruffles scarf out of some Ironstone yarn that I happened across at a winter sale for my Aunt. She always enjoys something warm around her neck...for a 50/50 blend the yarn felt pretty soft & nice against the skin so I'm hoping she'll enjoy this one.

Last winter I ended up knitting 3 of these bags...my mom tried to knit herself one, but had a good deal of trouble keeping her floats loose across the bag. When she felted the finished bag it pulled in so much that she tossed it in the closet. I decided to knit her one out of some Patons Classic wool in colors to match her sweater. I did have a bit of tightness in the back corner, but overall the bag turned out well & she was both surprised & pleased with the gift. It's a take off of Little Slip of a Thing...once again a heavily modified version. Along with making it much wider and not as tall I added the flap closure and used one of my bone buttons I bought last winter from Camas Creek Yarn Shop. A perfect choice for the bag.

The last two items that I finished for the Holiday were a nice face cloth out of some cotton/acrylic yarn (Lion Brand Cotton Ease in lime) and a hat for my nephew out of colors to match the Washington Capitals. I have a ton of it left so I'm thinking I'll make him another in a more solid pattern. According to my dear husband I need to make it larger...seems guys wear their hats over the eyes? Mmmm...

All the details...needles, yarn & such are listed on my Ravelry Project Page.

What Christmas Knitting

2009-12-10T13:17:00.003-05:00

I always start out saying that "no I'm knitting for Christmas" then I change my mind...again. Over the last week or so I figured I'd do a wee bit of knitting for those who seem to appreciate a warm "something." My list is smaller...much smaller in fact. It may only include 5 or so items of which half are already done. I'll share photos after the gift giving has been done...must maintain secrecy.

The only thing I can really mention is a hat for my nephew (no way would he or his mom read this blog)...at almost 15 years old I'm not 100% sure he'll "like" it, but I'm planning on appealing to his "hocky side" by knitting his favorite team's hat...the Washington Capital's. I was even able to score their emblem to attach to the hat to make it "more authentic." It's hard to please the teenage boy, but maybe I'll get a smile from him in a couple of weeks.

The rest must remain mum as some may be still following the goings on around here...there's going to be a few surprises to come.

Twofer...in One

2009-12-08T06:24:00.006-05:00

I figured I'm up super super early today so I may as well post another FO...make that two finished items. Before Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to test knit a couple of accessories for Bonnie Marie Burns at Chick Knits. Figuring that I would have a good bit of knitting time (football) over the holiday I cast on for the hat first.

The pattern was simple enough to watch football and knit along without having to pay too much attention to it. I used up a yarn I've had for quite a bit of time...Rowan Cashsoft Aran. Talk about soft and scrumptious against the skin. Wow! The knitting only took two evenings so instant gratification...good item for quick Christmas knitting for those that are desperate.

I like the final outcome which is always pretty exciting when you don't really know what to expect when knitting something new. I must admit that it was weird not knowing exactly what it would look like since there were no actual pictures. A bit funky or trendy...whatever the phrase it's one of those kind of hats that most people would love to have as their own.

Details:
Pattern: Super Cupcake Hat by Bonnie Marie Burns at Chick Knits with knit on Ravelry.

Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft Aran, (57% extra fine merino, 33% acrylic microfiber, 10% cashmere), 95 yards/50 gram ball, 2 balls with only 1/4 oz left.

Needle: Addi Turbo ,US 7, 16" circular

Gauge: 20 sts/4 inches

Size: head circumference 21" to 23"

Almost forgot the second finished item...to go with the hat Bonnie Marie also has a large cowl. So I decided to stash bust again and use some Cascade 220 Heathers for it. Although this one wasn't as quick as the hat it was just as easy...could have made it longer, but stopped when I hit the magic number of 13.5 inches as required in the pattern. After all I was 'test knitting' and agreed to abide by the written instructions. If it were left to me I may have stopped sooner if only because I was getting bored with it...the yarn not the pattern. The cowl is pretty large and could go up over the head and protected more of my neck had I continued knitting a few more inches.

Details:
Pattern: Super Cupcake by Bonnie Marie Burns at Chick Knits with knit on Ravelry...cowl.

Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, 100% Peruvian Highland Merino Wool, 220 yds/100 grams, almost 1.5 balls used, in blue colorway.

Needle: Addi Turbo ,US 7, 24" circular

Gauge: 20 sts/4 inches

Size: 15" wide, 13.5" length...unblocked

Miss BB

2009-12-08T06:20:00.000-05:00

Another project is off my needles & blocking board. In fact it is all sewed up including the buttons! I must be on a roll around here lately with my knitting...the blogging of the knitting is a totally different story. My Miss BB turned out to be very coat like in it's appearance. It falls pretty far down on the hips which may not be the most ideal length for a sweater. It looks nice though and I'm pleased with the outcome. Love the softness of the yarn & hope that it will hold up well to wearing.

As for the button choice...mmm not so much. I do love the silver metal buttons that are currently on the sweater, but after wearing it out and about a few times I'm thinking that they weigh the button band down a good bit. I haven't totally decided what to do about it. A couple of things pop into my mind...maybe some reinforcement on the band itself to make it firmer or change out the buttons for something lighter. I guess I'll stew on it a few more days...weeks.... probably months. Who knows, but for now the sweater is complete.

Project Details: Pattern: M iss BB by Bonnie Marie Burns of Chick Knits, Raverly has in progress

Yarn: Classic E lite Waterlily, 100% extra fine merino, 100 yards/50 grams, in azalea (purple), a bit less than 14 skeins

Needles: Addi Turbo ,US 6 & US 8, circular 40"

Gauge: 18 sts/4"

Size: 40"

I noticed after the pictures were taken...my thanks to Stewart at The Yarn Lounge for taking the photos....that the cable on the back of my collar was a bit off. After a blast of steam from my trusty iron it looks & lays much better.

One Day

2009-11-19T16:00:00.001-05:00

One day that's all it took to knit up a very quick project...Ribs & Ruffles Scarf. I don't usually knit scarves using bulky yarns, but what do you knit when you only have one ball of bulky. The yarn was Katia Studio that I received in a goody bag over 2 years ago. I don't have any good things to say about this yarn...not soft, only 106 yards, variegated both in colors & dimensions. The only good was I didn't pay any $$ for the ball...

I do like the pattern though and would happily knit it again in something softer & possibly variegated. Simple to memorize & mindless to knit which is the perfect combo for TV knitting while watching Hokie Football...

Details:
Pattern: Ribs & Ruffles by Nancy Kleiber (Ravelry Link), quite popular have been knit to date.

Yarn: Katia Studio (42% nylon, 30% wool, 22% acrylic, 6% viscose), made in Spain, 106 yards/3.5 oz, variegated.

Needles: hand crafted straight oak needles, size 13

Size: 4.5 " wide and 45" length unblocked

No modifications to the pattern.

Eco Urban

2009-11-10T13:04:00.003-05:00

Another project starting up on the needles is an exciting & exhilarating moment...usually. There have been times that I've been rather nervous about a project...Mermaid would fall into that category. Thankfully I'm usually happy to cast on new projects and prefer to have a few on the needles at the same time. For my next "big" project I decided that I must have yet another cabled sweater. Funny after I just finished one, but I do love cables. It doesn't hurt that my DH also likes my latest cabled sweater so it wasn't too hard to choose my next project...the Urban Aran from Paton's Street Smart that Jared Flood modified as a cardigan.

I'm also changing it to a zippered cardigan rather than the designed pullover. No surprise there since I really prefer something I can button/unbutton or zip/unzip as needed. Slow going at the moment due to a few other distractions...blocking Miss BB which will then need to be seamed together, casting on a new hat, & doing the last triangle of a multidiagnoal scarf for my mom who had some trouble with the last set of directions.

I'm sure I could think up a few more things to cast on...should be thinking about Christmas knitting which I have decided that I'll be doing very little. More about that later.

Uh Oh...

2009-11-05T16:52:00.002-05:00

Oops, I only have ONE thing on needles. How on Earth did that happen? Suddenly I realized as I finished the collar on Miss BB that I don't have anything on the needles except for a Zauberball Baktus Lacy Scarf...mmm.

Must get cracking & come up with something before tonight. I cannot watch the Hokies calmly without the needles in my hands.

Read & Remember

2009-11-01T09:13:00.003-05:00

It pays to read the pattern doesn't it? Well that's not quite right because I did read the pattern just the entire sentence didn't stick in my brain while I was knitting the pattern. In other words there I go again getting excited to be almost done to find that I really messed up...way back over 15 inches to be precise.

I have been knitting the sleeves on my Miss BB. I was done with the increases and about to start to decrease for the sleeve caps...so close. At that moment I looked at my knitting and it certainly didn't appear that I had the required 60+ stitches that the pattern stated I should have at that point. I counted my increases on the needles and in my notes...match. At first I didn't know what was wrong...slowly it dawned on me that while knitting the increase section I left out the right side increases. All of them.

I pulled out my needles & frogged back to the 16th row of my knitting. Now I'm back on track & thankful I discovered this before I had reach the end of the sleeves and would be wondering why they were not fitting.

Old Skill is New Again

2009-10-31T14:22:00.007-04:00

I have actually been forced to learn one of the oldest sewing/knitting skills...darning. One of my hand knit socks (Retro Ribs) finally developed the "dreaded hole in the heel". Funny how it wasn't even one of my oldest pairs...according to my Ravelry project page it was finished in February of 2008. Anyway I decided that since the hole was pretty small I should try fixing it. How hard could darning really be for goodness sake...turns out not too hard at all. It took me less than 30 minutes to repair the damage. If I do say so myself it looks pretty darn good.

Supplies
--blunt needle,
--yarn of the same thickness...I even had some Jitterbug left
--something hard & round (wooden egg) to weave against and that's it.

I turned the sock inside out, but it really doesn't matter too much although the "neater side" is away from you on. I just thought I'd prefer the neater appearance on the outside of the sock.

What I did:

Thread the needle with a fairly long piece of yarn...~2 yards so there's no break in the yarn.
Pick a starting point a few good stitches down & away from the hole & use a running stitch up to a few good stitches past the hole. You continue weaving the needle & yarn up & down the heel...over the hole the yarn should not be tight. Once you run all the way across and continue past the hole until you've reached good stitches.
Turn the sock 90 degrees and weave the needle & yarn over & under your previous work. Continue until the entire hole area has been filled with the patchwork.

Cut both ends of yarn which should felt into place with wearing. Turn the sock right side out and there you have it a patch where a hole used to be...it's not perfect, but it's wearable.

Of course there's always videos of darning socks on the Internet...what I thought would be difficult really wasn't bad at all & I still have a pair of socks that I'll still be able to wear.

Another Knit from Chick

2009-10-27T11:06:00.008-04:00

I have yet another of Ms. Bonnie Marie Burns's Chicknit Patterns on the needles. How many have I started? Well if you include the Mystery Hat KAL this would be number 3 in the last couple of months that I have cast on. My first was Cassidy, followed by that little side trip to knit up a Mondo Cable Cap then two weeks ago I cast on for Miss BB. I still have Twist & Mondo Cable Shell/Vest to go...I may have a problem.

Ravelry's Chicknit group has a KAL going on for Miss BB so I thought I'd go ahead and join in the fun...so far have been started. It's been going very quickly...the back's done as are both fronts. I've started knitting the sleeves. I'm doing both at once so that I have the increases/decreases & length all in the same place. Let's hope it ends up as planned...I keep getting tangled up in the many balls of yarn I have going. Why so many? Unfortunately the Classic Elite's Waterlily I'm using was bought 3-4 years ago for another project, Nicole...which ended up being knitted out of something else. Waterlily has since sat in the stash waiting to be something. I kept looking at patterns & tossing the Waterlily aside & hanging on to it until the "perfect pattern" could be found.

About a year or so ago I was afraid that the original 12 balls wouldn't be quite enough for anything else so I bought 4 more balls..."just in case". I always figured that I could use the off lot for the sleeves...so now I have multiple balls being knitted in order to keep the differences minimal. I have not noticed any garish differences & the "watercolor" effect of Waterlily is beautiful. The yarn has great stitch definition, a very soft touch & the 'watercolor effect' is making Miss BB look terrific...one draw back is the occasional yarn splitting, but it hasn't been affecting my enjoyment in the least.

I guess I don't have to say that I really enjoy knitting Chicknit patterns. I have knit quite a few (Ribby Shell, Cassidy, Mondo Cable Cap, Miss BB)...all have been well designed, the designer is very willing to address problems or questions along the way and so far everything I've knitted looks very sharp & stylish. What's not to like.

My Cassidy

2009-10-20T11:21:00.002-04:00

I adore this sweater. Absolutely loved knitting it, especially the yarn chosen which I wrote about a few days ago. My only 'uh oooh' moments were with those darn button bands. I knitted them at least 4 times...may have been more 'cause I've blocked the number of times at this point. On my first attempt I picked up way more stitches than I really should have and paid the price. A really wonky looking button band that puckered & waved...so it was frogged.

The second time I attempted to use a little math to figure out how many stitches to pick up. The method was based on one of Knitty's articles about picking up stitches which I found very helpful. Funny that it worked out okay even though I didn't have enough info from the pattern to calculate it out perfectly. Not the fault of the designer it was all due to the changes I made to the pattern...not fond of hoods on my sweaters so I changed the designed hood to a cabled collar.

I had no idea how many stitches were to be be picked up for doing just the button bands. I decided to take the numbers provided for picking up for the hood and down each front & subtract out the stitches for the hood. This left me with a number I could use to plug into the formula. I played around with my stitch markers, measured the fronts & put all the info into Knitty's formula. All of this left me with a number to pick up...97 stitches.

Finally, I was back on track...well almost anyway. I had a small problem with the edge curving out at the buttons. I'd knit the band, but when I added the buttons I'd get a fairly dramatic curving outward, but only at the buttons & especially noticeable when buttoned. First I thought the problem had to do with how I knit the button holes so I frogged it & re-knit the button holes on the wrong side...still had a problem although it was somewhat better. At this point I was stymied as to what I need to do...started thinking about ditching my buttons for a zipper.

Since I was due for a trip to Blacksburg for a meeting with my Unraveled group I held off the decision so I could get their advice...everyone basically said I was nuts (no news there) to be worrying about the band. It made me feel better, but I was still not pleased that it wasn't looking the way I wanted. I must thank Sandy from Mosaic for bailing me out once again with another one of her tricks. She said that "there's always a way to fix it"...thank goodness she was willing to show me what I needed to do. All it involved was a crochet hook, a little yarn and a few minutes to add a slipped stitch edge to both bands. A perfect fix. The ends have now been woven in and Cassidy has been out & about in the cool weather...I'll say it again I love this sweater and the yarn's not half bad either.

Details:
Pattern: Cassidy by Bonnie Marie Burns (Chicknits). Ravelry has knit.

Yarn: 100% Montana grown Cormo Wool by Elsa Wool Company, spinning system: woolen, 2 ply, worsted, 237 yds/4 oz in a light gray. I used 5 skeins plus 2 3/4 oz of another skein.

Needles: Addi Turbo, 40" circular, sizes US 6 and US 7

Gauge: 19 stitches per 4 inches

Size: chest 40"

Modifications: Rather than do the shoulder shaping as designed I decided to rework the pattern to include short row shaping. It worked out well and did not disrupt the cable patterns as much as I feared. Three needle bind off at the shoulders in my opinion goes together so much smoother & easier than the 'stair step' results of binding off the fronts & backs.

Buttons: 7 mother of pearl "smoke" buttons, size 3/4" from The Yarn Lounge

**pics to follow once my camera returns**

Remember When

2009-10-16T16:13:00.005-04:00

Remember back a few months when I knit my Mom's first sweater...Mr. Greenjeans? Well it now looks totally different. I spent the rainy day ripping it apart into 6 nice sized balls of yarn. After 4 hours of ripping out alternating skeins I'm pleased that I did not end up with a totally tangled mess.

All I have to do now is to get it on the swift to re-skein & set it in a nice bath so it can relaaax. Sad to rip out a perfectly good sweater, but it wasn't gonna fit anyone I knew. It seemed to be a waste of some perfectly nice yarn to have it sitting around in that sweater. Now what to do with 4 skeins of Schaefer's Miss Priss...maybe I should give it back to Mom so she can knit something out of it.

I'm sorta over this adventure in knitting or rather unknitting adventure as it turned out.

A Very Fast Knit

2009-10-13T15:30:00.004-04:00

Just what I needed to break up my knitting...something fun on the needles that almost knit itself. A couple of weeks ago I was offered the chance to participate in Chicknits Mystery Hat KAL. Ms. Chicknits (Bonnie Marie Burns) herself sent out a set of 3 clues over the last few Mondays to knit a hat. I finished the last clue last night...not too bad since I didn't cast on until after the 2nd clue had been received.

