Back Again

Wow, so much for having time to post this summer! I won't bother to go into depth about ALL of my WIP's. but real quick here's one FO that I've been hugely proud of!

Not the best pictures, but it's my second sweater ever! And the first to require seams! Ahhh that feels good...The pattern is Inishturk from Lion Brand Yarn, and the yarn is the recommended Fisherman's Wool. I chose Natural, though, instead of Oatmeal, since I had already used that for my first sweater. For being so cheap by weight, this wool is awesome. I love the texture, stitch definition, everything.

The pattern's gauge was kinda funky, though. I would have needed size 11 US needles, and the swatch was like a loose net. I went down to size 8 US, and just made it two sizes larger with the original lengths for the size small. It came out a tad wider than I expected after blocking, but I knew it was going to be huge anyway. The smallest chest measurement would have given me 4-5 inches of ease. But according to the new Teen Vouge, oversize knit sweaters are totally in. Sweet. And this kind of traditional garment is classic and timeless, so I'm not super concerned.

And here is my current WIP. It's become a little all-consuming, not gonna lie...

It's the Bayerische sock from See Eunny Knit!. Belgian cables with twisted stitches. Gorgeous. I used size 0 US dpn's, and Lion Brand Sock-Ease in Grape Soda. Not exactly high-end, but it's cheap and hard-wearing. Love the pattern, love the first sock.

 The only pattern error I saw was in the toe shaping. At the very end, It says to knit Row 2 6 times to decrease from 40 stitches to 16, but that would mean knitting even for six rounds. It's supposed to be knit row 1 six times.

That's all for today, but maybe I'll actually post occasionally for a little while? Yes?

Oh Yeah...I Have a Blog...

Alright...finished stuff...

Luna's Scarf!

Came out too wide and too short. Next time, I'll use thinner yarn and chain twice as long. Oh, and use wool, so it can be blocked. Because, really, acrylic won't, and the lace keeps spiralling.

I finished two pairs of plain socks, one navy, and another brown striped set seen below:

The pattern is so plain I've been getting away with knitting in school during ceratin classes, since its not even neccessary to look at the plain parts. It also produces the most comfortable socks :)  I have three pairs!

I made three washcloths, so I'll have something to swap at the April knitter's lunch thing. I think only one is really worthy of swap, though. I'll have to knit another one that actually looks right before the swap.

The garter stitch colorway is my favorite, but the decreases didn't end up matching the increases. :(

Ooo, cat blanket!

For the animal shelter around here. It could probably actually fit a small dog, but everyone ended uo just knitting cat blankets to keep the projects on the small side. I used some leftover Super Saver multi, and a light brown whose origins are unknown. It's probably an acrylic too, though.

I'm just about to graft the first of the second Slippery socks shut!

This colorway photographs horribly, but it's gorgeous in real life. Saki Rio Fantasy. Saki yarn can never seem to be unravelled correctly, though. I don't know if I'll buy it again. I blew $60 on two different colorways, and both skeins seemed like they were wound twisted and inside out. Took three hours apiece to untangle.

Lastly, these lacey socks were given to me as a gift. The organist at church belongs to a sock of the month club, and was a little behind. So, rather than try and keep up, she gave me a kit for my birthday during the winter :)  I had it started forever, but now I'm starting to cruise a little more.

Anyway, time for karate. Saturday conditioning class.

Selbu Class

I must say, the first session went rather well!

I had chosen NHM #3, as I figured everyone could speed on up the striped ribbing and get to the harder parts (colorwork and thumb increases) quickly. As it turns out, only one or two people made it to even the increases before the first chart for the wrist, and so a third session will probably have to be added for the completion of the thumb. I told everyone to keep going at home if they felt comfortable, but to stop right before the thum stitches are put on hold and then more cast on. I want to be able to make sure everyone's thumb will blend as well as possible into their palm. Granted, it will never blend perfectly, since the two are knit in opposite directions, but still. Ideally, it will look something like this...

Decently well done, I must say. A different pattern, but the same general idea.

This brings me to my next topic...my first Annemor #2 mitten is, obviously, complete!

I actually bought Norweigian wool for this set, Heilo, up in Lake Placid. Thick and warm, yet light. The colorwork is charming, and there aren't too many parts where it is required to wrap strands for long stretches. I had to stop right before the thumb stitches are dealt with, so I'll have something to demonstrate on, but by the time the class is over I'll be able to whip through the rest. (Actually, I have a feeling I'll give in and knit the pair and have to sprint to catch up on a demo version, but we shall see).

As a last little addition, I finially have a picture of my Harry Potter worsted bookmarks.

The house colors aren't all exact, as I was using scraps, but they get the point across. I picked up some pearl cotton for a few laceweight versions at Joanne's. I had planned on getting some wool for a full-size slytherin house scarf, year one, or ravenclaw, year three, but I was disappointed to find they didn't have any of the full sets of house colors in Patons Classic Wool. There was only ever one color of the two, such as grey, but not green. Burgundy, but not gold. (Yes, I was at the point of considering another Gryffindor scarf)! My business will probably go to the local Ben Franklin...perhaps its a good thing, supporting small business and all that.

