Last Project, Next Project

Well, I have good news and I have not-so-good news.

First, the bad news: I wound up frogging my Moebius scarf. Yep, all the way down to nothing, just because I simply hated the way it turned out. It was too narrow; the garter stitch didn't show off the wonderful colorway of the Schaeffer yarn I'd chosen; the center "seam" of the Moebius cast-on was visible -- yuck all around. So, after frogging and casting on again and frogging again because I still didn't like the way it was turning out, I finally just accepted that this yarn does not want to be a Moebius scarf. It wants to be a tube scarf, maybe done in Turkish Lace. I needed to walk away from the skein for awhile after my last trip to the frog pond, so I'm not entirely sure yet what pattern I'll use for the tube scarf; all I know is I'll just have to wait to make my Moebius.

Oh, well.

The good news is I bought yarn for my next selfish project: a whole pile of Manos del Uruguay in two solid shades of mustard/deep gold and one variegated gold/burgundy/brown -- gorgeous! I'm finally going to make the fitted EZ bog jacket I've been eyein in "Knitting Around." I don't think I'll start this project till after Christmas, though -- my finger has been acting up again and I think it'll be all I can manage to get gifts knitted. Once the holiday hubub has died down, I'll devote myself to my bog.

Since Blogger refuses to post my photos tonight, feel free to hop on over to my blog to check out the beautiful (if I do say so myself) Manos colorways: http://splindarella05.blogspot.com/

I havn't been able to knit yet today, but will get a few rows in before I drop off to sleep. ;) It's been a busy day.
I have been knitting this week and completed the Felted Fuzzy Slippers. This is what they looked like before felting. I laid a previously knitted sock (that fits perfectly!) on top of the slipper sock just to give you an idea how ridiculously large the slipper is before felting. I looked at that and thought there was NO WAY this was going to felt down to the size of my feet!

I've never felted anything before (I know...I've said it a hundred times!) so whilst they were in the the washer I used the timer and checked them every 3 minutes as suggested in the pattern. I'm pretty sure she meant that figuratively...but with the way things have been working for me lately......I wasn't taking any chances! So as the first 4 or 5 inspections showed no change in size of the slippers, I was pretty sure that I goofed in some spectacular way. However the next time I checked them they were suddenly smaller.....then the next time they were a more realistic size....then finally they looked done. To be honest with you...they need a bit more felting. I managed to increase the number of stitches in the slipper that's now the right foot and it's a tad looser than the left foot. Both need a bit of shrinkage...one needs more than the other. I'm terribly pleased with them though and they are toasty warm... but not too much so. ( I was worried about them being too hot. Not a problem at all.) I am going to use puffy fabric paint to put some grip on them though as they are a bit slippery on the lino.

The pattern for the Felted Clog slippers arrived on Saturday (Thanks for the offer Leah!) in the mail and now I can figure out how much yarn I need to finish spinning for Melissa's slippers. DH is undecided on which he wants so he's waiting to see the felted clog ones first. I will, of course, have to make me a pair first to test the pattern out. (insert evil laugh... mwahahahahah!)

In the mean time....I've decided I really need this sweater. Sorry for the poor quality pic...but I only had the black and white photocopy to scan in to show you. As you can see it's a zipper front hooded sweater in the most basic of stitches. I saw this completed on the lady that shared the pattern with me and it was all I could do not to take the sweater off her! This looks so comfortable! The great part is that it's mostly basic knit or purl stitches and I'm pretty confident I can actually knit it. It's the largest project in knitting I've ever taken on, so we'll see if I have the stamina or not. It may end up in the UFO pile with the others...but I kinda doubt it. See, I can't wait to wear this thing! And the yarn I picked is so very soft. I chose the Lion Brand Homespun in #302 Colonial. I know, I know, it's acrylic and polyester and it's not handspun....but still....it's beautiful, soft (unbelieveably soft) and more important....if I need to wash this baby every night so I can wear it again the next day...NOT A PROBLEM! I plan on wearing this at work and work is a very dirty place most the time so that was a huge factor in the yarn choice.

Here is the start of the new sweater. It doesn't look like much but I just started it on Thursday. This is the back piece with the ribbing completed and working my way up the back. I am adjusting to working with metal straight needles again after using bamboo circulars for the slippers. I'm thinking I'll end up on a circular on this before too long as the weight of this is going to probably be too much for me to handle. We'll see though as I may be suprised by it.

Hello SSKers! I was wondering if anyone was still knitting out there...yay April :) I've been quietly knitting away...I started on this the other night and am loving making it! It's kinda goofy but I've been wanting it for awhile... here's the Knitty link for it

*I* think it's lovely and cool but I know other people will tease me about my "half a sweater" like they did when I made a little stretchy half a poncho wrap thingee a long time ago, which I still wear but it wants to ride up all the time, cute as it is! I'll have to get a pic of it. It's fine if you want to stand around with your arms down all the time...ha! I'll have to try to wear it again this week and see what I think. If it still bugs me, I'll recycle the yarn, I guess.

