Finally - a FO and Knitting Content Again!

I was a bad knitter - have been stuck in the knitting doldrums for a couple months now, trying unsuccessfully to finish a sock, so I bought three new skeins of Fleece Artist Merino. Got Peridot, Cornflower, and Spring Meadow. VERY pretty . . . I love these yarns with the subtle color changes. Am hoping they will knit up into some beautiful socks - yeah - like I'm gonna wake up some morning, and the knitting elves will have taken this and knit some lovely socks for me. Seems I'm gonna have to get off my cushions and start knitting in earnest - or at least in Merino yarn!

And now for something completely different - a finished object! After what seems like forever of slogging through hip-deep mud, I have managed to finish this lovely sock. Yes, it is another "loner" - a sock with no mate.

However, it has been a difficult road . . . can't even remember when this was started. I had good intentions. Once the RPM was finished, decided to move on to a different sock, come back, finish the second RPM, then the second baby silk.

You can guess the rest . . . I just want to start an entirely new pair of something - anything. Hopefully the self-discipline necessary to go back and pick up the pieces of the second socks will kick in and I'll finish. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled for brand new socks here!

February Knitting

Honest! I know, it's been too long since my last post, but there REALLY is knitting going on here!! See?

The first is a shot of a baby blank in progress - for a friend who's expecting soon. I was tired of making the feather and fan blankets, so decided to find something new and different. This is the "Hourglass" pattern from Lion Brand, but it is an 8-row repeat and fairly easy to remember. Admittedly, at first, I flubbed a couple times and ended up frogging a few rows, but once you get going, it is pretty simple. Plus, in this weather, it's nice to have something warm sitting on your lap!


Then, there's the SIP - sock in progess - Lombard Street out of the baby silk alpaca yarn. Absolutely beautiful, soft beyond imagination, and all, but for now, the baby blanket is on my "hot list" of things that simply MUST get done. So - the sock sits and waits. Of course, the RPM sock(s) I was working on has no mate, so that will be next . . . somehow I'm getting to where I just want to knit ONE SOCK. Is that so wrong??


Then there's the new yarn!! I must be planning more knitting! Actually, I have to - just to use the stash I've got now!

I got this wonderful hand-dyed yarn from Cabin Cove Mercantile. Dave Daniels there does a beautiful job on the yarn. It is soft, and the colors are very intense. He also included a nice, hand-written thank you card and a small bag of mountain lavender flowers. The sock yarn is 80% Merino Wool and 20% nylon. Beautiful!



And for my birthday (a week ago!) my niece sent me the newest stuff on the market - Tofutsies!! This small skein is enough for a pair of socks - can you believe it? it is 50% Superwash wool, 25% Soysilk, 22.5% cotten, and 2.5% Chitin, which turns out to be fiber made from shrimp and crab shells, and it is naturally antibacterial!



My son and his wife got methis beautiful Regia navy tweed. The picture doesn't do it justice! Also got me a gift certificate to my LYS (local yarn store), and some tiny #2 dpns. Was kind of a knitting birthday (until you consider the bread machine!). Was an awsome birthday!













Also got myself some bluejeans colored Austermann yarn, that is so soft! It has aloe vera and jojoba oil mixed in, so it has to be soft!

Stitches Stash Enhancement!

I may have to go to Stitches Midwest vicariously with my niece, but I got some REAL stash enhancement!

She brought me the Lorna's Laces Somerset I've wanted (80% wool, 20% nylon and oh-so soft), some Fly Super Sport (superwash Merino wool), Berroco's Touche (50% Cotton, 50% rayon also super soft) for my Krista Tee, a cool cables pattern, buttons for my Gansey sweater (like she expects I'll finish it in this lifetime!), a pattern for a shawl from the new Victorian Lace Today book, and my Folk Socks book (actually from the Interweave Hurt Book Sale a couple weeks ago).

You gotta love the way she shops! She even took an empty suitcase with her to Chicago so she could bring her bounty home! I am so thrilled! She also gave me her Tahitian Sunset Koigu that she just couldn't seem to knit. Some of you may read her blog, Shoes and Yarn, and she tried a bunch of different patterns with this yarn, ripped everything out, and gave up. A million thanks to Wendy for all these goodies!

