All Purpose

I might not be cranking out the knitting, but I sure am on a yarn buying frenzy. So many sales…so many destashes…so little will power.

The good news is I did manage to finish something in June, yippee.

Pattern: Ribbon Lace Scarf by Veronik Avery
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silkie Socks that Rock in Lagoon
Needles: US 4 (circulars because that’s how I roll)
Notes: Easy pattern, but you know it’s a scarf so it does seem to drag on, and on. The yarn is super yummy, so soft, would definitely like to work with this again. I’m not sure it would hold up great for socks, or at least for socks that actually got worn with shoes, but it’s really nice for something like a scarf or wrap or even a sweater. You can see more info on my Ravelry page (login required).

No Comments | In: finished object, knitting, ravelry | tags: 2009, BMFA, finished object, scarf, silk, STR, wool. | #

So since it’s been so long I have several project updates and a lot of stash enhancement to report…at least I have photos to make it more fun.

Pattern: Clapotis by Kate Gilbert
Yarn: Malabrigo Lace in Vaa colorway
Needles: US 8 (straight)
Notes: My first Clap, I liked the pattern. It was simple and the effect is very nice and looks fancy, but isn’t really. I think the lace made a nice substitute. I wish I’d had the time/patience to use both full skeins of lace. I could have made it slightly wider and longer, but it turned out pretty good as is. I was totally sick of it by the time I finished, I think if I didn’t have decreases at the end (so I was knitting progressively faster) I would have been really cranky. But that’s just me. I totally plan on making one of these for myself using some Dream in Color Baby I got a couple of months ago.

Pattern: Thuja
Yarn: Cascade 220 in a charcoal gray
Needles: US 5 (1 29″ circular for Magic Loop)
Notes: Easy peasy pattern that knits up super fast when you use worsted weight. I hope the socks fit M, we’ll see I guess. My only issue with this was that the circular I used was I think 29″ and it wasn’t really long enough to do Magic Loop, so when I did the first sock I had some slight laddering, but it seems fine now that it’s done.

So that’s it for what I finished. I also started another pair of socks (Hedera) and while I love the yarn, the pattern has been a pain in the ass. But it looks great so I can’t complain too much. Hope to finish these by end of the month, but who knows.

And I’m still chugging away on the tank, but of course I haven’t picked it up since I’ve been back. I hope to finish it in November so I start my very own February Lady Sweater in Malabrigo, yum.

So now to the stash enhancement. I did ok on the trip. I spent more than I budgeted, but I didn’t go totally bananas overboard either. Here’s what I got…

In Ketchican I got these:

Kureyon for a travel blanket. I’ll collect single skeins of Noro Kureyon as I travel and them incorporate them into a blanket, probably a log cabin or Lizard Ridge. The color for this one totally reminded me of the rain forest hike we took in Ketchican.

Pink Carrot Creations is a lady from Ketchican who drives a truck part time. I have no idea what I’ll do with this…

The yarn is from Maryland, but I thought the colors were great so had to have it.

In Juneau I got this:

More Kureyon for the blankie, the colors are very Juneau.

In Skagway I got this:

Gorgeous Raven Frog Fiber Arts yarn (Elegante), it’s half silk half merino I think. The colors perfectly capture Skagway.

That’s it. I did buy one more skien of yarn in Skagway (Rabbit Ridge yarn), but it’s a gift for a friend it doesn’t count.

No Comments | In: finished object, gifts, knitting, stash, work in progress | tags: alaska, clapotis, finished object, hedera, juneau, ketchican, knitting, scarf, skagway, socks, stash, thuja, work in progress, yarn. | #

I’m so behind with FO’s and WIP’s and stash busting counts, that I think I’m just going to add up my numbers and call it a day. No, I guess I’ll show what I finished in July, it was a busy month.

First, I finished Ella’s B, which I already blabbered about enough.

Then I finished the City Shawl.

Pattern: City Shawl by Stefanie Japel
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Superwash Bulky in Japanese Plum
Needles: US 15 (circular)
Notes: I’m not too happy with the size and I think I’m going to order one more skein of the yarn and add to it. Maybe. It’s not in the budget though. The pattern is super easy though and the yarn is nice even with mohair I think I can wear it against my skin or with a light layer.

Then I finished a Calorimetry as a gift for someone…mysterious. Need to sew on the button still.

Pattern: Calorimetry by Kathryn Schoendorf
Yarn: 1 skein of Malabrigo Merino Chunky in Paris Night
Needles: US 9 (straight, Bryspun)
Notes: The Malabrigo has a following for a reason, the colors and softness of the yarn is amazing. I really love working with both the Worsted and the Chunky. I have worked 2 colors and have 2 more in my stash, so I guess I’m a junky. This is a super easy pattern and this makes a nice little gift for someone. I CO 88 and did 5 repeats instead (as several other Ravelers using Bulky weight yarn suggested).

