Holiday knitting

So what does 10+ hours in the car get you?

pattern: Tang from Custom Knits (this and all other links will be Ravelry links) by Wendy Bernard
yarn: Twist by Laines du Nord

I am loving this pattern. All the sweaters in this book are done from the top down. Some are yoke/raglan type sleeves and some are set-in sleeves but are done by picking up the stitches at the arm holes and knitting down. That’s right! No seaming!! There are so many beautiful sweaters in this book. Its been a LONG time since I have picked up a book and wanted to knit nearly everything in it NOW!! Tang was not going to be my first knit. This was not because I didn’t eventually want to do it but I was just in love with Ingenue (love the shape!), Jewel (yarn in stash), and Slinky Ribs (just love it!). A KAL was started on the Knit and Tonic Knitters Group so I thought this would be a great way to start knitting from this book.

So, I had casted on and gotten part of the back of the top of the sweater done (too much to try to explain here!). In the 10+ hour drive, I got the back and front finished to the armhole and the sweater joined in the round. I would have gotten more done but it got dark and I didn’t bring my reading/knitting light. I put the stitches on scrap yarn and tried it on. It is going to be a great fit! Since then I am now to the waist…finished the decreases and have chosen to add an extra inch to the waist (I’m a little long waisted). I can’t wait to get to the arms!! I am thinking that this technique that she uses might just work for my Minimalist Cardigan, too.

Also finished over the holidays:

pattern: Eyelet Yoke Cardigan by Lionbrand Yarn
yarn: Jeanne by Plymouth
This is the one for my 2 yo niece. I began another that will be identical except that it is ina 4yo size for my other niece.

I feel very productive!!

How did I get so lucky?

A little over a week ago I was getting ready for a trip to Vegas (business for J) and I received a package in the mail. My first thought? I must be sleep-buying because I don’t have any memory of what this could be. Inside I found a beautifully handknit pair of socks, a thing called a Furochic (a reusable cloth gift wrap inspired by Furoshiki, a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth) and a sock washing bag for a washing machine. Next thought? What sock swap did I forget that I was signed up for? And then I opened the note inside. It was from my Sockapalooza 4 sockpal… Sockergirl! Can you believe that completely out of the blue and out of the kindness of her heart she sent me a pair of socks! What a PAL!

I apologize for the worn look of the socks…I put them on the day we left and haven’t had a chance to wash them yet.

In other news, I have been knitting…just not photographing or blogging.  Ugh!  Here are some of the things I have finished:

Cardigan for Baby Boy

pattern: Tulips by Lindsay Pekny with modifications
yarn: Jeanne by Plymouth
mods: ribbing all the way around (to make it more “masculine” and 4 buttons instead of 5).
I hope to get pics from the mom (hint, hint) soon.

Matching Booties

pattern: Christine’s Stay-On Baby Booties by Christine Bourquin
yarn: Jeanne by Plymouth
no mods

And I finished Bellatrix

Pattern: Bellatrix by Monkeytoes (free download on Ravelry)
yarn: Lang Jawoll Cotton

Monica for my niece

pattern: Monica by Christine Schwender
yarn: Cascade Sierra
no mods

Wonderful Wallaby for niece’s 2nd birthday

pattern: Wonderful Wallaby by Carol A. Anderson
yarn: Cascade Sierra
mods: used seed stitch around hood and pocket

Pictures of WIPs to come.

The knitting portion of the program

My trip to Sweden last week was amazing…in so many ways.  There are so many things to show you that I thought I should divide it into knitting and non-knitting posts.  You’ll see why when you see all the knitting related photos I have!

So I didn’t really go to Stockholm having much planned to do EXCEPT to meet up with my friend, S, for a knitting tour of Stockholm!  Priorities, people, PRIORITIES!!!

Our first stop is Nysta. 

 

Great selection of beautiful yarns.  I am totally overcome from yarn fumes and somehow only walk out with Kalinka linen yarn. 

Never fear!  I clear my head by the time we pull up in front of Wincent.  There I find Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarn in a color that S recommends and a Swedish bamboo sock yarn.  On the way out I see the prettiest little buttons…mother of pearl with this scroll-y pattern on them.  I wish I could show you an up close picture but I don’t have that feature on my camera.

Then just around the corner is Ljungqvists Garn.  I am just going to get the book of Norwegian patterns (hats, mittens and socks) but decide to buy some souvenir yarn, too, to make some mittens.  Now I just have to learn Norwegian…or bug S to death to help with the translation.

After lunch, we go to Garnverket.  There I pick up 2 skeins of Visjo ombre from the Ostgoterlands Ullspinneriet (course this doesn’t have all the accents over the letters so that is why I put the links).

In one of the oldest parts of the city, Gamla Stan, behind the Royal Palace, is a beautiful part of the city made all that much more interesting by the TWO yarn shops located there!!!