The cap was such fun & so quick I'm thinking I may need to look through the stash and knit a few more to match my sweaters. My only concern is that after blocking the yarn has bloomed a good bit so that the ribbed edge feels looser than I'd like. Another opportunity to use a technique that I was shown just this past weekend. Thanks to Sandy at Mosaic I think I can make this cap a wee bit tighter. Her trick was so simple too...using a crochet hook and a bit of yarn you just hook around the edge skipping a stitch or two as you go pulling the edge inward.

Sandy said that it's useful for any edging from neckline, to hems, cuffs, & button bands. Especially useful on that infamous button band from Cassidy. It worked perfectly on my sweater & happy to know I have another trick in the bag for my future projects.

Details:
Pattern: Mondo Cable Cap by Bonnie Marie Burns (Chicknits). Ravelry link has knitted to date.

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca (50% Alpaca, 50% Wool, 215 yds/200 grams), in the color pumpkin puree (6226). I used 3/4 of the skein to complete my hat.

Needles: Knitpicks Harmony Options 24" circular size 5, Options 24"circular size 8, and Boye DPN's size 8.

Gauge: 18 sts/24 rows in 4 inches of stockinette

Size: 23" head circumference

Modifications: None other than tightening the ribbed edge

Cassidy...the New Favorite

2009-10-01T13:27:00.000-04:00

Can I just say that I love this sweater? Specifically I loved the yarn I used to knit the sweater although the pattern has easily become one of my favorites. I enjoyed beyond words knitting with this yarn from Elsa Wool Co. Originally my plan at the Yarn Lounge was to buy a totally different yarn to do this sweater, but one touch and I was swooning. After I purchased 7 skeins I found that Knitter's Review had a nice write up about Elsa's yarns. Which pleased me to no end to see that I wasn't the only person to find this yarn absolutely stunning. I ended up with the 'woolen' variety of 100% Montana grown Pure Cormo wool that is as squishy & soft as can be which really made these cables pop. I finally matched pattern to yarn perfectly!

Of course I changed a few things in the pattern to make it more mine...specifically I left off the hood and added a collar. I knew I'd never use the hood & the added bulk would drive me crazier than I already am. I even was able to find the perfect buttons at the Yarn Lounge. Of course these led to a problem...you knew there would be one...after I attached the buttons. My button band is all wavy...right where the buttonholes happen to be. Now I have to ask..design element or real problem. After a light steam and much hand wringing I'm leaning towards "real problem". I just am not happy with the overall look...so what do I do about it?

Stay tuned as I ponder solutions...do I frog the button band, pick up fewer stitches & redo the holes more toward the edge...do I need to frog the collar too?

What no pictures? Sorry, you will have to wait 'cause the camera is elsewhere...too bad you need to see these cables...the button band not so much.

Whew It's Done...

2009-09-30T13:00:00.001-04:00

Whew, I finished the sweater for my Mom...thankfully it fits! I gotta say that it seems as if I've been knitting on her sweater forever. I started back in February while on our "little trip" and after switching gears...both in yarn & pattern...it's done. I delivered it a few weeks back while she was recuperating from foot surgery. Hopefully she'll be able to model it soon so I can post a proper picture.

Must say that I'm officially over the February Lady sweater knitting for a while at least. At least I'm in great company...according to Ravelry there have been sweaters knit as of today. I'd say that the pattern has been very very popular! I enjoyed knitting my first one I guess it was just too soon to do another one.

Details:
Pattern: February Lady by Pamela Wynn

Yarn: Malabrigo, (kettle dyed merino wool, worsted weight, 216 yards/3.5 oz.), color: Autumn . I used 6 skeins plus 1.5 oz of a 7th skein

Needles: Knit Picks Options, 60" circular US 7 (body) and circular 16" US 8 (sleeves)

Gauge: 18 sts per 4 inches
Size: XL

Modifications: Only 2 mods: first I did not do the eyelet section choosing not to do the YO's, but M1's instead. I also added a 4th button just as I started the lace section. As for knitting with the variegated yarn I alternated skeins every other row so as to blend better.

A Sweater Side Trip

2009-08-31T15:56:00.002-04:00

Another 'distraction' has taken hold of my knitting over the last couple of weeks. My Mom's sweater has been sucking the life out of my knitting. I'm not exactly sure why I have such difficulty in finishing this one, but I decided I really wanted to cast on another project rather than keep trudging away on this Lady.

I've had Cassidy by Chicknits for quite sometime & went off to find more yarn to go with the Thirteen Mile I bought while in Bozeman, Montana. The Yarn Lounge usually has quite a stash of Thirteen Mile so I went on a trip to add to my three skeins of oatmeal. Unfortunately no oatmeal colorway was to be found, but I did find the most soft & scrunchy yarn by Elsa Wool Co in a nice light gray color. Not what I originally planned to do, but with the "Get Your Knits Sale" going on I bought 7 skeins of the woolen light gray and off I ran. I must tell you that the yarn is really terrific for any projects that have texture such as the Cassidy.

The yarn is 100% Montana grown Cormo wool and has the most detailed tag I have ever seen on yarn...it consists of 3 cards the size of a standard business card with detailed instructions how to care for the yarn. It's soft, squishy & feels wonderful in your hand as your knit. So far the sweater has knitted up like a dream with the cables popping out very nicely...cannot wait to finish knitting up the sleeves so I can seam this one up. Fall is rapidly approaching...

On Time...For a Change

2009-07-27T20:31:00.008-04:00

Woo Hoo! I actually got my sock for Ravelry's Sock Innovation Group's July KAL done before the deadline. Last month's sock was sooo close, but failed to be completed before the end of the month by a mere 12 hours. I figured I'd messed up another month when I did not cast on until mid-July, but what the heck I needed the break from the Sweater. All I've knit the last few days has been these socks. I must say that I love how they came out.

The attention to detail that Cookie A puts into her designs is fantastic. She really takes the time to insure that the ribbing in the cuff flows into the patterning all the way down the leg. Rick is no exception to the rule...the twisted rib cuff flows right into her spiraling pattern all the way down to the heel. Her design switches things up at the foot, but still flows along lining up as it travels. Love the symmetry.

Since she has designed the socks to mirror one another I hope I'll be able to remember which is "Left" & which is "Right"...maybe. The other thing I'm liking about these socks is the fit...the twisted stitches help in the fit around my narrow feet. Sometimes I have difficulty with socks being a bit "baggy" around the heels & ankles...not these.

Details:
Pattern: Ri ck from Sock Innovation by Cookie A

Yarn: Mountain Colors, Bearfoot, 60% Superwash Wool, 25% Mohair, & 15% Nylon, Thunder Head Colorway, purchased from The Yarn Lounge. I used 73 grams of a 100 gram skein.

Needles: 4 size #2 DPN's, I think these are Boyles...metal anyway.

Size: Ladies size 9 1/2 inch foot

Gauge: 30 sts/ 4 inches

Mods: None...16 leg repeats to reach 7 inches for the leg. Left foot stopped at row 52 of left foot chart. Right foot stopped at row 50 of right foot chart.

New, Fresh & Different

2009-07-16T09:09:00.007-04:00

I have become so bored with my knitting lately. Thinking it's because I have only had one work in progress. You read that right...only ONE. It's been mentioned before that things can get ugly when I only have the one thing going. To be honest I have had the Etrusca half done...twice. I get the front (or is it the back) done, realize that it is looking way too short, frog & repeat. Two times. It's in it's project bag along with the needles & notes. Waiting. For what? Probably frogging I'm afraid...again. Maybe I need to re-swatch or change patterns for the Calmer to work out for me. Love the yarn, but so far not working for this pattern.

So tired of knitting on my Mom's Sweater that I decided to take a brief break from it. Who really needs a sweater finished in the middle of July. Really. I cast on Rick by Cookie A a few days ago. This so happens to be the current choice of the Sock Innovation Group on Ravelry for the month of July. Who knows I may actually get both socks done before the end of the month...maybe. I have yet to get the KAL choice completed during the actually month. The last one was done 12 hours past the allowed time. How do these people finish their socks in less than 2 days?

Pics to follow soon...camera batteries are charging. Seems to the the way things go around here...off to finish the laundry.

A New Look

2009-06-26T13:52:00.005-04:00

A few days ago I took the leap & had a few of my pattern books rebound. First time I have ever changed a book in such a way...never knew I could actually. After reading a post on Ravelry about rebinding Cookie A's new book I picked out a few favorites & headed off to Office Max.

Now I have 3 books rebound with a nice shiny black coil that allows me to fold the book pages flat...so much easier to use & I no longer will have to flatten the spines when I make a working copy to mark up. Now I know what all of y'all are thinking....cost a bundle right? Nope, that's the next best thing. Fairly inexpensive...depending on the size of the coil needed...the thicker the book the bigger the coil the more it cost. My most expensive one was $6 whereas the smallest one was only $3.25. I'll take it. It's a win win! Now I find myself looking at ALL of my knitting books, cooking books, hiking books...you name it I'm thinking of rebinding them all.

Must I Say It

2009-06-22T07:00:00.004-04:00

I'm going to go out on the limb and just say it...not liking my current project. At. All. Not sure why, but I'm knitting forward when I'm not pleased. Stay tuned...maybe it will change. More likely in a negative way.

Stumbling & Bumbling

2009-06-09T09:30:00.002-04:00

I feel like a newbie knitter. I'm stuck up to the armpits literally on Etrusca. For some reason known only to my brain I'm having some difficulty with the decreases for the armholes. The pattern has been easily followed until I reached the point of decision...deep scoop neck (front version), a more modest scoop (back version) or one of each and decide later which way to wear it. Three ways to knit it up...love that. The problem with all of this is how to proceed with the decreases for the armholes.

I decided to follow a more modest path & do the back version, but reached the point that I am unsure of my decrease. Do I decrease both ends while on the same row? On the beginning of each row? The kicker is that the designer added the dreaded "as for the front" which has me confused...the front decrease includes binding off for the neck at the same time. I'm thinking way too much I know so I'm going to let it go for awhile until the Epiphany hits me...or not.

Another Hokie Sock...Pomatomus

2009-06-05T12:11:00.004-04:00

Must be getting forgetful...finished my Pomatomus socks and forgot to post. I started these in mid May as part of Sock Innovation KAL on . Too bad I didn't get them done during the month of May...missed it by thaaaat much, as in less than 24 hours. I finished weaving in on June 1st so they can't be counted amongst those finishing on time for the prizes. Oh well at least I finally got around to knitting the pattern.

I enjoyed kntting these socks. As always Cookie A's pattern was well written, fairly easy to pull off & the pattern just looks so cool. No problems and no modifications to my socks...can it be I followed the pattern all the way? Seems to be true. I also was able to use some stash that's been hanging in there waiting on a good pattern...my Scout's Swag Custom Dyed Hokie yarn finally made it's way into a pair of socks.

Details
Pattern: Pomatomus by Cookie A

Yarn: Scout's Swag Fingering Weight [100% superwash merino, 400 yards/92 gram skein]; custom dyed- Hokies. I have about 13 grams of yarn leftover from the one skein used.

Needles: Knit Picks Harmony DPN's, size US 1's (2.50mm)
Gauge: 32 inches/4 inches

Size: Women's size 9 1/2"

One last thought...you will notice that these are not exactly matched. I did try to get them to match, but once again missed by that much. Must be a theme for the last month or so.

Now it's Etrusca Turn

2009-06-04T11:16:00.009-04:00

Finally getting around to knitting a pattern called Etrusca I bought a year ago from Angela Hahn. Really. A year...jeez. I swatched the darn thing over a year ago and was all set and then...nothing. I put all the yarn in it's project bag and promptly forgot it. Why? No idea. Now the next question: Do I redo the swatch? Mmmm, nope I've thrown caution to the wind and cast on last night.

After knitting a few hours and finishing the bottom lace section I packed it in for the night. You know what's coming don't you? Today I found a problem...so much for starting last night. Now I'm ripping back to the first 4 rows to restart the lace pattern. Admittedly I noticed last night that it looked funky, but kept on knitting. You'd think I'd stop and examine why it looked weird? Yeah, you'd think that, but noooo not me so today I'm frogging. At least I noticed before I got so far that I'd consider calling it my "interpretation of the design".

Y'all see the problem?

How about now?

If you said where the heck are all the slip stitch columns you'd be correct. I forgot to move the yarn to the front on every single column while knitting on the wrong side. There you have it...moving along & paying better attention. For now.

My Pomatomus

2009-05-24T19:11:00.005-04:00

I finally got around to knitting Pomatomus by Cookie A...really. The pattern has been out there for quite a long time (2005), but I had yet to knit it. It took the Sock Innovation KAL on Ravelry to push me over the edge. First let me just say that I love the book...most every sock pattern in this book is one I plan to knit. Aside from her patterns Cookie A has a ton of info on how she designs and tweaks patterns...which means that yes you too can do the same. I never thought about how the cuff ribbing design wove into the leg design, etc. It explains a good bit of why her patterns are so nice & flow from all the way though to the toe. With this book I may even get around to messing around with my own design...like I need something else do do with my time.

I'm almost through the first sock, but getting back to the KAL...nope I won't get the pair done by the 31st. Not sure how these people can knit an entire pair in under 2-3 days. Amazing! On a good day I can knit for 7-8 hours, but a whole sock would not be the end result. Well I better get cracking if I want one sock done the the end of the month.

Button Button

2009-05-18T16:41:00.002-04:00

Finally finished blocking & drying my February Lady(Ravelry link). I must say that my most favorite part of the cardigan is the buttons. I adore these buttons. I had planned on using totally different ones, but then I stumbled upon these gorgeous glass buttons while visiting Mosaic. They are the perfect choice for the final touch. The next best thing about this cardigan is the fit...after the fiasco with the other one I'm happy to report that this one fits the intended recipient just fine.

I enjoyed the knitting on this one quite a bit although the yoke section started getting a wee bit tedious. I started thinking I had misinterpreted the pattern since I had to knit quite a few more garter rows (18) than the 3 called for in the pattern. I wondered exactly how small you'd need to be to have only 3 garter rows and have it all come together under the arms. I'm not small evidently.

Details:
Pattern: Febru ary Lady by Pamela Wynn

Yarn: Malabrigo, (kettle dyed merino wool, worsted weight, 216 yards/3.5 oz.), color: azul profundo. I used 4 skeins plus 2.3 oz of a fifth skein

Needles: Knit Picks Options, 60" circular US 7 (body) and circular 16" US 8 (sleeves)

Gauge: 18 sts per 4 inches

Size: Medium

Modifications: I added a 4th button just as I started the lace section.

Playing a Game with Yarn

2009-05-05T17:37:00.002-04:00

I've been playing with yarn & not in my usual way. I received yarn from my sister-n-law, K, while visiting their home back in January. After all of this time (~ 20 years) there is zero info regarding these yarns so I decided to do a bit of detective work. I really wanted to see exactly how much there is of each type & try to confirm the fiber content of each...as best as I could anyway.

First, I confirmed each sample's fiber content by doing a flame test using the information in this chart ...thankfully all the samples tested as wool...plus one seems to have silk as well. Next I used my handy dandy Salter scale to weigh out 10 grams of each yarn sample. Why 10 grams? Really just to make it easy to calculate the numbers. After weighing the 10 gram sample I measured to see how many inches were in a 10 gram sample size.

I also wanted to figure out the yarns' weight...lace or fingering, worsted or bulky...without doing the dreaded gauge swatch. So how did I do this? To start I also used a dowel & wrapped the yarn around it lightly so that each wrap touched the previous wrap. I did this for about 1 1/2 inches, measured out 1 inch and counted the number of times the yarn wrapped around to get the wraps per inch or wpi measurement. There are several charts available to reference, but I liked this one since it also included yarn totals along with type & gauge.

After using some simple math* I determined that I had the following:

A. Deep Emerald Green, 100% wool, fingering weight (15-16 wpi), cone of 2053 yards...actual yarn is a deeper, richer emerald green

B. Light Blue, 100% wool, bulky weight, (10 wpi), 520 yards, 2 skeins

C. Brown Tweedy, wool & silk, fingering, (15-16 wpi), 3010 yards, balls

D. Variegated Cream to Peach, 100% wool (think mohair), fingering weight (16-18 wpi), 1018 yards, balls

For the most part I have more than enough of Yarn A, Yarn C & Yarn D for most anything...a lacy cardi may be in the queue. I haven't settled on anything quite yet, but I do have a pattern for a lacy vest, Vintage Vest, that I may knit out of the emerald green. My favorite of the four yarns is the brown tweed, Yarn C...a wool with some silk slubs throughout. I need to start a search for a good pattern to knit. Suggestions?

