Progress Report

The good news is that I’m making good progress on the Lacey Vee Cardigan. The even better news is that I have so far resisted the urge to start another project. I will confess to fondling my bamboo sock yarn, but I can’t start those until I finish the wool ones I’m working on (at least not without buying two more size 0 Addi turbos.) And trust me, the yarn is much prettier than it looks in any of the online color cards.

Back to the Lacey Vee… I’ve finished the body, sewn the shoulders, and picked up and knit the buttonbands. You pick up the sleeve stitches and knit down which is my personal favorite way to knit sleeves. I got them both started last night during Survivor. They’re supposed to be ¾ length sleeves, but I’m cutting it close on how much yarn I have so basically I’m planning to knit until I run out of yarn. That’s one reason I want to do both of them at the same time.

Here’s the body:

And here it is sewn up with the buttonbands (no buttons yet):

Spring has come to Maryland, and here’s our gorgeous saucer magnolia:

We’ve been very lucky this year. If we get a high wind, heavy rain or a hard freeze right after it blooms we can lose all of the flowers. This year the conditions have been perfect.

And back by popular demand – more pictures of the cats. Louie is doing what he does best (relaxing) and Ravenclaw is doing his usual, “I must walk toward you while you try to take my picture” act.

Spring Fever

So there I was knitting away on my Gravel Road Cardigan, when all of I sudden I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a new sweater that I could actually wear at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival?” Now if you’ve never been to the festival (and if you haven’t you really, really should) let me tell you that while it is technically possible that it can be 50 degrees F and raining (which happened one year in the mid 1990’s) it is far more likely to be 90 in the shade (if you can actually find any shade.) A wool sweater is highly impractical. I should know. Last year I wore one. I had just finished my FLAK and I was desperate to show it off to people who would appreciate it. I think I wore it for an hour before I gave up and tied it around my shoulders.

So anyway…. I’ve had this pattern for a lightweight summer cardigan aging in my pattern stash. Then this winter a friend of mine (hi, Pam!) was culling her stash and I came home with just the right amount of yarn for it. Clearly it was Meant To Be. I swatched it up and lo and behold, the gauge was just right.

So I cast on and I’ve been knitting like a fiend ever since. I’m not a huge fan of cotton yarn (love to wear it, hate to knit with it) but this yarn (Filatura di Crosa Brilla) is 42% cotton, 58% rayon. It’s not too bad to knit with, but I do have to be careful not to knit for too long without a break or my hands and wrists start to hurt. It’s very pretty. Of course I never met a purple I didn’t like, but this is a particularly nice one. The yarn has a nice sheen to it. The pattern is Lacey Vee Cardigan (#405) from Cabin Fever. I’m almost ready to divide for the armholes. I’m not making the vee quite as deep. I don’t need to emphasize my lack of cleavage. :-)

Making Progress

I’m making good progress on the Gravel Road Cardigan. It’s worked in one piece to the underarms. I just got to the dividing point so it actually feels like I’ve gotten somewhere. Here it is:

I’m having the same problem as my friend Cindy with getting the color right in a photo. This photo is much too light. Do you remember the 64 color box of Crayolas from when you were a kid? The color reminds me of Violet Red, which was always one of my favorites.

We’re making progress with the weather too. This is what my backyard looked like a week and a half ago:

Here’s what it looks like now:

It’s still too cold to feel like spring, but at least it feels like it won’t be too much longer now.

Evolution of a Sweater

I decided I really needed a lightweight cardigan. Since I didn’t have anything between sock weight and worsted weight in my stash, I decided to order Debbie Bliss Merino DK from Elann. They called the color Fuchsia, but when I opened the box it looked more like cranberry to me. Not what I had expected, but still pretty. So I set about swatching.

I tried many pattern stitches, but none of them spoke to me:

Then I remembered the Gravel Road Cardigan, from Janet Szabo’s Twists & Turns newsletter. I’ve been admiring this one for some time. When I made my swatch (and washed and blocked it) I discovered that the gauge was perfect:

Here are the buttons I found:

Since it’s DK weight on size US 3 needles it’s kind of slow going. But it’s very pleasant knitting and I know it will be a sweater that I will wear forever.