I'm knitting it out of my very first handspun (well, the first stuff that's any yardage!) I've been wanting to do something with it and I figured that I had about 400 yards but I think it's actually closer to about 600...Mom plied this for me after I spun it on my boat anchor Ashford Turkish (my first spindle) and it's some crazy stuff! Not noticably thick/thin in the knitting though. I hope I have enough...and I should, just barely! It passed my eyeball test and Mom's too so I'm not very fearful. Look at me, knitting on the edge! Wheeee! I can fudge it under the cowl or whatever part with another yarn if I must but I don't think it'll come to that. It's going to force me to learn a cable cast on as well...always a good thing, forcing me to learn a new technique, since I own a yarn shop, I feel as if I must learn these things!

Not super soft either but I'm not a wool-itchy gal and I think with washing, it'll soften up a lot. It's a wool/mohair, which is what the pattern calls for (the bulky Lamb's Pride stuff) and it worked up perfect to gauge and everything. Yay me! How cute, to wear it with a t-shirt because sometimes I really need that whole layer thing at work and when I go to people's houses. Great for spring and early fall with a tank, like it's shown in the photo. And it's different, unique, and I think I'll feel cute wearing it. How fun to just knit sleeves...and I adore how the cuffs are so long and come over your hands a bit. That always makes me feel sexy for some weird reason.

CRAPPY PICTURE ALERT!

It's striping up in the knitting, which I totally didn't expect from this yarn so it's going to be a little on the wild side :) Sorry about the pic...takes forever for the damn sun to decide to come up! Sheesh...this is what I hate about winter here...eternal darkness in the North! No sun till 8-ish and now with DS time, it'll be dark at 5:30. Depressing! I had to use a flash, even though the sun has risen...just blah yuck out there right now.

I finished my Fib wrap and it's YUMMY! I have it at the shop and will write up the pattern this morning and take photos at work. I'm going to give all the SSKers the pattern free, too, so if you want it, EMAIL ME!

I've finished the YUKON SOCK! Well, I have to Kitchener the toe and wash it. And hope like hell it's gorgeous enough for me to want to cast on another one. I normally don't have SSS (second sock syndrome) but this thing was quite an adventure on size 1 needles! I tried it on and it looks gorgeous with the lace pattern...what a shame to hide it! I have to buy a pair of loafers or something so people can see all that work! I have such huge calves though...ugh...all that horseback riding in my formative years.

Just a little tip for those of you who are like me...stressed out all the time over housework and that was seriously cutting into my fiber/knitting time. I can't relax and enjoy when my house is a disaster. My house used to be pretty orderly but then came the business and it all got just out of control. So, I decided to sign up for the FlyLady thing and while it seems goofy, it has totally changed things for me so far! It's awesome! You get these emails with little 15 minute tasks to do, there are zones to work on each week, etc. and it honest to goodness works! Everything around me is just feeling so much better...my house is starting to look really nice, I'm not stressing at all, and my brain has been orderly for days in a row, which was a real problem for me before. I confess, I don't do the shoe thing like she says. But I DO shine my sink...and as ridiculous as that sounds, it makes me feel as good as she said it would! My bedroom is organized, my laundry done, my bathrooms clean, my piles of paper are mostly gone, I don't wake up to dirty dishes anymore, my face is well moisturized, my teeth flossed every night and I'm happier! My chipmunk's nest (to borrow a phrase from Tasha Tudor) around the couch with my knitting, spinning, patterns, books, mags is still a problem but I feel like I'll get to that one day soon. Just thought I'd share because this was really bringing me down for so long. I don't keep a journal or anything like that yet, just use the emails to help me figure out where to start and to organize the way I do things.

I'm still working on the Fuzzy Feet slippers and am finally making progress. I really like this pattern as it is so simple and knitting in the round is my new favorite! It's so much easier on my hands (and brain really!) I did misread the pattern and had to tink back two times so I've not made as much progress as I had hoped. I am almost to the point of decreasing for the toes and will probably do that tonight. I'll cast on the second one immediately and if history is any indicator the second one should go faster. I can't wait to felt these as I've never felted anything before.
I did check with Noble Knits and had TOTALLY misunderstood my order. (My fault, not thiers.) The pattern for the Felted Clogs is out of stock and that's why it has not shipped yet. I may have to try and find it on Ebay or something because it's been almost a month since I ordered and it's not in stock yet. I've checked other sites and no one seems to have it in stock so the hunt is on. I really hope I can find it! Anyone know of a vendor with it in stock??? lol.
I've already picked out the next object d'SSK. It looks simple enough for me to make good progress too! We'll see. More on that later.....

