Summer Sun

Lovely. Apparently the weather is supposed to turn hot next week - can hardly wait.
We've returned to the gray days..and the AC at work is working overtime to keep us cool like a popsicle inside. someone even came around today to seal up all our windows so they can analyze airflow. nice. purposefully cool. wish it were sunny enough to warrant all of the cold.

I'm back to knitting my opulence cardi. Knit a good portion of the second sleeve tonight and need to orient and knit the cable on the 2nd sleeve, then bind-off. so close. hopefully, this weekend, I'll be done...and just in time for the hot weather.

Calling it good -

I'm tired and not sleeping well these days - I'm calling it good



6 of 12 done, so far.

Come on summer - time to bring the sun back out again.

Black hole for needles and socks

I seem to have a black hole nearby that munches on knitting needles and socks.
I've been keeping a large pillowcase full of single socks, and reunited about 20 pairs of socks two months ago..still have about 10 singles looking thoughtfully for their pairs. these are store-bought socks, mind you, so it's not like they hopped back onto needles and hid someplace, although I do seem to have quite a few missing-in-action needles as well.

According to my rav needle inventory (which I updated in May 2011), I supposedly have quite a few metal circulars in circulation - some I've identified as being assigned to ufos or works in progress. The others, I've simply recorded as"out-unknown", as the only remnants I have is the hang bag it came in.

After taking the weekend to just do things for me..I dug happily into a new project using the regal silk and knit 5", this including a hem and a pleat which was finicky and fussy. Finally, it's sitting flat and it looks beyoo-ti-ful.
Then, today, i tried it on.

WHOA there - too big..even after having swatched and predicted that I was doing ok, somehow, my gauge is off, and it's too big at my hips, and I'm not sure I can fudge it. Somehow when I looked at while I was knitting, it seemed like it would be ok. now, i'm not so sure. So, i'm going to swatch again with a US5.

According to my needle inventory, I am supposed to have 3 or 4 of these needles. guess what ? they're all out, either "out-unknown" or "out on a project". Two that are out and known are: 1. On the Dover Castle Shawl - status: currently stalled because i'm a beginner lace knitter and the pattern is too complex for my tiny brain, so it requires attention, and i'm generally only getting knitting time at knit night, which is not good for good attention.

and 2. is the sweet jazz scarf project which was supposed to be an easy knit, but ended up being super boring between the short rows and the rough-feeling yarn. not inspiring. first time i'm knitting with wm and my attention span is waning.sad.

Since the dover castle shawl could do to go down a needle, and I have plenty of 4s - at least, so my needle inventory says (heh, heh). I'll try that again on a US4, and take back the US5 to swatch the regal silk top again.

Yay a domino effect- Maybe it'll convince some needles to come out of hiding.

July

Canada Post is back on track; hopefully, some good things are coming my way. Not the least of which a prezzy for Andi (who had her birthday last weekend), caught in the mail. I did receive mail on Thursday for the first time - a free FOCUS magazine, and 2 junk mail ads promptly recycled. Still on the look out for my HST ballot which I hope is on its way.

Also, I set aside all the projects needing attention, to focus on knitting something soft - this regal silk I've been saving for some time. The swatch I made blends a deep chocolate brown and a oh so hot fuchsia. Hopefully, the finished top won't be too stripey. I'm loving knitting with this.



Donated some very old unloved yarn to Beehive last weekend for their destash for cash fundraiser for Canada Comforts, and put the $12.40 towards a new skein of Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in Pomegranate. Hopefully, with the other one I'll find something to knit in future.

Also, continuing destashing on rav and locally and crossing my fingers to take a vacation in July in Portland. oh, i miss you so. The roses of june, and going to the Japanese Garden. .

Shawl Hiatus and Postal insanity

We had a burst of summer weather last weekend and even just yesterday, beautifully sunny on one side of the street, and a big storm cloud moving in from the northwest brought down torrential rain. Victoria weather is just so weird. Still hoping for continued sunny weather above the 60s.

I've been knitting up shawls the past few months in the most satisfying way; but now, I'm stalling. I finally broke into a skein of wollmeise to make "Sweet Jazz" a short-row scarf with eyelets and points. just about bored myself to tears on the short row part. The color is a burgundy-red-plum-purple combo, but the yarn is just not as soft as I've felt or expected. Hopefully, will soften up when I wash if I can get that far.

I also re-started the Matisse Goodale because it's a beautiful bright blue, soft and plain stockinette. Finally joined the raglan shaping and knitting the front now.
I have about 3 or 4 projects at 75-80%..as each one "needs attention". Here's the blue




Also on my mind, the frustrating Canada Post situation. I'm one of the few (perhaps) people who still use the post office to mail packages. I had ordered a birthday present for a friend at the beginning of the month and that is stuck somewhere now. Also have some yarn trades stuck somewhere. Hopefully, the government will pass back to work legislation soon. I understand wanting to have a yearly increase that covers cost of living increases, but it is unreasonable imo during an economic downturn. The whole BC government tightened its belt for 2010-2011 0-0 increases, why shouldn't the feds do the same ?

