All Purpose

I’m happy to report that I have finally finished the last of commissioned weaving pieces. I got a bunch of these from Rav a while back and I have finished the last one today (still have to dry and do the fringe, but weaving done)! So happy to have these done. I was clipping along and then work got really busy so I couldn’t weave during my work from home days and that slowed everything down.

I also finished a sweater this week, but I’ve decided to rip it back a little and make it a little longer so that’ll have to wait for another day. Here’s a progress shot though from like a month ago.

No Comments | In: finished object, knitting, weaving, work in progress | tags: commissions, finished object, work in progress. | #

Another pair of socks done, and in record time.

Pattern: Eurydice by SpillyJane for the Sock Yarnista Club at Three Irish Girls.
Yarn: Three Irish Girls Beckon Merino in Auspicious colorway
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm) circular using Magic Loop
Notes: This pattern was super easy and went really fast. I think they turned out really great. This was my first time working with the 3IG yarn, I have been a club member off and on for a while, and I really liked it. The colors knit up beautifully I think, and I’m excited to knit up some of my other club scores soon.

However, I think I’m taking a small break from sock knitting, just for October maybe. I really want to get at least one sweater done this fall and one done this winter (before the new year) and sweaters take me a while so I need to focus. So I’ve restarted my February Lady Sweater, and that will be my first one and then I might try to also do the Honeybee Cardigan because that seems like it would be fast and it’s perfect for Austin weather I think.

I’d love to also keep a smaller project on hand, in case I get the wild urge to take my knitting out in the world, but I think I’ll maybe do a scarf. We’ll see.

No Comments | In: finished object, knitting, work in progress | tags: cardigan, finished object, knitting, socks. | #

Hey, I’ve been knitting. Surprise! I have been in slump, it happens when the weather starts getting really hot. I didn’t finish a damn thing in April, knitting blahs. However, I did finish my Lush and Lacy Cardigan (rav link) in May.

I think it turned out pretty good, even if the pictures could use a little more focus.

So check out the Ravelry link for details. I think this might be my first really well done sweater. It fits, the seaming isn’t weird (well too weird), and it’s flattering on me. I will definitely wear it when the weather cools off, like in 6 months (ok really 4 months).

The Lace Ribbon Scarf (rav link) is coming along and will hopefully, probably, be the FO for the month of June.

I have almost finished the first Leyburn sock (rav link). Srsly, I have no idea why this is taking me so long. I think that the pattern is pretty easy, but does require some thinking so perhaps that’s why it’s not flying off the needles. I really hope I can finish these soon. I need them to be done so I can either take a real sock break or start something I like better.

I also started my Traveling Log Cabin blanket (rav link) with the Noro I got in New Orleans. I have 3 more balls of Noro already (some of my recent trips have not been Noro productive) so at least I can start getting an idea of the block size.

I finally admitted defeat on the Ribs and Lace Tank (rav link). I realized it would ruin the lace pattern to steek it so I frogged. The. Whole. Thing. So sad. I started again but am just not digging it right now.

I’m thinking of casting on a different summer project, one that might be faster and look better on me right now. I just got some Blue Sky Dyed Cotton (I know, we’ll talk about the stash later) in a nice Navy/Indigo color and I think I might make a Liesl with that. I’m also interested in doing a Hey Teach cardigan, but not sure about the yarn (stash or new, etc.). I’m mostly working on the scarf anyway and will probably push to finish that before I start anything new.

So yeah about the stash. I did cancel my sock club membership. It was fun, and I really like the yarn and colors and everything that I got. I was not as excited about it after the first couple of packages though so decided to take a break.

I have really managed to rack up some stash though. I think I last talked about this in March and yeah, I got more yarn. So now I’ve bought a total of, holy shit, 11875 yards this year. Plus when I was looking for my fabric stash (yeah, still haven’t found it) I found 2180 yards worth (2 bags) of Reynolds Lite Lopi that I got I have no idea when (or what for) so that also added. I’m totally trying to sell the Lite Lopi though. The numbers are growing, though at least with the exception of April (so far) I have managed to finish a project every month so far. So I guess it’s good.

Anyway, I’m knitting again. It might be slow going over the summer (I think it’s going to be a brutal one), but it’s going at least.

No Comments | In: finished object, gifts, knitting, ravelry, stash, work in progress | tags: 2009, cardigan, finished object, socks, work in progress. | #

So the oak is dusting the city with pollen this week, and this year it’s really bothering me. I’ve been sick since Monday, really Sunday night. I guess working all weekend in the yard and garage while the pollen was flying was not a smooth move.

We did manage to get the rose bed mostly prepped (except the holes haven’t been dug and fertilized). And I got the side and big front bed cleaned up, again mostly. I planted all my little succulents finally. I hope they do ok, I need to check them today when I get home. Now I feel like I can start a new collection of small things again.

We still need to plant the roses and I need to decide what to do with all the beds (3 in front and one on the side of the house). We also need to figure out the veggie garden plan. M is also promising the removal of the Mimosa tree in front this year. That would really open up the front for some fun maybe next year.