My least favorite is Yarn D, the mohair...cream to peach in color...not a favorite color combo for me. Not too fond of lace weight mohair either, especially really hairy mohair. Knitting with it usually brings out quite a bit of frustration & annoyance when I need to correct knitting errors. Let's face it...there will be errors. Some kind of wrap? Mmmm...the Mosaic Maniacs are doing Wisp, but have I mentioned I don't care for hairy yarn? Think I can over dye this one too? I certainly have enough for most wraps.

The plan would be to over dye Yarn B (light blue) to a deeper shade of blue & use it in a felted bag since I really don't want a bulky light blue scarf or hat. The other problem I see with this one is that it has become somewhat felted over time so knitting may be interesting. I'm leaning towards using food color to dye the yarn a deeper color...or a multitude of colors. If it ever stops raining I'll give it a shot and see what I end up with. Seems I have a lot of ideas floating around the brain these days.

__________________________________________________________________

*For example: let's use the numbers from the variegated yarn:

10 grams measured 980" ....980"/10 grams=98"/gram
Total yarn = 374 grams
98" x 374 grams = 36652"

36652" divided by 36"(1 yard)= 1018.1 yards

Got Nothing

2009-04-29T23:34:00.003-04:00

It's finally happened...nothing on the needles to knit. I finished my February Lady (Ravelry link) sweater tonight & it's now ready to be blocked. It's the first time I have really nothing left on the needles ready to go. Not totally true because I'm waiting on a yarn order for Webs...it's been almost 3 weeks. Sale yarn is the best yarn, but the wait has been longer than I anticipated.

I do have a couple of projects in mind for one particular yarn, Rowan Calmer in mandarin...Etrusca or possibly the Shay Cap Sleeve top from Webs. I'm also going to cast on another February Lady for my Mom since her Mr. Greenjeans didn't work out too well...'nough said about that one for now. Last week I was able to get 7 skeins of Malabrigo's Autumn to start the sweater while visiting Mosaic so I will have a few things starting soon & there's always socks. I have another new book that I'm dying to get into for some really cool socks...Sock Innovation by Cookie A.

Looks like I may be busier than I first thought...

Whoops

2009-04-27T11:53:00.004-04:00

We drove up to the Burg this past weekend...beautiful spring weather & Hokie Spring Football! I was even able to visit one of my favorite yarns shops (Mosaic) & hang out with my knitting group. Our group was created a few months back with the idea that we'd have some opportunities to teach each other something new as well as simply getting together to knit & chat...or more chatting than knitting when it comes to me. It's been a great way to learn a new trick or two.

So on this occasion I briefly did a little demo of how I make my stitch markers...so simple and fun. You need only a few tools (round nosed pliers, wire cutters, & my favorite split ring pliers) a few 'jewelry' making supplies (split rings, beads, & headpins)...that's it. Great gift idea for knitters too...inexpensive & quick. Of course while there I finished using up my last Christmas gift certificate...found some awesome glass buttons for my February Lady (Ravelry access required) cardigan and added a couple more Addi Turbo needles to the stash.

While in the area I had my Mom try on her Mr. Greenjeans sweater....Whoops. While knitting on this sweater it looked so small even though I was right on gauge & measurements I worried that I had failed to get my knitting to come close to fitting an actual body. I hoped that some miracle in the blocking would occur and it would grow...a ton. It didn't. It seems as if my worry was spot on...doesn't fit Mom. No. Way. Now I have a sweater that doesn't fit anyone...too poofy around my middle & the button was set much too low for me. I decided to re-knit the button band, moving the button up to fit me. It's still way too poofy around the middle...per my dear husband. He says it looks "really weird" so no way I'll be wearing it as it is now. What to do?

I could try sewing a seam on both sides taking in the sweater, but I'm afraid it may look even weirder. Now it's sitting folded up waiting on me to make a decision. I'm really leaning towards ripping back the cable/rib section up to the arms and re-knitting it to fit me. It's a shame to let such nice yarn go to waste in a sweater that fits no one. In the meantime I've started another February Lady for my Mom in Malabrigo's Autumn...maybe this one will fit her. I don't want another Whoops...

The Need for more WIPS

2009-04-21T16:14:00.002-04:00

I find myself in a bit of a pickle...only one wip (work in progress for you non-knitters). You read that right I currently only have ONE work in progress as I write today. I'm about done with February Lady so it's possible that I will not have anything on the needles very soon. I have not had that situation in a very long time...like way back when I first started knitting in 2005.

Way back then I had this attitude that I would only buy yarn as I went...yeah crazy right? I would finish a project before I'd get more yarn. I would never have a 'stash', never have to worry about where to store yarn, never forget what I had, yada yada yada. As a side note I also have said that I'd never knit sweaters, socks or lace...all untrue statements now.

I have a stash and add to it quite frequently as noted in prior posts...here, more, & yet more over the last few months. Not to mention the sweaters I have knitted...starting with my Mermaid and more recently Mr. Greenjeans & February Lady. Socks? Yep broke that one too...along with lace, hats, bags you name it and I've tried to knit it. The great thing about knitting is the fact that there is so much out there to knit.

Which brings me back to my original problem. With so much out there & so many things I want to start...how to pick what's next? So the plan...such as it is...a pair of socks -angee (ravelry link) by cookie a in Sock Innovation, a tank or summer top-Shay Cap Sleeve Pullover and maybe another sweater. I still like to use wool even as the weather warms. Ask me about the Blankie knitted during July and August. I think I can handle knitting a wool sweater...maybe Chicknits Eyelet Cardi?

Now I only need to choose the yarns & needles to go with these projects...then cast on.

An April February Lady

2009-04-20T22:20:00.002-04:00

I dragged the yarn & pattern all over the country for over 2 months without doing much other than a gauge swatch. What was I thinking? After casting on I've been rolling right along on this cardigan. February Lady by Pamela Wynn has been a joy to knit...mostly. By the time the lace sections get monotonous you realize that you're done. Perfect! The best part of the whole project has been the yarn. I decided to use Malabrigo's Azul Profundo for the cardigan. Talk about a soft touch...this stuff has been wonderful to knit. I only hope that the pilling that sometimes plagues this yarn won't happen. Most all of my other items knit with Malabrigo have not had any issues with pilling. Time will tell. The color is a beautiful shade of cobalt blues...a wee bit of varigation, but not an overabundance. Love the color!

As for the cardigan itself I think I'll be done in less than a week. The first sleeve is about done...deciding where to stop & start the garter stitch cuff. Do I want to stop at the elbow as the designer has done or work down as far as my forearm? Thinking I'll like it better with the longer sleeves. Decisions, decisions...off to finish the sleeve cuff. Ooooh and I need to look through my buttons...more decisions.

Giddy Up

2009-04-17T16:18:00.007-04:00

Jeeze, could it take any longer? What you ask...putting together a baby blanket. I mean it's only 16 eight inch wide squares for goodness sake. My plan's have changed more times than I care to count. I originally finished the 16 squares way back in February while on our jaunt across the country. The project was perfect for car travel. At least while on interstates...not so much when it came time to hit the back roads. Knitting actually took a rare back seat as we drove through some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.

My plan was so simple...pick a stitch pattern, cast on enough stitches to create a 8" square and ta-da a square is done in a couple of hours of knitting. I figured that in a few days time I would have enough to make a nice square baby blanket for my husband's new nephew, Benjamin. Of course I originally had planned to have the darn thing done by the time we arrived in San Antonio for our visit...did not happen. Yet another example of underestimating how much time a project would take.

Working on the squares while driving the Interstates worked to perfection...the last square was completed while we were in Taos, NM. The problems starting creeping in after that last square was done. While traveling it became obvious that I would need to hold off putting the blanket together until we were back home. I really needed more space to spread out everything and the brain power to do it. I must admit that the combination of traveling and physical activity drained the energy right out of the brain by the end of our day of adventure.

We arrived back home and after a couple of weeks it was pointed out that babies grow...really? and I should "get busy" before he was driving & needed a bigger blanket. So this past weekend I got back to it and spread out the squares, picked up the needles to add borders to the squares & realized that Plan A was NOT going to work. Of course I realized this after I had picked up stitches on each block, put the squares into rows of 4 squares each, & added another border on the long edge of 2 sets & then trouble...could not line up the edges of these borders no matter how many attempts were made.

What next? First we went out to dinner...my husband knows exactly what's called for in a knitting emergency. Next I frogged all the borders and by the end of it had 16 blocks all alone once again...along with one heck of a pile of tiny groups of yarn. Once done I put Plan B into operation...mattress stitching. Well after a little side trip by way of the whip stitch...didn't work...I moved right to mattress stitch. I worked on each block attaching one to another until I had 4 rows of 4 blocks each. Was it tedious? Yes. Do I like the look? Yes. Is there a border? Yes, one single 2 inch border around the entire group of blocks. The whole thing was completed with the attached i-cord coordinating color'.
The last finishing touch was attaching the most cool flannel fabric that is a perfect match for my theme...think Texas. After attaching the backing using the "overcast stitch" I also added some yarn ties spread around the corners of the squares to keep things a bit more even. Thankfully all is done and ready to mail to it's young owner & he's still under 6 months. Whoohoo!

Details:
Patterns: Texas, Lonestar, Eyelet Mock Cable, The remaining blocks: Diamond Brocade, Garter Ridge Rib, Simple Basketweave, Moss Stitch, Feather Lace & Herringbone Rib came from the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary

Yarn: Red Heart Soft Yarn (Worsted Weight, 100% Acrylic, 256 yards/ 5 oz), colors: off white, chocolate, seafoam. I used one skein each of the seafoam & chocolate for the squares and the off white for the borders. The attached i-cord was done using seafoam.

Needle: Addi Turbo, 40" circular, size 8

Gauge: didn't matter on this one

Size: 35" by 38"

Yet Another

2009-04-07T14:37:00.008-04:00

I have yet another finished object to post about...Mr. Greenjeans is drying on the blocking mats. I'm thankful to have bound this one off. I have to say that this sweater has driven me nuts in the last week or so. Not so much the pattern, but in the size I was seeing as I knit...seems way to small for the desired XL size.

I'm worried it won't fit the intended recipient...Mom. She asked me to knit this up back in January and I took it on our trip (travel blog). I swatched and determined that I would need to use a size 7 needle in order to achieve the valuted gauge of 18 stitches/ 4". After casting on in Mom's desired size XL I knit until I had to put it on hold so she could give it a test fit. Added another 2 inches to the body after seeing where it hit her body...and on and on.

My problem with this is the sweater just looks way too small...it seems to fit me across the body okay although the shaping is all off for my torso. I don't think this will be fitting Mom as well as I would like. I'll be lucky if it fits across her shoulders much less have it button correctly. The thing is that all my measurements are spot on the schematic...now I can only hope that the magic of blocking will work out and this will fit well.

Details
Pattern: Mr. Green jeans by Amy Swenson

Yarn: Schaefer Miss Pr iss [100% Merino; 280 yd/256 m per 113g/4 oz skein], colorway: Elena Piscopia. I used most of 4 skeins with a bit over 1.5 oz left.

Needles: Addi size 7, 32" circular and Knitpicks Options size 6, 60" circular, and size 8 DPN's for the sleeves

Gauge: 18 sts/26 rows = 4 inches of stockinette stitch

Size: XL

Once this is dry I'll finish up the little details...weave in the ends, attach the button, etc. and I'll post a few pictures with a body wearing the sweater. Now off to find the body...

Only Three

2009-03-31T15:19:00.007-04:00

Now for the details of those items I actually finished over the course of our 2 month trip. First thing I completed was a hat for my husband. Actually it's the second one I've done for him. The original Bill Hat (Ravelry access required) was done as a reversible hat out of Berroco's Ultra Alpaca and Pure Merino. He loved the warmth, but he had a problem with it...yeah you guessed it...too warm. It was really way too warm when the weather in these parts doesn't get all that cold so he asked for another one. His 2 requests...single layer and the appropriate (to him anyway) orange to go with the maroon. I found it in the Tangerine from Blue Sky Alpaca...approved by him prior to casting on as being the "right Hokie orange".

Another Bill Hat:
Pattern: used a hat calculator for simple ribbed hat

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca (50% super fine alpaca, 50% Peruvian Highland Wool) in maroon and Blue Sky Sport Weight Alpaca (100% baby alpaca) in tangerine. I used about 60 grams of the 100 gram skein of Ultra Alpaca and about 15 grams of a 50 gram skein of the Blue Sky.

Needles: Knitpicks Options, 24" circular needle, size 6

Size: to fit 23" head

While away I really took more yarn than I probably should have...don't all knitters take more than they could ever possibly use? Anyway I only knit one pair of socks out of the 3 balls of sock yarn I took on our cross-country trip. I never even pulled out my pattern book that I had packed in anticipation of starting the other socks. What sock did I finish? Jaywalkers...my second pair, very easy pattern and actually knits up fairly quickly.

Jaywalker's
Pattern: Jaywalker (Ravelry access required) by Grumperina, no modifications to the pattern.

Yarn: It's Tubular x 2 *(80% wool, 20% nylon, 480 yards in a 100 gram skein) in the "jeans" colorway by Scarlet Fleece. Very generous amount I had about 28 grams of yarn left after finishing the sock.

Needles: Harmony DPN's, size 1 from Knitpicks

Size: woman's size 9

Now for my hat knit out of Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool sport weight in Blue-Green Variegated. I've knitted this pattern once before here and loved how it fit and looked on my head. I have to say that I'm not loving or even liking this version very much. Before blocking the beret seemed too small, after blocking it seems way to big. The patterning isn't showing up as much as it had on the plain white version so this one may just get frogged. The yarn is too lovely to waste on something I will not be wearing...still searching for another hat pattern that looks good on my head. I've posted the details anyway since I'm counting it as a completed project. It would seem that I'll be reknitting the yarn though into something else.

My Beret
Beret Pattern: Fair Isle Beret by Anna Bright, no modifications to the pattern.

Yarn: Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co., (100% wool, 400 yards in a 4.5 oz skein) in the blue-green variegated colorway, used about 3 oz. of the skein to complete the beret.

Needles: Clover bamboo 24" circular, size 2 and size 3, Knitpicks Harmony DPN's size 2's

Size: head circumference 22"

Back to Knitting

2009-03-30T12:28:00.000-04:00

After our 2 month trip I'm back to my regular habits, in my regular comfy chair with my regular overhead lighting. About the only material thing I missed while on the road was my chair & lamp. Most rooms had pretty decent lighting for a change, but lacked in the comfy chair department. Have I mentioned that I have a general dislike of knitting in bed? I do it, but under protest and I can't knit for as long. Now I have the opposite problem...bedtime has been 2 AM for a the last few nights.

While away I was able to complete a few small items...another Bill Hat, a beret for myself, a pair of Jaywalker socks, (Ravelry access required) and blocks for a baby blanket. I started Mr. Greenjeans for my mother...now waiting to get her to try it on before I start the cable section. I have yet to put the baby blocks together. It was pointed out to me this AM that if I don't get on this the baby won't be a baby...mmm. Ya think? I also went ahead with plans to cast on the sweater,February Lady, (Ravelry access required) whose yarn traveled along on the trip. I have gotten in the groove and have a few things on the needles once again.

Now to get a few pictures and update everything.

Wrapped Up...of Sorts

2009-03-29T17:14:00.006-04:00

I thought I'd share a wrap up of sorts of the yarns and shop photos from my trip...how y'all enjoy the pictures. Of course I forgot to take the camera into a few shops. So sorry no pictures of The Yarn and Fiber Place in Bozeman or Unraveled Sheep in Salt Lake City. Next trip I swear I'll do a better job of documenting my visits. At least I have the yarn pictures. Right?

*run mouse over the pictures for some fun

Yet Another Post About Yarn

2009-03-22T09:00:00.010-04:00

One last post about the new yarn on the stash...I promise. After leaving Kalispell, MT we headed off further west, but I never stepped foot in a yarn store in Washington, California or Nevada. No real desire to search them out in Spokane, Fresno or Reno...weird, right? Oh don't worry I more than made up for it when I got to Salt Lake City, UT.

Maybe I just needed some snow in sight to get yarn fumes heading straight to my brain. Salt Lake had several to choose from close to our hotel so one afternoon while we were out & about my DH stopped at Unraveled Sheep. Quite a few people were in the shop and everyone was very friendly and welcoming. I was even able to share Raverly ravatars so we can keep in touch with a couple of ladies...hey there sockhappy & bleighw. Amazingly I met someone originally from Virginia whose sister actually owns/runs Unraveled in Radford. It is a small world isn't it?

