End of the Holiday Knitting Surge

Gosh, has it really been almost a month since my last post? I've been doing a lot of holiday knitting, work, and general holiday prep for the last few weekends, and I guess time just got away from me. Well, below are the last of my holiday knits. I had a great time attempting my first hat, and dishcloths are my go to item. I'll have to get a pic of my ice cream pint cozy in action before I post a picture of it. Tomorrow night's knitting mission is to get the two cowls from a month ago into a vinegar wash so that the colors don't bleed. I also picked up some Patons Classic Wool in order to create some felted dryer balls. More on those later, and without further ado.....


These four Ballband Dishcloths are from the Mason Dixon pattern. I use a combination of Saucy Cotton and Lily Sugar n Cream.



This Turn a Square Hat is my first attempt at a hat. I think I did well and look forward to making some more hats over the break.



I also finished this Calorimetry for my friend and she's already asked for two more for her cousins. When the group of us run together, we'll look like a knitting gang out for exercise.

-B

Band Wagon Jumping, Part II

I've tried knitting Jaywalkers before in hokie yarn...and gave up when they were about an inch longer than my foot when I tried from the toe up. So now I tried from the top down with some yarn that has aloe, Step. Hoping that it would help my perpetually dry fit stay a little more hydrated...we'll see.

The yarn was a bit scratchy when knitting...I didn't really notice anything really soft about the yarn until I washed it...then it became extremely soft and wonderful. So here are my first complete pair of socks, and the start of an addiction I believe...since I fairly quickly cast on another pair of socks in Koigu, which I'm loving even more. And is providing a very portable project...and something to help me focus on work when in my office with the door shut.

S

Kool Aid Dying, Part II, and Single Cable Hat

Okay I have a few posts to catch up on. I've been having some technical difficulties (dead laptop). So now that I've gotten a new laptop (after braving Black Friday this morning for some savings), I can catch up on some posts.

E was here a couple of weeks ago and left me with another skein of dyeable yarn to play with. Although I had plenty of red kool aid flavors left, I thought I would branch out and try some blue yarn instead. So If I remember my Kool Aid flavors, there were 2 berry blue, 1 blue raspberry lemonad and 1 grape to lessen the flourescence of the colors. And as E will tell you, I have issues with knots in my yarn, both knitting and winding. And this was no different. So here are my end results.

Saturday of last week I was told that I would be tailgating and going to a football game, with an expected high of something like 30 degrees, I knew my cold weather gear would come in handy. Unfortunately I also realized that I don't actually have a hat that covered my ears, so Saturday night began the finding of the perfect pattern for the yarn that I already had (as there is no local yarn shop). After trying about 4-5 patterns and not getting anywhere near what I wanted, I decided on Monday afternoon I decided I would have to develop my own pattern to be both warm and cute. I have to say that I was completely inspired by the following hat.

http://anabundanceoflisa.typepad.com/lisainnewyork/2006/10/red_hat_on_a_wi.html

So I set about making my own in black Chunky Cashmerino. But the hat needed to be extremely warm, so instead of knitting on the recommended size needles (10.5), I knit it on size 6. Which also meant that I was just hoping that the size I was knitting was the appropriate size for the hat, as at that point I didn't have much else that I could do other than hope and if I didn't finish, go buy a hat...but luckily the results were very cute and warm. The one that I have of me wearing it didn't look quite so cute after spending 5 hours outside.

S

New Yarn and the Harvest Cowl

I finished another cowl this weekend. I made some modifications to the Pashmina Cowl from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and I really like how it turned out. It stands up a bit better, so wearing it under a heavy coat will be great for the recipient. I basically alternated 10 rows of stockinette with 5 rows of 1 x 1 ribbing.

In addition to finishing the cowl, I received my latest STR Rockin' Sock Club shipment. The color is far and away my favorite, but still not enough to keep me around for next year's club. I will be spending my 10% coupon this week to order a couple more skeins of this colorway, Muddy Autumn Rainbow, and one or two others, and then I'll be trying to find some other clubs to join for next year.

I have a ton of STR and want to branch out a bit. I've been looking at some fiber clubs to get spinning and The Plucky Knitter just to be able to actually grab some of her yarn. It sells out on Etsy faster than anything I have seen. I'm starting another Calorimetry by request from a friend. We are trading a finished headband for some cookies, so I think I'm being well compensated (she's a great baker!). Also, I ordered stitch markers today, since I realized I needed way more than I had for the Clapotis that I keep meaning to start. I found these, these and these over on Etsy and can't wait for them to arrive. On to the next holiday knitting project!