So since I’ve been sick and missed most of Monday and some of yesterday I managed to do some knitting chores too. I frogged the FLS and rewound all the yarn into cakes for a second try. I managed to finish both front pieces of the Lush and Lacy Cardigan, and now I’m kind of wondering if I could finish this by the end of the month (making it my third sweater FO of 2009!). Gosh and then what could I try to do in April? I will need to think about that.

I have worked some on the Ribbon Lace Scarf, but not a ton. It’s just a fill in really for when I’m bored with the sweater and the socks (Leyburns) aren’t doing it for me. I love, love, love the Silkie Socks that Rock, and I love how the scarf is looking and how it feels, but I think we are already past scarf weather anyway.

The Leyburns, well I’m working on them but I’m really into the L&L right now so I’m picking up the socks less and less and since I have a better chance of finishing L&L in March the Leyburns will probably get finished in April. Only a month past the KAL deadline, so not bad.

The last thing I’d like to do before the end of March is to steek that Ribs and Lace tank. I’m still nervous, but I know that the yarn is still on sale so worst case I can buy new yarn and start over. The color is so nice though I really want this work. I think I’ll make the steek a goal for Sunday. Wish me luck!

No Comments | In: garden, knitting, life, work in progress | tags: steek wip frogging gardening allergies oak pollen. | #

The stash numbers to the right aren’t looking so great anymore. I have been staying in my budget, but I have still managed to add a lot of yarn to the stash so far this year. You see I got some good deals on destashes in January and February and then I bought some stuff for specific projects in March. Then I had this gift certificate from xmas for my LYS that I HAD to spend like now. I needed a pick me up what can I say. Then Webs had the exact yarn I wanted for a tank top on sale. I’ve racked up 8347 yards of new yarn so far this year (including sock club). That’s a lot. I need to ease up for a while.

I mean I have 14 sweaters worth of yarn now, and I have yarn (with attached projects) for every season. I really should not need any new yarn for a while. Right?

I have finished two projects so far this month, but they were small (only subtracting about 383 yards from the stash).

I finished some more socks and a hat that I don’t have a picture of because it really ended up being a mistake, but I’ll wear it.

I also started 3, no four new projects. I started a Lace Ribbon Scarf, some Leyburn socks, a Lush and Lacy Cardigan and another attempt at a plain ribbed hat for M.

I also really want to try to finish my Ribs and Lace tank from last summer up this month. I ad a very unfortunate incident with it. See I twisted the work with I joined to work in the round and at first I was like “oh I can just fix that whenever”, because I’ve twisted socks before and been able to recover (I also always noticed after one round and fixed it right then). Then I tried fixing it and it just wouldn’t untwist. So then I thought “well when I get to the part where I start working flat I’ll be able to fix it”. Then I got there and the darn thing still wouldn’t untwist. Then I Googled it and realized, to my horror, that no, unless you untwist in the first few rounds you are pretty much screwed. Yep. Then I read this enlightening post from the Yarn Harlot and learned I could fix the problem without starting over, all I had to do was do a steek, untwist and seam. Ta ha. Right. So I put the whole thing on hold while I got up the courage to try the steek, and I’m almost ready. Almost.

No Comments | In: finished object, knitting, stash, work in progress | tags: 2009, finished object, harlot, knitting, stash, steek, work in progress. | #

So I know the posting around here has been pretty sparse. I’ve been thinking about this blog and trying to figure out how to either maintain two blogs (one for crafty stuff, one for everything else) or how to better make this a blog about me and not just my knitting. So I’ll be working on that over the next month or so because I’m leaning towards changing the name of the blog, maybe freshening up the look too.

So even though this is not JUST a knitting blog I do want to spend some time recapping my knitting accomplishments from 2008. I had a really productive year. I finished 15 things in 2008, and of the things I started in 2008 I only have 4 WIPs left. I have a total of 3 UFOs (2 were started in 2008) and 5 WIPs (2 were started in 2008). That’s not bad. My biggest regret of 2008 is that I only finished one sweater. I would really like to increase that number this year.

I didn’t really decrease my stash in 2008, I actually grew it a little bit overall, but I’m ok with that. I ended up having a total of 30334.8 yards in my stash at the end of the year (yes I did go on kind of a binge at the end), with 25961.5 yards being the actual working stash (4373.3 yards are up for sale or trade). I have weeded out the things I don’t like as much and what I have left I either really like OR it’s a great standard yarn that is good to have on hand. I, of course, fantasy yarn shop still but since M and I are trying to pay off all our credit card debit this year (w00t) I will be living on a strict monthly allowance. So I’m making no promises not to buy yarn, I just have to live within my means.

So since sock clubs were such a big temptation in 2008 I finally joined one for 2009. I joined Three Irish Girls Sock Yarnista Club. It’s great because you can do month to month and you get a choice between two yarns every month plus a pattern and goodies. I’ll be getting my first package this week I think. So that’s awesome.

I learned a lot of new stuff in 2008. I learned sock knitting, magic loop, kitchner (or is it kitchener) stitch, figure 8 cast on, magic cast on and knitting sweaters in the round. I hope to continue this year and get more comfortable with adapting patterns to fit me, to be knit in the round (because that is just so awesome), and I’m kind of getting a lace bug.

