Flit 'n Float Finale

We have photos (sort of) of the Flit 'n Float scarf to enjoy. It is very hard to photograph an entire scarf, and I was not having luck with my artsy shots. But, you'll get the idea.


This is the best view, I guess. It is quite pretty and feels very nice to the touch. I am a bit disappointed that it still loves to curl in. Stockinette. What did I expect? I'm not going to starch it! And it looks fine on, even curling.

This close-up shows a better view of the ruffle. At least I got the picot cast off to lay down and behave a bit.
I took some artistic photos in a tree with back lighting. These colors are very true, and it looks pretty with the sun coming through.

While this one ends up over-exposed to the max, you can really see the lace patterning, so I like it for that reason. I don't know if this is a keeper or a gift. It took 4 ounces of my yarn, which means I still have over half the skein left. That is enough for socks or another nice scarf! Of course, now I wish I had made a triangular shawl with it. Oh well. Glad I tried this project since I know the designer!

Both pairs of socks are moving along nicely. The Hopscotch ones now fit just fine and I am close to the heel, and I am ready to do the heel on the Air Raid pair. They are going to be short, for summer, so I am doing the heel at around 4".

Off to the yarn shop as soon as the air conditioning repair guy leaves. Just what we need with my new job not panning out very well--more expenses, sigh. I wish there were a way to earn enough to make a dent in the expenses with knitting, but no one is making a living with their knitting except the Yarn Harlot! Everyone else has "real" jobs or is retired! Or is lucky enough to have a spouse who makes enough to live on.

Hopscotch and Air Raid Sockliness

Most of my weekend knitting involved socks. But, I did stick Flit 'n Float on wires and managed to fit it on the bed to block it. It's still drying, so maybe tomorrow I'll have that Finished Object photo of that. It looks so much better already--I have to say that its finished state resembled some kind of tropical constrictor snake or something. A big ole green stockinette tube. I sure hope it stays flat after it dries! And I hope the ruffles look OK. The bind-off turned up rather unattractively, but I think I smooshed it down well enough.

Above you see a surprise project. I haven't had two pairs of socks on the needles in over a year. But, the other socks take a bit of concentration, plus, as I mentioned in the last entry, I decided I need more "summer" socks. So, this very bright colorway of Panda Cotton jumped off the shelf to become Fiery Air Raid. The yarn is actually a LOT brighter than it came out. I could make it either so bright it hurt your eyes, or this overly tame color correction. Maybe the next time I photograph it I'll get it in natural light and it will look right.

You can't see the little "bombs" in the sock, but they are there. When I have more done, I'll stick it on a foot! The pattern is just great. Lots of fun and easy to remember. Yay to Emily!

I must report that I love this yarn. I love bamboo, and mixing it with cotton is just the best. The elastic isn't as pronounced as in some other yarns with it, so I am happy as can be. The yarn does unravel a bit (partly my fault because I had to rewind one ball after I'd started, which twisted it). But, mostly it's a dream to work on, and I know I'll enjoy these under my sneakers and other summer shoes.


And here's yarn I am loving, but a sadly doomed sock. I have been using my 00s for my last couple of socks. As you recall the last ones came out a bit large. These are the opposite. And you can guess why--it's a slip stitch pattern, and those do tend to draw in. I could get these on, but even on the foot part, it was "hugging" a bit too much. I'd increased the body to 72 stitches, but that hadn't helped. So...I have started the second sock on large size 1s, and I think I can have 64 stitches. The pattern suggests maybe doing the heels and toes in a smaller needle, and that makes sense to me. I can haul out a 0 for those parts.

I did like how the colors were moving around (partly caused by me trying to knit more loosely toward the end there). I have a feeling the revised version will be more like the usual more stripey effect I tend to get with Lorna's Laces colors, but I think that is more the effect I'd hoped for, anyway. Again, the color is Gone Fishin', which was the color of the month in September of last year. I have noticed that one skein's reddish color is a bit more vibrant than the other, but I don't think this will be a problem. I don't know how the LL gang manages to get them as close as they do, with the quantities they make!

OK, more knitting today--until my job picks up or I get another one, I'll be making more progress than usual. I'll also move along on the vest.

