Needle in my Vein

I get my glory in the desert rain

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

This Aeolian shawl took me four months from start to finish. I spun the yarn, merino/tencel blend, in about a month and then three months to knit. I only added beads to the bottom parts, which I still found extremely tedious. The last row with beads took me four hours to knit. I omitted the last row and went straight to the cast off with a single strand in fear of running out of yarn. I do think that this will be my most favorite shawl that I have ever and will ever knit.

Summer Shawls

2011-12-29T07:00:00.002-05:00

This summer I knit two beautiful shawls that have made their way heavily into my wardrobe rotation. The first one is Andrea’s Shawl from Through the Loops knit in a mystery fiber and a merino/seawool blend from Frabjous Fibers. I love how the colors play off one another; I do however wish it came out bigger. It was completely my fault since I neglected to swatch and read the pattern specs. It is still a lovely size to wrap around my neck and add a little extra pop of color to my outfit.

The second shawl which felt like it took forever was Citron. I added many more sections than the pattern called for since I was looking to use up almost all my yarn for this. I made the ruffle section a bit longer also. I love how this came out! This is such a lovely pattern that will showcase any handspun yarn beautifully. Fair warning though, this project is a bit boring with all those stockinette rows.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T18:48:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone who celebrates a very merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-02T21:30:00.000-05:00

I am woefully behind at posting; I really do wish that the computer was in a better spot at home so that I could work on the blog while being in the same room as Scott. I have almost three handspun shawls, two trips, and Rhinebeck to blog about. Hopefully I can get into a rhythm and bang them out. Before I get too far behind and it just appears to be silly, here’s our house decorated for Halloween!

I also made some cookies from a cookie-pop mold for Halloween.

I love Halloween; it is such a fun time of year! Scott and I go all out decorating the house waiting to scare everyone that comes. Unfortunately since we live on a dead end not many kids come down our road. They don’t know what they are missing!

Sheep cookies

2011-08-17T07:25:00.000-05:00

Every July my spinning guild has a wonderful pot luck dinner to celebrate the summer and just relax with wonderful people. I usually bring a dessert since I always come straight from work and can never swing home before the dinner. This year I wanted to make sheep cookies from the cookie cutter Scott gave me for my birthday. I always use Alton Brown’s sugar cookie recipe for any cookie I want to roll out. I find that his cookie holds the shape well and is easily amended. I make linzer tarts out of this recipe and add lime zest to pair with the raspberry jam. For these I added a teaspoon of vanilla.

I outline the cookie with some icing, I used Sugar Cookie Frosting from i am baker and americolor food coloring.

Then I flood the cookie.

Add the lighter color.

Then add details.

They were a huge hit at the dinner.

Spinning the summer away

2011-08-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

As always this summer blew right by me. Part of me always dreads the summer and the non stop busy days at work that the summer reading program brings. Add to that a family emergency (everything is good now) and nonstop weekend shifts I have barely had any time this summer. My vegetable garden is doing well but sadly I have not uploaded any photos of that lately. My other gardens are full of weeds and struggling but since those don’t give me my beloved tomatoes I’m not that concerned at the moment. Back in July I did participate in Tour De Fleece, just not the way I would have wanted. I had lofty goals that were squashed when the more important aspects of life came about. I was just happy to find a few moments of calm and spin whatever I could. Last year I was unable to attend Rhinebeck so my friends picked out a bump of fiber so I wouldn’t be left out. They came back with this:

Frabjous Fibers Mermaid Tail in “Purple People Eater,” it is a blend of wool and seacell.

That’s 696 yards of a heavy lace weight that will be paired with this mystery fiber:

That’s 670 yards of a heavy lace weight, maybe merino/tencel.

I spun these two for Andrea’s Shawl from Through the Loops. I really like how they look together and think they will make a lovely shawl.

I also joined All Spun Up’s summer spin along; the colorway is “Down to Earth” a merino/silk blend.

I managed a very thin lace weight, 1,150 yards out of 4 ounces. This has knit up into a beautiful and very large Citron that is nearly finished; it was placed on scrap yarn in order to start my Andrea’s Shawl for the Through the Loops KAL.

Next up cookies!

Gift Giving

2011-06-29T21:30:00.000-05:00

The last few projects I’ve made have all been gifts, which isn’t like me at all. I usually knit for myself and hardly give anything to anyone but there were a few special occasions that just begged to have something made. First up my knitting group has been cooking up some babies so I found the perfect gifts for the little shower we gave them.

Smith and the wee mushroom went to a dear friend who loves all things hedgehogs and mushrooms.

Peanut went to my other dear friend who loves elephants. This was my first foray into sewing stuffed animals. The directions were not very clear and caused much grumbling and ripping out of seams, but in the end I was able to find a photo tutorial that helped greatly. I still wasn’t able to piece it together in the order that is instructed but with much fudging he came out alright.

I also made another one for my cousin’s daughter’s christening.

While we were on vacation (more on that in another post that I’m still writing up) one of my coworkers discovered that she has breast cancer. She is currently going through chemotherapy and is expected to make a full recovery. I knew that she was nervous about loosing her hair and found the wig to be incredibly hot and itchy so I thought that a nice cotton hat would help.

I was able to knit this in under a week, just in time to give it to her before I transferred buildings. I hope that this hat comforts her during her recovery.

You know, your coat is kind of a brownish color...

2011-04-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

I am totally head over heels in love with a sweater! Aidez has been popping up all over my flickr stream and my friend’s activity on Ravelry. Every time I was browsing through Ravelry I would always come back to Aidez and admire all 627 projects, longing for my own. When my birthday came around I spent the money on three skeins of Cascade Ecological wool in a lovely brown color. I had to hold off knitting this beautiful sweater so that I could finish a pair of socks for my mom’s birthday, but as soon as those were done that sweater was on my needles.

Cascade Eco is a bit thinner than the yarn that the Berroco Peruvia Quick the pattern calls for so my gauge was way off! I figured out that if I knitted the 48 size that I would get somewhere between the 40 and 44. I read through many knitter's comments about the sleeves being too tight so I knit the largest size but fudged with the decrease rows to match the body of the sweater. This sweater took me just over two weeks, which is also the same amount of time it took me and Scott to get through Firefly and Serenity for the umpteenth time.

I did fix the cables so that they were the correct way but managed to screw up the ear of corn pattern. I read it as skip the first stitch and knit through the back loop between the two stitches. Instead it should be skip the first stitch, from behind, knit through the back loop and then knit the skipped stitch. I knitted both fronts at the same time so I was consistent with the error. Normally I would have ripped the entire thing out but the weather is getting warmer and I really wanted to wear this at least once before I have to put it away for the season. I also didn’t realize that there was a purl ridge after the ribbing. Oh well. Although I really should read patterns more carefully before and while knitting.

I finally have a wearable that I absolutely love!

KCBW Day 7

2011-04-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

Day seven: Your knitting and crochet time.

I craft every single day. Five minutes here, and hour there, whenever I find myself with idle hands I always try to occupy them. While at work I will bring a project with me to work on at lunch or on a break. After dinner has been cleaned up and Scott and I settle in to watch tv I’ll pick up some spinning or knitting. While waiting on long lines at the store or waiting for a table or a movie to start I’ll pick up the project that is stashed in my bag. In the past I would knit in the car every chance I had, but after the accident I feared it would be possible to impale myself with my needles if ever in another accident. Only in recent months have I started to knit in the car again but not with the same fervor I once had.

Once a month I go to the spinning guild meeting where I either knit or spin with some wonderful ladies and gentlemen. There we discuss our craft and learn new techniques and other wonderful fiber related facts. It was there that I met a young lady who invited me to a knit night. Now every week I meet up with these wonderful ladies who have become some of my closest friends to craft.

KCBW Day 6

2011-04-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

Day six: Something to aspire to.

I have always admired my fellow knitters that have designed their own pieces. I would love to one day write my own patterns, especially lace shawl patterns. I understand the construction of lace shawls and socks since I’ve knit enough and I can comfortably change patterns while I knit them to suit my needs. However I never seem to be able to make that leap into design. This past Christmas Scott gave me the set of Barbara Walker stitch dictionaries, with these maybe I will finally test the waters with designing.

KCBW Day 5 (Progression of a shawl)

2011-04-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

KCBW Day 4

2011-03-31T08:00:00.002-05:00

Day Four: Where are they now?
My poor Bird in Hand mittens and koolhaas...

Now this is a sad knitting story. Back in 2008 I knitted my first pair of colorwork mittens and I loved them dearly. I did wear them from January through March that year and again in November. Later that year I pushed to finish Koolhaas before we went to Chicago in November and wore them both proudly through the cold Chicago streets. A few weeks after that trip my husband, our two good friends and I were hit head on by a wrong way drunk driver. My husband broke his wrist, our friends had whiplash, and I broke my collarbone; we were very lucky that was all that happened. I was wearing both my mittens and hat at the time and realized while being loaded into the ambulance that one mitten was laying on the ground with my hat in a puddle of car fluid. I asked someone to grab them but I guess emergency services don't really see hand knits as important as a knitter does. When Scott went to grab our stuff from the car the next day he could only find one mitten and my fluid soaked hat. I tried to wash the fluid out of the hat but it shrank and no long fits. My one mitten is tucked somewhere waiting for the day that I knit another one.

KCBW Day 3

2011-03-30T18:56:00.002-05:00

Day Three: Tidy mind, tidy stitches.

How do you keep your yarn wrangling organised?

I am not very organized with my physical stuff. Everything is all over the place, and I can never find any of my needles. However I love using Flickr and Ravelry to keep track of when I start projects, what needle size I use and how much yarn I needed. I'm trying to organize everything better now that I have my very own craft room.

All of my fiber is in bins and my handspun and sock yarn are in the white cabinet. I really should take another picture of my room since I've added an armchair, tv and photos to make it more inviting, however it is a bit of a mess at the moment.

KCBW Days 1 and 2...I'm late to the party

2011-03-30T18:49:00.003-05:00

Day One Tale of Two Yarns:Part of any fibre enthusiast’s hobby is an appreciation of yarn. Choose two yarns that you have either used, are in your stash or which you yearn after and capture what it is you love or loathe about them.

When I first started to knit and explore knitting blogs I used Januaryone’s Jaywalking KAL to learn how to knit socks. It was through this knit along that I began lusting after Socks that Rock. I just loved the colorways and couldn’t wait to get my hands on some for myself. Five years later it is still my go to yarn for socks. I just love the feel, the way it holds up, and how many weights in comes in. It was my go to yarn for the beautiful blanket I knitted.

This past year was the first that I really knitted with Malabrigo, I love the softness and colors. I found this season though that it is suited for certain projects but not others. It pills and felts a bit too much for my taste.

With the denser gauge it is perfect for my cabled cowl.

However I do not like the way it looks in my Tilting Tardis cowl. The yarn fulled a bit too much for the lace to really stand out.

Day Two:Skill + 1UP

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

After knitting many pairs and single socks over the years I have finally allowed myself to make up a pair on the fly.

I even completed a short row heel, which I normally dread doing and avoid at all costs. It really wasn't as scary as I thought, and the socks are one of my favorite pairs.

Not rushing spring….

2011-03-25T19:00:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that I’m itching to get my hands dirty and work in the garden I’m not rushing Spring just yet. I’ve started to knit a sweater even though I haven’t finished Moonstruck. I’ve been lusting over Aidez for a while now and picked up three skeins of Cascade Eco Wool for my birthday in the most perfect brown. I started knitting my browncoat while watching Firefly and managed to finish both the season and the back in about two days. I think I can pull off knitting this in under two weeks, now only if the weather stays on the cooler side it will be perfect.

Although it was sunny and warm enough to be outside last Saturday, this week has been cold and snowy.

You spin me

2011-03-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have always admired people who can spin up 4 oz of yarn and get over 1,000 yards. That has been my goal for a while now and I have finally, with some patience and practice I have been able to achieve such a thing.

I really should put something in for scale here, but trust me it is really thin. In the end I have just over 1,000 of this beautiful pink merino tencel blend from Spincerely Yours. Now I just need to find the perfect pattern for this beautiful yarn.

Winter Blues

2011-03-05T20:00:00.000-05:00

Blah! I’m still in kind of a knitting slump and I blame the weather and the series of books I’ve been reading. Every spare moment at night I’ve been reading, I’ve devoured the Mortal Instruments series and am almost through Clockwork Angel. I did manage to finish one little cowl that will be nice if the temperature ever reach above freezing. I have been searching for a perfect color for the tilting tardis cowl for a while now. Back in July I thought I had the perfect yarn in my stash, but it turned out that it was much too scratchy to wear next to my neck. I then stumbled onto a skein of Malabrigo lace in ‘Azul Bolita’ that was the perfect softness and color.

I’m pretty happy how it came out, but I do believe that this will be the last time I work with Malabrigo lace. I’m not happy with how the yarn felted as I worked. I did find great buttons; I love them so much that I bought the larger size for my Moonstruck sweater.