-B

Kool-Aid Dying Process Complete

E and I, as in S, had a great weekend this weekend. Between outlets, Ikea, and yarn dying, it was a lot of fun...although I could live without the cold I seem to have picked up over the weekend. So Sundaykool-aid dying took place and while yes, the previous picture makes the yarn look a bit like raw ground meat, the final product looks significantly un-meatlike. First pic is the yarn drying out in the sink, second shows the skein reskeined. Not the prettiest reskeining job, but I'm realizing that two swifts would have been helpful. E it'll be the weekend before it wings its way to NYC, and I may just wait until I have time to play with the second skein to play with. But not bad for a first attempt at dying. And I believe the tropical punch/black cherry aroma has finally dissipated from the house.

S

Koo-Aid Dyeing

I visited S this weekend between business trips and brough my dyeable yarn from knitpicks that I bought a while ago. We picked up several packs of kool-aid, but the were mostly versions of red colors. This morning we mixed 2 packets of balck cherry and 2 packets of tropical punch. When I left, we had microwaved, but it was still setting in the sink. If S finds her camera, maybe she'll take a picture before she sends it back to me. I left the second skein with her, so she can do another one if she wanted.

I'm attaching the pciture I took, it looks like ground meat. hehe.

- E

Finished Cowl

Well, I have to say that this was one of the faster knits that I have done and I enjoyed every second of it. This is my first cowl and it will be gifted this holiday season. I will have to wash it first as the dark dyes rub off when I'm knitting, so I don't want them to rub off when someone is wearing it. The pattern is the Pashmina Cowl from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I am currently modifying that pattern for another cowl, which should be done by week's end. I love the Tlingit colorway, from Socks that Rock, that I used and think that I will use my discount coupon code to grab another skein before the end of the year. DH was kind enough to take the pictures today as we finally had sun in our neck of the woods. I'll have some in progress pics of the other cowl later this week. We finally finished Felicity on DVD and have now moved into Scrubs. We decided that we needed a laugh out loud show after the last one languished. But, Gilmore Girls and Doctor Who have been added to the Netflix list for future viewing.

-B

Two Bibs and a Headband

Putting buttons on these bibs and my sister's Calorimetry was finally completed on election night. It's been super rainy and I've been working late, so I had to wait until today to get a decent picture. The bibs will be on their way to the Big Apple today. One of our friends had a baby boy in September, so these are the gift from us to them. The Calorimetry was made for my sister so she can keep her head warm when we run in the cold. I'm doing my first 5K on the 15th, so we've been out in the elements as of late and I figured that this would come in handy.

I'm 90% done with the first holiday cowl, and have the design for the next played out in my head. After visiting with another friend with a new baby boy (they are everywhere these days!), I'll map out the design on some graph paper and wrap up the first cowl. I've got my Knit Night tomorrow at my LYS, but am not sure what to take to work on. I think the crowd will be low because of Stitches East, so maybe working on my design is a valid project to bring. We'll see.

-B

Cowl Update

I hit my knitting groove yesterday as I sat down to start the Pashmina Cowl from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I rented the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, from On Demand and settled in for two hours. Before I knew it, I was three inches into this cowl. I know that Ms. Hoverson has gotten some flack for her estimated times on how long these gifts really do take, but she may be accurate on this one. I am loving it and am especially thrilled with how the colors in this yarn are playing out. I am using Tlingit from STR in Mediumweight and am thinking about ordering another skein in order to make myself some standard socks to see how these colors play out again. The subtleties of the purples, greys, greens and blacks and beautiful to see. Even DH commented on how cool they were. I'm about half way done this project and will be working on it some more this evening. I should have holiday gift #2 under my belt by mid-week. Then, it's on to trying my hand at designing my own cowl pattern. -B

WIPs for October

Well, I'm slowly feeling like I am getting the hang of my new job, so there was some knitting in the month of October. I currently have two baby bibs blocking and a Calorimetry awaiting a button. I also wound the yarn needed for my sister's Clapotis and started on a Pashmina Cowl (Raveled here) as another holiday gift. I'm using Socks that Rock in Tlingit. It took me awhile, but I was excited to find a fingering weight cowl pattern so that I could use some of my sock yarn in something other than socks. I'll either be making two of these cowls for gifts or I may even try my hand at designing my own cowl. I've been playing with ideas as I knit the first one. In the meantime, I realized that I have never posted the fabulous needle case that S made for me a ways back. I needed to go buy some new needles for the cowl, so I had the case out while I checked on my needle inventory and grabbed a photo.

Also, I am a huge proponent of Etsy and as I have been looking at fibers to order, I have come across some other little handmade gems. These earrings are made by Bek. She sells her wares under the store title of Clever Girl Industries. The acorns and leaves have added to my whimsical collection of nature based jewelry and I get a ton of compliments on them. I also love the way that she presents her items. The wrapping, cards, and free notecards immediately put a smile on my face.

