Project Update

A quick summary of recent projects:

MAY:

Leigh Radford's book "One Skein" came out and I started knitting right away.

The footies were first done in Lorna's Laces Worsted Weight Yarn according to the pattern except that I knit a couple of rounds first before starting the cable, so mine are a bit ruffled at the top. The kitchener at the end of the pattern is horrible because the pattern says to leave 8 stitches total on the needles. I think this should be 8 on each needle, otherwise you end up with pointy toes. Since I was making this for me, it was ok because my big toe fits into the pointy part of the pointy toe.



Later, I made a second pair for my friend and knitting mentor Juanita in this Blue Moon Fiber Arts Worsted Weight yarn in blue/tan colorway with an adjusted pattern and more stitches on the needle for the kitchener - much better, and a way better fit. With the smaller needle, the material is denser, so it doesn't squidge out when I walk on my floor, like the first pair. I'm thinking of ripping those out now and doing them over.
Yes, I really did make a pair, and I spoiled the surprise by having to ask her how long her foot was, but she is happy and will have them for her birthday in the fall.
JUNE:

I made this quick baby bolero from One Skein. Really quick, only a couple of evenings..and that was because it took me awhile to position the arms for the seaming. This is a fantastic yarn - from the pattern - Blue Sky Alpacas Organic cotton. I just didn't want to stop knitting with this yarn. It was so soft and wonderful. I did knit the bolero with the "flower" lace pattern. It's a common pattern (as I've found looking at lace pattern books), but I think her instructions are a bit different than most. This is intended to go to a friend in Germany (actually a colleague who I work with) as she is leaving the office in August.

Due to laws there, she can take maternity leave and be out of the office for 3 YEARS! and then, she can return to at least the same level of job that she had before she left. This is because in that culture, it is frowned upon for a woman to work after she has a baby. She should be at home taking care of the child during the formative years. I love that policy! Of course, workers also receive 6 weeks of vacation per year AND they don't have to earn it! so, they could just take the first 6 weeks off of the year if they wanted.
sigh..I love these american rules.

summer's here

So, summer's here, and sadly, I have not posted since March! bad bad blogger.
I have been knitting, however, my pc crashed a couple of weeks ago, so I have to re-take my pictures all over again.

Last week, the Knitting Bee shop had a Customer Trunk Show. So, the night before I madly knitted a pair of the "Fetching" pattern from the new summer edition of Knitty, in a pink-orange color of the wonderfully soft Cashmerino Aran - just one ball. It was fantastic, and I made a wonderful pair. Hope to add the pic soon.

Also, I have started on the Lotus Blossom Tank from the Summer Interweave in Madil Eden Bamboo in the light blue (dutch boy, I think it's called) color. This bamboo is luxuriously soft and wonderful to the skin. I'm excited to knit with it and other than the lace project being one of my first, I hope to have it done quickly so I can wear it.

alpaca hat

went to cozy ewe for the first time ever last weekend on saturday. What a shop-it's brimming with yarn! I found a really soft yarn that I thought would be perfect for a perk-me-up felted hat with brim. Frog Tree Alpaca. I bought a beet-root red color, and a pleasing hot pink. Thought I'd do stripes.

By wednesday evening, I was tucking in the ends and it was ready to go.
I'll post a photo soon of the "pre-wash". This was the softest alpaca ev-er, in a worsted weight. Very pleasing and soft to knit with. almost luxurious. I can't wait to see if it's still soft in the post-felt phase.

pics of my socks

finally a few pics of socks I knit after my class last summer. I discovered, they really are too thick to wear inside my winter boots, but they are perfect for lounging around home...

from knitting olympics to shop hop

I returned from vacation well rested and happy. I tried to make it last as long as possible.
In the weeks ensuing, I discovered the meaning of e-mail, and threw myself back into the Shop hop preparations, winding yarn samples.

Here's a pic of some of the yarns:














You can read more from Heather on the main blog site (see sidebar).

My vacation...

I spent a warm lovely week in Florida - 80 degree weather, perfect summery t-shirt and shorts weather - a far cry from the chilly 24 degrees (F) , snow and freezing ice forecast, I'd left the day before President's Day. Good thing I brought running shoes, my feet would have fallen off otherwise.