I’m nearly done with the sweater, but with all sweaters, I’m terrified that the finish product will dissapoint! People who have knit this sweater have said that it is a bit shorter than it appears in the pattern photo so I want to add a bit of length, however my gauge was really off and I had to go up a size in the pattern and I’m a bit worried that I’ll run out of yarn. Wish me luck!

Can't knit...

2011-01-31T19:53:00.000-05:00

I've fallen down the rabbit hole that is The Mortal Insrutments series

Behind the trend

2011-01-18T11:07:00.000-05:00

You know how some trends are absolutely horrible that you cannot wait until it had run its course? However there are some that are just so good that you hope they will never end. I have always thought of myself as a scarf girl. With so many beautiful knitted scarves out there how can one knitter choose? Yet scarves are long, really long, and although you really loved knitting the stitch pattern, after about the twentieth time through you are ready to give up. Now a cowl is something altogether different. Many knitters started this trend a few years ago and for some reason it didn’t appeal to me until I found the cabled cowl. While this isn’t what I imagine a cowl to be (some sort of knitted tube you pull over your head) I was taken by the beautiful texture of the cables and how cool it is that the button is on a shank that your pull through the fabric wherever you want! I know that this cowl is still kind of a small scarf, but hey it’s a start.

I had some malabrigo worsted that was originally for the Retro Redux Shrug but I frogged it halfway through knowing that it would never look good on me. The malabrigo was a prefect choice for something close to the neck and I had enough to make this.

I added a few extra repeats because my gauge was a bit off and I wanted a bit more length. The only reason I stalled on this project is because I started it in February and by March I had about ¾ of it done. There was no need for a cowl this thick past March so away it went in favor of some lightweight shawls. Once the weather turned I knew that I would want this finished to enjoy all winter long. We were going into the city the first weekend of December and I knew that going in and out of stores and on the train I wouldn’t want to wear a long scarf. I pushed to finish this and on December 2 it was completed.

I love how the buttons can be place anywhere to give a custom fit. I did manage to loose one the first night I wore the darn thing. The gentleman next to me at the theatre caught the cowl while standing up and yanked the button free.

The only modification I would make is that I wouldn’t have knitted the button hole. I just push the little button through the first layer of fabric and keep it there instead of through the button hole and into the second layer of fabric. That way, theoretically, I wouldn’t loose the buttons.

Baby Surprise Jacket

2011-01-11T19:00:00.004-05:00

A good friend of mine and one of our fellow knitters is expecting her first child in the coming weeks. As a group we decided on knitting sweaters for the little bundle of joy. I settled on the classic Baby Surprise Jacket because it is a very nice sweater for either a boy or a girl, and I have always been intrigued by the construction. Unfortunately since I had to finish the sweater so quickly I never documented how the darn thing goes together.

I went with fun bright colors what would work with either a boy or a girl since they do not know what they are having. I knew going in that I wanted to have really fun buttons on this sweater and was lucky enough to find some turtles that went well.

I knit this as written with Shibui Knits Sock yarn. Instead of the knitted i-cord edging I did a simple chain stitch with the closest crochet hook I could find near me at that time in a contrasting yarn. I tried to do a knitted on i-cord edge but it didn’t look right to me. I’m pretty bad with sizing so I would say that this is a newborn sized sweater, but the fabric is very stretchy so I imagine that it would grow a bit with the baby.

The Momma loves it, and I have been promised photos of baby in the finished sweater once he or she arrives.

Heathcliff, my love.

2011-01-07T19:00:00.003-05:00

Not too long ago I snatched up a merino/silk/bamboo blend from Funky Carolina in the colorway “Hermione.”

I just couldn’t resist the colors or the fibers. I knew that I wanted to make a nice warm shawl and thought that the “Wandering the Moor” pattern would be a perfect fit. The colors also make me think of the heather on the moors, or what I think they look like since I have never seen them. I set out spinning it with a particular weight in mind. I wanted it a bit thinner than this yarn

But thicker than this one

Unfortunately I failed and instead of a nice middle ground of around 500 yards I only managed 388.

I think it was the fiber content that threw me a bit. It spun like a dream but when I plied it the singles puffed a bit more than I’m accustomed to. It made a very lovely squishy yarn but not nearly as thin as I intended.

The simple pattern lends itself to handspun yarn very nicely. While the pattern is very well written I couldn’t help myself and added a few changes. I like my triangular shawls to have a spine; it allows the pattern to be balanced. If the shawl does not have a decorative edging a simple two stitch garter stitch edge will do; this makes it so much easier to block. Since I added the spine I had to adjust the lace part a bit, incorporating the increased stitches into the lace. I don’t really remember what I did there since I winged it as I went along.

It is a bit smaller than I wanted, even after I added another repeat of the lace at the edge. I also wanted a more scalloped edge than that pattern calls for so between the points I k3, sl1 k2tog psso. It isn’t as pointy as I wanted but it will do.

Goodbye 2010... Hello 2011

2011-01-01T17:44:00.000-05:00

2010 was the year of lace and handspun for me. I did attempt to knit 10 shawls in 2010, but only made half of my goal. I actually started nine shawls this year, three of which are in various states of completion and the last one needs to be ripped and started over. I really think that the reason I did not reach my goal was because I spun for most of my shawls. Two handspun mitts, a cowl, a baby gift and an owl made for a fun 2010. I wasn't nearly as productive as I was in '09 but I think I lost some knitting mojo this year. I hope that '11 will bring more inspiration, both creatively and through my blog.

Despite the uninspired knitting I was inspired to spin up a storm. I managed to spin about 5446 yards, all shown except for one in the mosaic. I tried some new fibers this year, and learned to love merino/tencel once more. I'm excited for this year, I will be joining more fiber clubs and trying different fibers in attempt to break out of my merino/bamboo box I'm in.

2010 also found Scott and I traveling across the Atlantic for the first time. I have yet to write up our adventure in England, which I'm slowly but surely doing. We had such a blast seeing so many amazing places.

We also made our home a bit more ours by installing a patio and turning one of the bedrooms into a craft room. Hopefully this summer won't be as hot and we will be able to enjoy our patio a bit more.

I also tried my hand at gardening for the first time. I started seeds, albeit a bit too early, planted a workable but not the best vegetable garden. I made some mistakes but despite the poor planning and placement of plants it still yielded a good amount of food. I also tried canning for the first time. My summer jam turned out more like soft jelly candy than spreadable jam but my apple butter was simply amazing. This summer I want to can a bunch more jams and vegetables. I'm hoping that my fledgling raspberry patch will thrive.

This year I hope to:
knit more sweaters and socks
spin a variety of fibers
write in my blog once a week
plant a bigger garden
can more foods

What are your hopes and dreams for 2011?

A dragon for a castle

2010-12-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am not sure why I haven’t finished writing my post on our trip to London in May, it seems like ages ago but I do want to write something up. I’m finding that with where the computer is in the new house I don’t spend as much time on as I did in the apartment. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but I don’t update here all that very much.

This summer I spun this lovely merino/tencel blend I purchased sometime back in ’09 from Poppy flower Fibers. This lovely green, gray, and brown roving surprised me and became something spectacular!

I never imagined that the colors would blend so well.

I spun very thin singles that I turned into a two ply lace yarn. The colors reminded me so much of my favorite photo from our trip to England, the motte and bailey as at Warwick Castle.

Since the yarn made me think of that stunning castle I knew I had to knit the Red Dragon Shawl, every castle needs a dragon right?

This project just flew off the needles, in just over three weeks.

I completed four repeats of the star pattern which nearly killed me, and knit then knit until I was almost out of yarn. For some reason I kept dropping stitches when I purled the k1, yo, k1 in the same stitch. I think this reason alone prevented me from finishing in less than three weeks. The pattern itself was very straight forward and well written. I named my shawl Rhaegal because I’ve been slightly obsessed with George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire which I have read since June. I’m really missing it and hope the next one will finally be published soon.

Halloween Socks

2010-12-06T19:00:00.007-05:00

It has been nearly a year since I’ve knitted a pair of socks, it isn’t because I don’t wear them or like them; I just seem to stall as soon as I reach the heel. There are several pairs of socks sitting around my house in various stages of completion, mainly at the heel or just before. I was determined to beat my sock slump and knit a pair of Halloween socks to wear on Halloween as I passed out candy. Several years ago I picked up a skein of Vesper Sock yarn in ‘Witchy Woman’ that was begging to be a basic toe up sock.

After doing short rows on my little owls I was confidant that I could pull off a short row heel that would actually fit! I began knitting them on October 14th and took them to Chicago as a simple project to knit on the plane and trains. They were finished by the 29th and are completely perfect!

We didn’t have many trick or treaters this year; being that it was the first time we were in the house for Halloween I’m not sure if that is the norm, but it was still fun wearing them around the house to get into the mood of Halloween. I also loved playing with Picnic from Flickr.

I wish my all of my Halloween photos came out, these are just the few that weren't so horrible. I was lazy and didn't grab the tripod, but our house was decked out in creepy ghouls and goblins

T-Day

2010-12-02T13:42:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Adventures in Gardening

2010-11-14T21:25:00.001-05:00

When we moved into the house in December I couldn’t wait to start planning my summer vegetable garden. At the apartment I tried to grow tomatoes and peppers but never get enough sun to grow anything edible. I was heartbroken that I couldn’t have a balcony garden that I wanted, but my hydrangeas, morning glories and vine moonflowers grew without a problem. During the winter I read up on all different types of gardening and decided that I would try a raised bed this season. As soon as the seeds started to appear at my local hardware store I picked up two seed starting flats, a packet of Roma tomatoes, Big Boy Beefstake tomatoes, Jalapenos, Black Beauty Eggplants and a packet of baby carrots. My goal for the season was to grow enough jalapenos to last all winter with my many pots of chili, fajitas and tacos, enough tomatoes to satisfy my craving for grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.

As soon as the seeds appeared at my local home improvement store I grabbed a small greenhouse on wheels, two seed starting kits and some Roma tomatoes, Big Boy Beefstake, jalapenos, black beauty eggplant, and some baby carrots. I jumped the gun a bit because I was impatient and started my seedling a little too early in March, not realizing how late Memorial Day was this year. My grandfather always started his tomatoes Memorial Day weekend and I thought I should follow suit. I know that the odds of a late frost on Long Island are slim but better safe than sorry! At first I had problems with moister control in the greenhouse and a tray of tomatoes and eggplants developed a fuzzy white fungus. I put that tray into another room and replanted a new set.

The fungus didn’t kill the seeds and disappeared so I moved that tray back to my greenhouse with the rest. Nearly everything germinated and was looking good until I started to notice my tomato seedlings becoming very long and thin. After some research I discovered that they were not getting nearly enough light by the window so I attached two grow lights to the greenhouse frame. Placing the lights inches above the seedlings I left them on for 14-16 hours a day and saw a vast improvement! They were still very tall but not nearly as thin stemmed as before. I didn’t take any photos of the seedlings, I’m not sure why, but next year I’ll make sure I document the process better.

Memorial Day weekend I set up my raised bed and with Scott’s help mixed up some Mel’s Miracle mix from the Square Foot Gardening book to put in the bed. Scott built me the trellis from that same book and I planted the seedlings. I trenched the tomato plants just inches below their first leaves. The great thing about tomatoes is that all those little hairs on their stems will become roots if close enough to the soil. I planted the beefstakes against the trellis since those are vine tomatoes and the romas in the next row because they are a bush variety. I had no clue before this season that there are indeterminate and determinate varieties which grow very differently. Indeterminate continue to grow and produce throughout the season while determinate will bear one large crop at one time. The indeterminate need more support since they grow more like a vine while the determinate are more like a bush. I remember the difference by thinking i is for ivy.

The far right row against the trellis are four beefstake plants, then four roma plants, then I planted three jalapeno plants and a mucho nacho (larger jalapeno like pepper, good for stuffing) at the top of that row. This is where I made a mistake. I did not realize how large eggplants actually get and how broad their leaves are; I should have planted them directly next to the tomatoes and left the jalapenos on the far left. Live and learn! The bottom square I planted carrots.

A week later we removed the swing set in the yard and wasn’t sure what to do with the big patch of dirt. I have plenty more seedlings that needed a home so I planted four more beefstakes, four more romas, four eggplants, eight jalapenos, the rest of the carrot seed pouch and twelve mammoth sunflowers.

By late June I had my first tomato blooms and fruit.

By August first I had a bumper crop of jalapenos.

The pinking of the first tomatoes…

and a small jungle in my backyard.

My sunflowers were a favorite spot for bees….

and grew to be about 8ft tall!

The eggplant was delicious! The best we’ve ever had. Out of seven plants I managed to get 5-8 edible eggplants. I have photographic proof of five, I think there might have been one or two more that I didn’t photograph. There were some plants that I don’t recall picking any fruit from while others had multiple fruits. I’ll play with the positioning next year, maybe some didn’t get enough sunlight.