Finally, DH and I have been using our Netflix account to catch up on shows that we either missed when they were on or of which we only saw one season or even one episode. It's how we got hooked on Battlestar Galactica and caught up on House. Recently, we have been watching Felicity. The first two seasons were fairly light hearted and followed everyone through the fun, and occasionally awkward college dating years. But, we're currently in season four and dragging ourselves through each episode. Did anyone else notice how depressing season four was? We're not surprised that it did not make it past said season. So, we've decided to choose a comedy for the next go-around. Some ideas are Arrested Development, Scrubs, 30 Rock or Gilmore Girls. Any suggestions or recommendations? We need some laughs!

-B

Falling Into a New Hobby

As you can see by my picture, I have taken a step into a new sector of the fiber arts. I took a spinning class this past August at my LYS and fell in love with it. Since the school year has started, I've tried to get back to buy a wheel each week, but didn't get there until last night. I walked in for the knitting group that they host once a month and asked to buy the Ashford Kiwi. I popped it into the car and hung out for the next 2 hours with the group. I haven't bought any roving for it yet, but am shopping around online for a bit that catches my eye. I've got plenty in my favorites over on Etsy, but will need to narrow it down. For tonight, I'll be working on a second Calorimetry while we cheer on the Phillies. I figure it's a good project to watch with in case something really good happens and I toss it into the air while clapping and cheering ensue. Then, again that also means that it can be tossed in disgust as well. Let's keep fingers crossed for cheering.

-B

Back in the Knitting Saddle

The first month of school always seems to derail any knitting aspirations that I might have. I had intended to finish weaving in ends on one of my holiday knitting projects, but between moving and starting a new job, that languished sadly in the corner of the living room. But, I came out on the other end this month and have wrapped up the scarf. I love doing the Noro Scarf from brooklyntweed and have 4 more skeins of Noro that could be used for an addition scarf for the holidays. I love the way that the colors mix and mingle together with this pattern.

Up next in the knitting list is a Clapotis, also for holiday knitting. I started to wind this Brooks Farm Duet in a gorgeous black and will be ready to cast on today or tomorrow. I just have to unearth where my pattern binder may be located in the boxes of books that we moved directly into the attic.

Last, but not least, the reason why I may re-up my STR Rockin' Sock Club membership arrived late last week. The spoiler button was posted up top for those who don't want it to be revealed, but here is the actual photo. Tina had taken a picture of tide pools near her home in Oregon and the inspiration is magical in the colorway that it produced. It is by far my favorite of the skeins that we received this year. But, I am still wondering about signing up again or using my fun funds to try a new club like that of the Plucky Knitter or Sundara. I'll let you know when the jury comes back with a firm decision.

Sorry that it was so long between posts, I hope that everyone in the blogosphere is well and for those celebrating holidays this week, enjoy!

-B

Yes, i've been doing some knitting

Ok, so I put aside knitting for a little while, I had too much other work and wasn't inspired to do any knitting. However, I did do some quick knitting this weekend. I went out to California to my future sister-in-law's bridal shower. I thought I would add to kitchen theme and knit a couple of dish clothes for the party. I got 3 and a half done before the party. Don't have any pictures, but they were a basic star design from Emily Jagos that I found online in a plain cream color. was able to get 3 out of the ball of Lily Sugar 'n Cream.

Once I finish the last one, I'll take a picture of it and post it.

Alas, that'll be the last thing I knit for awhile. Still looking for a larger project to be inspired by.

-E

Stitch and Pitch - Phillies Edition

My sister and I had a blast the other night at the Phillies Stitch and Pitch. The seats were great, tons of people were knitting and crocheting, and we won door prizes! We each got a free skein of Cascade 220. She picked a teal and I picked a darker teal heather. I took my Noro scarf to work on and got a good bit done through the seventh inning. She took along a green Debbie Bliss garter stitch scarf that is her current project. The Phils ending up losing to the Marlins, but we had a great time chatting and eating Crab Fries from Chickie's and Pete's. I'll definitely get tickets again for next year.

-B

Let the Holiday Knitting Begin

Last year, I chose not to knit our holiday gifts because we were so busy and stressed out last fall. This year, I am getting a jump on things. I am sans camera currently as we are in the midst of a move, but I have started one holiday knitting project. I am doing the Noro Scarf by Jared Flood. I can't name who the gift is for in case that person is reading this blog. It's a fairly easy pattern and I am using the Noro Silk Garden yarn for the first time. I love the subtlety of the colors and will definitely look for something else to knit up with this yarn. It's going to be my Stitch 'n Pitch project for the game this week.