Selfish Sunday Knitting seems to be turning out to be Selfish Knitting All Week Long with this project! I know it looks like a big tangle of yarn and needles, but in reality it's a Moebius Scarf knitted all in one piece lengthwise along the long outer edge of the moebius curve instead of knitting back-and-forth widthwise then giving the scarf a half twist and grafting the ends together. It's very weird knitting this way; the cable of my circ is actually twisted into a moebius curve, which made it quite difficult to knit the first couple of rows. Now that I'm a few rows along, though, it's a very easy knit, and I can't wait to see how it's going to turn out. I'm using up the skein of superwash merino in the Lola colorway that I got in trade earlier this year. I'm absolutely loving the fall colors, which is also part of why I've been knitting on it all week long -- I just can't wait to wear it! Now I just need to decide how I want to finish it off. I'm thinking maybe a simple knitted-on I-cord, but I might just pull out my Nicky Epstein books and see if there's something else that catches my eye....

Everyone is so quiet! I do hope you're getting some SSK done though! I have to confess that I didn't do a whole lot of knitting for myself this past Sunday either...the thing I've been working on is a store thing but, ultimately, it's mine! I'm working on a Fibonacci Wrap out of natural colored handspun in primarily alpaca, with some angora and mohair in there in some of the yarns. I decided to do it after I made this for the shop for a fun Scarf of the Month Halloween project:

I wasn't real serious about it...just wanted to make something fun and wacky for Halloween but I ended up falling in LOVE with the bias design...the shape is just so cool! You can wear it like it's pictured (I used a plastic spider ring that has a split at the bottom for a shawl pin!!), or just let it hang over your arms and it stays in place OR you can actually pin it in front and it looks like a cute little vest

SCARY SPIDER DETAIL!

I was sooo excited I grabbed up some of my handspun, first an alpaca/angora blend in natural brown and white but was only 228 yards so I started thinking about the whole Fibonacci thing, and I found four other small skeins in naturals to add to it...most of them alpaca blends with one of them being the jacob/mohair yarn I used on the cabled earflap hat in my previous post.

I've just been fascinated by the whole Fibonacci thing because I love to mix yarns and dislike it not looking orderly, for the most part. So I chose to cast on in Fibonacci numbers, and also chose the number of different yarns that way and planned the rows/stripes that way as well. It's turning out really great, but I had such a hard time trying to figure out how many to cast on for the whole bias design...I know, I know...IT'S NOT THAT HARD! But I have a bad time conceptualizing certain things and that whole shaped bias thing was messing with my head!

There's how the striping and colors are working out together. I deliberately chose all marled yarns for it because I wanted to see how they work together and it's in garter stitch because I want the yarn to speak out, not the stitch pattern. Plus, garter gives it a nice drape, I think. I'm using bigger needles too, for that drape reason as well. I'm still not entirely positive I'll be happy with the length but it sure feels right so far. It'll end up being about 14 inches wide, so a pretty generous wrap without a lot of bulk. The yarns vary a bit between worsted and slightly bulky.

People aren't into natural colored yarns so much these days and I just don't get it. So, I wanted an example for the shop showing how wonderful they can be (particularly handspun!) And I can sooo see myself this fall and winter and spring even, wrapping that around my shoulders over a sweater for a quick trip across the street when I'm working :)

Needless to say, I have a bunch of patterns to write in my very near future! I have three for Halloween projects to write up and now this one.

I've been working on my Sheep Shawl too...I'm up to row 79! It's going fairly well, I haven't had to tink for a while now so that's always encouraging. I'm into the Orchard lace rows now :)

That's what I've been doing this weekend...what about the rest of you?

WoW! It has been awhile since I posted here last. I have no exciting pictures to show of my hand work either. No work...no pictures. I've decided that knitting lace is going to have to go onto the back burner for awhile. Well, at least until I'm able to concentrate a bit and remember what I've read for more than a few seconds.

I don't seem to have any problem with basic knitting stitches and socks are seemingly able to knit themselves on my needles right now, so why fight it. I'm currently knitting these for myself while I await the pattern (and needle) for these. (I'm sure it's not taking near as long to recieve this in the mail as I feel like it is. lol I'm terrible when I'm expecting a package in the mail. It nearly drives me crazy. Ask Leah. I've ordered from her. lol) I've never felted anything and decided that the fuzzy feet slippers looked like a great project to try it on. That and I need new slippers. I bought the recommended needles and tried to start knitting. Did I tell you that I've never knitted on a circular needle yet? Um, yeah, even I could tell there was a problem. Problem solved when I knitted up a swatch and discovered the needles I bought to be not so appropriate for the yarn I picked. ;) I know, I know. I should have knitted a swatch first. Lesson learned. I did purchase the correct circular today in the right size for my yarn but had to buy it in bamboo as there was no other option. This could be a bad thing....they can get kind of spendy.....and it feels sooooo nice in your hand. heheheheh So the lovely thing is knitting up quickly as the pattern promises and I'll post a pic soon.