There were plenty of tomatoes this season. I froze six good size Ziploc bags of roma tomatoes for sauce during the winter along with making a few pots with the eggplant parm I made all summer. The beefstakes were delicious on grilled cheese sandwiches, which were consumed throughout the summer.

Carrots were pulled out by the handful, washed and put into the freezer for soups.

By late September late blight hit and after trying to be one step ahead I had to finally concede and pull the most of the tomatoes. The few in the raised bed were left out of desperation and delusion that I could beat the blight and get a few more tomatoes. They all were pulled not to long after that photo.

By October 14 I still had several jalapeno fruit and blooms left on the plants. It was now just a game of chicken between me and the frost. I knew that once the first hard frost hit that I would loose whatever peppers I had left in the garden. I decided to pick the largest and leave the small ones on a bit longer. I’m glad I did because I was able to get another dozen a few days before Halloween.

My biggest disappointment of the season was my sunflower seeds; the flowers themselves were big and beautiful but the seeds became infested with worms. I was able to collect some of the seeds to roast, maybe half a pint. The ones that weren’t worm ridden I soaked in a salt water solution for 24 hours and then roasted them for a few hours in my oven on its lowest setting.

Next season I think I’ll expand the garden a bit more and try some heirloom tomato varieties along with some onions. I’ll also start a raspberry bed so I can start making my own jam!

A toasty fall

2010-11-12T16:44:00.005-05:00

This summer I joined my first All Spun Up Spin-A-Long which was so much fun! She was offering two fiber colors, Goldfish wearing a Tutu and Koi pond along with a mystery fiber within the theme of fish. As soon as I saw Koi pond I knew that it would be perfect for Scott and I wanted to take a chance on the mystery color. Both fibers were Polwarth, which I have never spun before. I found the wool to be a bit sticky while drafting and needed to predraft the fiber to make it easier to spin.

Koi pond is on the left and ‘A somewhat Seussish Trout’ is on the right.

Since this wool is not as soft as I’m accustomed to I thought that they would make wonderful mitts but that meant I needed to spin them a bit thicker than the lace I love to spin.

In hindsight I should have spun the Koi Pond a bit thinner for a bit more yarn but it worked out in the end.

My mitts come nearly to my elbows while Scott’s reach just past his wristwatch.

I used the Toasty pattern as a guide, adding a garter stitch edging on top and bottom to prevent curling. I did run out of yarn on Scott’s mitts and barely eked out the thumbs but he does like them and that’s all that matters.

Parliament of Owls

2010-11-05T19:00:00.002-05:00

I have always loved owls; I think that they are extremely fascinating. Some time back I stumbled upon this great owl pattern by Hansi Singh that I knew one day I would knit. I felt that Vincent was getting a bit lonely, and maybe I was a bit influenced by the Guardians of Ga’Hoole movie, but for whatever reason I cast on for my very own owl. I started a Great horned owl, but for some reason he fell by the wayside.

He also needs a name, so if anyone out there has a good one let me know!

I altered the pattern a little to knit myself a snowy owl.

Instead of knitting sharp decreases I rounded the eyes a bit more by evening out the decreases. Both owls are knitting with Patons wool from the local hobby store. The white for the snowy owl is tweeded with blue but from a distance it looks more like black. I named her Archimedes, I know I’m nerdy but I’m ok with that.

Beaded necklace

2010-09-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

I sometimes dabble in crochet but it is not my favorite thing to do. I think I hold the hook too tightly and my fingers always hurt after I crochet. I also favor the finer stitches that knitting produces. However there are just times when you can’t pass up a crocheted project!

I made this necklace for my mom for mother’s day this past May. It was perfect and so quick. I have some more beads for others; I just need to find different wire. I couldn’t get the strands to hang flat, I’m not sure if that is because of my tight gauge, or the light beads. These will make wonderful gifts.

Roma

2010-09-22T21:00:00.001-05:00

Back in August, (I have such a back log of blog material including a trip to London we took in May) I was one of the lucky people to test knit Kirsten’s new design Roma. Just a few months ago the Socks that Rock club shipment was a spirit color, Sweet Pea, a very pale yellow/green yarn. While I liked the yarn, I really couldn’t see it becoming socks, not the way I wear socks down. The soles would be a dirty mess in no time! I knew that it would be perfect for Roma. I also really loved a past shipment, Tide Pooling, but unfortunately some carpet beetles from the apartment complex got into that yarn and put holes in the skein. So I ripped out that sock in progress and cut the yarn anywhere it was weak and knew that I would have enough strong yarn for the edge of Roma. I think that the colors go well.

It was a fun and quick knit; the pattern can be memorized pretty quickly. I love knitting shawls out of thicker yarn for those colder days. This would be wonderful tucked into a warm winter coat, and the color combinations are endless!

My Craft Room

2010-09-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

Ever since we finished our patio and the fixing the garage Scott and I have been looking for a fun home project. What could be more fun than a craft room? The room at the end of the hall was a deep bright blue when we moved in, and a bit overwhelming. That room, with its odd angles and west and north facing windows, doesn’t get too much light and that color was just eating up what light it did get.

The color in the photo is pretty true to life, and no Scott is not standing on anything to paint the ceiling, he’s just really tall. We painted the room a nice purple/gray but we were hesitant about covering that blue. We picked a paint and primer in one and it covered the blue pretty well with just one coat. Being that we aren’t professionals we gave it two coats just to make sure all that blue was covered and I think that it looks wonderful! While it was drying, we took a ride out to Ikea to get some cool storage items for all of my yarn and fiber.

Scott found this really awesome table that is just perfect for my sewing machine and we also picked up a rug and two lamps that continue the flower theme.

We moved our old chair and ottoman up from the basement and slip covered it in black and put it by the window. I’m just waiting now to the rest of the curtains to come in, they were back ordered and the room will be complete. I’ve added some Liberty of London for Target bowls in the black flower patterns and might get some matching fabric to make some pillows. I’ve also enlarged a photo I took a few years ago at DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival that looks wonderful in a white frame over my desk. This is now my favorite room in the house!

2010-09-11T09:00:00.005-05:00

A spinning good time

2010-09-08T14:02:00.005-05:00

I’ve been in a knitting slump all summer and I’m not sure why. The weather has been brutally hot and despite having the central air on at all times I just can’t seem to pick up anything to knit. I am also seriously behind on my 10 shawls in 2010 with a grand total of three. I have three more on the needles and one waiting to be frogged. I have been spinning up a storm though, 2,773.5 yards this summer alone, and a grand total of 4,786 yards for the year! I tried something new this time around and really played with color. I have been lusting over some Raveler’s handspun yarn that shifted colors and wanted to try it myself. I took this merino/bamboo from All Spun Up

I separated the colors progressing from really light, to dark green and spun them up. The end results are exactly what I wanted to achieve. 700 yards

I’ve also tried my hand at spinning a thicker weight yarn. 143 yards

I n-plied this Polwarth from All Spun Up with hopes of making a light worsted weight yarn. It is thick and thin in places and no where near perfect but it should make some nice wrist warmers.

I spin some yarn for socks for Scott:

This is n-plied Blue Moon Fiber Arts Sheep 2 Shoe kit in Sockgate2 I think, 511.5 yards.

I also spun up some merino/soysilk from PigeonRoof Studios in “Plumeria” 745 yards

I found the soysilk to be very sticky and hard to draft so I predrafted the entire roving before spinning. After I washed the skein the fibers softened up a bunch and should knit into something soft and lovely.

My favorite has to be this merin/tencel from Poppy Flower Fiber, 674 yards

I really wanted to get closer to 1000 yards but I'll settle for the evenness of the yarn and the beautiful drape it has. This will make a really lovely Red Dragon Shawl.

Now my fingers are itching to spin up some of the merino/bamboo/silk that I have stashed.

How we spent our summer vacation, or how to lay a patio in a month.

2010-08-29T10:00:00.022-05:00

hen we purchased our home, the backyard wasn’t much to speak of:

The previous owners unfortunately mistreated their dogs and penned them off in a gravel filled enclosure which was quite an eyesore.

There was also no place to sit and enjoy a fine summer night so we decided that we needed to lay a patio. My father came by and helped us design a space that would make sense. The first step was to remove all the grass where the new pavers would be. Throughout the job Scott was able to use many cool machines such as a sod cutter, allowing us to pull up the grass more easily and repurpose it in the gravel pit.

Once that was cut out the stairs had to go; the original design had you exiting the house and walking down the stairs directly to your left. I thought it made more sense to widen the deck a bit allowing more than one person to stand at the top, raise the platform to make a less awkward step down and have the stairs lead straight down. This allows for easier entertaining and access to the house.

The ground was tamped down.

Then a layer of gravel was tamped in place.

(As you can see from the photos the swing set was removed and I planted a nice vegetable garden in its place.)

Then a layer of sand was set.

Pavers were laid.

A special sand and cement mixture was swept between the pavers.

The deck was built and furniture added.

Maplewing

2010-05-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

The year is nearly halfway over and I am falling behind on the 10 in 10 challenge. Back in March I completed my second shawl of the year, Maplewing by Anne Hanson. I used Pigeonroof Studios Baby Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere Laceweight in ‘Amazon.’

I have never knit with yarn so light, and soft before, it was an absoluet dream to knit with! The end results are so stunning, so airy, and completely perfect for this shawl. The color is amazin also, just enough varigation to make it interesting but not enough to distract from the pattern.

I have another skien of this yarn in ‘Bianca’ that will become the Desdemona Shawl.

Spring

2010-05-27T10:06:00.004-05:00

Spring has been a busy time for us this year. A good percentage of the bulbs that were planted this winter came up for a beautiful springtime show.

I have slowly begun to remove some of the plants that aren’t the style I’m looking for and replacing them with ones that are.

Gold Medal Knit

2010-03-13T15:16:00.001-05:00

Last February I spun this:

One month later, I began the Aeolian Shawl from Knitty.com. I beaded it the way the pattern calls for, but couldn’t stand how tedious it became, so I thought that it would look just as lovely with the beads on the bottom part of the shawl. It came with me to the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC, it was a wonderful car project, easily memorized. I stopped just after the leaves, and it sat in a pile of other cast away knits. I didn’t like the beads I bought, the yarn was striping and the leaves were being over powered. I knew that it was going to the frog pond, but I just couldn’t bring myself to rip it out. As I was packing up my yarn to move I came across the doomed shawl and fell in love with the yarn once again. I had been drooling over the Bitterroot shawl and knew that this would look wonderful in my handspun. I ripped the shawl, wound the yarn and set it aside for the Winter Knitting Olympics.

As the torch was being lit, I cast on with hopes of finishing a beautiful shawl by the end of the games. I had always intended on knitting the larger size but was not aware that there was a correction to the amount of yarn needed for the larger size. I found myself short 100 yards but still wanted to do the four beaded leaf section that the large shawl has. I altered the pattern a bit by knitting to row 8 of chart E and then changing the first row on chart F to be a yarn over then a k2tog at the beginning and then at the end k2tog and a yarn over so that way the design flows right into chart F.

I am extremely happy with the results and I finished knitting and blocking the shawl on the 23, five days before the flame was extinguished.

Start your needles!

2010-02-13T00:23:00.000-05:00

Let the knitting begin!

New beginnings

2010-01-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

I love the excitement of casting on for a new project, however that excitement fades quickly when you need to rip out 510 stitches of a very fine lace weight yarn and re-cast on the correct amount of stitches. Twice. Frustration starts setting in when you discover you have one extra stitch after completing the first row and you know that you counted correctly, three times, with markers marking off every fifty stitches. Rage starts appearing after you discover that the mistake was made within the first 100 stitches. That is about the time when you realize that you can just knit the last two stitches together and when you get the the mistake just pick up a stitch where it was lacking, after all no one will notice that you picked up one tiny stitch on the cast on edge. Plus I might have been at the point of losing my sanity if I had to rip out and re-knit one more time.

After two days and many many bad words I have the beginnings of Maplewing.

4 years old

2010-01-27T18:48:00.003-05:00

I just realized that today is my blog's 4th birthday! With that said I present you the last pair of socks knitted before the end of 2009:

Edwardian Boating socks (if you purchase this pattern before Jan 31 the proceeds go to Doctors without Borders to aid Haiti) knit from September's shipment of the Rockin Sock Club called River Rocked. I loved this color and couldn't bear to see it pool so this pattern was a perfect fit for what I wanted.

2009 crafting round up

2010-01-02T18:45:00.007-05:00

2009 turned out to be a productive crafting year for me completing 21 projects:

(click on the photo to see better)

Two mittens, eight lace shawls (three from handspun), four toys, one pair of mitts, two golf club head covers, one hat, three pairs of socks and one sweater.

I learned:
that lining mittens is always the route to go when knitting something stranded
knitted toys always put a smile on people's faces
handspun is always a pleasure to knit with
math is my friend.