Anntorps Vav is our first stop.  This lady does a beautiful job dying her yarn!

I fall in love with a little sweater in the window and buy the yarn to make it.  Again, must learn Swedish but it will be so worth it!!!  (HELP S!!!)

Yarn shop #6!  WHEW!  Tired yet?!?

By this time I am starting to worry about what the credit card bill will look like when I get home, not to mention will I be able to get all this into my suitcase?  Sticka has gorgeous yarn so make sure you put them on your list of places to visit but I decide to start thinking small.  I saw these clasps (?) and think they would finish off a vest I started FOREVER AGO perfectly.   

And S tells me that she is saving the best for last (not to mention that it is on the way to her house)…Maria’s Garn.  As you can see, I can NOT resist the handdyed (by Maria) 75% wool, 25% bamboo sock yarn.  Could you?

S ends her tour of Stockholm’s finest yarn shops with a private tour of her yarn room!    I didn’t take pictures but I wish I had!  Amazing!  And what a house, too.  Sure, she was in the middle of remodeling but who isn’t!!  When I visit next time is will all be done, right?

A couple of days later I am shopping around Stockholm and we go into a mall.  As we are taking the escalator down, imagine my surprise to see this… 

I swear my heart skips a beat!  Well, once I regain my composer I realize that it is a restaurant!!!  Can you believe it?!?  That is just so cruel!

And this was what I worked on while in Sweden.  I started them the day we left which was the first day of the Summer of Socks 08 KAL.

Pattern: Bellatrix by Monkeytoes (free download on Ravelry)

yarn: Lang Jawoll Cotton 

I’m on the heel flap now.

So that is it!  My knitting adventure in Stockholm.  I’ll get around to the non-knitting post ASAP.  Thanks!

Ravelry killing my knitting blog?

ETA: I changed the title of this post because I thought that it might seem a bit too accusatory. And you can see that it really is my fault and in no way Rav’s fault. I really love that site and don’t want it to seem I’m saying anything bad about it.

Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but I feel that is happening to mine, anyway.  Once I get around to getting the info updated on Ravelry I am too lazy to then put it on here.  Ah!  There is the real problem, right?  I’m too lazy!  Must me just me cause I’m amazed at how many others are so good at keeping the knitting content of their knitting blogs up to date.  Oh, well.

With all that said, here are some other things I’ve been working on:

Baby Surprise Jacket using Knit Picks Shine Worsted STASH!! (gasp!)

My “Sensible Socks.” The yarn was given to me by my friend, Nicky, in order for me to make something other than crazy socks. Well…… This is the Ziggy pattern from the latest Knitty. I’m really liking them a lot.

This is the tote basket I made for my mother as a replacement for the sweater I have been meaning to finish for the last 3 years. Hopefully this will serve as a good substitute!

Another pair of finished socks.
Pattern: Show-off Stranded Socks (a free Rav download)
yarn: Salvia Sock Yarn
needles: 2.5mm

FINALLY pulled this off the rigid heddle loom!

And started this the same evening!!

I also started a pair of socks for the Summer of Socks 08 but I will put that in the next post…which promises to be another long one. Better start on it soon!

Oh, so close!!!

Just after midnight last night I finished these:

pattern: Belle Epoque from 2-At-A-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes
yarn: Jitterbug copperbeach
needles: 40″ Inox 2.5mm
mods: none

LOVE EM!!! Love the yarn, the socks, the technique. If you’ve ever wanted to do try the 2 socks at once on one needle…I recommend this book. There is some errata but what book doesn’t have that!?!  Both the publisher and the author seem to be very actively trying to correct the issues.
In the meantime, I have SOCKS and in 6 days (really 5 and some change).

Wait! What’s that? On the very tip of the toes?

Yes, that’s right. I ran out of yarn…darn it! Well, that’s Jitterbug for you…only 265 meters. They really should increase the yardage on their skeins. I mean, 265 is not really enough for a pair of socks and 2 skeins would be WAY too much. If I ran the world (or at least Colinette Yarns)….
In other knitting news…
I loved the Melissa’s technique so much that I cast on these fingerless gloves. Unfortunately that is a Ravelry link and is the only link I could find. I apologize if you can’t see it. Might I suggest that you go and submit your email to be invited? It is a wonderful resource. In the meantime…here is my picture:

Simple yet effective.  And just in time for temperatures in the 60s!
pattern: 220 Fingerless Mitts (see link above)
yarn: Cascade 220 (can’t recall color # right now)
needles: Inox 40″ US4
mods: other than customizing it to my hands (basically knitting more rows than called for in pattern), none
Update on Summer of Love Lace…

Slowly but surely. Can you blame me? Its all stockinette now. UGH!
And this is one I cast on on the way to the Bahamas that I haven’t really worked on since.