Someone posted a simple garter stitch pattern for a shawl on the Spindlers Yahoo group recently. I may give that a with the silk skein that I completed recently. If so, you'll see it here as it will be for me.

Leah, the sweater looks beautiful and I'm hoping that one day I can finish one for myself. I've already picked out and purchased the pattern. I'm just waiting to find THE yarn. Who knows, I may end up spinning it myself. (doubtful...lol)

Yoohoo Selfish Knitters ~ What's up? What are you knitting?

I'm sorry I haven't posted recently but I'VE BEEN KNITTING! I finished TWO (count 'em ~ 2!) projects for ME! Up first...the 2-year Merino Sweater is DONE! Yay!

I'm so proud of myself! I *like* this sweater! I wear this sweater! People notice this sweater! I do have a couple other sweaters I've knit and they're ok, but not what I'd call fabulous. One is a sloppy acrylic boucle/terry cardigan that I actually like but it's not awesome. And I have a white cotton sweater that doesn't fit properly and is destined to go to the shop for sale, I believe. I do have a hooded bulky vest that I like a lot and I do wear it but THIS is my best sweater yet! I do need to tack down the bottom of the cable so it doesn't flare but other than that, I've been wearing it :)

My Mom helped me out with the mattress stitch in the finishing and wow! What a difference THAT makes! I actually don't mind sewing seams when they turn out as well as that.

After I finished that, I was looking through that same magazine...I've mentioned that I made the hooded vest from that issue (Vogue Fall 2003) and now the merino sweater and NOW THIS....

Sorry...the poor mannequin head is a little worse for wear but HOW CUTE IS THAT HAT? I made it out of some of my very favorite handspun...a little jacob/merino/mohair that I spindle spun ages ago. Very soft, bulky weight and it was perfect for this hat, which I knit in an evening. I had spun the jacob/wool and the merino/mohair as separate singles then plied them together. It's cool how the yarn striped itself somewhat and this stuff was such a dream to knit! My very first handspun garment for ME!

And here's the cute cable! I made the twisted cord ties on the spinning wheel. I thought about doing it with my mixer or by hand then went "what? WHY? I have three spinning wheels!" Worked out great and only took a minute!

Not yet impressed enough? (roflol!) Well, here's some lace knitting I've been working on. It's a KAL I started at the shop and online but it qualifies since it's for ME...

It's the Fiber Trends Sheep Shawl and what a piece of work! I wouldn't call it impossibly hard at all but it's a challenge, that's for sure! I got to row 13 and ripped it all back and since then, after 70+ rows, I've had to tink about 3 times and what an ordeal THAT is...yikes. We're just starting it so if anyone wants to join in, check out the yahoo group.

Most of us are working it in Jaggerspun Zephyr...I'm using Suede:) The photo above is about 30 rows or so into it and those are the Sunshine rows. Next up, in a couple of rows as a matter of fact, are the Orchard rows. I'm a lot farther than the pic there shows. The border is scaring me a little bit but plenty of time to think about that MUCH later. It's going a bit faster than I thought though, and I'm really enjoying it. I even learned how to do a crocheted provisional cast on, can you believe it?

One day, those Yukon Sox will be done...well, ONE Yukon Sock. One day....soon...maybe....

First SSK Project Complete!

Well, it's not Sunday but I finished my first Selfish Sunday Knitting project anyway! It's a Variations on Beethoven's Dickey, from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Around. I made it with my very own handspun alpaca, so I'm extra proud of myself. I'm home sick from work today and had just enough oomph to do the final grafting, so even though it's been knit up for a week or so it's now officially 100% finished.

Since I'm sick, I'm in no state to take a photo of myself wearing my "masterpiece," so here's a shot of it sitting pretty on the dining room table. It kind of looks a bit like a manta ray in this position, but you get the idea.
















Now what new project should I start for myself next Sunday...?

http://splindarella05.blogspot.com/

Time to check in as it's Sunday again. How is everyone doing this week?

I'm taking a new direction with my lace. I've been fighting the Children Of Lir Stole with this yarn purely because the yarn did not want to be that stole! In swatching a Fan and Feather Lace scarf, intending to use my own hand spun merino/silk/tencel blend I discovered that the Fan and Feather is not what the silk wants to be.....but boy howdy the Red Lambs Pride wool loves it! So that is to be my Sunday project from now until complete! Eventually I'll find a yarn that wants to be the Children of Lir Stole. Heck, eventually I'll find a project for silk too!

I've been dyeing today (as well as mondo house work!) The progressional pics and other errata are posted on my blog here .