I love knitting lace and when I saw that there is a group on Ravelry that challenges you to knit 10 lace shawls in 2010 I jumped right in! This will be a fun challenge for me.

2009 really improved my spinning.

(click on the photo to see better)

I took my first spinning class with my guild and was able to try spinning luxury fibers such as angora, bison down, llama, alpaca and mohair. I'm proudest of the last skein I spun, the Sheep 2 Shoe kit from Blue Moon Fiber Arts that will soon become a pair of knee high socks for me. I hope to keep getting better every time I sit down at the wheel and maybe produce a true lace weight, much thinner than the heavier lace I have been spinning.

2009...

2010-01-01T17:49:00.003-05:00

Everyone has been recounting the decade and it had me thinking about mine.
Since 2000 I:
graduated high school
spent four amazing years at college
changed my mind about teaching and received a masters in Library Science
learned to knit
got married
flew for the first time
found a full time job
learned to spin
walked away from a nasty car accident with a broken bone
and bought a house!

Meet Vincent

2009-12-28T12:06:00.005-05:00

Vincent was a quick knit for me, I started him Oct 24th and he was completed by the 26th. He is made out of Patons Classic Merino Wool from Fuzzy Mitten's Bat and Jack O'Lantern pattern.

I was thinking of naming him after a hunky vamp from True Blood but I'm not a huge fan of Bill and Eric would be blonde so that name was out. I then remembered an old movie from 1959 called The Bat with Agnes Moorehead and Vincent Price. I embroidered some baby blue eyes to match Mr. Price and voila!

I'm very proud of his eyes, I think that they came out wonderfully. I'm sure that Vincent will not be alone for much longer, I can see knitting several more of these guys.

If you didn't already know that I am a nerd...

2009-11-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

Last February Scott gave me the very fast flyer for my Lendrum so I could spin lace weight. The first yarn I spun on it was a merino/tencel blend from Spunky Eclectic called 'Walking on the Sun.'

I started out with 4 oz hoping that it would be enough to knit the Woodland Shawl. The colors of the yarn made me think about what Mallorn trees would look like. For those who don't know what Mallorn trees are, read about them here. The yarn and the pattern were a perfect fit! I started it in March of '08 and knit until my brother's graduation in May of that same year. The pattern was very easy to memorize so it was the perfect project to take on the trip up to Oswego. Unfortunately I ran out of yarn just as we reached the University on the first day of a long weekend.

I ordered more fiber knowing that the color wouldn't match perfectly but I didn't mind. I spun up another 2 oz, and the final 2 oz languished in my bin for months. I really wanted to finish this shawl/stole in time to wear to the 21st Century Orchestra's Lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Ring in October. The deadline was quickly approaching and I needed to spin and knit like a fiend. I was able to finish the knitting the week before the show and block it the night before. It was still damp when I unpinned the best but we did need our bed back to sleep on that night. I wore it pinned with Arwen's broach with pride.

It isn't as wide as I would want a stole to be, although I did wear it like one to the show. I think in the future I will wear this more like a scarf, doubled up and looped through itself. I wore it around Rhinebeck that way and it kept me pretty warm.

If you look closely you can see the difference in the spinning, the first half of the shawl has my very first attempts at lace weight yarn and the second lighter half is smoother and more even. I have been assured by many people that I'm nuts and no one can see the difference. I wouldn't want this piece to be any other way, I love that you can see a short history of my spinning.

Ravelry Details

New Mitts!

2009-11-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

This fall I joined the Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup with the thought that the class homework would provide the kick in the pants I need to finally start knitting my queue. I am very happy to say that it has worked and I'm slowly working through some projects that I have always wanted to knit.

First up was Winter Twilight Mitts knit for Potions Class; the assignment was knit something to keep someone warm.

When Scott and I went to Chicago last Thanksgiving we stopped at Loopy Yarns where I picked up some Koigu just for this pattern.

They were such a quick knit, I finished them in a week!

I love how they turned out and cannot wait for the weather to get a bit colder to wear them.

Details on Ravelry

Jackalope

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am using November as my wrap up month to blog about projects that slipped through the cracks. Last December I planned on knitting my dad a Jackalope for Christmas but unfortunately it was one of the projects that became sidelined when I was sidelined. So instead of a Christmas gift, I knitted it for Father's Day because nothing says Happy Father's Day like a knitted imaginary creature!

Pattern from Amigurumi Knits by Hansi Singh.

Ene's Scarf

2009-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last September I was stalking Pigeon Roof Studio's etsy shop trying to score the most beautiful shade of blue silk lace I have ever seen but I was too slow and someone got to it before I could. I emailed Kristy hoping that she maybe had something similar coming up in the next update. Lucky for me the person who purchased the skein I wanted returned it because it wasn't the color she was hoping for. This beauty found a home with me.

I quickly started Ene's Scarf on very tiny needles, US size 3.

It isn't the largest scarf I have made, but it us just perfect to have peeking out from under a sweater.

It is so light and airy, the color is divine. While I love the sheen of silk, I don't think I will be looking to knit with pure silk anytime soon. I don't know what is it about 100% silk but it isn't my favorite to knit with or wear. Maybe I just need something fuzzy mixed in the blend. Live and learn.

I had to rip out the cast on a few times, and once I reached the body the pattern did become a bit repetitive but the result is just lovely. I started it back in September of '08 and finished it in July of '09, it took so long because of the accident not because I didn't enjoy this project.

Rhinebeck '09

2009-11-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

We got a late start this year, completely my fault, arriving around 9:40am and then had to wait on quite a large line to get into the fairgrounds. While it was cold, I was really glad that the weather held out and stayed dry for the day. I wish I took more pictures, especially since I met so many great people this year but I just wasn't thinking. My shoulder was killing me about halfway through the day which distracted me, so if I seemed off or rude to anyone I apologize, I wasn't really myself.

We grabbed some lunch from the Polish food vendor and was able to catch a pretty cool frisbee demonstration with some interesting dogs.

Of course there were cute animals:

This came home with me

8oz Sea wool from Creatively Dyed, 4 oz Merino/bamboo from Fiber Optic, 1oz Angora Rabbit wool, Sheep Incognito picture for our new house, Socks that Rock Medium weight Rare Gem for socks for Scott, and Socks that Rock medium weight mill end for me.

I also met a bunch of lovely people I have only ever known on Flickr, however I forgot that I had a camera with me when I meet everyone!

BRAIIIIIIIIIIINS!

2009-09-12T13:32:00.003-05:00

These little guys were intened as Christmas gifts but were not completed before the accident so I gave them as a birthday gift for my brother's birthdya back in May. I know, I'm terrible about blogging. I love the Creepy Cute book and am planning on making several more zombies, knights and monsters.

2009-09-11T11:48:00.002-05:00

Shipwrecked... or why I love Ravelry

2009-07-18T17:33:00.005-05:00

When the Spring 2009 issue of Knitty came out I thought that the Shipwreck Shawl was nice but not something for me. I wasn't sure how to wear a circular shawl, the pattern was really lovely but at the same time a bit to sea oriented for my taste. Fast forward a few months and hanging around the Lost group's KAL on Ravelry I started going back to Knitty to look at the shawl. I began to see shawls knit by others which in turn made me go back and look and wonder what colors this shawl would look good in. I began surfing around for beads, and putting color combinations in me head. It was when I actually had a dream about the shawl that I decided that it was time to stop thinking and start knitting.

I have only used beads in one or two of my projects and never realized how much bigger size 6 beads are than size 8. I really loved the colors of the size 6 but the weight alone for the amount of beads, over 5000, would make the shawl unmanageable. I was able to find some pretty green, blue and gold beads at a local bead store in size 8 which was much much better.

Of course since I've completed 4 shawls this year I was completely full of myself and decided that I did not need to mark what row I was on and do the modification to make the leaves symmetrical by simply 'reading' my knitting. Well the knitting gods exacted their payback and I had to rip out seventeen rows.

One and a half months later I finished my shawl just in time to wear it to a wedding. Our friends were married on Sunday July 12 and the shawl was blocked and dried by 11 pm on the 11th. I love everything about this shawl. If it wasn't for Ravelry and the Lost KAL I wouldn't have made this wonderful shawl!

Ravelry details here.

2009 the year of lace?

2009-06-19T10:43:00.001-05:00

It is no secret that I love to spin lace weight yarns. They take a long time and some concentration but every time I sit down at the wheel I want to spin thinner and thinner. I am constantly challenging myself to get more yardage from a mere 4 ounces. This desire either fuels or is fueled by my love of knitting lace. Don’t you think that everyone needs a lace shawl or ten? How about one in every color? Maybe it is time to start a lace revolution! Do you work in an office with an overly aggressive air conditioner? Grab a shawl. Do you want to add a splash of color to your outfit? Throw on a shawlette.

To round out the teal/blue part of the spectrum I began spinning this in early March.

4oz of Merino/Bamboo “Into a Cerulean Sky” from Gnome Spun Yarns

Which quickly turned into this

Then into this

724 yards at 33 WIP

This yarn was destined to become Laminara from the start. I started on April 6th and by the 18th it was completed.

It is a bit smaller than I wanted but I love it just the same. The only thing I will do differently next time I knit this (and there will be a next time, and handspun once again) I will go up a needle size for the star chart to make the stitches open a bit more.

Jeanne

2009-05-26T15:50:00.005-05:00

I was lucky enough to be one of the many talented knitters to test knit Kirsten's (Through the Loops) new shawl Jeanne. This shawl was delightful to knit, just enough changes to keep you interested and the pattern flowed beautifully so that it was easy to read.

I can see myself knitting this pattern again in the future in maybe a smaller version with some handspun. You can easily shrink or enlarge this pattern to fit your needs. It would also look lovely in some lightweight sock yarn as a shawlette.

I still have one more shawl just waiting to be blogged if I can get my butt in gear and do so!

Ravelry details!

Pretty as a Peacock

2009-04-17T11:55:00.006-05:00

Do you remember when you first started knitting and you found that one project that made you doubt whether you will ever be able to make it yourself? When I saw the Peacock Feathers shawl and read what some people say about it, at first I wasn’t sure if I would ever be good enough to make one. I heard that lace charts were hard to follow and that this one was even more difficult since for the other half you have to read the chart backwards and reverse everything in your head. As I became more advanced with my knitting I found myself being drawn back to this shawl. The push to finally make this shawl came when I received the pattern in a swap. At the time I was knitting my mom’s Garden Party shawl so I told myself as a reward for finishing her shawl I would be able to cast on for Peacock. Moments after I finished her shawl I began Peacock but then the accident happened and everything came to a screeching halt. As I healed I found that just after Christmas I could finally grasp the needles without too much pain, and the lightness of the yarn allowed me to knit a row here and there over the course of a few weeks. It wasn't until January that I really started to make any headway and in March I was rewarded with a beautiful shawl.

The pattern is wonderfully written with great illustrations on how to do the crochet bind off. Since I'm not all that consistent with crochet I knew that I needed to do the bind off in one sitting if I hoped to get the loops anywhere near the same size. Just be forewarned, bind off takes a long time! It took me nearly three hours to bind off all those little stitches. After seeing many knitter's very large Peacock shawl I decided to go down a few needle sizes to a US2. I knit very tightly so for me a 2 is almost like knitting on a 0. Being that I'm only 5'3" I didn't want this shawl to be as large as the given measurements, it would be way too unruly to wear. Instead it turned out to be just the right size for me and I and absolutely in love!

Pattern: Peacock Feathers Shawl
Needles: Addi Turbo Lace size 2.75mm
Yarn: Perchance to Knit in Midnight Rainbow
Started Dec 4, 2008
Finished March 29, 2009
Size: 40" from nape to point, 70" from end to end.

More Handspun

2009-03-13T16:00:00.000-05:00

I have one more skein of yarn to show you guys from Handspun February. I bought this beautiful Wool/Silk blend from All Spun Up for my birthday. As soon as it arrived I knew that I had to begin spinning.

Originally I spun this thinking that the yarn would be perfect for the Laminaria shawl but in the end the yarn was a bit too variegated to show off the wonderful stitches. I also did not get as much yardage as I had hoped. This skein is 650 yards, and about 25 WIP, just a bit shy of the 1000 yards required for the large Laminaria.

Once I realized that this yarn wouldn’t work for what I imagined, I started to think about knitting a lace ribbon scarf. I really like how the pattern looks and thought that maybe I should knit something that is not a shawl for a bit; then the Spring issue of Knitting came out that was the end of all those plans. There she was, Aeolian, all the stars lined up. I have the perfect weight yarn, the perfect yardage, and I even have some beads hanging around the apartment. I think that I’ll stop in my local craft store to see if they have some more colorful beads that match my yarn instead of the clear ones I have.

My only dilemma is do I cast on now or wait until I finish my Peacock Feathers Shawl?

Swallowtail 2.0 bigger, better and now in handspun!