Also, I thought we were done with the babies, but apparently we have another friend delivering shortly. Mental Note: Must be better about keeping in touch with people this fall. So, for that friend, I have stepped away from bibs and the burp cloths and started a pair of Saartje's bootees. I have to look up some questions about doing it all in one yarn and making the button loops work, but other than that, I am off to a good start. Once we get settled, I'll post a progress photo on the bootees.

-B

One Last Batch of Baby Burp Cloths...and the Sock lives on

Well, if you've been reading this blog with regularity, you will have noticed that several of my friends have had babies this year. MK had a little girl in mid-June and I am sending her gifts out tomorrow in the mail. I made another two Baby Genius Burp Cloths from Mason Dixon, and found this cute Letter A washcloth pattern for A to have a big sister gift. They are all made from Lily Sugar 'n Cream in a variety of colors.

Next up, we have two Burp Cloths for J, my sister's best friend. She had a little boy almost on the same day that MK had her little girl. She says that she can't get enough burp cloths as he seems to be using them left and right. This is also made from Lily Sugar 'n Cream.

Once I got through the baby knitting, I got back to making an item for myself. I am tragically behind in my Rockin' Sock Club patterns, but have been making better headway as of late. The picture doesn't do any justice for the colors. I'm not a red person, but I am enjoying this (Dragon Dance). The pattern has been calling for me to learn many new techniques. I figured out short rows, thanks to a couple of forum posts on Ravelry that were answered by the designer herself, and this great video from Cat Bordhi on YouTube. Thank goodness for YouTube! I'm almost at the toe, and between packing up and moving this week, it may have to wait a bit. I have the goal of starting on the second sock as soon as I wrap up the first so that the pair can be complete.

-B

Bouncy Baby Gifts

I have several friends who have had babies or are approaching motherhood, so I've been churning out some more burp cloths and baby bibs. My friend, M, is due in September and is waiting to find out what she is having. This gave me some freedom to personalize the bibs and cloths as I didn't feel like I had to make gender specific colors. M loves red and so I used up the last of my Lion Brand Cotton in red for one cloth, and used Lily Sugar 'n Cream in Ecru for the two bibs and the other cloth. I went button hunting at a flea market a couple of months back and found the cute red and blue buttons there. I'm happy to be back to knitting on a nightly basis and should have some more cloths to show later this week for new mom, MK.

To Frog or Not?

So I was looking for a slightly regimented project and had several colorwork mitten projects in mind. And I started one multiple times...I'm beginning to think the knitting fairy has cursed me (although the parking fairy has been very good in granting me spots lately).



I need a second opinion. I'm trying to determine whether I should yet again frog this project and I need some help making a decision. So I"m trying the Anemoi Mittens using koigu handpainted. And here are some progress shots.



I'm not sure the picture actually is a good representtion of the colors. The white looks a bit dirty, or yellower, in person. And the darker color is more a purple.

So any thoughts? Forge on? Or frog it...and eventually try socks with each individual skein? Please I need help!!!

S

Malabrigo Monsoon

It's been a while since I've posted, so I have a few projects. In between looking for housing and wraping up the end of the school year...it unfortunately is dragging into the next school year. But if there are any accountants out there reading this, I could use a little help with something. Anyway, so I've been on a Malabrigo yarn kick...as I currently have 3 completed projects to show you that have all been done with Malabrigo (although varying shades).

Project 1 - Shifting Sands
I actually think I followed Brooklyn Tweeds modifications without knowing exactly what his modifications were until after I finished. So that is decreasing the CO to 42 stitches I believe. I used size 8 bamboo. Yarn color was Vaa. I have no clue who is going to be the receiver of this. I am working on a hat to match it. It's a little shorter than I would like, bt I guess its too late now, blocking did help some. As the weather has risen to above 90 here today, I have no desire to wrap pure merino around my neck currently, Pooh bear has graciously volunteered to model my Malabrigo projects for me.





Project 2 - A better bucket

This was a fairly quick project. But I thought it would make a nice winter hat without looking like I should be hitting the ski slopes on my way to class next winter. The only modification I did to the project was go up a needle size. I apparently have a large head and knew there was no way I could fit the hat as it was knittin gup to begin with.


Project 3 - Calometry (sp?)


I needed something to wear if I ever get ambitious and start running again. And this is wide enough to cover the ears, but not so wide it will drive me nuts. I changed the cast on to 90 stitches, used size 8 and basically repeated row 5 until I thought I would run out of yarn finishing it up...And I think I"m pretty close to that, maybe a few yards left.

That's it for now. I think I've again frogged more than I've finished lately.

S