Lace

My Emily shawl blocking.

A blend of merino and silk yarn, kind of shiny.

Olympics

I have decided to participate in the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics!

Last winter olympics, because knitting is clearly a winter sport, she organized this event, where basically you pick a project that will challenge you, you cast on during the opening ceremonies, and you knit like the wind to complete the project by the closing ceremonies.

I chose the Onerva Shawl because I have tried to knit it three times already and it keeps kicking my butt. I am determined to win.

The shots above are what I have accomplished so far. I did have to restart the thing three more times during the opening ceremonies.

Sweaters

See this sweater that I am knitting, see how far I am?

I am going to rip it all out.

It was going to be like this green sweater... Very cute, right? Good design, nice shape, flattering on the model. Only problem is I'm not built like the model. And my yarn is a bit bulkier than called for, making the sweater even less drapey than the original. Not good.

The February Lady by Flint Knits.

See this sweater? (Tiny picture I know) It's made from a yarn as bulky as the red yarn above. It's also pretty cute, good design, etc... And I think it will look much nicer on my figure than the green one.

Carmela's Cardigan by Patton's Design Team.

So I am ripping the sweater, to use the yarn for a something I'll actually wear. Maybe I'll try the green one again some day.

More Sock

One down, one to go. No sign of the dreded second sock syndrome. The sock toe is actually very pointy, I have posed it for maximum roundness. And the sock is a bit short. Not by much. I think that my toes are longer than Ann Bud thinks my toes are. Oh well, I'll keep that in mind for the next pair. This second sock needs to be slightly too short with a very pointy toe. I am compulsive enought that matching is more important to me than fit.

Knitting Like the Wind

My sock!  I know it looks rather odd to you non-knitters, but it is actually progressing very nicely.  The part at the bottom where it gets a bit skinnier and has the needles in it is becoming the heel.  and the peach thread running down the middle is just to mark how far I've knit.  I'll pull it out when I'm done.  That is one day's worth of obsessive knitting interspersed with real life.  I hope to finish this one today and cast on for the next one tomorrow.  I do have to stay up until midnight.   

Happy New Years Eve! 

Several Projects at Once

My techno-geek gloves, still very much in progress. These were sort of a prototype for gloves that I wanted to knit Josh. His gloves are pictured below. As you can see I am also not very far along on that pair.




Steph's scarf, also very much in progress. I'm almost done with the second ball of yarn (Stephanie bought three). So not too much more to go.




And some sock yarn I just bought for myself (I had cupons). It is a rather pretty self striping colorway, in a yarn that the Harlot speaks very highly of.





I've been reading the Yarn Harlot's site, and some Elizabeth Zimmerman books this past week. They've got me all worked up and ready to knit (I hadn't been working on Josh's gloves at all before yesterday). Worl wears me down, I arrive home in a semi-comatose state and get very little knitting done.


I've been spinning too, but it looks pretty much the same as the last photos. Today my clunky wheel repair kit arrived! I'm excited to fix my wheel, and a little nervous. I have to drill into the hub of the wheel to install the new axel. Taking drill to wheel is giving me pause. I'll work up the nerve soon.

The last week (or so)

This is what I've been working on for the past week.

Actually the past year. It was supposed to be Josh's birthday present last year, and it didn't get done in time, or anywhere near time. One thing after another would go just a tiny bit wrong and it made me want to forget the bike existed for a long while. Then Josh kindly offered to help with his own present, and it's done! Well, mostly, bikes are in that class of object where something can always be done, improved, tweaked, upgraded, swapped out, etc. But it's complete enough to be considered done. We still have to adjust the bottom bracket's set screws (hopefully a five minute job) and next weekend I'll most likely be teaching Josh how to true the wheels (teach a man to fish and maybe he'll fix your bike while he's at it, actually I really like truing so we might have to fight over it). But we can both look at it and be proud and happy now. Yay!

Next post, back to the knitting.

I'm working on a brown ribbed cable front sweater. Right now I'm trying to design the cable, with mixed success and much grumpyness. I'll have photos of the swatches soon.

I'm also bouncing another cabled sweater around in my head, out of that red/purple Happy Feet sock yarn that I purchased a sweater's worth of. I haven't been swatching anymore of that though.

I bought new needles to knit Josh's gloves on. The yarn I bought and the sock needles I have were not playing nice. Their slick metal-ness would slide right out of the stitches at inopportune moments (not that any moment would really be a great time to drop stitches). I marched over to Loopy yarns Thursday after work and bought some nice pointy little bamboo needles. They should be much stickier, relatively speaking, and not give me the same trouble. I really want to take them out and play, but the brown cables are sucking up all my attention.

Sunrise Circle!

So I've been working on this one since Easter.  I started it (knit about an inch) just before flying east for my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary.  I got stuck in O'Hare for eleven hours during a blizzard on Good Friday, and knit the entire back.  Luckily I had this project and several audio books on my phone.  Then it languished.  I seamed it up a month or two ago and realized that the sleeves were ridiculously long.  It was demoralizing.  I gave it another break.  I hemmed the body at Stitches, and had mom mark the proper sleeve length while she was in town.  I ripped back ( a huge pain when they've been knit from the cuff up), re-knit the purled turning row, and re-knit the cuff hem.  Then I stitched those up and it is as done as you see it here.  I need to sew on the buttons and crochet loops to hook over them.  I have buttons I think I like, I'll need to look at them again.  Soon this jacket will be ready, good thing it's pretty warm here and I haven't wanted it yet.  

Stash Enhancement!

Purchases at Stitches Midwest this weekend.


Wool/Mohair roving. The pink is the mohair.



I'm planning on spinning the pink as it's own single, then splitting the brown and spinning two more singles and plying all three together.





Happy Feet sock yarn, I bought what should (crossing fingers) be a sweaters worth.






Alpaca, yum. Black, brown, and camel plied together.






Some wool/nylon sock yarn to knit Josh a pair of gloves with.

Plied Yarn

Two of the tiny skinny yarns I spun with my low tech spindle.  I plied them on my first spindle (the heavy one).  It came out pretty well.  I soaked the yarn and hung it to set the twist and dry.  Now it's skeined up.  

First Sweater

My own design.  I wanted the collar to fold over instead of just standing up.  I'll have to try again on another sweater.  I do like how this one turned out.  

(I finished this in April)