2009-03-10T14:27:00.001-05:00

Handspun February has come and went but the spinning bug that bit me has yet to be satisfied. While my yarns are still far from perfect, they are the most consistent I’ve spun to date. I have also found my new favorite blend of fiber, wool with bamboo. The bamboo gives the yarn a lovely shine that I am absolutely mad about.

I’m really sorry that I did not have any photos of this roving before I began spinning to show how it was dyed. I picked this up from the Sweet Sheep a while back, it is a wool/bamboo blend called ‘fire starter’ but after spinning it up I think it came out more like a cherry blossom.

This was the first time that I really thought about how the colors would line up when I plied the singles together. Since the values were really close together, the pinks, peaches and yellow were barely distinguishable when the roving was drafted I decided to split the roving in half lengthwise then I took one half, found the middle and torn it off. I spun one single from beginning to end, then the next from the middle to end, then beginning to middle. For the most part there aren’t too many drastic color changes; there are some spots where the colors did line up and the pinks are a bit darker or the peaches a bit peachier. The other areas have a lovely barber pole effect that blends nicely when looked upon at a distance.

I was able to get about 484 yards, 25 WIP that was just itching to become a Swallowtail Shawl. At first I was sure I would have enough yarn for the shawl because I had to go up four needle sizes to get the drape I wanted so I thought that I would use some beads for the nupps. When I came to that part and realized that I did indeed have plenty of yarn I was a bit sad that I wouldn’t be using the perfect beads I found for the shawl. Instead I knitted the nupps as is and added the beads at the bottom edge of the shawl for a bit of sparkle.

I love how it came out and am so glad that I’m keeping this one for myself! This was one fact project, it took a bit over two weeks to spin this yarn, and then just over a week for knit the shawl. The pattern was easily memorized and went rather quickly. I’m glad I reknit this shawl; my first one was a bit too small for my liking. It still isn’t very large, about 57 inches from end to end and 35 inches from nape to tip, but it sits perfectly on me as a scarf. Thank you Kristy for putting together a great Handspun February, I had lots of fun!

January's Socks

2009-02-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

One pair, in the loosest meaning of the word, of socks down for January! I want to try to knit down my WIPS and single socks while also finishing two socks a month with hopes that by the end of the year I will have knit 24 socks and hopefully have some matching pairs that I can wear. Scott had commented a few weeks ago that his feet were cold and that he wished he had another pair of wool socks to keep his feet warm. I began to feel a bit guilty because it has been so long since I finished anything for him. Before everyone begins to judge me he does wear a size 12 shoe so I could almost knit a pair of socks for me in the amount of time it takes to knit one for him. For our first anniversary we went to Boston and I picked up some yarn for socks for both of us, almost two years later I finally finished one sock for him.

This is retro rib sock in Claudia Hand Painted knitted on size 2 double points. I really do like this pattern but the yarn was a poor choice for this pattern. I knew that going in, I was desperate to find a man approved sock pattern. I really should have knitted a plain stockinette sock but that would have driven me to madness. He likes it though and that is all that matters, he would however enjoy the other sock.

I also have been feeling a bit guilty that I have yet to finish any socks from last years Rockin Sock Club so while I knit the current club socks I also wanted to finish the ones I started last year. Leafling was the closest to being finished so I whipped that one off the needle. I’m not sure how I like the toe:

I modified it so the leaf pattern comes to a point but I started doing so too late and by time I finished and needed to finish shaping the anatomical toe it was too long and I needed to decrease too quickly. I may rip back in do a standard toe instead or just rip out the kitchener and decrease a bit more so it looks a bit better.

You know that it is a great pattern when you knit it twice!

2009-01-31T11:57:00.001-05:00

As soon as I finished my mittens Scott asked me if I could knit him a pair. Of course feeling guilty that I don’t finish anything for him I conceded especially when he asked if we could go find the yarn that weekend. So we went to a LYS that I’m not too fond of but I wanted to get the yarn to start this project right away with hopes of finishing them in time for my birthday. Scott of course picked out his favorite colors orange and blue. Can you see a pattern here? I’ve got a huge Mets fan in the house.

I finished the first outer shell in a flash; it only took me a day and a half. However the lining gave me trouble once again. I had planned that the pair would be done for our trip into the city for my birthday but they weren't. I did finish the second outer shell while on the train and waiting to be let into the Daily Show with Jon Stewart (which was wonderful!) and I hope that the lining will be completed in time for Valentine's Day.

First finish of 2009

2009-01-17T11:11:00.000-05:00

The car accident left my hand so bruised that I was unable to knit for almost a month; I was dying to get back to doing something that would comfort me and take away the anxiety and sadness I felt. There were a lot of things that I was unable to do, and still cannot but thankfully it is only temporary and everything will heal in another month or so. My hand still hurts if I try to do more than I should but at least I can knit some now. My left Bird in Hand mitten was lost at the scene and couldn’t be found the next day so I began to think about a replacement pair. I had admired the Fiddlehead Mittens for a long time and desperately tried to get my hands on a kit for them but I always missed my opportunity. I purchased the pattern and found the perfect colors over at KnitPicks and my yarn arrived on New Years Eve. What wonderful timing, a new year and a new start. New Years Day I cast on with hopes that I could finish before the real January temperatures settled in. Fifteen days later I have a finished and lined pair of mittens to keep my hands warm!

I love the lining; however I did have trouble getting it to fit in correctly. The first mitten’s lining was too large and scrunched at the tip, so I ripped out the top and made it shorter. The second pair’s lining ended up being too short. I still think it is a bit short but when I do block the lining I think I can stretch it a bit. Honestly all the trouble I had was because I was too lazy to take the stitches off the needles and put them on some waste yarn to test as I knit. I guesstimated it and was wrong, but live and learn. Overall the pattern was wonderfully written and all the directions were clear. These are my favorite mittens ever! In fact I’m looking to find more colors and make Scott a pair.

100th post/2008 wrap up

2009-01-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

I love how my 100th post also coincides with my 2008 wrap up.

I knitted/crocheted and or finished 5 pairs of socks, one of which is from my own handspun, 1 pair of mittens, 5 toys, 2 washcloths, 1 blanket, 1 scarf, 1 hat, 1 shawl from my own handspun, and 1 Christmas tree ornament.

I am very proud that I was a bit more selfless with my knitting this year. The duck was for a coworker before I left for my full-time job, the elephants and washcloths were for my cousin's babies, the crocheted toys were for Scott and my brother and the shawl was for my mom. I think I was most proud that I finished the Saffron Cables blanket and my mom's shawl. I never thought that I would finish something so large; it is the most used knitted item in our home. My mom's scarf was the most beautiful thing that I created from the almost very beginning to a completed item.

I also improved on my spinning throughout the year.

The most important thing I learned this year with my spinning is to make sure that I spin all that is needed to finish a project at the same time. I did not spin enough "Walking on the Sun" to finish my shawl, the second attempt at this yarn is a bit thicker than the first sitting but that is fine with me.

There were also some items that were not finished:

I finished 3 single socks (one of which is a knee-high from my own handspun) which are still waiting for their mates, 2 sweaters, 1 which only needs half a sleeve and the zipper, 1 shrug and 4 shawls, 3 which are not pictured (Lily of the Valley, Peacock Feathers and Ene's Scarf), also not pictured 7 socks various stages of completion.

My 2009 plans are to spin one skein of yarn a month to decrease my fiber stash. Now I know that by doing so I will only be increasing my yarn stash, but let's ignore that for the moment. I also want to start finishing my lingering WIPS, especially the sweaters. I would also love to knit a pair of socks a month, but I know that is a lofty goal. I did not finish a single sock from the 2008 Rockin Sock Club, I would love to be able to do so, along with knitting down my sock stash. This will probably not happen, but I would love to try to at least keep up with the current club that will be shipping out soon.

Well there it is, my 2009 goals out in cyberland for all to see and for all to keep me honest. This might be the first year that I set actual goals that I can keep track of so December will be interesting.

Catch up part 4

2009-01-14T18:18:00.003-05:00

My mom taught me to knit when I was little, maybe about five years old. Like many children as I grew up I lost interest while in my teen years but as I left for college I asked her to show me how again. While in college I visited a beautiful yarn store not too far from where the school was. It was there that I learned how to read patterns and took a class on how to knit a sweater. Looking back I really should have gone there more. When I graduated from college I wanted to learn how to make socks and from there it just snowballed. My mom always admired my work and asked for me to knit her something. Over the years I made her some mitts, and two pairs of socks but this Christmas I wanted to make her something very special. I could not think of anything more special than spinning the yarn myself and then turning it into a beautiful shawl.

I began spinning some beautiful red roving from Spunky Eclectic on my very fast flyer. It was a learning experience as I was still very new to spinning.

This

turned into this

which then was knitted into the Garden Party Shawl

I am the most proud of this project than anything else I've knitted. I learned so much along the way through spinning and knitting. The pattern is written very well, the construction is something new to me. The center leaf panel is knitted first, then the sides one at a time, you then knit across the entire thing to finish the body of the shawl, finally the edging is picked up from the live stitches. Over all this was a very fun and quick shawl to knit. My mom is absolutely over the moon with her new shawl!

Catch up part 3

2009-01-07T20:56:00.004-05:00

I finally finished a pair of socks from the 2007 Rockin' Sock Club, the colorway is Firebird and the pattern is Fawkes. This colorway and pattern fit so well together that I could not pass up making these.

They were finished the week that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was supposed to be released. Which by the way I'm still ticked off that I have to wait until July to see.

Catch Up part 2

2009-01-04T16:00:00.003-05:00

I had grand plans for hand made gifts this year and I was well on the way to actually doing it before Christmas until the accident happened. This January my brother will be going to his first grown up job in the corporate world so I found the best gift ever, the crocheted Corporate Zombie from Creepy Cute Crochet. I picked up this book and instantly had to start making an army of cute. My first attempt was the monkey to decorate Scott's desk at work.

I love how his came out; I really think that the clay eyes really make this little guy. I started to make and assemble the corporate zombie, the cyber zombie(my brother is a huge World of Warcraft player) and the ninja. The day of the accident I finished the ninja:

This picture isn't the best because I had to take it inside at night but you get the idea. I will finish the others for him soon and continue to build an army of cute!

With my mom's and brother's help I was able to finish and stuff this little heart sachet with the pine needles from the first Christmas Tree that Scott and I put up during our first year of marriage.

This was knitted from left of Socks that Rock in Mustang Sally from the first year of the Rocking Sock Club.

Catch Up Part 1

2009-01-04T00:20:00.003-05:00

A new year has arrived and I have made it my resolution to make the effort to blog more. I had planned to blog about my trip to Chicago and a FO but in early December my husband Scott, myself, and two of our closest friends were hit head on by a drunk driver on a Sunday night. Scott broke his wrist, our friends have whiplash and since I was leaning forward to play with the radio my collar bone snapped nearly in two. We were all badly bruised, my worst was around my pelvis which at one point everyone was concerned that it was also broken. We are all on the mend but it will be a slow and painful process. Finally after nearly a month I am finally able to knit again because the bruising has gone down on my hand.

Chicago was lovely, not at all cold or windy when we went. It was nice to have Thanksgiving with relatives that we hardly see. This was the first time Scott has celebrated a holiday with his father's parents. Wednesday we took the train from his grandparent's house into the city and did all the touristy stuff you can cram into a day. We went to the top of Sears Tower and saw the skyline:

and the Hancock Building:

Took photos at the Bean:

I'm sporting my new Koolhaas knit from malabrigo yarn in bijou blue. This was knit in two days, because the first attempt was too small and I desperately wanted to finish it before we went on the plane.

We also visited the Art Institute of Chicago and hit up Loopy Yarns where I picked up some Koigu yarn for Twilight Mitts and some Colinette Jitterbug.

I really love the little bag that they gave me with my purchase. I would love to have a shop like that close by, I could have easily bought up a lot more but I was trying to be good.

Fall is in the air and on my feet.

2008-11-05T12:11:00.002-05:00

Wow I completely suck at blogging. I’ve had a few posts in my mind for a while now and I have yet been able to sit down and write them up. So how about another finished object!

Right before Rhinebeck I finished up Embossed leaves socks so I could wear them to the festival. I started these on my way to Rhinebeck last year in the car and when I got home they sat in the back of a draw waiting for a heel. I couldn’t decide what kind of heel I wanted, did I want the pattern to flow down, or did I want to do a slip stitch heel? Good thing I did wait because when I tried them on again they were a bit snug getting on so I ripped them back to the first pattern repeat and switched to a size 2 needle instead of 1s.

I knit the heel as written except for breaking the yarn; I didn’t feel like weaving in more ends because I’m lazy. I love these socks! Ever since I saw Kristy knit these, I knew that I wanted a pair exactly like hers. I waited until Autumn was available from Blue Moon Fiber Arts to knit this beautiful pattern. I was lucky enough to finish just as the leaves started to fall so I could do a similar shot to hers. At first Scott though I was a bit insane sitting in the middle of a pile of leaves but then he got into the photo shoot. The first shot is his.