The shop owner, Verla, pointed me in the direction of some locally dyed sock yarn by Sleeping Dragon Yarns and I was a happy Hokie...yep, it was Hokie inspired colors. Although they called it 'maple' it reminds me of the colors at sunset or even the desert. One could argue that it's the colors of maple trees in the fall, but 'maple' was not my first thought at all. Along with the skein of maple I also got another one called...mallard. I have no idea what they'll look like knit up or
what patterns I'll use, but couldn't resist these soft skeins of yarn. The skeins are 100% superwash merino wool and a very generous 450 yards each so I'll have more than enough...with left overs.

My last yarn purchase of the trip was once again Mountain Colors. This time I fell for Mountain Goat (55% mohair, 45% wool) in sweetpea. For some reason I've been drawn to rich blues & greens while on the trip & that's exactly what these 2 skeins possess. Emerald greens and blues as well as a touch of brown...a lot like the fir, spruce, pines & bright blue skies we've hiked through. You see it always comes around to all the natural beauty that has been around us on the trip.

So that's it for my yarn shopping adventure of the Wild West...now all I have to do is let all of this marinate for a time in the stash. I really don't want to 'mess' up when picking a pattern for these special yarns. Especially my bisondown...that would be criminal.

More Gushing About Yarn

2009-03-21T12:00:00.006-04:00

Now where did I leave y'all last time? Bozeman...when we left Bozeman we stayed in Montana and headed north towards Kalispell, MT. I actually didn't think I'd visit another yarn shop while in Montana. I figured I went to one so let's wait until we move on to the next state...hold off, save money, yada yada. Then I read a write up for Kalispell's very own yarn shop, Camas Creek. All I can say is WOW, maybe a double WOW!

This place is so beautiful and I 'm not just talking about the yarn. Not only do they have one of the best selections of needles & yarn I have ever seen the owners, Melanie and Andy spent a lot of time, effort and cash to totally rehab the building that holds the shop. I'm not kidding either...my mouth fell open when I walked through the doors. Once again my pictures don't do the shop justice, but you can check out their very own commercial to get a small taste.

I only wish that I had visited early on during our week long visit in Kalispell...knitting on comfy sofas, drinking coffee from a real cup, and such nice folks would have been very special. OK, 'nough of the gushing on to what I actually bought.

I ended up with Montana's very own Mountain Colors in two different types of yarn...one called Winter Lace (50% wool, 50% silk) in a huge skein of 1200 yards called deep blue. I also bought a fun yarn from Mountain Colors called Twizzle (85% merino wool, 15% silk) in the colorway wild horse. Maybe I should have bought one more skein to have enough for a vest...mmm. Phone call may need to be placed.

It's Been Awhile

2009-03-20T08:54:00.015-04:00

Yes, it's been a while since I actually wrote anything about knitting. It's been all about the trip, but things are back to "normal". While away I had the opportunity to visit several yarn shops along the way. One thing is certain you most always find people with a love for all things yarn & willing to talk about it...at length.

As most people do when they travel I love to bring back some kind of remembrance from the trip. Since this trip was going to be of some length and space was an issue I decided that buying special yarns would suit my purposes perfectly. Our first stop was Taos, New Mexico where I visited La Lana Wools shop. It was sensory overload as I wandered around looking at the collection of beautiful yarns. The colors were amazing...all dyed naturally from various plants. Quite a bit of the yarn was hand-spun. What to select was rather overwhelming...but of course I did choose something. By the time we left Taos I had 3 beauties in various shades of red sprinkled with some gold, along with a gold worsted weight yarn to mix with it and 2 skeins of an indigo dyed "sock weight" yarn. Stay tuned for what I'll use these for in the future...

Next we headed North up to Laramie, Wyoming and a little shop right in the downtown area called Jeny's Origin als. I found the illusive bisondown which is more expensive than cashmere and to add to it the equally expensive lambswool. These yarns are super soft and warm...thinking I only have enough for a hat or cowl, but I really didn't want to blow the budget all for bison. A sweater's worth would have ran well over $300! Geez!

What do you think of when you here Montana? Is it Mountain Colors? You betcha...lots of it can be found at The Yarn Shop & Fiber Place in Bozeman, Montana. Along with the 13 Mile and the most scrumptious alpaca yarn from Black Wolf Ranch I sorta went crazy. I ended up with 3 skeins of 13 Mile in oatmeal, 2 skeins of lace weight alpaca from Black Wolf Ranch in a yummy dark charcoal and a skein of Mountain Colors in Bearfoot's 'crazy woman'...a truly appropriate name in my case. I so enjoyed my conversation in the shop with Jane...thanks so much for being so helpful in pointing out exactly the right items. All Made in Montana!

Mountain Colors Bearfoot's "Crazy Woman"

13 Mile in oatmeal

Black Wolf Ranch's fiber donated by Flannery & Grey Flannel...thanks so much! More coming in another post. Afterall I do have 'work' to do...yeah I hear all of y'all laughing.

Another Visit...More Yarn

2009-02-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

After our drive out to West Yellowstone we were back in plenty of time to drop in on The Yarn Shop & Fiber Place. I'm still on the look out for the unusual or special yarn and today was no different. The shop was empty except for the clerk so I was able to browse & chat as I looked around. The shop was rather large...surprising when judged from the outside appearance. There was a good bit of yarn, rovings, and even a large selection of yarns for weaving.

I ended up choosing some gorgeous alpaca in a natural gray, 2 ply sport weight in a very generous amount of 350 yards. Made in Montana to boot from fiber donated by Flannery & Grey Flannel...the alpacas living on the Black Wolf Ranch. No idea what I'll knit with the lovely 2 skeins, but it will be something special.

I also decided to get some Thirteen Mile yarn in worsted weight. Actually made very close to where we currently are staying. I decided on 3 skeins of oatmeal...225 yards each so I'll be able to knit a nice cabled scarf. Just saying that I really need a nice natural colored scarf since I don't currently own one.

I've had a ball visiting the local yarn shops. The strange thing about all of these shops so far is that there have been no other knitters in the shops. Isn't that werid? All the shop owners have been fun to talk to, but no other knitters are around. I just find that a bit odd...maybe I'm missing something. I'll keep checking...off soon to Washington. I'm sure there will be knitters in Seattle & Spokane...maybe? If not I'll keep looking.

New Stash...Bison & Lamb

2009-02-05T20:40:00.005-05:00

Souvenir shopping when one is fighting a head cold is not as much fun as when one is well. I managed to suff erthrough it long enough to find some illusive bison yarn. While here in Laramie I dropped into Jeny's Original Yarns and Handwovens to see if they had any local yarns. Yes they had several in fact...bison, yak, alpaca, llama. All local grown and spun in natural colors of cream, grays, blacks & browns. Not much else was in the shop except for 2-ply sheltland yarn (Jamison I think) and some yarn that had been "specially dyed" to match the owner's husband's photographs of local landscapes...interesting, but not what I was after.

I ended up with some bison...actually bison "down" mixed with Cormo sheep which made up into a nice mix of brown & cream. I bought only 2 ounces (100 yards) of the stuff...cashmere may be cheaper! To add to the bison/cormo I also got a skein of some of the softest cream color lambswool. I think a hat with these 2 skeins will be very soft & warm. Next up will be Montana and I'm sure to find some Mountain Colors in something I have not seen before.

Casting on Something

2009-02-03T20:04:00.002-05:00

I couldn't take it any longer. I had to switch to some other project without finishing the blankie...maybe in a week or so I'll get back to it. I really wanted a hat for myself 'cause I'm hating the choices I bought along on the trip. All acrylic? What happened to my wool cabled head band...is it lost? Who knows, but I cast on for a simple beret similar to this one (Ravelry). I am using some beautiful variegated yarns from Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool. Now if the cold will let go I can possibly knit on it before we head to Montana. Mountain Colors anyone?

More Yarn Please

2009-01-30T15:14:00.002-05:00

I dropped in again on La Lana Wools today. My DH has decided he'd rather get sick than ski so I was left to my own devices. After a scenic drive along with some photo taking I decided to swing back by the yarn shop. Too little yarn is not a good thing...figured I would add one of the solids to the handpainted from yesterday. I selected a gold skein of worsted weight yarn dyed with marigolds...the color was also called "marigold". Not exactly sure what I'm planning to do, but I'm going to be work the marigold in with the handpainted tsarina from yesterday. Mmmm....maybe a lacy sort of wrap? I'm off to look through Ravelry and see what I can come up with.

A Visit to a Yarn Shop

2009-01-29T18:32:00.006-05:00

My first visit to a yarn shop while on our extended trip. After skiing a few days we took a break from the slopes & went exploring around Taos. I had been told about a yarn shop in town so we headed there this afternoon. La Lana Wools is a beautiful shop full of more handspun yarns than I have ever seen. All have been dyed using only natural dyes from plants found in the Southwest...marigolds, Navaho Tea, & lupine for instance along with some exotics like indigo. Only one person was manning the shop while we visited. She said that the shop"manufactures" all of the yarn from the moment they acquire the roving, to the spinning, and hand dying process. I cannot imagine how many hands have been involved in the whole process from sheep to shop.

It was a bit overwhelming to visit such a shop with the huge selection of colors & types of yarn. I ended up with 2 skeins of their Forever Random Fines in sport weight (100% Romney wool) in 'deep sea indigo" which has been dyed in indigo, purple, green. I'm thinking I'll use this for a beret of some kind since I have a tad over 230 yards.

The other yarn was from their Forever Random Worsted collection what was described as "obverse double dyed 60% Romney wool/40% Yearling". I chose 2 skeins in a color called"tzarina'. The tzarina colors are amazing...dyed bayeta red with madder, gold, indigo, green and lavender. I only bought the 2 skeins and must decided what to do with only 140 yards of this beauty. I can only imagine what a sweater would look like in this yarn...but price does come into play and I'm just starting this adventure.

What is It?

2009-01-23T18:25:00.000-05:00

Well it’s been more than enough time since my last post so time to post something.Anything is better than nothing at this point. Right? I’ve been “on the road” since mid-January so I’ve taken my knitting on the road so to speak. As we drove on interstates…lost track of how many…I knitted away on baby sample blocks. I ended up with 8 squares of seafoam and 8 squares of chocolate brown. I had hoped to have it all done by the time we got to Austin for our visit with the great nephews, ages 3 and 2 ½ months. The squares were done by the time we left San Antonio, but not the “putting it all together” part which was a bit disappointing. I had wanted to have it done so I could leave it with them. At least I have a lot more interstate travel ahead so it will be done soon…mailed rather than personal delivery will just have to do in this case.

While in San Antonio my BIL’s wife, “K” gave me several yarns she had bought when they had lived in Italy over 20 years ago. She was taught how to knit while they lived there & had went shopping right before heading back stateside. ”K” said that you could go to the local mills and buy yarn by the POUND!Can you imagine that…bags & bags all sold by the pound. Anyway as she was showing me her stash she offered me several different yarns. Now I have to figure out what I have actually added to the stash…100% wool? Mohair? Cashmere? Now I need a good way to determine how much & what weight of yarn I now have…being on the road make that a bit more difficult.

Knitting From the Road

2009-01-13T12:48:00.004-05:00

Our trip is underway and so is a bit of knitting. I've started a baby blanket for my DH's niece...2 squares down & 10 or so more to go. I have not decided just how large this blanket will end up. My two choices are a 4 x 4 square blanket or a bit smaller rectangular one that is 3 x 4. Either way I'm planning on using 2 colors of Red Heart's Soft Yarn for the main body...seafoam & chocolate as well as some off white for the edging and borders. I must say that the yarn has a soft feel & so far hasn't been too bad knitting up. I usually hate acrylic yarns, but figured his mom would rather not hand wash a baby blanket.

My first square is the state of Texas...home state of the new arrival. Now if I could only find the link to post...

Let There be Light

2009-01-06T15:54:00.002-05:00

An even better title could be "How to See to Knit in Dark Hotel Rooms". Why does management fail to put light bulbs in the lamps? An even bigger pet peeve are those lamps that have bulbs that are 40 watts or less. I hate those. I was planning on taking my own bulbs or even a lamp with us. Thanks to my dear husband he's manged to come through with 2 other options. Both came to me as Christmas presents...one made me laugh so hard I cried. Back when I first mentioned taking a knitting light on our trip he told me about a cap with built in LED lights under the brim. The idea was interesting, but I'm not fond of caps...not to mention flat hair & looking funny factor.

As we were shopping we came across a set of LED clip on lights. I mentioned that I liked them. They were compact enough to travel easily & could be clipped on the headboard or even set on a table. I wasn't sure how bright they'd be or how long the batteries would last, but so much better than his original hat idea. Maybe not as entertaining to those around me, but no one would be cracking up watching me knit.

The second options was totally unexpected although it was "hat inspired". My husband always finds something that I'm not expecting...always a surprise & most of the time I end up loving it. This time was no exception. He wanted me to have enough light & found a LED headlight with 3 different settings. I even have night vision in the form of red LED lights. When I opened this gift I must have laughed for 5 minutes non stop. I mean how funny would this thing look while I knit away? The picture in my head was hysterical. Then today as I was wandering around the internet looking for new patterns I went to check out Norah Gaughan's new pattern book. As I was reading through her blog I found this. I cannot wait to show him & let him know that his idea isn't quite as crazy as I first believed.

I took the light for a test knit Christmas night and it really is nice to knit with even in total darkness. I'm just not going to do so in public. Once again he comes through on a great idea.

The Nan Bag

2009-01-05T23:33:00.004-05:00

Finished one more slipped stitch handbag based on the Little Slip bag. I've really enjoyed knitting these bags. Quick, simple, & looks complicated all at the same time...don't you just love a knitting project that looks complicated? It's felted and now drying so I made another self imposed deadline. By Wednesday it will be dry enough for me to finish attaching the handles and adding doodads to the fringe. Now I have nothing on the needles once again. Only some seaming left to do on a sweater and the New Year will be off to a brand new start of knitting projects.

Have I mentioned that it kind of drives me nuts when I don't have anything on the needles. It can be a stressful time trying to narrow down the choices of projects to cast on. What to pick first? Do you start with the yarn? Pattern? Mmmmm...I got to get started on choosing what to take on our trip. Really cannot take as much as I want because I'm sure I'll visit some yarn shops on the trip.

My Mom has asked me to knit her Mr. Greenjeans for her. She bought the yarn at Mosaic's big sale...Miss Priss in the Elena Piscopia colorway. So this one has made the cut...stay tuned for those other "must have" travel projects.

2009-01-02T18:53:00.002-05:00

Nope, I have no new knitting to report today. Still knitting away on my SIL's felted handbag which should be done by Sunday. The good news is that I have another blog to yammer on about stuff...stuff other than knitting.

Since my DH has this grand adventure planned he wanted somewhere to post the goings on around us over the next few months...so that leads to another blog. It took a while for him to settle on it's name... fitting don't ya think? Looks empty at the moment, but in a week or so things will be popping up about our little excursions over the next few months. Expect lots of pictures...our last trip was well over 2000 shots. Yeah I know that's way too many, but he loves shooting with a digital camera for that very reason...lots of shots at no cost.

Don't you just love the New Year. I've posted every day...so far.

Changes for 2009

2009-01-01T16:34:00.003-05:00

Already there will be changes in 2009 in this household. As of yesterday, my DH is now an officially retired person...does that make me "old" too? The next really big change will occur next Saturday when we embark on a trip that will cover several states in the heart or is it the teeth of winter. My knitting blog may become more of a travel blog. Can you just imagine the knitting I can do while on the road, stuck on the side of the road or holed up in some distant hotel room waiting on the weather to "clear".

The states that we are planning to visit...in no particular order...West Virginia, South Carolina, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, and then Tennessee. I know it's nuts to hit all of these states in the winter, but then we have always been a touch 'off in the head'. I'm hitting yarn stores throughout the South, Southwest, Great Pacific Northwest...you name it I'm gonna give it my best shot. I cannot imagine a more fitting memory from the trip...except for the several thousand pictures that will be taken. I promise to update my knitting as I go along.

Now I need to choose the projects and some "get me started yarn" to take along for the ride. Suggestions are appreciated!

The 100th Post

2008-12-31T10:17:00.009-05:00

How fitting to have the 100th post on the last day of 2008. A short run down of the projects that have been underway these last few weeks. I now have only 1 item to complete...the Shaped Edge Sweater that has been one of those UFO's since the beginning of the year, way back in February. If you feel the need to read about the early history of this poor sweater you can go here, more here, and finally. Oh, and who could forget about the Finishing Class at Purl Jam...where my sweater's seaming was begun!