I totally discovered knitting podcasts in 2008 and now I have a list of regular listens which keep me inspired to keep knitting and to blog more. I have added a list of my regulars in the sidebar.

No Comments | In: crochet, finished object, knitting, stash, work in progress | tags: 2008, finished object, work in progress, yarn. | #

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. | #

So I have the summer blues, so this post will be totally random probably. I haven’t done crap on my August xmas socks. I cast them on, knit to the heel and realized they were too big. I’ve cast on again and done the cuff, but I”m afraid these are too small now, and since I need to finish my mom’s cruise present I’ve been ignoring these socks. I’ll need to finish them later in September though, or something.

This month has been rough. I’ve been struggling with headache, nerve and muscle pain since the beginning of the year and while I’m pursuing treatments nothing seems to work that great. So I hurt. A lot. Every. Day. I love my knitting but right now thinking about knitting is better than actual knitting for me some days. Combine that with my desire for some cool weather so I’ve been dreaming about knitting the February Lady Sweater, and I’ve come up with a list of 4 different yarns that would be lovely (Classy, STR HW, Malabrigo, Nature Wool).

I am really in love with Dream in Color yarns right now and everyday I have to restrain myself to keep from ordering enough for like 4 projects. The colors look so great. I really need to go check out some in person before I determine what I really want, but I’m trying to hold off until next Thursday so I have a halfway chance of getting it on sale if I can’t resist. I like so many of the colors that I’m like, well if I do a Clapotis in Baby then I could do color A, and if do a FLS in Classy then maybe B, oh then what about a FLS in C as well. It’s ridiculous. I do have a 1 skien of Smooshy that I bought after selling some stash yarn.

I’ve been thinking about sock clubs again…I think I might be burning out on socks. I know it’s shocking, but I think the “have to knit 1 pair per month” thing is getting old. I’ve pared down my sock gift list now because of this. Maybe I’m just pissy because I want some socks for me, and at this rate I won’t be getting any until next year. Anyway, uh back on topic. So I’ve been mighty tempted by Blue Moon Fiber Arts and their Rockin’ Sock Club. I almost signed up for it late this year, but then decided it just wasn’t fiscally responsible. I know sign ups for next years club are in a few months (like October) so I’ve been trying to figure out if I want to save up for it or what. I did some math and I realized if I bought 1 skien of every BMFA color I like I’d spend like $300, and I’d be getting like 15 skeins of yarn, and the sock club will be almost that much (it was $250-ish this year) and I’d only get 6 skeins of yarn…and some patterns. So I think I will once again be strong and forgo the sock club this year. Maybe if I can afford it I’ll sign up for a smaller club later in the year.

Let’s hope I snap out of this soon…

No Comments | In: fever, knitting, life, work in progress | tags: BMFA, buying, cardigan, doldrums, Dream in Color, knitting, knitting fantasy, sock clubs, STR, work in progress. | #

So. I finally totally finished Ella’s blanket. I’m very disappointed in how this project turned out. It’s a little sad because I put so much into that project and I basically didn’t really think the use of cotton + wool together through. I also got lazy at the end and threw the blanket in the wash (cold water, gentle cycle, low spin) but it kinda roughed up the wool and it didn’t help the cotton shrink back. So I feel like this is a failed project. My sister wants me to give it to Ella anyway though because she’ll like the textures, so I guess I will. I also have that crochet blanket I will finish soon that I can give her, but that feel so…I dunno I guess because it’s acrylic I’m a little embarrassed by it, but hey I got plenty of acrylic blankets in my closet from both my grandmother and one of my great-grandmothers so I guess it’s not the end of the world.

So, I did some work on that acrylic, aka striped, blanket and I’m not sure now if I can really finish it this month. My neck is killing me lately and I’m trying some new techniques for knitting/crocheting, but I’m slow right now. I also think I have more to finish than I originally thought. I guess we’ll see.

I’m rocking along on the Koigu socks, and should finish one this week so those shouldn’t be a problem. Since I think I’ll finish these pretty quickly I’m thinking of doing a Calorimetry for my sister for our Alaska trip and a scarf for my Mom. I just got some pretty Araucania Ranco Multy from a Ravelry purchase (for socks, but then got a better yarn in a swap) that would probably make a good Lace Ribbon Scarf. I think I’ll use some leftover sock yarn to make the Calorimetry.

I also got some Fleece Artist Sea Wool for socks (I have 2 pairs of socks that don’t really fit into my knitting schedule so I’m buying yarn as I can for those two and will knit when I have time).

I also traded my Araucania Nature Cotton in purple for 4 skeins of sock yarn. I know. I got a skein of Tofutsies, a skein of Regia Color 4-ply and 2 skeins of Wildfoote from Brown Sheep. The Tofutsies is for a pair of xmas socks and the rest are just for the stash for now.

I also ordered 2 skeins of Lamb’s Pride Superwash Bulky so I can do a City Shawl for myself for the Alaska trip, my last personal yarn splurge (besides the Noro I’ve budgeted) until December.

I’ll be getting all this stuff this week and I’ll post pics soon.

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

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. | #