Pattern: Embossed Leaves
Needles: US size 2.5 and 2
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock lightweight in Autumn.

While they do slouch a bit, which is what I was trying to avoid with the smaller needles, I prefer the fit much more where the gusset is. These were my only successful pair of Socktoberfest socks. I had such grand plans but they faltered into a mess of half finished socks. At least these beauties are finished!

Rhinebeck '08!

2008-10-22T15:23:00.003-05:00

Warning Picture Heavy Post!

The alarm went off at 4:45am while it was still very dark and very cold outside but I was excited. Scott and I hit the road by 6:10 after stopping to pick up breakfast, money and gas and were in the parking lot by 8:45. We scored a spot very close to the entrance (I think it is the back gate) by getting there fifteen minutes earlier than we did last year. This allowed us to head back to the car to drop some bags off so we weren’t lugging them around all day. I was definitely not dressed for the weather this year. I knew that it would be cool but it did not register in my mind that it would be that cool throughout the entire day. Thankfully I told Scott to grab a jacket for himself, I on the other hand did not have as warm of a jacket as he did so I bought a long sleeved Sheep and Wool shirt to wear over the light ¾ sleeved shirt I was wearing. Pair with my scarf I was okay for the rest of the day, but man what a difference from last year’s weather! Next year I would like to actually finish a sweater to wear to Rhinebeck but knowing my luck it will be 70 degrees again.

My first stop of the day was Creatively Dyed yarns because I had seen a specific colorway when browsing her photos that I wanted to pick up. I ended up with some seawool roving in this beautiful green color.

The next stop was the Fold. I knew that since we were inside the festival before 9am that not everything would be sold out but we both knew that the line would be long. Scott was great and waited on line while I picked over the colorways and decided what to get. I didn’t go crazy knowing that what I really wanted was a sheep 2 shoe kit but the colors they had just didn’t strike my fancy. I did however pick up two skeins of lightweight yarn in Nyame (For the Rivendell socks) and Treehugger. I wanted to see the spirits in person and am glad I did because I think I am going to pass on these colors. I’m not too sure why but I don’t really care for them. I was expecting a bit more, maybe more of the color that they are ghosted from instead of being almost completely white. By the time I was finished picking out colors Scott almost next in line which worked out perfectly!

While in the Fold’s booth I ran into Joanne and her kids. I then ran into a slew of ladies from my Guild. While wandering around aimlessly, well not aimlessly I just didn’t have a plan of action at this moment, I ran into Stacey, Liza and forgive me but I forget her name. They told me that they were headed over to the Little Farm (?) had some great yarn for cheap so we all walked over there. I picked up a bag (10 skeins) of Galway Worsted in a Navy color for a sweater for Scott and some pretty blue merino to spin.

Scott and I were getting hungry by this point and decided to sit and grab a bite; while the Mexican food was pretty good I think that next year we will be brown bagging it since all the food was a bit pricey. We missed most of the Ravelry meetup due to the fact that I never really looked as to where it was going to be. I recognized Julia and gushed over her Apres Surf Hoodie (hers is the reason that I started mine) and she told me where the meet up was. There weren’t that many people there but I did get a chance to meet FreckleBrother and FreckleMom. I had a blast chatting with FreckleMom!

The rest of the day we spent walking through all the tents and visiting the sheep, goats, alpacas and bunnies. We also watched a sheep dog trial and some of the sheep auction. I picked up some more Merino Tencel sock yarn from Ellen’s ½ pint Farm.

Scott and I kept going back to the beautiful Sheep prints trying to decide which one to purchase. In the end we both decided to get an artist embellished glecee but we are still unsure which one choose. We are still trying to decided but we will be ordering one at a later time.

Some beautiful merino roving that I cannot wait to spin!

And finally some pictures from Rhinbeck:

24 hours

2008-10-17T11:55:00.003-05:00

See ya at Rhinebeck! (trust me I'm much more excited than this picture shows.)

Homesick

2008-10-14T14:40:00.005-05:00

As autumn rolls in on the cooler breezes my mind drifts back to my time spent at Binghamton University. I always become homesick for that wonderful place when the leaves start to change here on the Island. I miss all the beautiful colors that dappled the mountains and when the sun would set the entire place looked as if it was on fire. I really miss having a cider mill in the next town over that shipped directly to campus. If I did not feel like taking the short drive to Enidcott I could pick up some cider and candy (cinnamon of course!) apples from the dinning hall. Scott and I would always take the ride over because you could only get their cinnamon apple doughnuts straight from the mill. We would also pick up some apples; they had rows upon rows of different varieties, more than you would ever see in any ordinary super market. The pies baked with those apples were the best I have ever made. I really do miss being up there so to curb my homesickness a bit I wanted to make something that really made me feel like I was back in one of my most favorite places.

I have been sitting on a skein of Socks that Rock Tigers Eye for quite some time now with no real plans for this beauty. It was a left over skein from the sock that I made for Scott when I was new to sock knitting and wasn’t sure how much yarn his size 12 feet would need. I knew that this skein was destined for something other than socks so I search Ravelry for some ideas and I kept coming back to the Chevron Scarf that has bewitched so many knitters. I also had a skein on Monsoon that was half knit up as Inside Out Socks that never fit right with me. This was my first attempt at toe up socks and I made the foot too small for my comfort so a trip to the frog pond was in order. I washed the skein and dried it so I could get the kinks out and started knitting. At first I wasn’t sure if the colors really went together. I always loved the way that they were knitting up but in the back of my mind I was wondering if people would be revolted by the scarf when I walked down the street. I asked the lovely people on ravelry and flickr what they thought and the majority confirmed that the colors were working together. This was a quick knit when I actually sat down to knit. The pattern was easily memorized so it was a good project to keep in my purse or car.

These two colors together remind me of Binghamton; of the deciduous trees all alight with color mixed with the firs, or the sun setting and illuminating the winter forest. Now I can wrap myself in these memories every fall and feel just a little closer to the place I miss so much.

2008-09-11T20:36:00.001-05:00

Gold Medal Knit

2008-09-04T18:14:00.003-05:00

Warning: this is a very long post, you may just want to look at the pretty pictures.

Raveled here

I’ve had this post written for some time now waiting for the perfect pictures to sum up my newest love, Saffron Cables. I have been yearning to knit a blanket for some time now and have thought through several before settling on Saffron Cables from Interweave Knits Fall 2006. Since I knew that this project would take a while to complete and that it would last for such a long time I thought hard about what yarn to use. I knew that it had to be something that I loved, that would hold up over the years, and could be put in the washer if need be. Instantly my mind went the yarn that I have used most in my short knitting career, Socks that Rock. I love the colors, the feel of the fabric that the yarn creates, and I know that it holds up quite well over time. So after harassing Scott about what color he likes best, I finally settled on a lovely navy blue “in the Navy.” The yarn was purchased last summer with the teasing of my husband who draws attention to the fact that I have a hard time finishing projects, especially large ones. Knowing this about myself I imagined that this large project would be finished about the time that we were moving into our first house at an undetermined point in the future.

I started Saffron Cables back in January when I caught the flu and was home watching nearly the entire series of NCIS on DVD. While in the midst of a fever I nicknamed the blanket my NCIS blanket because the color’s name, like I said, I had a fever. The spring and summer came and despite the air condition I had no motivation to knit this lovely blanket anymore. One day I was browsing through Ravelry and saw all these lovely hand knit blankets; I thought that I would love to have the blanket done for this fall, that just maybe I can finish an item just before the months that it is intended for instead of putting it away as soon as the last stitch is cast off, awaiting for the right season. Then the Ravelympics came about, what a perfect excuse to finish something that might otherwise languish in my WIP pile. So I entered the Cable Steeple Case, WIP Wrestling, and Afghan Marathon. This was a challenge for me but somehow I was able to finish this just before the closing ceremonies ended. Thankfully late night swimming heats and extremely late night gymnastics allowed me plenty of time to knit. However knitting during particularly exciting moments made for some errors, at one time there was pretty bad cable mistake where I crossed it in the wrong direction for nearly twenty rows! Also do you know how long it takes to EZ sewn bind off 226 stitches? A couple of hours! Every minute was worth it; I cannot believe how beautiful this blanket is and how much I enjoy being underneath its warmth. The cool weather cannot come faster.

Ravelympics knitting

2008-08-12T14:55:00.004-05:00

The reason that I’ve been so quiet lately is that in July I started my first full time job. I’ve been waiting for over a year to get one; civil service makes it very hard to obtain a full time job, but now that I’m in my job security is pretty high. The summer months are always rough at the libraries with the reading program and all the other programs that we offer; while I love almost every minute of it I still come home pretty often with a splitting headache from all the people and children I see throughout the day. Thankfully things are slowing down here since the programs have ended so things may go back to normal soon. I feel especially bad for Scott since dinner plans have gotten really lax. Between a full day of programs and people, and the unbearable heat we had I just have no desire to cook anymore. I’m in a rut with the recipes I’ve been making because if it takes more than 15 minutes I don’t want to cook. Anyone have any quick easy recipes out there for me?

Thankfully the Ravelympics have really inspired me to finish my languishing Saffron Cables blanket. Scott would always tease me although it is a lovely pattern, I would never actually finish it based on my track record of completing large projects. Before the Ravelympics started I had knitting one pattern repeat done, four days and two mistakes later I’ve finished another pattern repeat! For about 17 rows I crossed one cable in the wrong direction. Thankfully it was easy to fix by isolating the six stitches, frogging them and then by counting the strands from the top down I was able to correctly recross the cables the correct way.

(The upper center cable should be twisting right not left.)

I have been planning on knitting four repeats however if I have enough yarn I may knit a fifth repeat to add more length to the blanket. When I swatched I didn’t measure my gauge so much as find a needle size that produced a fabric that I liked so I’m not too sure if my blanket is coming out smaller than it should but I want a nice piece that my sweetie and I can snuggle underneath. My wrists and even shoulders have been aching because the massive amount of fabric is quite heavy at this point; I’m also hoping that the weight alone will help block and make the fabric grow a bit. My goal is to finish knitting through the final seed stitch border, washing this beast will be a completely different project. My plans are to put it in the washer with some SOAK on delicate cycle and machine dry until just damp then block it on my bed over some towels. That will have to wait for a weekend that I some free time since I anticipate this to be a lengthy process. I have also toyed with the idea of adding an I-Cord border but I am very undecided about this. Any thoughts?

ps. I can once again participate in Project Spectrum!

Very productive

2008-07-10T13:54:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had one of those four day weekends where you felt like you have accomplished a huge pile of stuff? That is how I spent my 4th of July weekend, no barbeques, no parties, just me, my hubby, and hours of time to do what we wanted and needed. The weather was really iffy and the sky looked as if it would just open up at any moment so we caught a movie and decided to stay in the rest of the weekend. I baked a cake for a small work party (I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of it), made some orange sorbet which was out of this world!

This

became this

which then became this

252 yards of a dk/worsted(I haven’t measured the WPI yet) yarn spun from Funky Carolina’s superwash merino in “Sweetness.” Even though it is thick and thin in places I love how this came out. Spinning this was a bit of a challenge for me because every time I sit at the wheel my brain screams Thin! Thin! spinning something a little thicker is much harder for my to do, especially consistently. The fiber was a pleasure to spin, it drafted so nicely and the colors, which I was afraid would become muddied when plied, work together nicely. The resulting yarn is squishy and so incredibly soft that it is destined to be worn close to the body, maybe a cowl.

I also knitted quite a bit on my Apres Surf Hoodie which I think may become my favorite knitted object of all time. I know that I may be getting my hopes up since I’m only on the body of the sweater, but this pattern brilliantly combines some of my favorite things; lace, cashmere blend, and a hoodie. I’m knitting this in the round so that I can finish it faster, I will only have to purl when I split the front and back for the neck, and there will be very little seaming. The yarn is Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere which is actually more alpaca than cashmere, in rose heather, which is lovely to work.

Plus I get to use some of my cute new stitch markers!

Head over heels

2008-07-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

I finally finished spinning up the last of my Pigeon Roof Studios SW Merino in Blossom and felt the urge to knit it up into something beautiful. Since I bought 8oz knee high socks seemed to be the best way to use this pretty roving. Originally I was thinking of plain stockinette knee highs, but then I was browsing through some of my Interweave magazines and found the Spiral Boot Socks and thought that it would be a perfect match.

I used a size 2 needle and decreased when my leg narrowed instead of following the instructions this paired with the fact that my handspun is slightly thicker than the sock yarn called for I was able to get this knee high to fit my shapely calf perfectly. Although as I was wearing this around the apartment (yes only one is done but I didn’t care, I love this more than anyone should love their knitted socks) it started to slouch. When the other is knit, I think I’ll add a cute ribbon to the top to make it stay better.