When I put it away last March I only had the one sleeve left which I kept pushing to the back burner until this last week. I had nothing on the needles and no excuses for not pulling it out. Funny too because it hasn't taken long...maybe 2 days to get the sleeve done and join everything so I could knit the collar.

All I have left to do is finish the seaming...maybe later today? Maybe.

Other projects done:

Two Felted Slipped Stitch handbags for my sister & aunt......

A dozen or so felted snowmen....just forgot to get a photo of everyone together.

I also did a narrow ruffled edged scarf for Oldest GF...a new Hokie!

She also deserved a pair of Hokie Jaywalker's...
love the patterning of the Scarlet Fleece Sock Yarn!

A really cute set of mini mittens I used as a Christmas Tag on my sister's handbag...

Slip-up at Christmas...or what else is New

2008-12-10T12:42:00.003-05:00

After deciding that this was the year of not knitting any Christmas gifts I changed my mind. I knew I would because I always say "no more" then start adding those small quick to knit things which suddenly morph into multiples and become much larger projects. The years haven't changed since I first started to knit.

I should say that this year I really only have a small number of things I'm knitting...Jaywalker socks, Hokie Ruffled scarf, 2 Felted bags and one more Hokie Hat. Really it's not many at all, is it? The socks are close to being done & one bag is felting in the machine as I write this up. Only leaves me to cast on for the second bag, the ruffled scarf and the hat. Did I mention that I now have a head cold that is holding me back a bit...yep, and I still want to knit this stuff up before Christmas. Better get more tea and a nap so I can work on these projects....

Jeeze...a Month Already

2008-11-26T14:22:00.003-05:00

Yep, it's been a loooong time since I last posted. I really have no excuses because I have had material or rather knitting to write about just no time or more like inclination to post. I'm thinking that this will be a quick drive by post...

What have I been up to? Well I made the decision to only knit on stuff that's been cast on like forever ago. Which means I have finished all but one item...the 2nd Basic Sock...done, the Nicole Jacket...done & even worn a few times and I finished up the Felted Brown Bag. My only project left to complete is the 2nd sleeve of the Shaped Edge Sweater which makes me feel pretty darn good...except I have nothing on the needles. Yikes! When I realized that I was down to only one lonely project I had to cast on something. I mean what if I decided I couldn't stand one more stitch of ribbing? So, of course, I cast on 2 somethings...first was a pair of socks using Grumperina's Jaywalker's

The second thing is the cutest snowman from Knitpicks...Lumpy which is a free pattern in both their last magazine and on line. One has been done just to test the waters so to speak...now a whole family is underway. I'm hoping to use them as Christmas wrapping ornaments. The plan is to knit up several with knitted caps, scarves & capes...here's hoping anyway!

Another Felted Bag

2008-10-27T11:52:00.007-04:00

WooHooo! I have another handbag...cannot have too many of them right? Come on now everyone must have several felted bags in their closets. No? Is it just me? Mmmm...that may be a true statement. Anyway, I now have a brown bag with a bit of maroon, a flap and button closure. Love it!

After finishing up my CPH way back in August I cast on for this bag with the left over Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in Cafe-Au-Lait. After knitting a bit it looked as if I may run low on yarn so I added some Malabrigo Stonechat from the stash. I last used the Stonechat on the Arrowhead Shawl I completed last fall as a test knit. I love these two colors mixed together...the brown tones are so warm all mixed together with the maroons/greens & browns from the Stonechat. After a wash in some hot water and a week to dry I got out my eyelet tool and wacked away. Both on the handbag and my fingers...my middle & thumb got in the way of my hammer. Good news- I can still knit. Bad news- the fingers really hurt...just not enough to stop me from knitting. Anyway, I got the eyelets in all four corners, threaded the icord handle through & presto another bag. One that is the perfect size for my wallet and a few accessories...which is just the way I like it.

Details:
Yarn:Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride, Cafe-Au-Lait, 85 % wool, 15 % mohair, 190 yds/113 grams , about 1 1/2 skeins and Malabrigo Stonechat, 100% merino wool, 216 yds/3.5 oz., about 1/2 skein.

Pattern: Modified version of the Coco Bag by Diane Sutliff at feltedhandbagworkshop . I added an icord bind off at the top on three sides, then picked up stitches on the last side and knit a trianular flap to cover the top. I made sure that I created a button hole for my handmade button...after felting it's a wee bit tight, but should loosen up with use.

Needles:Knit Picks Harmony Options, size 13, 24" cable

Gauge: Didn't matter so I didn't measure it.

Size: Oops forgot to measure before felting. Post felting: width= 11"; height= 9".

One last thought about the Lamb's Pride is about it's feltability which was terrific. I am amazed at it's thickness after felting. I did use this double stranded so that was part of it, but compared to Patton's Classic Wool this is so much denser. Come to think of it this denseness is probably why I had so much trouble getting those eyelets beat into submission. It's going to really help this bag hold it's shape even better over the long haul. I'm off to wind up some Malabrigo Azul Profundo and LP's black for another bag...yep now I need one to go with my Mermaid.

TGID*

2008-10-24T15:31:00.002-04:00

Finally, finished the second sock of the pair of Basic Socks started way back in March. I talked about the why's and reason's way back here, & here and must say it has been a struggle with these socks. Not sure why, but it probably has something to do with not enjoying the yarn as much as I usually do. The Wisdom yarn was not pleasant to work up...splitty and not much feel to it. Afterall, that's one of the reasons I enjoy knitting so much. I love soft, squishy yarn that doesn't bleed on my hands as I knit and has some 'heft' for lack of a better word. The Wisdom fell short on heft and man could it split apart when you weren't paying attention.

I'm done and the yarn's patterning is close to matching between the 2 socks...not perfect, but pretty darn close. Not sure why one sock has a more defined patterning, but in the end they match up fairly well and I see no reason to worry about it anymore.

Details:
Pattern: Basic sock recipe found in Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Yarn: Wisdom, Chicago, colorway 232, fingering weight, 75% wool, 25% nylon

Needles: Clover bamboo sizes 1 & 2

Size: Woman's size 9

*Thank God It's Done

Snezi...it is snowing

2008-10-17T15:40:00.007-04:00

Must have been living right this past week 'cause I finished a shrug in ONE week. Yep, it's true...the fastest knit for something that you can wear as if it is a sweater. I do love the feel of the Rowan Cocoon against my bare arms. I did not expect that bit of happy news...sometimes mohair drives my skin nuts, but this stuff feels very nice.

Another positive for a person who simply doesn't like nor understand the "shrug" concept of the itty bitty variety is that THIS one feels very sweater like. It's big enough to really wrap into and it stays up on your shoulders even when moving fast to the coffee shop in a driving rain...yeah it's been rained upon less than 12 hours after completion. It kept me dry & warm while I was doing this too...another good thing. My only 'complaint'...I find it hard to keep my bag on my shoulder while wearing this. The sleeve area gets smooshed up so more arm is exposed to the elements...kind of defeats the whole purpose of a warm item doesn't it? Now I'm on to the next item on the list...I should really start a couple of items for Christmas.

Details:
Pattern: Snezi Oversized Shrug (Raverly link) by Sarah Shepherd in Sensual Knits

Yarn: Rowan Cocoon in Cloud, 126 yds/100 gr, 6 skeins, 80% merino wool, 20% kid mohair

Gauge: 13 sts/16 rows = 4 inches

Needles: Knit Picks Options size 9, 24" circular, Boyle size 11, 29" circular

Size: Unblocked Length (nape to hem)= 27", Width (including armspan)= 53 "

One more thing...love the name of this shrug. The Czech translation is "it is snowing" which is so appropriate for where this will be travelling. I'm hoping for a awlful lot of the white stuff in just a couple of months.

PJ Herringbone

2008-10-08T13:33:00.007-04:00

The PJ Herringbone is finally done. At least it hasn't taken 6 months which is about how long I thought it would take me. I got tired of seeing it look back at me...tired of the Noro Silk Garden Lite hanging around my knitting bag...just tired of thinking about finishing it. So tired in fact I pulled it out last week and cast on the 347 stitches for the last side. Now it's done...only needs a blocking to even out the diamonds & triangles. The colors look pretty good all together...surprises me a bit since I'm not a fan of the color purple. The first side has more in it than I care for, but the last side balances the colors out rather well...as if it were planned, mmmmm.

The details of the project:

Pattern: Herringbone Scarf/Wrap by Cornelia Hamilton-Tuttle. Pattern received while attending the Purl Jam Knitting Retreat sponsored by Mosaic Yarnshop in Blacksburg, VA in June of this year. More on the Purl Jam experiences here, here, here and last one I promise here.

Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Lite, colors 2039 (2 sks), 2014 (3 sks), 2023 (2 sks), 125 meter/50 grams, 45% silk, 45% kid mohair, 10% lamb's wool

Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 6, 24" & 60" cable

Size: Unblocked width= 10", length= 71"

The Blocked version turned out much bigger than I thought it would...so happy with that bit of news. I love long wraps! The width ended up at 13" and the length is my preferred 85.5". Wow!

No modifications were made on this wrap other than in the overall length. The original pattern called for a scarf/wrap of 60". I'm partial to long scarves so I continued well past that length. I'm thinking it will be a warm addition to the wardrobe this winter as I travel through the snow covered west. Let's hope....I'm thinking I'll need all the warmth I can pack!

Rolling Along

2008-09-30T16:44:00.007-04:00

It sure feels good when there are multiple items finished within days of one another. Maybe that's why I like to have multiple things to work on. Each one gets some attention as the week progresses...one or two become my "all consumning" projects and kind of take all the attention until their done. By some miracle suddenly you have nothing left to work on and I start the whole cycle again. It's a bit of a slog on occasion, but it works well for me.

In the last week I have finished S's Gameday Scarf, as well as her Beret. The Beret was a very quick knit even on size 2 needles and multiple issues with the stitches falling off and unravelling. I do like it...looks pretty good even on my head and I'm NOT a hat person. I've been wondering if this beret may be the answer to a few Christmas presents? MMMM...may need to check out my sock yarn stash.

Anyway on to the details of this hat:

Pattern: Fair Isle Beret by Anna Bright

Yarn: Louet Gems, in white, 100% merino wool, sport weight, 100 gr/225 yds

Needles: Knit Pick Harmony, size 2 & 3

Size: 20-22 inches at the brim

Modifications: I did not do this hat as a fair isle project. The recepient wanted white to "set off her new hair style" ...that's the only thing I changed about the whole project.

Then last night I finished a pair of socks I started last month as a fill in project. These were the Cable Rib socks from Favorite Socks by Interweave. Actually a quick knit when I was knitting on them...sitting in the bag not much got done. I love the feel & look of these socks, but there is one small minor problem. I evidently cannot count to 10...at least not 2 times. The first sock has the pattern's recommended 10 cable repeats, however when it came time to match the second sock my math gene left me. I miscounted...to 9...so that created my sock being 10 rows shorter than the first one. I didn't catch the mistake until I finished and put them both on for their photo op. Funny how this one isn't bothering me enough to fix. I mean rip the entire foot back just to do one more cable? Now that's nuts...I'm crazy, but not crazy enough.

Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular x2 was the yarn I used for these socks. What a nice yarn to knit...no splitting, no knots and quite a bit left over. My only problem getting these done was in my needle choice. For the first time I used my Knitpick Harmony's in size 1...before I could finish sock #1 it broke in 3 pieces. It shattered in my hand and it wasn't even the needle I was knitting with. So I need to see about a replacement even though I still have 5 left. It's the priniciple...needles should not shatter the first time used. Now for the details:

Pattern: Cable Rib by Erica Alexander in Favorite Socks from interweave

Yarn: Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular x2, colorway persimmon, fingering weight, 80% merino wool, 20% nylon, 430 yds/ 4 oz

Needles: Knit Pick Harmony, sizes 1 & 2

A Month Later...well almost

2008-09-25T08:33:00.008-04:00

It's been awhile since my last post hasn't it? I've been busy though... just with projects not related to knitting, but busy none the less & nothing much to post about knitting. I finished my CPH a month ago and still haven't found the time to get a decent photo. Maybe soon, but not high on the list evidently.

I started & finished the Gameday Scarf for my friend's daughter. She's attending American University so it's in the very patriotic colors of red & blue. I can't say I loved the yarn, Berroco Comfort, 'cause I did not...much too splitty for my taste. On the positive side it does feel nice against the skin and it's machine washable. An important feature when gifting to a new college student who hasn't played with "handwashables" & their special requirements. Felting her scarf is not an option.

Pattern: Gameday Scarf by Julia Vesper

Yarn: Berroco Comfort in shades 9756(copen blue) and 9750 (primary red), a 50% super fine nylon, 50% super fine acrylic, 193 meters (210 yards) in 100 grams. I used most of 2 skeins of the copen blue and for some reason a good bit less in the red. I have 0.013 grams left of the blue and a whopping 0.041 grams of primary red.

Needles & Gauge: Boye Needlemaster set, size 8, 16" cable...I used to love this set, but sadly no longer. The cable join isn't smooth & kept hanging up with this splitty yarn...need more Addis's...seriously. Gauge not important, but I did get 20 stitches/28 rows per 4".

Size: Length after the dreadlock additions ended up right at 72 inches and the width was spot on at 6".

I am also knitting her a hat to go along with her scarf...it's coming. I'll have more to say about the beret next week. Off to finish up those ther pesky projects before the weekend officially starts.

Another Sock

2008-08-26T07:36:00.002-04:00

I have one more sock to add to the collection. A few weeks back I started Cable Rib Socks by Erica Alexander from Interweaves's Favorite Socks. I love having socks on the needles...the perfect little project to have while waiting in lines or offices. The problem was the sock started on my needles was less than perfect. The poor Basic Sock that was started as part of a neighborhood sock "class" was boring me to death. The pattern & the yarn...especially the yarn...was not making knitting a fun activity so I stopped knitting on the second sock. A shame really since I was past the heel, but a break was needed.

I'd recently wound a ball of Kathy's Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular x2 in the colorway persimmon & decided that another pair of socks was needed before the football season kicked off. Not sure the 2nd sock will be done by the time games kick off this weekend, but it'll be very close to being done.

FO Friday

2008-08-22T12:34:00.007-04:00

What a productive week around here. I managed to finish up 2 count them 2 items that I have actually not had laying around forever...think Shaped Edge Sweater as my laying around waiting & waiting project. Anyway I got my Ruffled Edge Hokie scarf finished early in the week. I love this scarf...a new fav for sure. The yarn makes the scarf so soft and squishy it's sure to be the one I grab when it gets cold around here.

Thanks to Debbie at Mosaic for sharing the pattern. I just know I'll be using the pattern a ton for Christmas giving. It's super quick and so easy to knit up. A simple ruffle on the ends really help hold the scarf in place. What's not to like?

On to the details:
Pattern: personal pattern from Debbie at Mosaic

Yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca, Chunky weight, 100% alpaca, 100 yds, 100 grams...soft and so squishy
Needles: Addi Turbo, size 10 circular

Length: 65" long, 6" wide

Gauge: didn't matter, but the yarn knitted up to 4 sts/inch on size 10 needles

Onto the second finished item which pleases me greatly. I've been working on the Central Park Hoodie as part of the Mosaic Maniac CPH KAL which started back on July 12th. I worked ahead as I usually tend to do even thought I tried to hold back and work on my other sweater. The other sweater could not hold my attention long and wasn't as easy to knit so it's got left behind. Now the CPH is done. I'm happy with the end result...it fits which I must say is surprising. I must admit to being worried most of the way through that this wasn't going to fit. The back looked too tiny and the fronts looked like they were toddler sized. Anyway I perservered and seamed it together this week. I love it! Now I'm ready for the cool weather to get here.

I made few modifications to the pattern. I knitted the size 40 which I had tried on while at PJ back in June. That one fit well and hit the hips at a good spot so I didn't really change the length on the overall sweater. On the sleeves I only knitted 4" on the cuffs rather than the 5" in the pattern. I must say the the sleeves are plenty long if the cuff is down and fit perfectly when rolled back. Everyone commented about the sleeves being tight and they are right to a point. The fit is fine for my arms...I don't think I can wear more than one layer underneath, but then I tend to just wear a long sleeve tshit most of the time so it's not a problem. When I do this one again...and I will...I may move the whole sweather up a size to have a bigger looser fit to the whole thing.