Then in the last day I finished my July xmas socks (Impressionist Socks).

Pattern: Impressionist Socks by Closca de nou
Yarn: Koigu Painter’s Palette Premium Merino in P117
Needles: US 1 circular (Magic Loop)
Notes: Love, love, love the Koigu; the colors are so beautiful. Would definitely like a pair of Koigu socks for myself. The pattern is pretty minimal, but also not too hard to figure out in the vague spots, and it really shows off the Koigu colors.

No Comments | In: finished object, gifts, knitting, ravelry | tags: blanket, calorimetry, finished object, headband, knitting, shawl, socks, wool, wrap. | #

I finished Ella’s B! YES, before she turned 2. That’s big, right? I’ll post pics later. I need to wash and block because seaming really stretched out the cotton squares. I’m hoping a wash and block will bring them to heel. So I don’t see little Ms. Ella dragging this around any time soon since it weighs like a ton thanks to those Biggy Print squares, but hopefully she’ll enjoy it for a long time.

Whew, it feels good to finish that huge project. I would like to finish my crochet stripe blanket this month as well so I’ll only have 1 blanket/throw on the needles (Cavendish). I do want to do the Log Cabin blanket(Rav link) in Mason-Dixon Knitting, but I think I’m going to ask for the book as a present so I don’t know when/if I’ll get it.

So speaking of spending money…I have finally worked up a real budget and I’m trying very hard to stick to it. I have allowed myself to purchase yarn for 1 personal thing, but for the rest of the year I’m going to try to not buy anything else except sock yarn for gifts. If I make it to December and keep to this and can afford to I’ll then reward myself with a skein of Socks That Rock for me, if I like knitting it (I’ll be doing a STR pair of gift socks in September). I will allow myself to buy 1 skein of Noro during my Long Beach trip and 1-3 skeins during my Alaska trip in September (these will be used for that log cabin eventually).

I do find that not thinking ahead with my carefully planned craft spending gets me into trouble sometimes. So last month I bought a lot of yarn for summer knitting and I want to start one of those project now that the blanket is done. But I didn’t think about needles. The pattern is knitted in the round and I don’t have a huge selection of circulars for regular knitting. I did happen to have the recommended size needles but when I tried to knit with them I found them awkward and unwieldy, and thought it might be throwing off my gauge. I also realized I didn’t have the smaller needle called for in a circular at all. So I feel now that I have to get (= buy) needles for this project now, and since my gauge is all screwy I might need to get US 4 & 5′s and US 9 & 10′s. I’ve also determined I’m pretty partial to the Addi Tubo’s, but come on that’s $60+ worth of needles right there and that’s not in the budget. Anyway, I ended up buying the select sizes and a 24″ cable from Knit Picks in their Options interchangeable needles. It’s about $38 for that and I can add to the set as I need or have the money.

This thing with the needles happens a lot more than I’d like to admit for my projects, which is sad since I think I must have at least one pair of needles for every size now. In fact one year with refund money I bought the entire Bryspun straight needle collection (like US 2- US 15) and a selection of their circulars as well. I really do like the smaller straight ones, but the larger ones are too heavy for me and I hate the cable on the circulars. I’m hoping the Knit Picks will be great and I can sell my Bryspun circs and just build up the KP set as I need or can afford it. I really would like to do more of my sweater knitting in the round.

I also forget to consider things like patterns, like if I need a standalone pattern for a project I’m usually so focused on the yarn that I forget to factor in the pattern cost. This is not such a big thing since most standalone patterns are under $10, but I feel like the need to buy a pattern, or more needles leads to more needless spending. Or it has in the past.

I also think another thing I have to look out and plan better for are those swaps and sales I do through Ravelry. I got totally schooled by the USPS this week because I had some stuff for fellow Ravelers to send off and I didn’t have the right mailers and ended up using Priority Mail things. Don’t do it. It’s not CRAZY expensive, but it’s way cheaper to send 1st class and provide your own envelope/box.

Ok, enough of me rambling about budgets and crafting expenses. How about I talk about things I learned this week.

I learned how to do the Figure 8 Cast On last night! I started my first pair of toe up socks and I used that cast on for them. I watched this excellent video on YouTube by fiberfool (Rav name too) and then after I did the initial part I used Knitty’s great article about toe up cast on’s to figure out how to do the increases.

So to recap this totally long and rambling post…

I finished Ella’s blanket.

I started my July xmas socks and learned some new stuff to do it.