While I do love this sock so much, almost enough to cast on right away for its mate, the need for wool knee highs isn’t so great in the 90 degree heat. My attention has turned to the Apres Surf Hoodie that I am under the delusion that I can knit quickly, quick enough to beat the chill from the air conditioning at work. More on that the next time, along with my mom’s shawl.

More baby knitting

2008-07-03T13:10:00.001-05:00

These past months I have hit a rut with my knitting. I primarily knitted gifts for babies that I felt a little burned out from deadline knitting. In addition to the deadlines the heat has been a bit unbearable for me so the idea of curling up with a pile of wool made me gag. Here are the results from the latest baby shower:

A cousin, although distantly related, is dearer to me than my first cousins, and his wife are expecting their first child, a boy. After just finishing my first Elijah, I thought that he would look so sweet in gray with little blue feet. I came upon this idea while searching Ravelry when I saw that someone else had added color to the feet and ears. I used Caron Simply Soft in Gray and left over Bernat Softee Baby in Pale blue. I didn’t change color until two rows after the purl row so that way there would be a nice clean edge.

I also gave her a mommy and baby bath basket that while beautiful was missing something. In came Grrr:

These were so quick and fun to knit that I finished knitting one on the ride home from Oswego. I used Lily’s Sugar and Cream Solids in Orange, and Ombres and Prints in Yellow-Orange; for the face I used some DMC embroidery floss in a brown shade (I can’t remember the number). Everything was a huge hit at the shower and I received a lovely thank you note saying that they believe that little baby K will surely love snuggling with Elijah.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

HHHH Questionnaire

2008-07-01T21:34:00.006-05:00

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?
I’ve been spinning since I bought my first wheel at Rhinebeck this past October.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
I make either 2 ply or 3 ply (Navajo Plied) I cannot stand art yarn because I have no use for it.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
I spin on a wheel; I never could quite get the spindle thing down.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?
I haven’t been too adventurous yet. I’ve spun Merino, Superwash Merino, Merino/Tencel Blend. I have some BFL and Merino/Tussah but haven’t spun them yet.

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
Pigeon Roof Studios, Spunky Eclectic and Funky Carolina are my main places I buy from. I’m still pretty new and haven’t bought too much fiber yet.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
Maybe a merino/bamboo blend, seacell sounds interesting, or a wool/alpaca or exotic fibers like alpaca or cashmere.

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?
I’m up for learning anything on a wheel except how to make art yarns.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?
I don’t have the room to dye right now, but it would be cool. Maybe some literature about it would be interesting.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
Nope, ready to spin is what I’m all about.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
I finished a pair of socks from some of my first handspun, and one knee high sock. I’m about to start a shawl for my mom out of my own lace weight.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
I could use some very fast bobbins for a maple finish Lendrum.

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?
I’m really craving greens right now. I always love blues, purples, reds and yellows (maybe not all together) I tend to be drawn to everything but electric colors.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
Some Funky Caroline superwash.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?
I knit and cross stitch.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?
Books.

16. Do you have an online wishlist?
Nope.

17. Is there anything that you collect?
Sock yarn and fiber although I don’t have much fiber.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?
The peacock feathers shawl from Fiddlesticks and the Rivendell sock pattern. I don't have any magazine subscriptions.

19. When is your birthday?
Feb 4

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
I don’t know.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?
It is very hot here right now 80s to 90 F.
22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link):
Here
and here.

Candy:
Anything cinnamon, especially red hots and sizzling cinnamon jelly bellies.

Food:
Pasta, pound cake and strawberries

Drink:
Black Teas

Movie(s):
Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Wanted, Lilo and Stitch, Romantic Comedies, Action films. I love a little bit of everything.

TV Show(s):
Lost, Monk, Psych, Law and Order CI, Supernatural, That 70s Show, Heroes, Eureka

Book(s):
Wuthering Heights, Lord of the Rings (all of Tolkien’s books, Harry Potter books, Twilight books, 19th Century literature(preferably British Lit), Arthurian Literature.

Guilty Pleasure(s):
Video games.

Two years ago today

2008-05-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Young love is sacrifice, young love is tough
Young love is innocent, young love is us
-Gavin Degraw

Congratulations!

2008-05-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post because I need to get back to New Moon but I did want to say congratulations to the happy graduate. I am so proud of him!

Regular posting about knitting, our trip back to our old stomping grounds, and my new favorite books when I’m done with the third one!

Distractions

2008-05-16T10:24:00.001-05:00

I have finally gone back to spinning this,

with hopes that I may yet knit a pair of knee highs that will fit my rather peasant like legs perfectly. Also I may be a bit tired of seeing red at the moment. Project spectrum has flown out of the window these past two months because of deadline knitting. Much of what I have knitted is meant for a new baby that will arrive later this year. Elijah 2.0 now has a body and I have begun to knit one (or three) of these.

Grrr is such a quick knit that is easily memorized that I don’t believe that I could knit just one.

However I have discovered something that has impeded all other activities for a while. I am currently, as my husband has told me, obsessed with this series. The first book has be on my ‘to read’ list for quite a while however I could never seem to get my hands on this book. Finally this Tuesday Twilight came in and I finished it last night; I immediately had to go out and buy the second book to know what happens. So please excuse me while I stop knitting, spinning and leave this blog even more neglected than normal so I can finish what is already publish and then wait with bated breath for the fourth and final book in the series. However I must wait a few more days to really read New Moon because I am off to proudly watch my little brother graduate from college this weekend. I am looking forward to the familiar drive as we pass our alma mater and head a little further north through alpaca country. I hope that we can stop so I can pick up some alpaca to spin.

Gray Morning

2008-05-10T10:50:00.002-05:00

For some reason I haven't been blogging about my WIPS, so I'm going to change that. After a particularly bad week at work I decided to cast on for two new projects:

Another cousin of mine and his wife are expecting their first child, a baby boy, and the shower is in a few weeks so Elijah to the rescue! This time I'm knitting him in a worsted weight to make a large size elephant. I think that he would look really cute with some blue on his feet.

I also ordered some Malabrigo Worsted in Polar Morn after seeing Craftaholic's version of the Retro Redux Shrug.

I am lengthening the arms and praying that this will be flattering. I'm a bit worried that this shrug may not be flattering with my large chest, but maybe I can tweek it so it won't look horrible. I'm seeming as I go so I can try it on and make judgement calls as I knit. I love this pattern, it is so simple to memorize and knit on the go. I cannot say enough about the yarn, I love how soft this is to knit with like fuzz on my kitty's bellies.

Labor of love

2008-05-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

When I was young, about five or six, I asked my mom to show me how to knit. My first project was a scarf for my dad to wear to keep him warm while walking through NYC. Once I finished that long garter stitch scarf I did not pick up the needles until I was in the backseat being driven up for my first year away at college. This time the projects were a scarf for Scott and another scarf for me to keep us warm walking to class during the cold Binghamton winters. It wasn’t until the Harry Potter movie came out when I began lusting after the Gryffindor House scarf that I really thought about knitting as a hobby. The Gryffindor scarf then lead to a Ravenclaw Prisoner of Azkaban style scarf which then lead to socks. Honestly I think it was the socks that slowly made knitting such a large part of my life. The socks then lead to knitting blogs which alerted my attention to the New York Sheep and Wool festival which in turn lead to spinning. This hobby or obsession as some may call it has opened a wonderful new world to me that I have enjoyed immensely. Although I have surpassed anything my mom has and as she says could ever knit, this passion is because she one afternoon sat down and taught me two stitches. To honor her gift to me I have begun to create what I feel is the only way to repay her, a beautiful shawl knit by my hands, the same ones she guided as we made the knit stitch and purl stitch so many years ago. However I felt that this wasn’t enough to honor this gift, I needed to make it more special by spinning the yarn myself. So the long process of this gift begins slowly.

I have spun about 3oz and have plied about 2 of this beautiful merino hand dyed by Spunky Eclectic. I envision this becoming the Garden Party Shawl, hopefully done by Christmas.

The little blue elephant in the room

2008-05-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

My father often reminds me that his mother knit and crocheted all the time; in fact I do remember when visiting them in their cramped home in Whitestone that Nanny always had some kind of project out on the couch. In all those years she must have shown me a stitch or two although I did not have the desire to pick it up at those times. She passed away several years ago before any great grandchildren were born. Recently my cousin, one of her grandchildren recently had a baby boy with his wife. It was over heard at the baby shower that when he saw something that my mom had crocheted for the new bundle of joy that he wished that Nanny was still alive because his new son would be covered in handmade items. This past weekend was this child’s baptism and I felt that I needed to mark this special occasion with something that he would cherish for a long time. I was searching for that perfect pattern to knit; in the end I decided that instead of something for him to wear I would create a little plaything that he would carry around and cuddle to help him sleep at night. I wanted to create that special friend that he could whisper all his secrets, a friend that would share in his adventures.

I presented the new parents this little guy:

Pattern: Elijah by Ysolda Teague
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby Solids & Marls Colorway 02002 (Pale Blue)
Started: April 17
Finished: May 1

I loved making this guy so much although I believe that I was knitting him a bit to tight because there would be times that I felt as if someone punched me in the arm and my hands would cramp terribly. He was a quick little knit, something that I left in my car and knitted while on breaks. In fact I have decided to make him again for a shower that I will be attending in June. This time I will make him gray with little blue feet.

Springtime Beauty

2008-05-05T14:52:00.000-05:00

Every time I visit Washington D.C. I always wish to come back during the springtime. I imagined walking along the tidal basin under the delicate blooms of the cherry trees admiring their beauty. This springtime my husband and I decided to go down and spend a weekend away from the stresses that we have been under and lose ourselves briefly. As the weekend approached the forecast became more gloomy and likely that we would encounter wet weather. We decided that even if it did rain, we were long over due for a weekend away and went anyway. The trip down was a bit wet, but nothing too bad, however it was when we pulled back the blinds in the hotel room that we were pleasantly surprised at how nice the day turned out. While a little cool for the time of year, and slightly overcast, the weather quickly turned around and became a glorious day.

There are more photos on my flickr page; most of these are much better viewed large.

Putting out the F.I.R.E.

2008-04-10T19:10:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact that I’ve been ill on and off for two and a half months I have managed to get some knitting done. I am trying to knit at least one pair of socks in one of the three Project Spectrum colors for each of the elements. The months of February and March was designated FIRE, focusing on reds, oranges and pinks. Within this color scheme I was able to finish three pairs of socks:

A basic toe up short row heel sock knitted from my very own handspun. These socks, bumpy and rustic were my favorite to knit because they allowed me to see the transformation of fiber into yarn and finally into something wearable. It pleases me to no end knowing that I was involved in almost all the steps to create this piece. The yarn was spun from Spunky Eclectic’s Superwash Merino in the colorway “Ravelry.” I thought it was very appropriate to have my first knitted piece in the “Ravelry” colorway since Ravelry armed me with enough information to start spinning.

The next pair was knitted as a gift for my mom’s birthday out of Socks that Rock Silkie in Hard Rock. She picked the color and yarn while I decided on Charade, a pattern that I felted would ever so slightly break up the stripes.

The final pair I knitted in the last two weeks of March in anticipation of going down to D.C. for the Cherry Blossom Festival. The pattern is Merino Lace Socks from My Favorite Socks, in Fleece Artist Sea Wool “Rose.” I had started this pattern a while back using Socks that Rock in Midsummer’s Night but didn’t think that the combination of the dark yarn and pretty lace pattern worked. I love the way that the pink makes the lace look more delicate.

I couldn’t spin much these past few months but I did manage to spin up some beautiful Superwash Merino/Tencel blend in “Walking on the Sun” from Spunky Eclectic with my new Very Fast Flyer that my sweetie gave to me for Valentine’s Day. I have begun to knit this up into the Woodland Shawl by the Thrifty Knitter. It was hard to find a pattern for only 470 yards (4 oz) of lace weight yarn, but I finally settled on this pattern because the yarn and leaves together remind me of what I always pictured the leaves of the Mallorn Tree in Lothlorien would look like.

My E.A.R.T.H. plans are less ambitious because surprisingly I lack the colors green, brown and metallic.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T15:25:00.002-05:00

25 years

2008-02-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

It was a good one!

Project Spectrum: Fire

2008-02-03T15:17:00.000-05:00

There is no lack of projects for the first two months of PS: Fire. I'm especially excited about finishing up this:

"Blossom" Superwash Merino from Pigeon Roof Studios. I have spun and Navajo Plied about 84 yrds so far with more on the bobbin.
I have also started to knit with some of the yarn I've made.

Basic toe-up socks, I'm going to knit until the yarn runs out.

Silent Poetry Reading

2008-02-02T17:09:00.000-05:00

Evening Star
Edgar Allan Poe

'Twas noontide of summer,
And mid-time of night;
And stars, in their orbits,
Shone pale, thro' the light
Of the brighter, cold moon,
'Mid planets her slaves,
Herself in the Heavens,
Her beam on the waves.
I gazed awhile
On her cold smile;
Too cold- too cold for me-
There pass'd, as a shroud,
A fleecy cloud,
And I turned away to thee,
Proud Evening Star,
In thy glory afar,
And dearer thy beam shall be;
For joy to my heart
Is the proud part
Thou bearest in Heaven at night,
And more I admire
Thy distant fire,
Than that colder, lowly light.