Bridget Is a Bridget!

After a lot of whining, here is the finished Bridget cardigan.


I am relieved that she came out fitting so well. I'm not sure if I really like how the bottom bells out, but that's what the pattern told it to do! I do like how the shawl collar looks (after reattaching it three times, I am especially glad it came out good), and I like the sleeve length.



I love how the yarn is interesting but not distracting. That is what I wanted. I think this will go with almost anything I want to wear it with! Quite the contrast from that Kauni cardigan, huh?



Everyone who sees it gets all excited about the buttons. Invariably they ask how I got them to match so well, so I get to gleefully recount how Georgia made them to match exactly, and I get to brag about how talented she is, a thing I have been doing for nearly 30 years. Wow, I'm old. It is amazing what polymer clay can do in the hands of someone with some training. These do NOT look like the clunky beads I have made!



And one more parting shot so you can see the back. And my extremely red nails. I am really looking forward to wearing this cardigan often in the fall. Actually, a cool front has come through (yay, 'cause our upstairs air conditioning unit went out), so I think I will wear it to dinner at friends' house tonight! It will get down into the 50s, I think (sorry Trine/Yvonne/Umme and any other Europeans/Asians, I am a crummy temperature converter).

I actually finished the Flit 'n Float scarf today at the LYS while I helped Sue Ellyn on her first sock (with interesting bumps in that process!). I will get to blocking on that one as soon as I don't have a headache. So, soon there will be another pretty thing to decorate the blog with! By the way, Sue Ellyn makes wonderful soap and gave me some minty/rosemary stuff that I can't stop sniffing!

I keep wanting to wear my Converse sneakers but not wear wool socks. This means I need to make more summer socks. I have some Panda Cotton staring at me, so I may be alternating working on socks with that and continuing on my Hopscotch socks (photo to come on that).

What pattern will I use? I may try this one that Emily just posted, called Air Raid Socks. They are short and airy, so would be good for summer. I had thought of using the left-over yarn from Flit 'n Float to make them, but I weighed what I have left, and there is 4 ounces on the main skein, plus quite a bit on the second skein (remember, the yarn came with over 800 yards), so I think I can make a big pair with the sumptuous green Nyoni.

Sigh, so much to knit. But that is not a bad problem to have!

Progress Is Progressing

Here you go, proof that I finished the On Hold socks. They sure feel good. The second one wasn't quite as big as the first, which means maybe I was overly relaxed with the first one, or something.


I really like the colors, which aren't my usual. They look awesome with my pink Birkenstocks, though, and a new pink shirt I got. I know I will wear them a lot. One thing about the wool, though, is wherever it rubbed my shoe, it's already fuzzing up. So I will be careful with them.

And what you see below is a big relief: Bridget blocking. Thank goodness. I managed to sew the sleeves in fairly successfully and I think the buttons look great. Now I am waiting the three days it will take for the darn thing to dry. I turned it over last night so it can dry on the other side.



I'm really glad to be finished with this project. It went through so many ups and downs, from having to totally re-do the back to running out of yarn...just a lot of challenges. I believe it is blocking a bit bigger than it was unblocked, which means it should be a good fit. Fingers are crossed. Maybe tomorrow I will have a photo of it on me to share!

So, I am moving on. I did start the Hopscotch socks yesterday and love the yarn, Gone Fishin', the September 2008 Lorna's Laces limited edition. I think the slip stitch pattern is doing a pretty good job of mottling the colors--I got far enough to see it start to look like a textured ribbing, which is good. But then I got a giant urge to work on my Flit 'n Float scarf again. I zoomed through a couple of charts, and now am almost to my favorite section, the holey part before the ruffle. Since I STILL don't have any work to do, I predict I will get a bit more done on that today.

I officially gave up on using the extremely thin JoJoland yarn for the Diann shawl. I think I'm going to switch to my other JoJoland sock weight yarn on it. That will be pretty--it is reds and blues, as I recall. I can make the shawl really big with it. But, that will NOT get started until I finish Flit 'n Float. I feel very virtuous using stash, even for new projects I come up with. But, I WILL have to finish that darned Maelstrom shawl...I am running out of other works in progress to finish!

