Tuesday, April 21, 2009

It's fitting...

I have far too many projects in progress, as usual. I'm not sure I'm capable of having a manageable amount of projects going.

I started my newest design a while ago. And I'm in love with how it's turning out, but I've chosen to knit it up with DK weight cotton from my stash, I'm about 2 inches from being done with everything but a ribbed band and I can't stand to knit with the cotton any longer. It has zero elasticity, so knitting lace with it is a chore and hard on the fingers. Once the lace is done, however, the rest should go really really quickly, so I need to just persevere.

I decided that I needed to learn a new knitting technique, so I'm tackling the Log Cabin blanket. It's actually one of the most therapeutic knits I've ever done. Stockinette stitch throughout, which you would think would get old, but it just doesn't. I'm making it in Detroit Lions colors for Brett as he won't wear knitted stuff but he loves afghans, so here we go! I have no idea how big I plan to make it. I bought 10 skeins of yarn for it, and I'm holding it double strand. Each square of color is about 1 1/2 inches wide and I'm currently on the 1st side of the 5th square. This will be the 3rd square of blue, I've yet to use up a whole skein of blue, and I've got 3 more skeins to go through! Not to mention the silver, black and white ones. I'll probably knit until it's either big enough to cover the back of the couch or I run out of blue, which ever comes first. Or maybe I'll just knit until I'm out of blue anyway. Call it stash busting.

I put the adult sized Twiggy to the side for the moment. I don't know why as the wool is beautiful in color and touch, but, I just kind of lost interest. For the moment anyway.

Need to finish Matty's sock. The toe is done and I'm through the first cable. Maybe I'll attempt it as my travel knitting. It's smaller than everything else I have going, so it should be easy enough to knit to Dublin and on the drive to Kokomo.

On a sad note. Kay of Mason-Dixon just lost her husband to illness. I feel a connection with these wonderful women b/c they blog like Theresa and I blog. Sisters living far apart, connected by their love for knitting and each other. A couple days ago I started knitting the Jane Austen Dress from the book Knitting Outside the Lines by Mason-Dixon, hoping to get it done before we come home Saturday. The hardest part of this pattern has been the ruffle. 229 CO sts, Moss st for 11 rows. Sounds simple, right? Took for-frickin-ever. 2 days of knitting. I think I've developed a tick over the amount of time it took to knit 11 rows of moss st. Anyway, one evening of knitting past the ruffle, I'm almost done with the right back (it's knit in one flat piece divided across to make right back, arm hole, front, armhole, left back).

I stuck all Hazel's knitwear in the wash and with Woolite, put it on the hand wash setting. Crossed my fingers, said a little prayer, and walked away. Worked like a charm. Clean sweaters and no washing mishaps! YAY!
I made myself a sock for my keychain sock blocker. I love this little thing. Fell asleep mid-sock, so it probably would have taken an hour TOPS if I had worked on it straight. This is remanents of my Artyarns Ultramerino 4 from my neckband. The picture doesn't do the sock justice. I was thinking of maybe taking this pattern on the plane...can you imagine how many little socks I could make in 8 hours if they'd let me? I like the verigated yarn b/c it looks like stripes on this tiny thing!
So I attended that Big Bag knit class back in February and learned to make Mitered squares. This was what I came up with . It looked vaguely like a pink poppy., so I made the sides green moss stitch grass and then the handle is a poppy stem and bud. Not fully happy with it, but it's fun for what it is. I'm going to sew the lining in when I get to mom and dad's and it just needs a zipper put in and it should be done! (BTW, I don't know why this is in blue and underlined, and it won't let me change it.)Hope you're hanging in there and I can't wait to see your sock!
Hugs
Carli

Friday, April 03, 2009

Late night knittings

Awww, babe, I'm so sorry knitting make you sick. Hopefully it'll pass quickly and you can get back to it!

I, on the other hand, think I've been knitting too much. I only have 12 million patterns I want to try and 12 million more I want design! I was up late last night with Hazel (for reasons only she and God know about) and have since realized that late night knitting is a bad idea. It's the place I get my serious Startitis and all these design ideas that I HAVE TO START RIGHT NOW. So, while being up last night with H, I cast-on for yet another top for her. I should have worked on the Loverly that I'm designing her and is about 3 inches to finished, but I just couldn't do it. It's in cotton and to be honest, knitting cotton has begun to wear on me. It just has no elasticity that wool or acrylic (I know, I know) have, so it's taking getting used to! Anywho, the design that hit my brain around 2:30 last night has been started and I'm through the neckband. Now I'm just trying to decide if I want to do argyle across the front (I think I do) and whether I want to do 2 or 3 colors in it. Hmmmm...

I made my oldest younger brother a man bag for when he's Chaplin at the hospital, but I need to line it, and attach some straps. The straps will have to wait till I get home at the end of the month as it's just too much searching for what I want here. It's not laziness, it's just a lack of desire to drive to town after town in hunt of straps. I'll sew the lining on there, too, as I'll be able to hit wally world for some "manly" fabric.

While I was in Edinburgh, I bought some Jamieson Shetland wool in chunky weight. The color is amethyst and it's just GORGEOUS. I'm going to attempt (and I will be successful) at making myself a Twiggy with it. I would post a pick, but the beautiful purple just shows up blue on here, making it unworthy of posting pics. You'll just have to take my word that it's fantabulous!

Next in line is a pair of Spring Frills for Mom. Love them. Defenitely not a style that I can pull off, but they're just beautiful and I wish I could, but since I can't, I'm going to make her a pair. She wants them in shades of blue so they'll go with more. But I have this pale lavender that I think would be so soft and pretty in them...oh, well, they're hers, and I want to do them in what she'll wear!

Along the lines of wrist warmers, though, I found a new obsession while we were in Edinburgh, called Ness. It's a women's clothing and accessories and bag line and I'm IN LOVE. Usually tartan isn't my style, but I can't help but want everything in this line...in every color. One of the products they have is a pair of wristwarmers. They're sold out, but they're really expensive anyway, so I thought I might try and make myself a pair. They're really simple rib and then basic cable, and the thumb hole is simply that, a hole. The thing I think I like about them it that the hand part is longer so it bunches up over your hand looking kind of fun and comfy. I have some fyberspates 100% silk laceweight that I think will look and feel awesome. So when I get to them, they'll be on the needles, too!

I finished my Poppy purse that I was making. It just needs lining and a zipper. both will wait until we get home to Granny's sewing machine. So I'll post pics when it's all done.

Hazel's tutu is done. Never again. SOOOOO cute. Really worth making once. But once is enough for me. Here's some pics.

Well, that's me for the time being. Should be enough for a while, huh?

I hope you get feeling better, babe. I miss you!
Car

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

YUCK

Can't knit, makes me nauseous. SUCKS!
Theresa