2 years

2008-01-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

It has been two years since I've started this blog and I have met some great people, learned many new techniques and discovered some beautiful patterns. I just want to thank everyone for helping me with this journey.

Thanks again,
Christine

40 years or Momma told me there would be days like this

2008-01-24T15:22:00.000-05:00

It is cold and gray outside which makes me long for the days spent at Binghamton University what seems like eons ago. The few days that I have had off this past week were spent under blankets with kitties, tea and knitting or spinning, watching one of my favorite detectives. I don’t mind my tendencies towards being a hermit; after dealing with a practically rough week answering what should be obvious, and I mean blindly obvious, questions I don’t need to see more people, especially when they ask me stupid questions. Before you say that there are no stupid questions, there are those questions where you have to fight the urge to smack them and ask ‘Have you been living under a rock all your life?’ As a children’s librarian I understand and am okay with children asking me questions because they are young and are just learning; however when an adult asks me whether or not Martin Luther King Junior was African American I just stare blankly and wonder where this person has been. What kills me inside just a little is what a colleague of mine pointed out, I will be eligible for retirement at 65, I did the math, and since I turn 25 in a few weeks I have 40 years to truly learn how ignorant people can be about the world around them. That night I called a friend I met in Library School to tell her my little story because I knew she would get a laugh. I mentioned that 40 years was a long time, people have wandered the desert for that amount of time looking for the promise land. She replied that it would be all worth it in the end, to which I reminded her that Moses never made it there… she laughed.

All dramatics aside, I do enjoy what I do and find it very rewarding. However those of you who have the pleasure to work with the public understand that there are just days like that where it is hard to see the silver lining in it all.

While I do love the gray days, it does make it hard to photograph your hand knits. What makes it even harder is the fact that I haven’t been home during daylight (gray or not) hours for quite some time. I was finally able to photograph a pair of socks that I finished a few weeks ago.

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks by Evelyn A. Clark from Favorite Socks
Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Panda Wool Print in Rosewater sent to me by my sockapalooza pal
Needles: US1 2.25 DPN set of 5.
Modifications: I only knitted two repeats on the leg instead of three because I was afraid that I may run out of yarn and I nearly did.
Started: August 2007 on my way down to D.C.
Finished: January 2008.

I was never big on pink growing up but lately I love this color, I have also found that I get a lot of compliments when I wear pink. These socks remind me of Cherry Blossoms which is why I grabbed this yarn to knit on my way down to D.C. I am hoping that maybe this year we can get away for the weekend to see our friend and walk the streets admiring the beautiful cherry blossoms. I have never knit with a bamboo mix, while I found the yarn to split if I wasn’t playing attention, I really love the way the dye took to the yarn. The Bamboo provides such a lovely sheen and takes the dye a little lighter than the wool.

And your bird can sing

2008-01-18T16:04:00.000-05:00

Mittens seem to be the new socks for 2008, with so many beautiful patterns out there I couldn’t resist. During the artic weather at the beginning of January I began “Bird in Hand” mittens in brown and light blue, my colors or the year. They are a quick knit, I finished them during the Spring like weather that we had a few weeks ago.

Pattern: “Bird in Hand” by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in “New Denim” and “Taupe”
Needles: Addi Turbos US1
Modifications: I re-charted the thumb to make it smaller and keep the bird.

All I need now is for the weather to get cold enough to wear these warm mittens.

Endings and Beginnings

2008-01-10T14:53:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone’s holidays were nice. I always hate when they are over because it always seems to go so quickly. My sweetie took some days off and with the holidays he ended up being home for two weeks which is very nice since now he will be working late and the weekends for the next few months. One day right before the artic temperatures hit we went to the Bronx Zoo to try out my brand new Christmas present, a Nikon D40X! The Bronx Zoo is one of my favorite places to go and spend the day, especially on the day we had! We were also able to see the holiday lights which was something neither of us have done.

The snow leopards are always my favorite.

We were able to take in two shows while on vacation, “Curtains” and “Spring Awakening.” While “Curtains” was a fun who-done-it show, I have to say that “Spring Awakening” was tragically beautiful. It was truly a play way ahead of its time. We also had our first celebrity run in at the show; Eric McCormack from “Will and Grace” was sitting a few rows in front of us with his wife.

And now for some knitting:

My 2007 finishes stand as follows:
1 sweater
1 hat
1 little bag
1 cat toy
2 mitts
2 shawls
7 ½ pairs of socks (I included a single sock because that was all I needed to knit for the exchange)
My crafting resolutions next year are to finally finish our honeymoon scarp book and move onto our wedding, finish two cross stitch pieces (one a WIP from 5 year ago), knit the Rockin’ Sock Club 2008 socks when they come, finish a sweater, finish several single socks, knit the ‘Lily of the Valley stole” from “Lace Style,” knit the “Saffron Cables” afghan and become a better spinner. What I would really love to do is be as prolific as Kristy, man she knit a lot this past year!

I would also like to report that my mom loved her endpaper mitts which were finished Christmas Eve night.

Pattern: “Endpaper Mitts”
Yarn: Louet Gems Fingering Wt. in Pewter and Terra Cotta
Needles: Addi Turbos US0 and US1
Started: Late November
Finished: December 24, 2007

I really liked the way that this yarn looks and wears for this pattern; I may knit another pair of these for myself in this yarn.

I hope everyone’s 2008 is a healthy and happy one!

Happy Birthday!

2007-12-25T19:41:00.000-05:00

But little boys have action toys for brains, I'm living proof it can last a long time.

Some of my favorite things

2007-12-20T14:11:00.000-05:00

I don’t’ have any pictures of the tree yet, but I did want to blog about this gift I received from my mom for my shower last year. According to German tradition there are 12 ornaments that every newlywed should have on their Christmas tree to insure happiness for their lives together. These twelve ornaments are:
An Angel - God's Guidance in the Home
A House - Shelter and Protectionn
A Rabbit - Hope and Faith
A Teapot - Hospitality
A Bird - Happiness and Joy
A Rose - Beauty and Affectio
A Fruit Basket - Generosity
A Pine Cone - Motherhood and Fruitfulness
A Fish - Christ's Blessing
A Santa - Unselfishness and Goodwill
A Flower Basket - Good Wishes
A Heart - True Love

What made this the best gift I received that day was the fact that some of the ornaments were taken from the ornaments that my family put up every year. Others were purchased and others made, all were put into a beautiful box for us with the meaning so we never forget.

I have a feeling that these will be my favorite ornaments for many years to come.

What date is it!?!

2007-12-19T11:24:00.000-05:00

This Holiday season is kicking my butt. At the beginning of the month I came down with the flu; I’ve never had the flu before and let me tell you it wasn’t fun. Here we are three weeks later and I’m just starting to feel better which means the place is in disarray. There’s cleaning, baking, cooking, shopping and wrapping to be done with about six days left to do it. I’m now regretting keeping my Sunday shift just before Christmas Eve.

I was on track with my Christmas knitting and thought great I’m staying home from work I can knit some and finish gifts. Yeah right, I was passed out for four days. I don’t have any pictures of my mom’s mitts but they should be done tonight. That leaves the mitts for Scott but I’m not sure if I can get them done under the wire especially since I’m currently distracted by the Bird in Hand mittens. I can’t wait to cast on for them in a nice chocolate brown and light blue.

In addition to knitting I’ve been baking and Scott and I decorated the house. There is about 8 dozen cookies done but I still need to make a few more.

Butter Cookies

Toffee Cookies

Everybody’s favorite ‘Bird’s Nest Cookies’

Nemo’s new favorite spot in the apartment is under the tree skirt which is making me a bit nervous. Every time we come home we hope that the tree is still standing. We did manage to tie it to the wall but it isn’t in a stud so I doubt that it will hold.

Since there are no knitting pictures I’ll show you some more Christmas pictures.

Endpapers

2007-11-28T10:56:00.000-05:00

My mom would ask me what book I would memorize like those in Fahrenheit 451; my inner sci-fi/fantasy geek always wanted the answer to be the Lord of the Rings trilogy however if pushed I would have to say that Wuthering Heights is my all time favorite book, the one book that I could live without. When I had first seen Eunny Jang’s pattern for “Endpaper Mitts” literature nerd inside squealed with delight. I would knit this pattern in the colors of the endpaper in my travel copy of Wuthering Heights.

Pattern: “Endpaper Mitts”
Yarn: Alpaca with a twist Baby Twist in Blue Corn and Brindle
Needles: Addi Turbos US0 and US1
Started: Early November
Finished: November 17, 2007
Modifications: I added fingers to keep my hands a little warmer.

These mitts were finished on the train and helped keep my hands warm while walking through the city. While the yarn is very soft and warm, I do not think I will be using it again. I haven’t washed these (it would take too long to dry and I would rather have them in my pocket to use) so I do not know how the yarn will look after a good soak, however the yarn has ‘haloed’ a lot with some wear. The next time I make these, and I will make them again, I will use the yarn the pattern calls for. I love the pattern; it might be the quickest knit once I straightened out my gauge and fit problems. I see another pair before Christmas as a gift.

“I've dreamt in my life dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they've gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind.”- Emily Bronte Wuthering Heights

Yarn Love

2007-11-14T11:29:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to score two skeins of Yarn Nerd 850 MHz from the Loopy Ewe a little while ago:

Autumnal Equinox for myself.

Ting! for hubby’s socks. For those of you keeping count, I now have three skeins of yarn earmarked for Scott’s socks and have only turned the heel on the first sock of one pair.

Speaking of socks, since my Socktoberfest was a bust (I did finish the socks that had deadlines but touched nothing else), I was thinking that my first project that I knit from my own handspun should be a pair of socks since sock knitting started it all. Last week I spun up some Superwash Merino from Spunky Eclectic in “Ravelry.”

I have about 200 yds so I will have to order some more to have enough for a pair of socks. This was a great lesson for me because now I know to write down which ratio I used when spinning the singles. I’m pretty sure I spun this with the 8:1 but it might have been the 10:1. Good news is that my plying is much better and this skein is pretty well balanced. I really love my wheel!

We’re getting too old for this

2007-11-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

I didn’t care for the shots of Icarus that I took in Rhinebeck so I thought I’d re-shoot it in the courtyard of one of the libraries I work at. I like these photos much better.

Last night Scott and I went and saw Dashboard Confessional at one of the local bars; the show was general admission with no age limit. I have never been to a concert with such a rude and nasty crowd. At least Dashboard Confessional put on a great acoustic set. Here are some pictures:

Walking out of the bar Scott turns to me and says: “I’m too old for this shit, no concerts unless we’ve paid for a seat.” I do agree with him, however there will be some once in a blue moon exceptions.

Learning Curve

2007-11-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say that I love my wheel! When I get a few hours here and there I drag it out and spin until my heart is content or I have to go to bed. This past week I spun up some fiber I bought from the store is Sayville and tried plying once more. I’m quite happy with the results and improvement from my last attempt.

(Penny for scale)

I have about 140yds of New Zealand and domestic wool in “apricot.” I’ve been thinking about combining this with some blue yarn to knit a scarf or a hat or something for hubby (I think I need to go back and buy some more roving) however he said “that yarn smells like sheep!” Notice that he called it yarn (YAY I made yarn!). I soaked the offending yarn in hot water with dishwashing soap multiple times and it still has the light scent of sheep. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get the sheep smell out?

Just because she’s under represented on the blog, here’s Nemo.

Spinning and Blankets

2007-11-01T13:19:00.000-05:00

I’ve been happily spinning away on my new wheel whenever there is a spare moment. Now that I have no deadline knitting left I’m free to start new projects and spin without guilt. Here is my first attempt on my new wheel.

(Penny included for size since I don’t have a WPI tool.)

This is 2 oz, about 110yds (guessing the best I can since I don’t have a niddy noddy) of mixed breed sheep that I picked up from the guild. I’m pretty happy with it for my first attempt. There are some really pretty parts:

Some not so pretty parts:

I think that when I was plying I didn’t leave the yarn out long enough before allowing it on the bobbin.

I’ve wanted to knit a blanket for ages now; I’ve been imagining snuggling up under a hand knit blanket on the couch with my sweetie and the cats watching a good movie. After months of deciding what pattern and what yarn, what color I’ve finally chose my new project! I’m going to start Saffron Cables in Socks that Rock Heavyweight “In the Navy.”

Any guesses when this will be finished? Scott says sometime in 2009, I hope I prove him wrong.

Just beacuse I thought this was so cute:

(Please ignore the pair of socks that they found and dragged into the living room)

"Hey what are you looking at?"

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T16:46:00.001-05:00