Here’s what it looks like now:

And here’s what my back yard looks like now, after two inches of snow and another inch or so of sleet:

Sometimes You Just Need a Pirate Hat

Have you seen this blog? I’ve long been tempted by the pattern for a felted pirate hat. I just love felting so this one is right up my alley. Well, I found myself in need of a pirate hat for an upcoming event so I knew just where to go. I told myself that I was not going to buy any yarn for it, assuming that I ought to be able to find suitable yarns in my stash. Sadly, my selection of eyelash is limited to bright orange (it’s a school color thing) so I had to go with Bernat Boa. My only choices there were a black/white blend or a green/blue. (I’m just not an eyelash kind of gal.) I went with the green/blue and managed to find a bag of navy/teal Galway, which is my absolute favorite yarn for felting.

This was a real instant gratification project – I cast on last Friday and had it in the washer Monday evening. This is what it looked like pre-felting:

It felted more quickly than I expected so after I took it out of the washer I had to stretch it a bit to fit my head. I found a bowl that was just the right size which also helped give it a nice round shape.

I know pirates are supposed to have a parrot, but this pirate has to make do with a black cat!

Stitches East Comes to Baltimore

Since Stitches was practically in my own backyard I decided to check it out. It wasn’t as big as the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival but I still managed to find some things to buy. The highlight for me was definitely Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I headed there first thing Friday morning and was rewarded by riches beyond measure. There were none of the screaming, pushing hordes from Maryland either. I tried to hold back, but there were four colors that I just couldn’t resist. I was especially delighted to see their Lightweight yarn. I was disappointed when I got home from Maryland and discovered that I had bought Medium weight. I like my sock yarn in a finer weight. The only other purchase I made Friday was also sock yarn – Regia Bamboo. I had never seen it before and I do like bamboo.

Here’s the sock yarn:

4 skeins Socks That Rock

Regia Bamboo

I was really looking for something special for a dressy jacket. I found it just before closing on Saturday. I found it at the Seaport Yarn booth. I couldn’t resist a blue and purple rayon metallic blend and a kid mohair in the most gorgeous blue I’ve ever seen.

Here they are:

Blue Violet/Silver Rayon Metallic from Wagtail Yarns

Inky Blue Ripple from Blue Heron Yarns

And I bought a couple of patterns:

And some cute stuff from Everything But Yarn:

But by far the highlight of my weekend was seeing so many friends. I met up with lots of online friends, caught up with my favorite vendors (like Buffy from Shelridge Farms), ran into an old friend who had moved away and lost touch, and met a lot of interesting people while standing in line and sitting around the big tables in the food area. I heard a rumor that Stitches East will be returning to Baltimore next year. I think you can count on seeing me there.

What I Did During My Summer Vacation

….from blogging.

I finished my Spirit Trail socks:

Yarn: Spirit Trail sock yarn from Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

Pattern: My basic toe up, short row heel. The cuff pattern is knit the first row; knit 3, purl 1 for the second row and repeat.

I made a pair of gift socks (since they’re for a 13 year old girl I seriously doubt she’ll see my blog):

Yarn: Sockotta Bold Stripe Effect from The Celtic Knot Yarn Shop

Pattern: My basic toe up, short row heel. The stitch pattern is basically knit 3, purl 1, but I switched to stockinette every time the color changed which changed the look a bit.

I knit a bunch of stuff for a church bazaar:

Scarves: Paton’s Boa (1 skein, 16 stitches, knit until done)

“Heart Felt Wishes” Bowl

Apple hat

Pumpkin hat

I’ve worked on a bunch of other stuff too, but that’s all I’ve managed to finish. In the future I promise to update my blog more frequently than once every five months. *smile*

Short Row Heels

…and the woman who loves them.

I originally tried short row heels because I was looking for a heel that really looked good in self patterning yarn. Once I knitted my first one I fell head over heels for them. (Sorry – I just couldn’t resist that one.) <grin> I love the “bullseye” pattern you get.



These are the Spirit Trail socks I’m working on now. The weird looking spot where the heel meets the foot is a marker (contrasting color yarn.) I never write anything down so markers are my best hope of making a second sock that’s even close to the same size as the first. <big grin>

Opal Brasil Socks Done!