Anyway, off for some tea and a lovely winter morning...

Vacation...

...was a great oppurtunity to catch up on some knitting!

The family went to Lake Placid for a few days, and our laid-back schedule allowed for not just car knitting, but naps and knitting breaks each afternoon, as well as a little stitching during meals. Fabulous. As a result, I have quite a few new projects on the go.

The Cross Country Chullo from Knitty a few years back, In Classic Elite Inca Alpaca. I knit the majority of the crown on the two size 3 Addi turbos my Aunt Nancy sent me, and while I still have some issues with bunching where the needles meet, overall it wasn't to difficult to adjust. By now, all of the stitches are on one circular needle.

Another pair of Slippery socks, only in Saki by Prism, in a type of colorway which will better compliment the slipped stitch cables. Soft, but this is the second time I've had issues winding this type of yarn into a skein. Their hanks seem to be wrapped funny.

Annemor #2, in Heilo. Fabulous. Can't say enough about how beatutifully rustic this yarn is. However, I have to go...shall finish later today...

Picture Gallery

A quick backtrack...here are all of the projects that I haven't mentioned up to this point!

Dad's Hat for Christmas. Groovy Tuque patterm, Patons Classic Wool.

The Knotty but Nice hat. Patons Classic Wool. Lots of compliments at school. Started and finished on Christmas Day.

Down-to-Earth Russian-y hat from Hattitude. Took two tries, as the first came out too large for any human. Made with the chunkiest Wool-Ease.

Cabled Hat of Awesomeness. Malabrigo Chunky. Finished in a day. Beyond soft and warm.

First sweater ever! An EZ seamless, probably the Saddle Shoulder, thought the Hybrid keeps tempting me. It's still in pieces :P

An attempt to re-cerate a pair of my mom's old gloves, the pair she bought years before they became so fad-y. Probably will frog it-I want an orange hat, and the second swirl repeat came out looking like a mutated crescent moon.

Gloves for Becca, cabled and ultra dense. Too dense to knit very fast though, meaning she's had to wait a week or more. Whoops! Oh well. She's paying me-I may as well do a good job.

My mom's socks have yet to be photographed. I feel as though I'm stalking an elusive wild animal for the good of modern science...will get to that eventually.

Goodies Galore!

I have skipped quite a few planned posts, but trying to backtrack just keeps me from writing frequently enough. So.

My Great Aunt Nan and Great Aunt Mary are both fabulous knitters over on the west coast, living in lovely Oregon. And each have been awesome enough to send me some surprises in the mail this past month :)  I couldn't be happier! Everything is "da bomb!"

First, Aunt Nan had been e-mailing me about a cross stitch (as in a knitting stitch/technique) pattern she had finished on a scarf, and when I didn't find anything online, she offered to send it to me. Curious as ever, I waited around and finally...it came! Along with three sets of...Addi Turbos! She's confirmed the fact that they do in fact make you knit faster, and as soon as I get all of these offers for paid jobs out of the way, (you would think people would realize they should ask in the summer when I actually have time, but whatever), I'm definitely trying some magic loop with those! Knitting on two circulars? Oo, now I can give that a whirl, too! I'll have to time myself.

I don't have the picture on the computer, but the scarf has plenty of texture due to the cross stitch. It's really similar to the bottom of a beach bag I knit a while ago, but this seems to be a little less obnoxious to actually carry out. Hopefully I'll find some hand dyed stuff on sale on KnitPicks when I go shopping for mitten yarn, and can get one of those churned out myself. I can't waaaaaaait!

And just this week, Aunt Mary sent me a Beka loom! Someone gave her an ultra nice one for free, and she sent her old one out east for me (and my sister, if she's interested) to learn to weave! Sure, we both have learned the extreme basics in art class, but this is a tad different...

I haven't the slightest idea of how to work it yet, but I'm pretty proud that I actually managed to put the thing together! Hopefully with the help of Youtube and an old school instructional book, I'll be on my way fairly soon!

THANK YOU AUNT NAN!!! THANK YOU AUNT MARY!!! You guys rock :)

Ooo! Wow!

So I had received a Barnes and Noble gift card, and upon reaching their knitting section I picked up two titles. A gorgeous hardcover, Norwegian Handknits, which is full of all sorts of patterns and historical information and even a few recipies, and Amigurumi Knits. This book led to a kind of revelation.

Now in the past year or so, I've become, if not a fiber snob, a bit prejudiced against fibers that can't be found growing in the natural world. This means my substantial stash of Red Heart Super Saver has been quite neglected as of late. Howver, when it comes to amigurumi, cheap and colorful are pretty much the only criteria the yarn needs to meet. Alright, up to the attic to grab the Super Saver. Down to my room, dump it on my bed. Sort by color...ooo! Wow!

Holy cow!!! That's a lot of yarn!

Time for some stash-busting amigurumi...

Loch Ness Monster! With a black belt for sempei!

Anglerfish!!! Can you say Finding Nemo? "I'm gonna getcha..."

A snail is up next :)