The pattern is Mad Weave. Its a very interesting pattern and I’m really liking how it is coming out in this Ranco semi solid yarn.

I know I have more to catch up on.  Soon.

Darn that Yarn Harlot!

I am SO behind on my Bloglines list and, wouldn’t you know, this is the month of NaNoBlaBlaBlogMo.  From what I can gather, this is a movement to get all bloggers to post everyday in the month of November.  Gee, thanks!  Now I’ll never catch up!!!

In my effort to be a good blog reader and clean out my Bloglines I sat down to catch up on the Yarn Harlot.  Hey, I was only 30 entries behind!  She had a guest blogger for awhile that posted this: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2007/09/27/the_yokes_on_me.html 
(scroll down to the second sweater (third and fourth picture)).  I WANT ONE!!!  I need another sweater project like I need a hole in my head.  Its been queued.

In Christmas knitting news, I have completed pedicure sock #3 (1st one in pair #2).  I also have the back panal and left front panel of K’s sweater finished.  And that is pathtically it.  Oh, dear. 

Just so it isn’t a completely pictureless post, I took a class on slotted gourds and made this:

I used yarn, seagrass, palm thingies (I call it Florida yard trash), and something else that I can’t think of right now. I was very happy with the way it turned out but it doesn’t really go with any of my decor so I gave it to a friend who I think will really like it.

3 hour tour

I recently joined a forum on Ravelry called Sailors (if you are a member of Ravelry and a sailor, check us out and join!).  I’ve met some very nice knitting sailors and it has been fun to visit their blogs.  Made me feel a little guilty, though, that I don’t post more about our sailing on the C-Bay.  So….

Ever really needed to get some knitting done but you just feel like you don’t have time or other things seem to keep distracting you?  Well, all you need is a sailboat and a stormy couple of days and you will be amazed what you accomplish!

We left Thursday afternoon fully aware of the forecast.  In fact, we left the dock knowing exactly where we were going to anchor to ride out the front that was on its way.   Our sail down was gorgeous! 

Here we are in the Elk River heading southwest.

Capt. J manning the helm

Beautiful enough to make me put down my knitting.

That night we stayed in Still Pond, this wonderful little, well, sort of a pond just off the shipping channel. The weather was behaving but it was certainly building.

The next morning I casted on for sock #1 of the pedicure socks I planned to make for my sister-in-laws for Christmas. We weighed anchor and had every intention to head down to Rock Hall. When we rounded the point out of Still Pond we couldn’t believe the wind! It had shifted to the Southwest and was blowing 15-20 steady. Our boat handles these winds well. In fact, she preforms best in these winds. I knitted the whole way down only being interrupted when I had to help tack the jib. We felt that the wind was too on the nose and decided to take the bailout point at Fairlee Creek, which is a great little isolated river with the most interesting dog-leg at the entrance. You feel you can reach out and touch the sandy beach but you are in 10 feet of water. Scary and fascinating at the same time.  I’m glad I don’t steer.

Now, we don’t normally drop anchor so early in the day (this was around lunch time) but with the impending weather and it just not being that much fun to be out there…well…. I was surprised that J was OK with all of this. He usually likes to stay on the go, but he actually RELAXED! I was so proud. I continued to knit on the sock stopping only to make food or open another drink.

My favorite way to relax on the boat!

And by 4pm that afternoon:

One finished pedicure sock!  And that was all the wine I drank, too!  RIGHT!

pattern: Ann Norling’s Adult Socks Pebbled Rib
yarn: Mirasol Hacho #300 (DK weight yarn)
needle: 3.5 mm Inox express 40″
mods: just stopped about an inch before the bottom of the big toe and knitted that last inch K3, P1 and bound off. I knitted the cuff 4.5″ using only one skein of the yarn (137 yds) with 10g left over. I guess I should have done these “toe”-up!

I usually pack way more projects than I would ever knit but for some reason I didn’t bring the second skein of this yarn. I would have had one Christmas present out of the way!

That night the front rolled through at the predicted time (way to go, NOAA!).  We were sleeping soundly when our boat rolled to its port-side.  See, with the wind from the south, our bow was pointing south.  When the front hit from the west the boat couldn’t correct fast enough.  The winds were 20 knots steady and I saw gusts to 25-28!  The rain was so loud!!  We got out of bed (duh!) and sat in the cockpit for an hour or so.  We were so tired that we eventually crawled back into bed and tried to sleep through the rest of it.  We woke the next morning to blue skies and a very clean boat!