Remember the socks I started back in February? Here they are, all done:





Yarn: Opal Brasil
Pattern: My own generic toe up pattern with a chevron patterned cuff. The chevron pattern was adapted from a stitch in Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch.

This was my first time knitting socks on two circular needles and I am totally sold. I did the toes on double points (I knit my socks from the toe up) but as soon as I had finished the increases I switched to the circular needles. I bought a new size 2 Addi Turbo at Maryland Sheep and Wool – boy are they expensive. But they’re my favorite kind of needle so I just try not to think about it too hard.

I’ve already started my next pair of socks (I always have at least one on the needles) in some Spirit Trail sock yarn I got at Maryland. It’s yummy!

It's The Little Things

What is this, you ask? And why would anyone bother knitting it? Well, the answer is – it’s a water bottle cozy. I work at Girl Scout day camp during the summer. It gets very hot and water bottles are an absolutely necessity. The woman I work with always complains (good naturedly) that my water bottle sweats all over her paperwork. I had some leftover Fixation (stretchy sock yarn) in my stash so I decided to knit a water bottle cozy. I played around with different methods of knitting a circle (EZ’s pi method, Yarn Harlot’s multiple of 5 method) but I had a hard time getting it to lie flat. Don’t ask me how many times I ripped it out and re-did it but, hey, it gave me something to do during the Survivor finale. I probably should have made it a little taller but I finished a ball of yarn and was too lazy to start another. I’ll let you know after camp how it works. I know you’ll all be waiting with bated breath. <very big grin>

The Process Knitter

I am definitely a process knitter. Which is a good thing, since I start a lot more projects than I actually finish. <grin> I have one ongoing project that will take me years to knit, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. It’s my Sock Yarn Afghan. I started it in the summer of 2004. I needed an interesting project to work on during a week long family reunion. I knit a lot of socks, and I’ve always wondered what to do with the little bit of yarn that’s left over. When my daughter was younger I used them to make Barbie clothes, but those days have now passed by. Since most socks I knit use hand dyed or self-patterning yarns they don’t readily lend themselves to being used together. My friend Joan knit an afghan using mitered squares (which I love) but what made it really special was that each block was bordered in black, which really tied it all together and kept it from having that patchwork look.


I made a full size afghan which turned out really well.


So I decided to start another one, using sock yarn.

As you can see, after almost two years it still isn’t all that big (that's a 12 inch ruler at the top), but I’ve gotten hours of entertainment from it already. I love finishing a square and getting out all of the colors to decide what to use next. I love remembering the original pairs of socks. It makes me feel like a pioneer woman making a quilt out of scraps of her kids’ outgrown clothes. And now my friends bring me their leftovers too, so I can look at squares and say, “My friend Joan gave me that yarn.” Or my friend Rosie, or my friend LynnM who mailed me hers from Minnesota, or my friend Cindy who brought me a bag at Maryland Sheep & Wool last weekend. It’s like a knitting scrapbook. If I ever do finish it I think I’ll have to immediately start a new one. But I don’t need to worry about that for quite a while. <grin>

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival 2006

Another year, another great sheep and wool festival. For me, every year it becomes less about the buying and more about enjoying the chance to see friends I only get to see once a year. By 11 AM (it opened at 9) the vendor areas were too crowded for me. A bunch of my knitting buddies set up camp near the entrance in what little shade we could find.

Here we are:


Knitting buddies


More buddies


Buddy Meta working hard on replacing the yarn that Katrina took away.




And here’s Cindy Park in her Spring Forward Cardigan. It’s absolutely gorgeous!

It’s amazing how much shopping I got done in less than two hours. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t stay in the vendor area any longer.


Books and patterns:
Dyeing to Knit (autographed by the author at the fair) by Elaine Eskesen of Pine Tree Yarns

Big Girl Knits by Jilian Moreno & Amy Singer of knitty.com

Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (Yarn Harlot)

Cable Needle Freedom by Carole Wulster of Knitting Software Inc.