Look, a Vest!

When I am not knitting on that pretty sock of mine, I am chugging along on this vest. It's name is Mora, by the way. I call it Poetic Mora, since the yarn is Poems. Obviously creativity is in short supply with me right now.

I like how it is mostly fairly subtle colors--lots of shades of navy and dark green. The garter stitch ribbing combined with the v-shape is really pulling it in. I can now see why the lady in the Ravelry photo wearing hers looked so much like Barbie. I do hope I end up with something I can wear! If not, well, I will have a very nice present for a smaller person, I guess! I am enjoying the knitting, though I have to look at the instructions fairly often due to the shaping in it. Not sure WHY it has to hug me any tighter at the waist, but it thinks it does!

Hmm, my glasses case is in that photo. I think that's the last time I saw my special computer glasses, when I was using them to hold down the curling edge on that vest. I should look on that couch, huh!

I'm working on the second half now, but I have to admit I love the way the On Hold socks feel so much that they are all I really want to work on. That Fleece Artist Blue face Leicester stuff is just plain comfy. My feet want the socks on them! So I guess I had better get to knitting on them! After that, I need to finish the Flit 'n Float scarf so I will have it to give as a gift or maybe wear. I am already planning things to do with the yarn left over from that project!

Thanks for all the comments on the last post. It is really good to hear from you all. I am hoping things have settled down for a bit and I will have regular blogging time again. I just have to put my web design software on the computer and then I think I can do everything I need to do on my giant new one. Woo hoo!

I hope your spring is going well!

PS: I realized I said I'd tell you when the pattern to that lovely Dianna shawl I posted about a couple of weeks ago was ready, and I forgot to in the busy-ness of last week. Anyway, it can be obtained as a free Ravelry PDF, so go get it. I love how its instructions tell you it is not gonna teach you entrelac. The author says, "If you want to learn this technique, Google
is your friend." That's right, darn it! As for me, well, I LOVE entrelac!!! Guess what my next non-garment project will be!!!

Babies and Buttons

I have to admit that I spent most of the weekend running errands and working on my slightly knitting-related project, but I did get some knitting done, as well. On Saturday, despite mis-reading the chart and having to rip out 12 rows, I got through Chart B on Flit ‘n Float. Now, I realize if I just worked on that, and didn’t do all these pesky errands and typing tasks, I’d be done already. But, really, kids, let’s remember that knitting isn’t a race! I have to remind myself of that occasionally, too. I am really enjoying the Nyoni yarn, so there’s no harm in taking it slowly as long as I do keep going. I’m in the thicker section, and I like how this is going to be a more sturdy version than many of the others I’ve seen. That’s why I am going to make it a bit longer, so I’ll have a warm and wearable scarf.

As if helping my students, chatting with friends and meeting nice new folks isn’t enough of a reward for going to the yarn shop on a Saturday, we also got to enjoy the new Yarn Shop Baby for quite a while. Little Abigail is very beautiful and has so many nice, hand-knitted things! Pat and I both got to hold her for a while and were trusted to watch her while her mom made daring runs to the grocery store and pizza place in the shopping complex. Even 5 minutes away seems long to the mother of an 11-day-old baby!


During my brief knitting time on Sunday, I worked on the late, lamented Bridget’s phoenix-like reincarnation. It’s coming along splendidly, and I am enjoying doing the body all in one piece. I got up to the first buttonhole, so that’s some progress in a garment with very long rows!

Speaking of those buttonholes, here are the Bridget buttons that I’ve been meaning to show you. Aren’t they beautiful? Each is hand-made by Georgia Morgan, my former knitting mentor. What a nice thing to have for your sweater—buttons with sentimental value! Since the yarn is from Texas sheep and hand-dyed in small quantities, and I am, at least so far, the only person on Ravelry to knit this pattern, it’s going to be quite the original. I hope it resembles the original—I am thinking of doing the sleeves in the round, too. That way the only seams will be at the arms. Woo hoo, I hate seams. Of course, arm seams are my least favorites!