I am still swatching for the Ribs and Lace Tank.

I have blown my entire craft budget for July already (except that skein of Noro).

I will have new needles and about 2100 yards of yarn in the next week. Oh wait I didn’t talk about the yarn did I? Next time.

No Comments | In: finished object, knitting, resolutions, work in progress | tags: blanket, budget, figure 8, finished object, gifts, knitting, needles, patterns, socks, toe up, work in progress, yarn. | #

So I did manage to finish one thing in June (w00t).

I give you my Charade socks

Pattern: Charade by Sandra Park
Yarn: Claudia Handpainted Yarns Fingering in Plumlicious
Needles: US 1 40″ circulars (Magic Loop)
Notes: These took me forever to get started, which is why it took me about 2.5 months to actually finish them. I kept making mistakes when casting on and doing the first bits of the first sock. Once I got going though they went pretty fast and the pattern is easy to follow. The yarn was nice. It was a little splitty, but not horribly so. I think the colors are nice and it definitely pools a lot less than everything else I’ve used so far. So thumb’s up on the Claudia’s Handpainted Fingering. These are destined to be a xmas gift for someone.

So other than that nothing done. I did get VERY close to finishing Ella’s blanket. I have about 5 inches of the last piece of trim and then seaming the trim on and I’m done! I will definitely finish that in the next week (I hope). I am also aiming to complete that striped crochet blanket this month as well (it would knock 4840 yards out of the stash!) as well as a pair of xmas socks. I am also swatching for the the Ribs and Lace Tank and really hope to get cracking on that.

No Comments | In: crochet, finished object, gifts, knitting, stash, work in progress | tags: blanket, finished object, gifts, planned projects, socks, stash, tank, work in progress, xmas. | #

So here’s my rehash of the April knitting, it’ll be short, and my update on life in general.

I only finished one project in April, the Monkey socks (Rav link), which used about 286.5 yards of yarn not from my stash really since I bought it in March for these socks as a gift.

The gift was a little late. I spent the last week of April caring for my stepmom (my sister and I both did actually) and she died May 3rd (Saturday). I saw and experienced a lot in the last two weeks and I think eventually I will post about those experiences, but not right now.

I did start 2 new projects before I left to take care of Linda. I started Charade and a shrug (Rav links). I didn’t get very far with either one, but hope to finish both in May if gardening doesn’t completely take over.

1 Comment | In: crochet, finished object, knitting, life, work in progress | tags: cancer, death, finished object, shrug, socks, work in progress; knitting; crochet. | #

I have finished the Monkey socks! Behold:

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A.
Yarn: ShibuiKnits Sock in Jewel (#4401)
Needles: US 1 40″ circular (can’t remember brand)
Ravelry: More details here (Rav link)
Notes: This was a pretty easy and fast knit. The cuff seems a little tight, but other than that the fit is good, better than the Jitterbug socks I made last month. I liked the yarn, very soft and springy. But the colors did pool a lot as the pictures show. I don’t mind so much and I doubt my stepmom will care either though so no problem. I did this top down using Magic Loop and a Kitchner graft on the toe.

No Comments | In: finished object, gifts, knitting | tags: finished object, gifts, kitchner, knitting, magic look, shibuiknits, socks. | #

So I realized this morning that I never did a wrap up post for March. So here it is.

I finished the Jitterbug socks, the Ovaltine cardigan, the Amelia Earhart hat (same post as Ovaltine), and the Brownie hat which I forgot to do a real FO post for.

So I finished 4 projects (yippee!) and got very close to finishing Ella’s blanket, and I knit through 1167.8 yards of yarn in March (only counts yarn used on FO’s, not WIP’s), and 294 yards of it was from my stash. Not too shabby.

I also cast on for 2 new projects: Monkey socks and the Catherine’s Mini Cardi (Rav link). I really haven’t done anything on the cardi except knit 3 rows and decide I need to frog and CO with smaller needles, but I haven’t frogged it yet. The Monkey socks are close to halfway done.

So all in all a very productive month I’d say. I probably am not going to be nearly as productive in April with everything going on, but I’m hoping if I do stall on my knitting that it will be a short break while I get organized and back into a routine that incorporates all the family stuff going on right now.

No Comments | In: finished object, knitting, life, work in progress | tags: 2008, finished object, march, numbers, stash, work in progress, yards, yarn. | #

So wanted to do a real wrap up of the Jitterbug socks.

So here’s all the pics for the project, well all the good pics.