Sam the Ram & Sue the Ewe by Rita O’Connell of Earth Heart Designs

Stradivarius Stole & Mobius Capelet by Candace Eisner Strick of Strickwear (impulse bought while standing in line at The Mannings)



Yarn:
Kit for Blueberry Jam cardigan from Shelridge Farms (not pictured - they’re mailing it to me so I could substitute Mulberry for Spanish Moss)

Sock yarn from Spirit Trail

1. Fuchsia/blue/purple colorway


2. Shades of blue/purple colorway

Sock yarn from Socks That Rock

1. Two Can Rock


2. Hearthstone


3. Lapis

Opal sock yarn, colorway Traumfanger (Dreamcatcher) - pink/blue/yellow

Trekking XXL sock yarn - bright primaries/natural

Fixation sock yarn – shades of purple

Etc.
Size 2 24 inch Addi Turbo

Spirit Trail bumper sticker

Now I'm trying to finish my socks-in-progress so I can start some with my new yarn. I think the Spirit Trail pink and blue will be first in the queue....

Its All Done!

FLAK facts: Elann Peruvian Collection Highland Wool, color Alpine Violet



My FLAK is done! I finished it Sunday night, then washed and blocked it. Our cat Ravenclaw enjoyed the blocking process immensely. <grin>



Look for me wearing it this weekend at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. The forecast is currently calling for low 70’s so hopefully I won’t be dying of heat prostration (like the year it was in the 90’s.) I’ll be there Saturday and Sunday. I can’t wait! Now that I’m done my FLAK it’s the perfect time to buy some new projects. I have Sam the Ram and Sue the Ewe patterns on hold already. I figured they’d be good summer knitting. Not that there’s really such a thing as a bad knitting project…

See you at the Festival!

FLAK Body Done

Even though it felt like it took forever, I’ve finally finished my FLAK body. I didn’t want much of a bottom edging, so I just did about an inch of K1, P1 ribbing. My filler stitch was a modified K1, P1 so I thought that would look good. I decreased at the bottom of each cable and ended with a cable row in order to avoid the dreaded “cable splay.”






BTW, let me take this opportunity to say how much I like Janet’s new book Aran Sweater Design. It looks stunning and is just chock full of useful information, whether you’re brand new to Arans or you’ve been cabling since you could hold a needle.

Anyway, back to my FLAK… I think I’m going to do the trim next, and then finish up my sleeves. They’re almost done, but they definitely need a few more inches. I think I’ll do the same ribbing as I did on the body. My goal is to finish by Maryland Sheep and Wool, which looks just about doable. Of course if I do get it done that should guarantee us 90 degree weather. I may die of heat stroke, but I’ll be wearing it anyway. <very big grin>

Bingo!

Never doubt the power of bingo trolls! My daughter’s school has a basket bingo fundraiser every year. Last year I had terrible luck – I didn’t win so much as a door prize. I decided that drastic measures were necessary, so I found some trolls at the local thrift shop. I decided that what my trolls really needed was some hand knit clothes. (Who doesn’t?) Mama troll is wearing a lovely dress knit with Fixation, the stretchy sock yarn, a scarf made out of some leftover Boa, and a felted backpack made from Parfait Swirls. The boy is wearing overalls made from some cotton sock yarn (no label.) I had to sew him into it. The little girl is wearing a dress made from Regia Crazy – which nearly drove me crazy trying to find the color repeat in order to make matching socks. Here they are in all their troll glory:





And here’s the basket I won during the last game of the night:

Back to FLAK

After my Knitting Olympics disaster (see below) I’ve returned to my FLAK sweater. The back and front are done and now I’m working away on the left sleeve.


Front view


Back view

I learned a valuable lesson from the disaster and I’m only knitting one sleeve at a time. At least that way if it doesn’t turn out right I only have to rip out one. I’m also trying this one on more frequently. I’m only decreasing every 8th row, which seems to be working so far. I’m planning to switch to every 4th row when I get closer to the cuff. My filler stitch has a 4 row repeat so it’s easier for me to remember the decreases if I always do them on the same row of the pattern. I had a little trouble switching from knitting the top of the sleeve flat to knitting in the round. I have to remind myself whether I’m on a “knit” row (right side) or a “purl” row (wrong side.) I’m using Joan Schrouder’s decrease technique. She has you decrease alongside the cable band instead of on the underside of the sleeve (the little bits of contrasting yarn mark the decreases.) I had never seen this before. It looks pretty neat.


Overhead view

Unfortunately my sweater isn’t particularly photogenic right now. Use your imagination. *grin*