Shaelyn Revisited

The Shaelyn shawl was bound-off too tightly the first time, so it puckered up. so, I unknit the bind-off and re-bound off using the JSSBO bindoff (Jennie's super stretchy bind-off), and re-blocked the points, although I couldn't find my pins.



and front view



Pics taken at Mile Zero for Knit in Public Day, June 11, 2011. Gorgeous sunny day which coincided with Beacon Drive-in having their 53rd anniversary.

Brass and Steam

On a shawl kick and whipped up the Brass and Steam shawl which is mostly stockinette with a few eyelet rows in Sanguin Gryphon Bugga Great Purple Hairstreak - a lovely royal blue with bits of royal purple and red-purple mixed in. The skein is 412 yards, and it was getting to be a tedious knit, so I knit 3 sections of stockinette, instead of the 2 recommended and bound off with just 60 yds to spare.



Pic taken in direct overcast sunlight at Abkhazi Garden June 5; camera setting was on Natural, so the color looks a bit washed out.
Here it is on my bed:




Started on sleeves of Opulent raglan. It's still looking and feeling wonderful. Still bleeding, but met up with Megan Bartley two weekends ago and during my short stay in Vancouver week before last and she suggested using nailpolish remover to get the red out of my fingernails - go figure - why didn't I think of that ?

Splurged on a skein of yellow - sweet georgia cashluxe fine in saffron for the Gingko Shawl which is in my queue. That could be up next. Guess I just want summer to come. Finally the weather's in the 60s.

May

I was working diligently on the Opulence cardi, finished the hem, and started on the sleeves, but was tired of washing red from my nails, so I took a break for a week and whipped out project 4 of 12 - trying out Handmaiden Mini Maiden in Color Sangria - a red-orange, with hints of pink and orange that turn up in sunlight. Fascinating to knit the curves but a bit disappointing when you find you have to turn it upside down. Also, discovered that binding off loosely in a straight line is a different story altogether when binding off on the hypotenuse of a triangle. A bit of puckering that goes away when I drape in on my easy chair - might work draped over a shoulder this way-



Here's the back -



People raved to me about this yarn, and while it is soft (merino-silk 50-50),it doesn't seem as lofy or soft as one of the MCN yarns, or camelspin.

Opulence and Spring

18" in on front.
Yarn is Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Ruby Port - lovely silk-merino.

This pic doesn't do the color justice, as I took the pic in my mirror to show the fit so far.



This color shows the rich ruby red, and the curves at the waist:



-Only drawback is the yarn bleeds as I'm knitting. I'm pretty used to washing my hands after each round of knitting. This was the first color is Sundara's Year in Color Limited edition only available for a year, before she changed her mind and brough it back as a Permanent Colorway. Gorgeous and opulent.

Also working on my Spring Damselfly socks, Cat Bordhi Style - toe up and knitted to the heel, then, to open up and knit the cuff last. too bad I don't have more hands.

Here's the toe -


and what I've knit so far -


Knit in Sweet Georgia Cashluxe Fine in Peashoot

Currently working on two knitting projects - socks with Sweet Georgia Cashluxe Fine in Peashoot - I know, green again, but spring is finally here, sunny weather and sometimes warm.



The pattern is from the Art & Sole Collection by Janel Laidman...a lovely damselfy (like a dragonfly) graces the cuff. Knitting using Cat Bordhi's method and re-fitting with a new template. After cutting a first template, I realized that the template wasn't the width or length of my foot, so I've re-cut it and now, it's much better. I am at the point of decreasing for the heel, so hopefully get to the interesting pattern knitting soon.

Also working on the Opulence Raglan from Wendy Bernard. This is a elbow-length pullover with a cable running down the front. I'm finally busting my stash and using Sundara ASM Ruby Port which I brought when Sundara first introduced her "Year in Color" November or December 2009. The colors were supposed to be not repeatable for at least a year. Now, she's buckled and it has become a permanent colorway available regularly. I love knitting with the aran silky merino base, but it's a deep red which bleeds off on my hands as I knit. I'm getting used to having inky fingers again (a throwback to my rubberstamping days). I'm on the 2nd ball and in some plain rows at my waist before increasing.

It's a hard color to photograph - like opulent red with bits of black -

March 2011 - A bit of green

I wrapped up three projects in March -

Snug Flaming Red Hat using Ursa's Mama Quilla Worsted (Gaia's Colours) in Brigid a bright flaming red. This yarn is similar in weight to Malabrigo Worsted, but not as soft, and not nearly as elastic. It seemed like the pattern also lent itself with its twisted stitches to a tight knit.



Green Leaves Shawl - saroyan, a free pattern where lovely curly leaves knit as you go. Yarn is Sanguin Gryphon Bugga in Signatus Lacewing colorway - a lovely green with bits of blue in it. Really very soft yarn and a lovely knit.

Here it is from my back -


and in detail...



Last but not least - this Sweet Mezquita Shawl - pattern from Zen Yarn Garden, and a sweet soft knit in Sweet Georgia Cashluxe Fine in Tourmaline - also green, but a brighter louder green -





The icing on the cake - Roxanne Yuen of Zen Yarn Garden has included my project picture (above) on the project. It was the first time I blocked using the Anti-Fatigue mats from Wal-mart, pinned to a towel on top of the mats. Blocked and set overnight. Lovely points and turned out beautifully.