I also did short rows at the shoulders on the back and fronts so I could do a three needle bind off for a more neat appearance. The short rows always sound so intimidating, but I find them easy and just look so much better than the stair step bind off. Another change was in the way I did the button band...picked up and knitted all in one piece from the right to the left side including the hood. I then knitted a 2 1/2" band rather than the 1" 1/2" called for in the pattern. Since I didn't want to add buttons anyway I figured the extra width would look better in the end. The only other "change' was the seaming for the hood ended up being more three needle bindoff...looks terrific!

Check out the seaming...it worked out very well for the most part. I had a bit of fudging going on around the sleeves, but most of the ugly part could be hidden in the pit area. I was surprised at how long the seaming took...mattress stitch for the whole project took over 4 hours. Not that I wasn't doing other stuff in between, but it was a time sucking thing to do. Rather than use the Lamb's Pride I used for the sweater to seam I used DMC Cotton Pearl in a chocolate brown which matched the sweater perfectly. So happy with that decision...no grabbing or sticking like the mohair would have done & it could be removed easily it if the seam didn't quite work without cussing. Perfection.

The details:
Pattern: Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky

Needles: Knit Picks Options, size 6 and 8 circulars, 36" & 48" cables

Yarn: Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Worsted in Cafe Au Lait, 85% wool/15% mohair, 190 yds/skein, 5 3/4 skeins used

Size Knitted: 40

Gauge: 17 sts/26 rows per 4 inches

Front view...notice I chose not to add buttons.

Side view with the hood up

Back on Track...for now

2008-08-13T08:45:00.004-04:00

The cables are all fixed and back on track. I tried, really tried to fix the missed cables without frogging back. It just didn't work out too well for me. I started on the right side cable by dropping only the 6 stitches of the cable. I then reknit the section to include the cable...imagine that. I had big problem in how the stitches just looked too wonky along the edges...way too loosey goosey with no way to get the darn tension right. I tried to pick up the wayward loops and tighten each one as I worked back up, but I kept running into one that no matter what didn't want to follow the crowd.

The next thing to try was to drop off the whole section of 18 stitches that constituted the pattern to see if I could then get the stitches to sit better. It just didn't work well enough and was taking far to long. As I worked I had to drop off stitches repeatly to fix the tension along the edges as I worked back up the section. After an hour of mostly wasted effort I made the decision to frog the thing back. A much better solution and faster than what I was trying to do. Maybe next time I'll see the missed cable much quicker and the technigue will work with much less effort. I'd like to think I won't miss anymore cables, but who am I kidding...

Really Now...WTF

2008-08-11T22:37:00.003-04:00

I mean really...how can I miss such a blatant error. Thankfully I did look at the progress as I laid it down tonight and what did I see? A skipped cable sequence on one of the sleeves a whole series back. How can I do that when I'm doing both sleeves at the same time in order to eliminate the stupid errors. Oh well I now need to figure out how I'm going to fix it. Maybe I'll try to take it back only at the cable area so I don't have to rip back 15+ rows. I'll have to sleep on it and decide in the morning. Shooot....

Follow-up Friday

2008-08-08T10:25:00.005-04:00

The stuff I have currently on the needles:

Nicole Jacket*
Central Park Hoodie*
Herringbone Wrap*
Basic Socks*
Shaped Edge Sweater*
Cable Ribbed Socks
Ruffled Edge Hokie Scarf

*ravelry access required

Out of the above list believe it or not I have at least touched half of them...by touching I actually knitted a few stitches. This has been one of those unusual weeks in that I have not been working on home improvement stuff so you'd think I'd spend more time knitting, but really I was bored with most of the stuff on the needles. I guess bored isn't quite the right word...more uninterested. I wanted a bit of mindless knitting...no counting, no measuring, no anything and I had nothing on the needles that qualified until midweek when I took action.

What exactly I was after I wasn't too sure...looking at some yarn I had sitting on my desk it was decided. I had wound a couple of skeins of sock yarn a few weeks ago and just left them sitting out. At least one of these had sat long enough waiting for a pattern. After looking through my Favorite Socks book I decided on starting a pair of Cable Ribbed Socks using Scarlet Fleece's It's Tubular x2 in persimmon. So far I'm moving along pretty well and only have to "think" on row 4 for the cable...not too hard at all. The color is very fall like...oranges & browns and brings to my mind falling leaves & cool weather. We could use some cool air around here right now.

In fact the idea that fall is right around the corner led my mind to the upcoming football season. Of course that means I will need yet another Hokie scarf. The fact that I had 5 skeins of this fantastic Frog Tree Alpaca in the colorway Hokie popped into my head about the same time...can it get any better? That sealed the deal and I cast on for a Ruffled Edge scarf. A simple pattern that Debbie at Mosaic happily shared a few months back when I first laid eyes on her Ruffled Edge out of same Frog Tree Alpaca. At the time the shop was out of the Hokie colorway, thankfully that didn't last too long and I was able to get my hands on 5 skeins. The way I figured I could use 4 for the scarf and then the last one for a hat for my DH. He dissed the orange color...saying it "wasn't right" so now I get all 5 for myself. He'll get another hat out of Malabrigo or Ultra Alpaca in burgundy...who knew he was so particular about the orange.

So far this week I have knitted quite a few rounds on the sleeves for the CPH...doing both on the same circular so everything will be matchy matchy. I'm about halfway done with the sleeves. I have blocked the fronts and back to the skematic...looks good. I also finished off the shoulder joins by doing a three needle bindoff which looks pretty good as far as cables matching up.

Just couldn't bring myself to work on the Herringbone Wrap. The cast on of 350+ stitches just wasnlt going to happen this week...maybe next week will be a better time to do that one. The Nicole Jacket, Shaped Edge Sweater's one sleeve and the Basic sock are all sitting in my knitting bag and haven't been touched either...I'm bad oh well.

More Stash

2008-08-07T07:50:00.016-04:00

Oops, I forgot to post pictures of the yarn I bought while at Purl Jam back in June. I really didn't go crazy...strange I know. I've more than made up for it these last couple of weeks though so don't worry that I'm running low on yarn anytime soon. So here's the stuff form Purl Jam...love the colors and have something in mind for each skein. I now just need to create enough time in the day to knit everything ASAP.

David Simpson of Green Dragon Yarns, a local Blacksburg dyer that Gina of Mosaic "discovered" just in time for Purl Jam had some very pretty choices in bright bold colors. I ended up choosing 'underwater' in a Kona Superwash Sport weight, 100% merino wool...a fairly good sized skein at 340 yards. I'll have more than enough for a pair of socks.

Classic Elite Alpaca Sox, 3 skeins of golds, blue-gray and green varigated yarn which is destined to become a Lace Ribbon scarf or wrap. Once again this is the yarn called for in the original pattern.

Farmhouse Yarns, Andy Merino II...colorway is Hokie and we all know I am a sucker for anything called "Hokie". I bought 3 skeins of the yarn...it did not last more than 24 hours in the Vendor room at PJ. I haven't decided yet what to do with the 600 yards...leaning towards a vest of some sort, but open to other ideas. Maybe I could 'steek' a vest...wouldn't that be cool?

Mountain Colors...Bearfoot in Moccasin Trail. Don't ya just love how Mountain Color's comes up with unusual names. So different and memorable...not sure how reds came to be called moccasin trail, but love it just the same. I need to look through my sock patterns and come up with something nice...love the feel & colors.

I do need to start my Christmas knitting pretty soon. This year I'm will not do the crazy thing I did last year and knit something for everyone. Not. Going. To. Happen. So I need to start getting myself organized and decide who is going to get a handknit. Maybe I should pull names out of a hat...

Stash Therapy

2008-08-04T09:49:00.015-04:00

Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran (30% off bag)...love this yarn. It's soft & squishy...holds cables well and I adore the color. Destined for a sweater and it's looking like Cassidy may be 'the one'.

Classic Elite Wool Bam Boo (50% off bag)...I'm really leaning towards the Wyvern Wrap...loved it when I first saw it last fall, but it it had been designed for kids. Now that's been corrected and Angela has a new designed based on the kiddos pattern!

Artyarns Beaded Cashmere (50 % off)...2 skeins. Can I just say OH. MY. GOODNESS. I have longed for these skeins for a very long time. Now that they are mine I am just overjoyed...I will knit a scarf for me. Did ya hear that? It's for Me!

Jade Sapphire's Mongolian Cashmere (50% off) in Cashoflouge...think Christmas for someone special. Now is there anyone who deserves a bit of cashmere around their neck? MMMMMMM..................

Rowan Cocoon (30% off)....will be used for Snezi found in Sensual Knits. Another Me project......

Jade Sapphire's Mongolian Cashmere (50 % off) in Wasabi...think Christmas present for another someone special. Whose left that I know deserves a bit of cashmere? MMMMMMM..................

Blue Heron Egyptian Mercerized Cotton...bought without any plan...just because it was 50%. I do love my Lace Ribbon Wrap knit out of the leaf colorway so it may be destined for something similar.

Blocking the CPH

2008-07-31T12:05:00.001-04:00

The Central Park Hoodie's back and both fronts are now blocked. So far so good...well except for the honking mistake I found while I was blocking the right front. At least I only have to tink back one cable repeat & redo the shoulder shaping so it's not a big problem. Never noticed it while knitting. Mind must have been wandering again because I DID count the cable repeats before I started the shaping...just didn't count well.

Anyhoo once I blocked out the right front and then the left front you could not help but notice the difference...the right was a couple of inches taller. Not good. So once it's dry I've got to fix that before I can join the fronts and the back together. Still plan on doing a three needle bind off for the shoulders so the plan is to finish the main body tomorrow.

As for the sizing issues that I was worried about prior to blocking it looks as if it's right on the money. The back is perfect at 20" wide and about 1 " longer at 25". The left front is 9" wide without the button band and is also 25" long. I'm not gonna talk about the right front since it's slightly off...it is okay in width though at 9". The way the numbers are working out once the button band is attached I'll be slightly wider than the 10 1/2" listed on the schematic...works for me!

As for the sleeves I decided to knit them at the same time on one circular needle. So far so good through 2 pattern repeats. Let's hope there are no more surprises...I have enough going on right now.

Run Through

2008-07-25T10:01:00.008-04:00

Today it's all about what progress has been made with all the stuff on the needles. Actually I'm pleased that I have touched everything I have at least once in the last week. All are making progress towards completion. All have required me to fix something...in one case quite a bit of tinking was needed.

First up is the Nicole Jacket I finally got past the armhole shaping and am close to starting the shoulder shaping. It seems like it has taken forever to get past the armhole decreases because of my inability to knit & watch the National Geo channel. This pattern has driven me more nuts than usual because the pattern is knit on the wrong side...you can't tell if you're still right unless you continually flip back & forth or you just go for it and realize you're off as you get to the last 5 stitiches. I thought of using stitch patterns, but I'd need one every 4 stitches...so I just decided I won't work on it if there's really something I have to see on National Geo.

My second big project is the Central Park Hoodie...moving quickly there. I'll finish the right front this evening. This weekend I may go ahead and block the fronts and back so I can seam it up and try the darn thing on. The arms I'm thinking will be done in the round so I'll have a bit less seaming. Although I've thought about doing them together on one circular I doubt I'll go that route...too much thinking about which sleeve is which so the cables aren't flipped. So far my only problem with CPH is the 2nd cable I forgot to do on the left front. At least I noticed before I'd gotten the entire front done. Decided to frog back to it rather than take out the stitches just for the cable...turned out to be much faster than messing with picking up the stitches for 4 sets of cables.

The poor basic sock has been a bit neglected this week. I did work on it while sitting in a waiting room, but I'm just not loving this yarn at all. I don't like the feel of it and the patterning isn't matching as well as I think it should...afterall I did start at almost the same spot, but the design is not as crisp and clear as the first sock. I'm not ripping it back because as much as I hate to say it...just don't care about this sock.

The last of the projects that got a good bit of attention was the Herringbone Wrap...needed to see how far I could get before my trip to Mosaic on Tuesday. It's now 72" long which may be long enough, but I just might add another set or 2 of squares since I still have yarn left & I love long wraps. I ended up buying 2 more skeins of the Noro Silk Garden Lite in the colorway I used the least in order to knit the sides. Maybe the darn thing will be all done by the end of next month...will need to plan out the sides. I'm so type A that I want to match the two long sides...crazy right?

Short RowsDone

2008-07-17T14:35:00.006-04:00

Short rows are all completed...there are 18 stitches for each shoulder and 38 stitiches for the hood all waiting paitently on holders. I'm hoping I've done them correctly. Time will tell. I also started knitting on the left front and got all the ribbing completed before bed...yeah!

Short Rows You Say

2008-07-16T11:35:00.011-04:00

Significant progress has been made on the Central Park Hoodie or CPH. I'm about ready to start the shoulder shaping and have decided to do short rows rather than binding off as the pattern describes. The sloped shoulder will look so much better than binding off and then seaming up the fronts and back. The live stitches will then be held & I'll seam the fronts and the back using the three needle bind off.

I'll end up with a sloped shoulder & an almost invisible seam...what's not to love about it? Now how will I do this when the pattern isn't written with short rows? Well you can find a tutorial here at Knitty that tells you how to 'rewrite' the pattern from binding off to short rows. It's really very simple in the case of the CPH. The size I'm doing tells me to bind off 6 stitches for 6 rows, but what I plan to do is knit to the last 6 sts then wrap & turn back, then I will follow my pattern until the last 6 sts where I'll wrap & turn back. I'll repeat this for each row...knitting up to 6 sts before the last wrap & turn for 6 rows.

So I have rewritten the shoulder section to look something like this:

Row 1(WS): follow pattern to last 6 sts, sl 1 pw, wyif, return sl st, move yarn to back and turn

Row 2(RS): follow pattern to last 6 sts, sl 1 pw, wyib, return sl st, move yarn to front and turn

Row 3(WS): follow pattern to last 12 sts, sl 1 pw, wyif, return sl st, move yarn to back & turn

Row 4(RS): follow pattern to last 12 sts, sl 1 pw, wyib, return sl st, move yarn to front and turn

Row 5(WS): follow pattern to last 18 sts, sl 1 pw, wyif, return sl st, move yarn to back & turn

Row 6(RS): follow pattern to last 18 sts, sl 1 pw, wyib, return sl st, move yarn to front and turn

Row 7(WS): follow pattern and pick up all wrapped stitches, either knitting or purling as needed, place the stitches just worked on holder (18 sts + 38 sts), break yarn and reattach at RS to pick up all wrapped stitches at right shoulder (18 sts).

I should have 18 stitches(left shoulder), 38 stitches (hood) and 18 stitches (right shoulder) left after I complete the short rows...it'll be fun right?

Even and Odd

2008-07-14T15:51:00.003-04:00

What happened? I suddenly have a number of things on the needles this month and all requiring my attention. Currently there are 3 sweaters (Nicole Jacket, Central Park Hoodie and Shaped Edge Sweater) 2 different socks (Basic pattern & Knitty's Spring Forward, Etrusca and the Herringbone Wrap. I'm thinking in order to get it all done quicker and so no project will feel neglected I've decided to take the time honored approach of an odd/even day. It worked during my kids growing up for various things so on odd days I'm planning on working on Nicole, Basic sock or Herringbone Wrap. Then on an even day I'll knit on Central Park Hoodie, the Spring Forward sock or Estrusca. The Shaped Edge Sweater only has a sleeve left so that can be worked in when I need some mindless knitting.

Another great thing about this approach is that my poor thumb will not cramp up with the same needles being handled nightly. Of course it could all fall apart when one project becomes the next obsession...have to resist that impulse.

The Group's First Sock

2008-07-11T14:27:00.001-04:00

Back in March I mentioned that my neighbors had asked me to help them learn how to knit socks. Everyone knew the basics of how to knit, but no one had tried knitting socks. The first call came from D who wanted to do a pair for her oldest daughter who had recently had a foot injury. D had knit up a "toe cozy" for the daughter because her exposed toes were constantly cold. Since the daughter loved the feel of the yarn on her toes D naturally thought she'd love handknit socks....who wouldn't love them! So plans were set to get together and start a pair of socks as a birthday present for her daughter. Afterall she said we "had until June to get the socks done"...funny how that worked out. The other neighbors, B & E decided they would like to take part in the knitting party too.

I made up a basic sock pattern based on the Yarn Harlot's book, Knitting Rules and a ball band of Colinette Jitterbug. The first lesson came...everyone got their socks cast on and 2 x 2 ribbing started. We got together a few more Sundays to knit...progress was very very slow for everyone. The last time I checked in on their progress D had ripped back and restarted a few more times...still working on the ribbing & the June birthday is now past. E had made it down to the heel flap, but had not picked up her needles in a while.