Pattern: Jitterbug Ballband Simple Sock Pattern (Colinette)
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Tapis
Needles: US 1 40″ circular
Notes: Started off doing DPN’s, but decided against and frogged and did socks separate using Magic Loop Method. The pattern is pretty straightforward and I knit the first sock pretty easily (had to look up a few things like the heel turn since it was my first time), but I did goof on where to put the decreases for the toe on the first sock. The second sock was harder because I forgot the heel turn stuff and made it way too complicated before I realized my mistake, but one I got past that it was easy peasy AND I figured out the toe decreases correctly and my Kitchner was better on the second sock. A good first sock experience I’d say. Yay socks!

I will be casting on for my next sock project later today. I’m doing Monkeys in ShibuiKnits Sock for my stepmom, and then I’ll get on with M’s socks.

No Comments | In: finished object, gifts, knitting, work in progress | tags: ballband, finished object, jitterbug, kitchner, magic loop, monkeys, socks, work in progress. | #

Ok, really just one more. I finished my first ever socks! Woot. I finally realized that, yes “working one more stitch each row…” does mean row 1 is p5, row 2 is k6, row 3 is p7, etc. Sheesh. I guess I shouldn’t wait more than a week to cast on my second sock or else I’ll forget everything I figured out about the pattern. I also found that charting this out on graph paper was really helpful too. So socks are done and the second sock turned out GREAT, I figured out the weird toe thing from the Kitchner finish and I got the toe decreases in the right place this time. I don’t think I’ll re-do the first sock, since these were for me, and besides it’ll show my improvement as I move onward with sock knitting.

I got my buttons for Ovaltine AND I sewed them on, so Ovaltine is way done now. I have made a little progress with the trim for Ella’s blanket, but frankly I do not think that is going to get done this month. That trim is some slow ass knitting.

So I’m basically down to 3 WIP’s (ha more on the #3 later), go me. I actually did a gauge swatch for the $1.50 Cardigan last week, but it’s too small so I need to re-do with the prescribed needles. It’s odd because I automatically went down a needle size to do the swatch, but I guess the lace knitting is different. I think I’ll have to do the reverse stockinette in the smaller size though to make it work. Anyway, I’m going to try to swatch for that today.

I also started gauge swatches for 2 sock projects but had to abandon both. The first is for a pair of socks for M. I am using Cascade 220 though and my biggest sock needles are US 1 and I tried a few rows of that and it’s just too stiff. I think I only need to go up maybe 1 size though. I also tried to swatch for Jaywalkers but again my US 1′s are actually too big for this and my US 0′s are in my suitcase which I believe is in Dallas now. Perhaps I’ll get it back today.

So all this sock activity is based on my desire to be in a sock club. I really do see the appeal in socks now and would love to try a club sometime. The problem is that most clubs are closed or if they are about to reopen require payment now and I can’t do that because of my no spending rule. So I realized I had bought 3 skeins of sock yarn recently (before march!) plus I had the socks for M. to make with the gray Cascade I have, so 4 pairs of socks. So I decided to do my own sock club (I totally got this idea off of some Ravelry forum which I can’t remember now). Anyway, this weekend I picked patterns (free ones) for the yarns and printed them out and put each yarn in a bag with the pattern and put those in a little box.

M.’s is supposed to be first, but I’m trying to decide of purchasing new needles is ok on this no spending regime. I think he wants the socks asap, and I do think I can afford to buy them right now so I’m leaning toward yes it’s ok because I also know I’ll do his socks right away if I get the right needles. If I decide to hold off on his socks though I’ll have to wait until I recover my bag to start the Jaywalkers, either way it’ll probably be until at least Thursday before I seriously start either of these.

So back to those WIP’s I have. So Ella’s blanket I should be able to finish maybe in April if I have enough yarn for the trim. I’ve pretty much decided if I run of yarn to finish that’ll have to wait until after my no buying time is over. So if I run out of yarn it won’t be until June or July that I finish.

I’ve also got the Noro throw I’m working on (Cavendish) using Noro Silk Garden. That is a long term project that I have no deadline for and that I do a little at time on, so no rush there.

I also have this crocheted blanket that I just found hidden in my desk when I did a little cleaning last weekend. I should finish this and it might actually make a good Ella blanket too, but not until she’s a bit older maybe. At any rate I have to pull it out to see how much I have left to do, etc.

In other news, I’m doing a bit better than last week, but have not gotten back on track with my 365 project. Will try to start today again. I was supposed to be in Atlanta right now at a conference, but the crazy weather yesterday killed my plans so I’m in Austin waiting for my bag to return from DFW (I never made it to DFW, but the bag did).

Oh, and I’ll be adding pictures to this post later today…

No Comments | In: fever, finished object, gifts, knitting, ravelry, work in progress | tags: blanket, cardigan, finished object, gauge swatching, photos, ravelry, socks, travel, work in progress. | #