It was a wonderful whirlwind trip through the Magic Kingdom and Disneyworld.
Monday was Epcot - I walked through all the pavillions - Canada's Hudson Bay Trading post, UK , France - stopped in for a pastry - a Napoleon, the bakery quickly became a favorite hangout. Morrocco, Japan's endless gallery of fans and foodstuffs, walked briskly through the american adventure, Italy, Germany $3 for a pack of Haribo gummi bears! China - saw an amazing show, a young girl balacing a tray of drinks on her nose., Norway, and Mexico - a lovely outside evening on the inside of a pavillion, and a quiet ride on the river under the stars.

Tuesday was Magic Kingdom - 3-D shows and a picture with Mickey.

In the evening, I watched the amazing Illuminations Fireworks and lit-world display; park hopped over to the Magic Kingdom and watched their "wish upon a star" fireworks display called "wishes", then, stayed up for the last Electric Light parade -Fantasmic! oooooooh that was my favorite!

Wednesday was MGM Studios - had my picture taken with Mike and Sully of Monsters. Yes, I rode the Tower of Terror! No, I didn't pay for the picture. Late afternoon to Fulton Crab House in Downtown Disney for a sumptuous seafood dinner ($$$) crab claws and lobster tails. Cool lego store, lots of shops, and the largest pin trading center. In the evening,watched Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba with my mom. It was good, but disappointing compared to "O" and "Saltimbanco".

Thursday was Animal Kingdom with my mom. By then it had become so muggy and overcast, it was hard to believe it was the same park. We had a great ice cream in the afternoon.

Friday was Epcot revisited and a bit of Downtown Disney to round out the trip.
finally packing and sleep at 11pm, only to wake at 3:30 or 4ish, and rush out to the bus to be at the airport 2 hours early for an 8 am flight.

It was a truly amazing and wonderful trip.
Not only did I have the time of my life, I also didn't watch a bit of TV, and I didn't touch my knitting (lonely as it was in my travel bag) the whole time.

very short of a scarf

I quickly realized after I had knit about 20 or 30 rows, that I should have made my piece bigger, doubled it, and made a fold-over double-knit purse. That would have been more practical and I would have finished much sooner.

As it was, I had a long and skinny "project" that was burning quickly through the 9-days, and not seeing a completed project in sight prior to my vacation.

no pattern here...

it was simple enough to knit the stitches on both sides, but it was really, really sloooow going. Not having a pattern in mind, I knit what i wanted when I wanted...and tried to spice it up by switching colors, changing to stripes and back, and using different designs to the highlight the differences.

As I played, the pattern grew and changed...

A 9-day olympic trial

I started with the best of intentions...complete an olympic knitted project intended for 16-days, in 9. I cast-on with the opening flame, and knit Friday through the following Friday before madly packing on Saturday for my 1-week vacation in Disneyworld.

I selected a "simple" project, teach myself double-knitting, and create a double-knitted scarf in as long as it took me to knit the 9 days. When the 9-days were up I would call it good.

Two yarns -both sparkly - one a kind of bright beet-red (almost) pink, and the other black. Both Arianna.

I cast on double the number of stitches and then knit half on the front, and half on the back.

February's project - my knitted shrug

I was knitting this shrug, going great guns the 2 weeks preceding the Olympics. It was a 2-week project, but I knitted more than I blogged, or took pictures of my knitting.

This is the back of the shrug, and a close-up of the stitches

Shrug off the Knitting Olympics ?

For the last 2 weeks I've been madly knitting a Debbie Bliss shrug -it's from the Simply Soft book, a soothing berry color with a rolled collar. The parts are ready, and I'm ready to pick up the collar, but find myself slowing as Friday approaches.

Yesterday, the Living section of the Oregonian featured an article about the Knitting Olympics (www.yarnharlot.ca). Amazing the day that a newspaper discusses something as exciting as knitting! Most everyone I talked to yesterday either mentioned it to me or had read it.

I had dreamed about participating, and swatched a bunch of different ideas. Then, I look at the calendar and realized that I'm taking a vacation in the middle. So, my "challenge" would be to knit a project in 7 days, instead of the normal 16-day Olympic timeframe. That would definitely be Olympic. So, I have ditched the idea of a sweater, and decided to make a scarf. One that has a new pattern to me, but that will not be too complicated in the time allotted.