I also brought a hat I am working on for my nephew. I’m about 4″ into the 6″ that I have to knit before starting the decreases at the crown and I HATE how the cast on edge looks. I followed the instructions as written even though I knew it would do this. UGH! Why didn’t I listen to my inner voice. So now I am contemplating pulling it all out!!! I know that is crazy and obsessive but I HATE the way it looks. For some reason, the designer has you begin with a long-tail cast-on and then you knit across the ear-flaps (previously knitted and held on dpns) and then BACKWARD LOOP cast-on all the rest of the stitches. First, I do not like BL cast-on and, secondly, it looks completely different from LT cast-on! IF I were to do it again, I think I would Cable cast-on the whole thing. I tried to get pictures but my camera wouldn’t show what I could see. I’m going to get a few people’s opinions before I eventually rip it out. I just know I will.

An Embarrassment of WIPs

I’m taking a break from all the cleaning to share my latest pictures of WIPs.  I will say that so far I have gotten quite a bit done (on the housework).  Kitchen clean, 4 loads of laundry done (2 folded and put away), vacuuming, sweeping, dusting done.  I’m going to be honest, I know that sounds like nearly everything and certainly the house looks better but it just needs so much more.  Cindy and Bethany have heard me say this before, I just need someone to come in and help me do all the really deep cleaning stuff.  And then I need an organizing specialist to come in and help with that mess!!!  Ugh!  This is why I don’t like to clean…it never ends up making me feel any better!!

Now onto a better subject:

I’ll begin with the oldest:

Work has not gone quite as planned on this but I am still determined to finish it. I have a new goal of having it done before Stitches East in October. We’ll see.

Then we have the Hufflepuff socks for Hogwarts Sock Swap II:

Trying to teach Lucky to knit them up but he is all hooves.

Socks That Rock June Kit (The Solstice Slip Socks):

The August kit is getting mailed off this week or early next week and I really want to be finished or nearly there by the time it arrives. I have cast on for the second sock and am going to catch it up to the first sock so that they are the same length having used as much of the yarn as I can.

After finishing my niece’s Wrap Dress I got gung-ho to work on her brother and sister’s October birthday gifts and casted this on:

Nearly done! Refer to this for the details but notice that I changed the colors.  J helped there and it is now refered to as the Mint Chocolate Chip Vest.

I joined Sockknitter’s Anonymous on Ravelry and they are doing a sock a month kal (you actually have 2 months to knit them, thank goodness) and every month you have the choice between a different technique or designer. This month was lace/Sockbug so I chose the lace and I chose Early Spring Socks. I’m doing them out of HipKnits 100% Cashmere.

Love the pattern and the yarn is heavenly!

The August pattern on Socktopia is a Mystery Sock. I originally picked Jitterbug yarn in Copperbeach to do this but soon discovered that the pattern gets completely lost in it. I switched yarns and this is where I am.

Sorry, not much to see. The yarn I’m using now is KP Essentials Tweed in Inca Gold.

And, as if this all wasn’t enough, I started a new project on Tuesday. Its the Minimalist Cardigan from IK Fall 2007. I’m using some stash (YES!!!! YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT!!!) Cascade Sierra in a Chocolate Brown color.

Only 1.5″ until I decrease for the armholes!

OK, I just heard the dryer stop so I have better go take care of that and do another 45 minutes of housework! On my next break I am knitting!!!

2 birds/1 stone

No progress pictures.  The dress still needs the neckband and I’ve decided (with help from my mother-in-law) that I will send the dress on with a note to say that if the mother doesn’t think it will ever look right on L1 that she can send it back and I will shorten it.

I’m half way down the foot of my second Pomatomus sock and hope to have it done by tonight, otherwise it will be next week.  I doubt I will get much knitting done this weekend with the HP book coming out.  I plan to go to Borders (with my Hufflepuff socks on!!) Sat morning to get the book and then go to my hair appointment and begin reading it there.  I’ve thought about this and decided I am going to probably turn the cover inside out and not tell anyone what I am reading.  You’ve heard about the leak?  What sort of person gets off on spoiling things for other!?!

The other night at knit night I realized I couldn’t continue on Pomatomus because I needed to check something on sock #1 and didn’t have it with me.  Luckily I had packed another project and I put a couple more inches on The Solstice Slip sock.  I am really liking that sock!

OK, the bird/stone reference…I really, REALLY need to clean the house BUT I also what to listen to Half-Blood Prince, so I’ve loaded it onto my DJ (I think I am the last person in the world to not have an iPod and I’m OK with that!) and have told myself that the only time I can listen to it is while I’m cleaning.  Hopefully I can get this house in better shape!!

OH!  And you will notice to your right that I have expanded my Blogroll list!  Many thanks to Knotty Daisy on the Worpress forum on Ravelry for helping me figure out why what I wanted to do wouldn’t work and how to get it to work!  Guys, seriously, even if you don’t think you will ever upload a picture of your knitting (which you will, just you wait) you need to get on the invite list for Ravelry.  Its just a wonderful community and it is so user friendly.

Ok, off to clean!