Of the three who started knitting back in March only B was close to finishing her first sock. On July 8th she was done with the toe decreases and ready to learn how to finish...the very next evening she learned how to do just that. The Kitchener Stitch can be a confusing mess of stitches when you first do it. I remember sitting at my desk and saying out loud..."knit off, purl on...purl off, knit on"...over & over again until I got to those last 2 stitches. B did have some problems remembering the mantra, but she got through it with a completed first sock.

Her sock has had some memorable moments...about 1/2" of the knit stitch followed by a row of purl before realizing that by knitting in the round stockinette is created without the need of purling, the poor sock & it's attached needles getting sucked up in her vacuumn not once but two times & the heel flap getting ripped back multiple times for 'dropped' slip stitches...still a mystery as to how those stitches ended up unravelling. I've told her that she needs to cast on for the second sock...before "second sock syndrome" rears it's ugly head. Mine is cast on and ribbing is done. The question is do I work to the heel and wait for E & D to get there or do I finish my second sock?

The Forgotten Finished Object

2008-07-10T12:32:00.006-04:00

I really shouldn't say it was forgotten because it has been worn a number of times since I finished it back in June...I just forgot to take FO Picture. Of course I'm talking about Chic Knits Ribby Shell that I started in May and finished on the 17th of June. What a fun knit it was...quick, simple, looks nice on, and to top it off a few compliments even from my husband.

I didn't do an awful lot in the way of modifications...in fact only one comes to mind. I added an extra inch in length to the overall garment. After wearing it a bit I think I may add another inch or so to the length on the next one. Yes, there will be another since there are 2 versions of the same pattern...one is a plain front/back and the other is ribbed all the way around. I'm leaning towards a ribbed version, but the plain front is very nice.

The shell looks so nice I'm thinking of making one as a vest for the fall/winter season. Instead of using summer light weight yarns I'm going to use worsted weight to see how it looks...would do it in a much larger size so that I can layer under it. Bonnie Marie Burns, Ms Chic Knits herself makes that recommendation in the pattern so it should work out just fine.

The details of the project:
Pattern: Ribby Shell from Chic Knits

Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Teddy Bear

Needles: KnitPicks, size 4 Harmony Options and size 6 Options, 48" circulars

Modification: added 1 inch in overall length to shell body

Size: 37"

Monkey is Done...11 Months Late

2008-07-09T09:32:00.004-04:00

I finally finished the 2nd Monkey Sock by Cookie A. for the second time. Yep, I knitted it twice...what fun...well not really! I had finished the second sock of the pair way back in October, but when I tried them on there were "size issues". I guess I messed up the gauge and I never paid attention to this "little" problem.

After I had finished the sock I laid it on it's mate and looked at the difference in size between the two. I could not believe that I had never realized as I knit that the second sock that it was growing larger in diameter. I had used the first one as my measuring stick to check that the ribbing, the heels and the toes were all the same between the socks. I remember noticing some width differences, but blew that off as just the way I was laying them together...you know as in those peskey needles "get in the way" notion. Needless to say that width does make a difference in how the sock fits my foot...this sock did not fit & I knew I'd never wear them nor do I know anyone with such mismatched feet that I could dump them.

After this discovery I laid the sock aside for the night...to think. I don't like to rip apart in the heat of the moment so I left it until the next day. Of course I ripped the darn thing apart first thing the next morning...the whole sock. I was left with a pile of curly yarn that I washed, dried and wound back into a ball. I put the completed first sock and the yarn away...far way from me.

A few weeks ago as I was pondering what knitting I would take with me to Purl Jam I came across the Monkey bag...it seemed a shame for such beautiful yarn (Fleece Artist Sock Merino) and one sock to just be sitting on my desk. I cast on and start the second sock...making sure that I had a much tighter gauge. I didn't really knit much on it over the course of the weekend, but it started growing and was finished last night. I'm pleased with the fit...now the only problem is that it's much lighter in tone that sock 1. I didn't try to match the colors because it didn't seem possible. You do notice...DH did, but whose going to notice under my pants leg? There is no way I am going to frog this sock again...not happening.

New Day, New Month and Another Plan

2008-07-01T13:24:00.008-04:00

Today I went to visit my LYS...The Yarn Lounge. Since I was close to the shop running some errands I decided to pop in on them. I have 2 projects, both needing a needle size of US6, so it seemed like a good idea to go ahead and get the Addi's for my Nichole Jacket by Jane Ellison. I love using my other Addi's, but I only have lace sized needles.

While I was there I looked thrrough their yarn selection for a replacement yarn for the Mosaic Maniac's Central Park Hoodie KAL. As I said a day or so ago the Kathmandu DK Tweed wasn't going to work for the CPH. After looking at my choices...the Jo Sharp SilkRoad Aran, the Louet Riverstone, and the Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted... I chose the Lamb's Pride. The Lounge had a color I had not seen before called Cafe-au-Lait...think varigated browns. The shades vary from a dark rich brown to a lighter shade of milk chocolate. No really light tones mostly a pleasing brown that once I knitted the swatch has a mottled kind of tone. I like the look of the fabric and best of all I got gauge with the US8's....even the row gauge. A true first for me...I NEVER have been able to get the allusive row gauge in any other project.

Now we will have to wait to see what other things develop as I knit this sweater. The cast on date is set for July 12th so in the meantime I'm going to cast on for the Nichole Jacket that has been on the "To Do List" for over 2 years. The Kathmandu DK Tweed will be used for this one...it hasn't been in the stash a week, but it's actually the yarn called for in the pattern so I may as well use it. I'm thinking this weekend I should be far enough ahead on other projects to start this one. Now we shall see if I can knit 2 sweaters over the same time without going crazy.

The Plan Changes

2008-06-30T07:34:00.006-04:00

Well shooot...I was all set for the cast on date of July 12th of the Central Park Hoodie KAL with the Mosaic Maniacs. That is until I swatched the Queensland Kathmandu DK Tweed in Dark Chocolate which I was intending to use. I must admit that the yarn just isn't going to work for this project. When I knitted the swatch I started off with a US7 and a cast on of 45 stitiches. After knitting a few inches I counted the number of stitches I was getting which turned out to be 19 sts/4". Since that wasn't close to the required gauge of 17 sts/4" I moved up a size to US8's. I also added a set of cables from the pattern chart as I knit the swatch to see how the yarn would look when cabled.

My swatch ended up being fairly large at about 9", but I really wanted to see how the DK would do since it is more light weight than the yarn mentioned in the pattern. The pattern called for a gauge of 17 stitches per 4 inches on US8's....this worked out to be 4 1/2 stitches per inch. Unfortunately the Dk Tweed recommends using US6 needles and works up at a gauge of 5 stitches per inch. I had hoped that by going up a needle size or two it would be okay since I really wanted a light weight sweater, but after washing & blocking my swatch it became clear that this yarn would not do justice to the sweater. I was able to get 17-18 sts/4" and 26 rows, but not pleased with the feel of the fabric...it's too "flimsy". Since there is so much cabling in the CPH...arms, fronts, and back....I'm afraid that the DK Tweed just wouldn't hold up & the stitch definition would not be clear enough. I do love how this feels as you knit it...so soft against the skin. I have a plan for the Kathmandu DK Tweed just not going to be used for the CPH project.

So the search is on for alternative...I could bite the bullet and go ahead and get the Queensland Kathmandu Aran. I know this one will work and actually tried on a finished CPH at Purl Jam last week. N had knitted up a beauty out of the green colorway in the Aran weight... wonderful nice feel to the sweater. My other choices include Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted (4 1/2 sts/inch on US8), Louet's Riverstone (4-5sts/inch on US7), Classic Elite Waterlily (4 1/2 sts/inch on US8) and last the Jo Sharp SilkRoad Aran Tweed (4 1/2 sts/inch on US8) which is basically the same as the Kathmandu Aran. I don't have enough of anything in the stash to use so a shopping trip is going to be necessary...the Lamb's Pride is by far the cheapest way to go and I do enjoy knitting it. I even have a skein in the stash of Wild Oak and Roasted Coffee that I can try out a swatch from before plunking down some cash.

Also in the stash I have 12 balls of the Waterlily that I was planning to use for my Nicole Jacket by Jane Ellison. I need a total of 16 to 17 balls for the Central Park so I need to find 4 more to go with what I have...a difficult proposition since I bought this yarn at least 2 years ago so the dye lot is long gone. I may check it out and see how close the colors match. I can try knitting with different lots if I alternate the balls, but first must see how close in color they appear. The yarn does have light & dark shading...looks like it's been handpainted so you may be able to get away with different lots.

The plans are forever changing...now I''ve changed the plan for the Nichole Jacket...it is destined to be knit out of the Kathmandu DK Tweed. Which happens to be exactly the yarn called for in the pattern so the change in plans works out in the end.

Last Day Knitting

2008-06-26T14:36:00.006-04:00

Wow the weekend flew right on by didn't it? With all the evening activities I've kind of found myself missing my knitting alone time. Weird but true...the knitting weekend really did not have huge blocks of knitting time. More sample style or should I say swatch style? I tried to knit after getting back to T's place each night...the last night I did just that until 1:oo AM. It felt nice to sit & knit in the quiet apartment after the day's classes.

Sunday's event was a Tips & Tricks class with Annie Modesitt. She gave her long tail cast on tip that she shared in the Color class on Friday...pretty cool method of never running out yarn no matter how many stitches are called for. All you do is pull yarn from both the center and outside of the ball, take the 2 ends & make a slip knot, place knot on one of your needles, start long tail cast on, once the required number of stitches are cast on decide which of the 2 ends will become the working yarn...think center...and then cut off the tail. What a good idea.

She went over blocking...the how's & why's...then the most fun ever, dreadlocks! I loved the technique. Thinking about all the applications for this little "fringing" technique just excites the devil out of me. For one I hate to add fringe to wraps, scarves, hats, bags...you name it and I will think of a way not to put it on. Now the dreadlocks...so cool...fun to do and I know they would add a certain something to an edge which would look so much nicer than it does with fringe. Cannot wait until I'm doing S's scarf 'cause these are going to be on there somewhere.

The other technique that I have never done was a 5 stitch bobble. I have avoided those like the plague in the past, but now I'm going to give then a try. It may be a good use on my next bag as a closure or even decorative edging prior to the icord bindoff. The possibilities are endless with these 2 little decorative tricks. Annie also did a few things that I'm very familiar with like the icord bindoff...nothing new there, but her way of doing a left leaning decrease was new. I either do a k2tog tbl or ssk... I prefer the ssk. She came up with another that starts with knitting into the stitch and wrapping around backwards from your ususal way which marks the stitch by twisting it. When you turn the work and purl back you notice because the stitch isn't sitting correctly, this is where it gets "fun"...maybe not so much. When you get to the twisted stitch you then p2tog tbl. I dislike the manipulation of p2tog tbl....been there done it and it hurts my poor bad thumb...whiny I know. I tried it in class, but didn't feel that my left leaning decreases improved much if any. Can you see which looks nicer? My ssk's are on the right and the p2tog tbl is on the left...what do ya think?

Already It Is Day 2

2008-06-25T13:13:00.006-04:00

Day 2 arrived as early as the first day...another 5:30 AM wake up call from the chirping birds. A little knitting to start the morning as I waited on B to get up so we could head off for the day's classes. I don't often get the chance to knit first thing in the morning, but I find it a wonderful way to start my day. The weather was terrific...sitting on the deck with the cool air was a big change from last week's heat.

After breakfast I started my morning off with Cornelia's Herringbone class and B went off for Annie's Cocoon Shrug class. Thankfully, I had heard we had to do some knitting homework for the class and had gotten it done the night before at the "pajama party". Good thing a few of us had worked it through ahead of time because we were able to have a good laugh as others caught up to the 'count error' in the pattern. Cornelia laughed along with us as we talked about how errors occur on patterns & what we should do about them...afterall "knitting is not rocket science." The pattern is very interesting and I find it addictive. Once I had it in the brain I didn't want to stop. I find myself saying just one more block...just one more block...One. More. Block. It won't take long to get the shawl/scarf done at the pace I'm going.

I had read that Cornelia knits from a skein she places in her lap. She does not wind it into a yarn cake or ball...merely lays it down and pulls yarn from it as she goes. I know I'd have a mess of tangles if I ever attempted this...

The last class for the day was Cornelia's Swedish sock class. The class was going to be outdoors under a large tent...good thing for great weather. When I got there Cornelia was none too pleased about the table & chair placement. Four rows of tables & chairs on both sides of an aisle and they were all facing forward just like school. Cornelia & I moved the tables into a large square so we were all facing each other...a much nicer, more intimate setting.

Cornelia started the class by saying that we could custom design socks for any foot with any yarn...to start you need the width aroud the ankle and the gauge of the yarn to figure out the number of stitches to cast on. As the class started we found that we were going to do a different sock...an anklet so we could get further along into the mechanics of sock knitting. Before class ended we actually made it through the cuff, leg, heel flap, turning the heel, gusset decreases and talked about decreasing for the toes and even how she closes off the toe. Cornelia uses the same technique as when you close up a hat...run yarn through the last 8 stitches and pull tight. It looks kind of pointy, but you could not feel it from the inside. I still like the look of Kitchner and I love doing it so I'll probably continue using that as my preferred method.

The patterning she chose looks nice...a 7 stitch moss pattern with some ribbing created as you go. I'm must redo the ski socks with some of the tips from Cornelia to see if I can get the heel area from bunchin up...this pattern and slipped stitch heel may do the trick!

Lessons Learned on Day 1

2008-06-24T09:03:00.006-04:00

I decided to take 5 classes at Purl Jam 2008. On Day One B & I took in Annie Modesitt's "Color Combination" class bright & early... well for most the 9 o'clock hour was early, but I once again woke at the wonderful hour of 5:00 AM...that's truly early. I found class pretty straightforward & fairly easy which I was surprised about...figured that I had been doing it "wrong".

I had only done a small bit of colorwork on a blanket square in the shape of the Hokie Bird. It turned out okay, not great...a bit tight across the floats, but I was pleased that it made it into one of the blankets. The only other time had been on DH's and T's blankets...huge squares which were done as color blocks with each color wrapped around as I came to the changes. In Annie's class I discovered that I had been doing it correct for the most part. She had a few tricks to make things appear a bit smoother and easier as you knit along...as in fewer tangles of the various yarns which I loved learning. I will be trying out these techniques in a handbag and a scarf in the next several weeks.

After lunch it was on to Cornelia Tuttle-Hamilton's "Fear of Finishing" class. At the party the night before we had learned from her that we only needed 2 squares for our homework, not the 6 that had been listed. I figured we would learn different ways of joining seams of various stitch patterns...my OCD kicking in....but it was really just the mattress stitch on anything & everything. I played around with each of my squares during class & discovered that if the edge stitch can be figured out, then yes mattress stitch works well.

As Cornelia said I must think ahead about the edges of my work in order to have a nice finish. I'll really need to check my Nicole Jacket pattern to see if the designer took into account the need for an extra stitch to compensate for the basketweave patterning & the fact that during the seam joining I'll loose a stitch at each end.

I must admit to being a bit disappointed that mattress stitch was the only technique shown because I had assumed there would be other methods. In the long run it was fine because I was able to see that mattress stitch will work on anything...even my Shaped Edge Sweater. I had taken that as my UFO so I could see how to seam up those ribbed diagonal edges. Cornelia took it over to figure it out since she found it "unusual" then she passed it off to S, to stitch up the seam a bit. It bothered B that Cornelia didn't bring it back over to me & show me what was going on, but she has never seamed anything & was sorta lost with what was happening. I found nothing wrong with it...all I need to do is spread apart the seaming & see exactly how & what was done. S did a wonderful job as did Cornelia so why be upset?

Cornelia approached me the next morning to appologize about passing it off...not sure why she felt the need to say anything, but I told her it was fine & that now I had less seaming and could tell everyone that I had a "real" designer do some "finishing" on the sweater. Pretty coool I'd say! So thanks Cornelia & S for putting your creative touches to my sweater!

Back to Reality

2008-06-23T12:18:00.012-04:00

B & I are back from our adventure to Blacksburg and what was Purl Jam. We had a great time and now B has her stash started. She admitted that there seemed to be fumes in the air and she just could not resist the urge to buy yarn.

B even DREAMED about a yarn that she saw when we were in Mosaic for the book signing. You know it is a sign that you MUST buy that yarn which turned out to be Gedifra's Filorosa. Poor thing was worried it would all be gone by the time we got to the store when she'd tell someone about her discovery. No worries, she found her yarn packed up and left one happy lady.