We had such fun - I showed her progress on my sock and sweater, saw her feather and fan shawl, and we both got to see her mom's progress on a Christmas alphabet she's been cross stitching since she broke her thigh bone in early June. It is amazing just how much you can get done when you're forcefully glued to the sofa! My poor brother left the dining table and watched TV while we three sat there another couple hours going on about wool, knitting, and cross stitch.

FLASH YOUR STASH!!!

Well - here's my first attempt at flashing my stash, with an OTN thrown in for good measure!!

FLASH YOUR STASH!!!

Coming 1 Apr 06!! Something new and different (at least for me) to try!

Lace-Weight Yarn - Can be a Nightmare!

Ok - started on my Pacific NW Shawl last night after finishing my hand-dyed socks (yes, a set of two!). Since I've never knit one like this before, was quite a trial, but managed to get going after a few false starts, and was getting thrilled with the results. Got past the initial wobbly center by ripping and restarting, and so on, up to the first pattern - the seagulls. Ok. Going good now . . . . and then . . . . no yarn. Mind you, this was a ball of 880 yards that we dyed last August - beautiful light and lighter blue. And suddenly! Looked like it had just been cut! Ok. So, I ripped back to the beginning of the row, tied back on and started knitting. A couple more rows later, the same thing. Picked up the ball, looked closely, and saw it was like it had been stabbed with a knife! I ripped off yards and yards, about eight more breaks worth, and finally figured I'd found the last of it. Happily knitted some more - more seagulls - and another break. Along the way, I'd also noticed several spots where the yarn was barely holding together. Sheesh! It is now about three inches long from the beginning, and has about four knots! I picked up the ball and couldn't see any more breaks, but decided it was time to get tough. Began hand-winding a ball of the stuff and found two more breaks in it, although quite a ways down. So, have given up for the evening and am trying to decide whether to start over with the other identically dyed ball, or press on with what I have and hope that the knots won't be too obvious.

Guess that decision will be made tomorrow nite . . . .

Aprés Christmas 2005 . . . . .

Christmas was wonderful!!! My aunt loved her hand knit socks to keep her footsies warm! My dad loves his soft wool/flax scarf . . . See?? He's smiling!! Holding it up and admiring it! It was so tough not being able to post it on here until AFTER the holidays! He even asked if I was putting it out there beforehand . . . HA!

And it was certainly a knitter's Christmas! My niece got me some Koigu at Stitches last summer, and managed to not say a word until after I'd opened the gift!

And now, an update - the sassy striped socks are finished, my needles (yes, ALL of them!) were empty, so I started on last summer's dyed sock yarn. Below is a shot of some new lacy socks in progress:

The pattern will continue on the top of the foot. I remember when I first dyed the yarn and how it positively screamed "GREEN!" But now that it's being knitted, more of the beautiful shades of blue are more obvious. Can hardly wait to see these finished. Just hope they don't turn my feet the same color my hands were when we dyed the wool!!

So - today, 30 Dec 05, was a quiet one at the office. I did what I could and left around 2:15 to head homeward . . . . but somehow the Weaving Department at Meyers House beckoned and I had to swing by there. There's still those two balls of lace weight yarn we dyed last summer, and I'm "dying" to try a lace shawl in that! So I got the Fiber Trends Pacific Northwest shawl pattern below. Then, out of the blue (or, red?). . . . a wonderful "Foxy" brilliant red yarn called to me. It has fringes in red and other strange tags of stuff on it and when knit looks like a bright feather boa. HAD to have that!!! So, my Christmas cash was spread a bit today (see my stained glass blog for more "spreading of the Christmas cash!").
















Hope your Christmas was everything you hoped for and more, that your handmade gifts were opened with glee and the lucky recipients know the time and love that went into each article!

DIFFICULT Stash Enhancement

Ok - This is difficult stash enhancement:



Niece Wendy tried to divide a skein of 880 yards of lace weight yarn to dye today, and ended up making a mess. As she was leaving - it was still on the back of the couch - she said "knock yourself out." heheheheheh So, after an hour of untangling, you can see the small ball, less than the size of an orange, sitting there. Yes, it's good that I'm unemployed and have time to waste doing this kind of stuff. It will help keep me sane while waiting for the phone to ring!