As I unpacked my bags today I was surprised at how little yarn I actually bought...strange event I know. DH even noticed that I didn't have as much as he expected I would have. I must be slipping somehow. I ended up with 3 skeins of Classic Elite Alpaca Sox to be used for another Lace Ribbon Wrap, 1 skein of Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Moccasin Trail, 1 skein of Blacksburg indie dyer, David Simpson's Kona Superwash 100% merino wool in the color Underwater Twilight...love the name & feel of this sock yarn. Last more Hokie colored yarn. I can never have enough of those colors...this is from Farmhouse Yarns and is 100% Andy's Merino III. The skeins even include a picture of Andy the sheep.

Other purchases included 3 books...Cornelia Tuttle-Hamilton's Wanderlust & Araucanian Leisure and Sensual Knits that included Jared Flood's Ramona sweater pattern. I also succumbed to the temptations and ordered a Lawre Laine knitting bag....yeah I know I have 3 nice bags, but you can never have enough and I have wanted a specific color and look so the opportunity was there and I just did it!

Now for a few pictures:

The lovely Gina... Mosaic shop owner and the organizer of Purl Jam

2008 Purl Jam Event Instructors/Designers:

Cornelia Tuttle-Hamilton, Jared Flood, & Annie Modesitt

48 Hours to GO....

2008-06-17T16:29:00.002-04:00

Yep, it is now less than 48 hours until B and I leave for the long awaited Purl Jam Event! My knitting bags (note the plural...I have 3 ) are packed & ready to go. My "homework" is done...including blocked and ends woven in. I even will have an unfinished item for the finishing class! The Chicknits Ribby Shell is done except for the shoulder seams. I figured I'd take it with me and see what seaming Cornelia would recommend using on joining the shoulders.

So excited about the upcoming weekend. So many people I've met through Raverly to put names & faces together. A fun weekend of knitting, talking, eating, learning, ......the list is almost endless.

Three Down and Three to Go

2008-06-10T12:21:00.003-04:00

I've completed 3 of the 6 squares I need for my Fear of Finishing class at Purl Jam next week. So far I've got a garter square, a moss square, and a just finished stockinette square. Three more to go before I head off next Thursday...should not say that it's a piece of cake...don't want to get those Knitting Gods worked up do we? Nope, I've got to decided what other patterning I need to have so I can learn how to finish off more professionally.

I'm leaning towards a basketweave of some kind due to a long hibernating pattern for a "jacket" called Nichole by Jane Ellison I found in the Queensland Collection Book 1 over a year...or maybe 2 years ago. Can that be right? I've had the yarn & book for ages so it could be 2 years. Anyway it could prove helpful to see how to seam up a basketweave if/when I knit the Nichole Jacket.

The last 2 squares have not been decided...one will have some yo's and be more lacy and the last one may be the patterning for another future project (Etrusca swatch) so I better get back to it...

Homework

2008-06-05T07:57:00.004-04:00

Homework...no haven't returned to school, but I have some prelim work to do for Purl Jam. I'm taking a class on "finishing" as in finishing off my knitting in a more professional manner. I'm hoping that I will learn a few more ways to seam up my FO's. At the moment I only know one way...mattress stitch...which works great on a bunch of things. It doesn't work so well on certain stitch patterns, therefore when the class list showed up the finishing class seemed to fit what I was looking to improve the most in my knitting.

So now I need to knit up 6 squares to practice whatever seaming techniques that are being taught. I'm thinking I need a couple stockinette, garter, and at least something with some holes or combination of stitches. No size was given for the square, but the 6-7" sqaure would be large enough to handle and see what the heck I was doing. The class is June 20th so plenty of time to get these knitted up...need to choose a color. I'm leaning toward one of the left over oranges from the blankets.

As for the other classes I'm doing there are no homework assignments just yarn lists...I've already made a visit to Mosaic (while I was moving oldest to yet another apartment) to purchase what was needed for the Swedish Sock and the Herringbone Classes. I picked out 2 skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite in deep blues/browns/greens(colorway 2023) and deep greens/pinks/blues(colorway 2014). Who really knows what's inside the skein...the beauty & mystery of Noro Yarns.

For the sock class Cornelia recommends either the Noro Sock or Mirasol Hacho. I decided against using my Noro for the class due to it's less than nice feel or stickiness nature. Doing a class with unknown techniques...to me anyway... I didn't want to be fighting with the yarn while I was trying to learn something new. I much prefer the feel of the Mirasol Hacho (colorway 302) ...a nice soft feel which is both smooth & even in texture. It's a varigated with deep blues, purples, pinks and a touch of turquoise blue. I've never used this yarn so I looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

The remaining classes are using stash yarn....Yeah! I have several colors left from the 2 blankets I've knitted....T's and DH's which is perfect 'cause I need 6 different colors for a color class. Really looking forward to a better understanding of intarsia, stranding, & colorwork in general. The weekend should be fun & fiber filled...hope I'm up to the challenges.

Oopsie

2008-06-04T09:10:00.010-04:00

This is where I was yesterday afternoon when I took time for a photo shoot...I was much further along when I discovered I had a problem. Once again my thoughts got ahead of my fingers while knitting on a new project. I started the Chicknits Ribby Shell last week when I finished the Lace Ribbon Wrap. Really moving along on it too with about 8" completed...then I noticed it. A glitch. A BIG one. All the way down to just past the 2" ribbed edge.

Can you see it? The ribbing at the far left just stopped being ribbing...not once, but 3 different times! I had managed to knit my first 2" of ribbing and start on the body just fine, but then...a royal screwup. One that I had not noticed until I was over 8 1/2" into the body and started thinking ahead to the armhole shaping. As I was smoothing the surface & admiring how far I had knit in just a day I noticed that on one side I was somehow off in the patterning....what the? As I counted the ribbed section on one side and came up with 13 sets I started to sweat...not going to be 13 on the other side. Nope, only 10...I had changed the purled stitches to knit for 3 sets of ribbing and never caught it.

I first thought no problem I'd just unravel the 2 stitches of each set that had been knitted and switch them to purl stitches. It started out well, but as I continued up the section the tension got much too loose. After several attempts to get it all even and tight to match the surrounding area I had to reach the realization that I was going to have to frog back a very long way. It was already well after 11:30 PM and I knew that I had to at least rip back or I'd not sleep well.

The frogging began and took over 30 minutes to get ripped, wrapped and back on the needles. Of course I had to knit/purl around a few rows to make sure everything was back on track. At 1:30 PM I was all set with my knitting back on course and really ready to go to bed. At least I didn't dream about the problem all night.

It's Done and so am I

2008-06-03T16:15:00.001-04:00

I've finished the Lace Ribbon Wrap for the Mosaic Maniacs KAL... Whoo Hoo! The last stitch was stitched on May 27...today is June 3rd. Yeah alot of a lag in completion time and write up, but the other part of my life kept interrupting me. I knitted until I had about 1 gram of yarn left...worked out so well it was almost like I planned it. I stopped right at the end of the 24th row of the pattern with enought yarn to knit 2 rows plain. Perfect! I figured I could go on for a few more rows, but what was the point? The patterning would have looked all wonky ending on any other row so I'm done. Did I mention how pleased I am with the result?

Very happy...so happy that I was able to get a decent length with the one skein of Blue Heron Merc. Egyptian Cotton. That worried me a little as the ball got smaller and smaller, but the length was nowhere long enough for my taste. In the end after it was blocked I have a decent sized wrap...or scarf if I choose to double up the width.

The Details:

Pattern: Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery

Yarn: Blue Heron Merc. Egyptian Cotton

Needles: Clover Bamboo, size 3, 24" circular

Size: Blocked- 23" wide, 72" length

Modifications: Cast on 116 sts. was the only modification and knitted until I was almost out of yarn

18 Repeats and Still Going

2008-05-21T15:31:00.006-04:00

I have now completed a total of 18 pattern repeats on my Lace Ribbon Wrap and still have a good bit of yarn left. My plan is to continue knitting until I've used all the Blue Heron. I see no good reason to stop until then. The wrap is now 58 inches unblocked and I'm hoping to get another 12 inches or more out of what I have left. This last bit of yarn doesn't seem to getting any smaller...my DH keeps asking if I'm knitting because the yarn doesn't appear to be getting any smaller.

I still have no idea how many more repeats it will take to finish, but I'm still enjoying the knitting on this project. This should be done by the Purl Jam Event next month. I cannot wait to see everyone else's scarves/wraps...the Mosaic Maniacs should be a site to see if everyone can get them done for the big event.

Oh Boy! Oh Boy!

2008-05-13T15:06:00.007-04:00

Eyelet Mock Cable

Whoo hooooo! What a nice surprise to discover today as I read through my usual blog list. Today when I clicked on Stitch Marker I discovered the happy news that I was one of two radomnly selected to receive a prize. A few months back I knitted up 4 dishcloths for Larissa's Dishcloth Project.

I used some yarn in the stash...Peaches & Creme in ivory and some Sugar & Cream in white. It is amazing to see the number of dishcloth patterns that are out there. These patterns were all found at http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/dishcloths.php

Little Shells

Snowdrop Lace

Fir Cones

New WIP...swatch at least

2008-05-12T16:42:00.007-04:00

Graduation is now a done deal...was a very nice weekend spent in Blacksburg with my boys. The weather turned out better that I had hoped. Friday we ran around all day in cool and drizzly conditions...then friday evening for the graduation events in Lane Stadium we had clear skies and a moonlit evening to walk back to the car with the Grad! Saturday was sun shiney and perfect...so no ruined pics or clothes. My oldest is now a Graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. A real mouthful of a name for what most call Virginia Tech, but that's the name on the diploma. Now proud Mom's off the soapbox and back to talking about knitting.....

While in Blacksburg I was given an early Mother's Day gift...a certificate to Mosaic from my oldest. After an early dinner he said that "you really want my gift now"...then it struck me what it could be. I was so very pleased for the thoughful gift from him. My DH and I headed off to Mosaic to check out the possibilites while my oldest got ready for graduation. Of course my DH took a nap in the car while I shopped & gabbed...I was even able to get a cup of coffee and due to the kindness of a knitter's offer of a needle knit on a swatch for a bit before he came to get me.

I ended up buying 4 skeins of Rowan Calmer in Slosh a nice smokey blue and 2 skeins of Fleece Artisit's Sea Wo ol in Mermaid (I think based on color descriptions). I started swatching for the Angela Hahn's Etrusca while I waited for DH's naptime to end. I only got a few rows before it was time to head on off to pick up my son and his girlfriend for the night's big event. Last night I started the second swatch in the ebellished garter stitch as the designer recommended to verify all is well with the selection...it's looking as if size 7 needles will be the choice. I have to finish a bit more to check the row and block to see how the Calmer is going to do, but so far I'm spot on gauge. I love the soft feel of the Calmer...the first time I have used this yarn. I hope to cast on this week for the tank because I'd love to wear it next month to Mosaic's Purl Jam . If interested check out the link quick since there are only a few spots left!

Another Shot

2008-05-06T09:57:00.004-04:00

I tried another shot at dying yarn with koolaid. What colors....the Hokie combination of orange & back cherry what else would I use? Of course forgot to take pics as I went...the brain is not up to par this week. I did remember to get before & after shots of the yarn so that will have to do. This skein turned out somewhat different than Mom's....I tried to actually paint lines into the yarn. Not sure it worked out as planned, but the colors mixing are nice. Next may need to lay the yarn out in long sections and plan to paint individual strings. Wonder how that would turn out? Would I get nice changes on colors or a muddy blending when it was knit up.

This weekend I'm planning on dropping into Mosaic and buy some Kraemer Jeannie. I'd like to have enough to knit up some socks. These little cakes aren't enough for more than a skinny scarf. I'll have to find more black cherry koolaid if I go the Hokie color route with the socks...although I'm leaning toward another colorway. I'm thing a cool green lime maybe? It could match my current wip...lace ribbon wrap.

Too bad there is not more than 24 hours in my days. I have too much going on this month to add more...graduation & birthday cards to make, 3 days till oldest's VT graduation, windows to replace which leads to painting inside & out, and lastly painting the entire house as I go. Did I mention that the summer's heat is mixed into all this painting?

"I don't understand Lace Knitting"

2008-05-01T11:12:00.007-04:00

Yep, my DH said to me last night that very thing..."I don't understand lace knitting." At the time I was fussing a bit about a stupid error I'd made in my Lace Ribbin "wrap". He went on to say that he thought it was "interesting" just why would you want to knit it? I laughed because I really have no idea why I find lace so fun, yes I said fun to knit. Maybe it's the fact you have to pay attention and keep focused on your knitting. Let's face it I do enjoy that piece of the puzzle because I'm a totally obsessed knitter. A project gets into my head and I cannot put it down until it's complete. The lace has been that way for me the last few months. First, it was Laura of Dragonwing Arts Summer Radiance Shawl that I completed in March, now it's the Lace Ribbon. My other projects are suffering from neglect.

There are a few other reasons. I love to watch how the simple act of a yo becomes this complicated looking twist in my current project. When I've messed up and dropped a yo I've tried to recreate the twist 2 rows down...does not look right, but is it oh so simple when you remember to just wrap a loop and on the next row knit or purl it.

Lace has taught me a few things along the way. The first is to use a life line if you don't want to pull your hair out with a major error full of lost yarnovers. I've become much better at both "reading my knitting" and using charts to knit. When I first starting knitting I figured no way would I be able to read a knitting chart...too complicated looking, symbols to remember, etc. Now I adore using charts vs written instructions. I now prefer the charts, but will read through the written directions for anything that may not be clear on the charts. Why do some designers use a chart, but write extra instructions buried in the written? Drives me crazy...then I am a bit.

Boring...No Way!

2008-04-29T12:42:00.006-04:00

Still knitting my evenings away on the Lace Ribbon "Wrap" that I've been involved with since the April 19th knit off with the Mosaic Maniacs from Raverly. I'm getting through the repeats faster as I go...can now knit through a whole pattern repeat (24 rows) before bedtime. If I make bedtime after 11:30 PM...I'm usually so close to finishing that I stay up past my usual time so it can be finished.

Today I weighed the yarn to see how much further it will go...about half way or so at the moment. Out of a total weight of 227 grams I still have one unused ball of about 84 grams, working ball of 50 grams and 93 grams of knitted yarn. So all that checking on how much yarn is left to knit means is that I think I will have enough yarn to get this to a minimum of 60"...maybe. It's now measuring out to about 26 inches unblocked.

Loving how this is coming along so far...I've been able to catch errors pretty quickly without ripping out or even tinking back. Yeah, I know that the Knitting Gods are going to smite me down any day now, but I'm feeling pretty happy about this project. I'd like to get this thing done in the next couple of weeks so I can start on a few summer tops. Finding it difficult to focus on those with the KAL going on too...pressure is a good thing in one's life right?

Dye Job

2008-04-25T13:14:00.008-04:00

Achieved another new thing in the land of knit...dying yarn. Yep, I got the Koolaid out, mixed it up, and painted some undyed yarn (Kraemer Natural-Jeannie). The yarn & koolaid were in a swag bag that my Mom & I got last June at Mosaic's Hokie Healing Project. (Side Note: the Hokie Healing Project involved over 8000 eight inch squares from knitters all over the world. A group of knitters decended upon Blacksburg last June & turned the squares into blankets for the families of those killer & injured at Virginia Tech last April. Scroll down to May through July entries at Mosaic's website for pictures.)

Mom asked what to do with her skein this past weekend and I offered to dye it for her. Yesterday I was to get the job done since it was so warm and sunny outside. First I had to take the ball of yarn and reskein it using my swift. I tied off the skein using cotton yarn in 3 equal sections. By tying off using a "figure 8" at each point I was able to easily remove the skein from the swift without making an absolute mess out of it. I must say that it worked like a dream...no tangles and it was easily put back on the swift to wind back into a ball once it was dry.

To start the dying process I first added warm water and a splash of vinegar to the stock pot I use for washing socks...then added the yarn to soak. While that was happening I mixed up the 2 koolaid packages (black cherry & orange) with 1/4 cup of warm water. Once the yarn had been totally saturated with water I squeezed out the excess and placed the yarn into baking dish.

I then used a couple of stencil brushes to "paint" the colors on the skein. I randomly placed the colors throughout the skein letting the colors move into each other...Hokie Yarn was born. The directions called for you to cook the yarn in the microwave for 2 minutes, let it sit for 2 minutes, then finish off for another 2 minutes of cooking time. Once it had cooled down enough to handle I ran tepid water on it until the water was clear...this only took a minute. It looks pretty good although it seems to be more orangy red than burgundy. I now must have a full sized skein so I have enough yarn to for socks. Oh no...more yarn to buy!

Pictures to follow once Blogger let's me do that...tired of the waiting.