And look, I have more buttons! Lee and I went to the JoAnn Fabrics store and found these big, sparkly buttons to put on Itchy Shalom. As a bonus, we ran into Cloth Lady Suzanne there and got to catch up with what’s going on with her since she left her church job and because head of cashiers at that store. She has been spinning a lot, so I hope to see some of her work when she gets a chance to visit the yarn shop!

I have noticed that my shoulders hurt less when I don’t spend 3-4 hours a day, every day, knitting. I guess this is telling me I was going a bit too strong the last few months, trying to churn out all those gifts and such. That’s another reason to slow down and enjoy my projects a bit more. I hope I can take my own advice, but I must confidentially say that I look forward to a LOT of knitting tonight.

Yarn, I Love Yarn

Knitting is back to making me happy again, where it had been feeling a bit like an obligation for a while (I must finish this project or else no fun, I must do this because I am obligated to, I like what I am making even though this yarn feels unpleasant so the knitting isn’t fun…).

Yes, much as I love that Kauni Jacket and am happy with how the Itchy Shalom came out, I am quite ready to knit with pleasant, soft and sumptuous yarn. So, I am!

As the photo shows, I have started the Flit ‘n Float scarf from the current Knitty, designed by my email list and blogging companion, Birdy. I took the photo Sunday afternoon, so I am a ways farther on it now. I am ready to start Chart B as of lunchtime knitting today. I chose the pattern because I liked the big ole ruffle at the bottom and also how there is a very lacy part at the end, but also more solid parts in the center. I have chosen to knit it on fairly small needles, US size 4, to make it perhaps more solid than the original, to bring out the yarn.

The yarn is Fleece Artist Nyoni, which is wool, silk and mohair sock yarn that they forgot to make superwash, or something, so they didn’t want to sell it as sock yarn. Instead, they sold it in 800 yard hanks for use in scarves, shawls or garments. It sold out very quickly. (I went over all this last month in this post). I just love the way this yarn feels in my hands, which is good, since I’ll be working with it a while on the scarf! And I also love the way it looks—there is a bit of sheen and a tiny bit of shine on top of that. I have a feeling there will be leftover yarn when I am finished, which just might become a beret to go with the scarf. That would be pretty.

That’s not the end of my fun with yarn that feels good! Last night I re-started Bridget, as I promised I would. I had completely forgotten why I whipped out the entire back in such a short time last go-around! It’s because that single-ply merino yarn from Plain and Fancy Wool, Co., is just heavenly to touch. It practically knits itself. And I get to use nice, wooden needles on it, too. After using the honking big metal needles on that slippery wool for Itchy Shalom, that’s a relief (I am using my trusty Addi Turbo Lace needles on Flit ‘n Float, because my wooden size 4s are occupied on something—probably it’s the other lace scarf I need to finish, Juno Regina from November 2007 (sigh, I will get to THAT one, too—it’s on the WIP list, though I moved it to “hibernating” on Ravelry).

So, on Bridget, which you may recall is a simple cardigan with seed stitch borders, I decided to do the body all in one piece this time. That way I will KNOW if it fits or not. Now, of course, I am worried that it will be too big. I went from US 4 to US 6 needles and am making the largest size. In my gauge swatch from yesterday I still wasn’t getting 5 stitches per inch—more like 5.25, so I figured I would go up a size more than I originally intended. I think I will end up with the right size, and in any case, it won’t be WAY too big, just not snug, if it’s slightly large. I’ve only done the cast on and three rows, and it is looking about right. I just enjoy knitting on this—there’s just the minimal shaping on the waist, and otherwise, acres and acres of stockinet. It’s a nice project to work on when you can’t concentrate! I will show the buttons I have for Bridget next time—I keep forgetting to take a picture of them.

So, I am all happy with knitting at the moment, which helps distract from job hunting and such. That’s why there haven’t been many hints or technique discussions—my mind is full of decisions, financial thoughts and that kind of thing. That will pass!

Keeping My Bargain with Myself

I am proud of myself. At the beginning of the year, I said I would complete a work in progress for every new item started. I also vowed to try to use up my stash. And lookee here. I finished the Itchy Shalom sweater that I started back in September, thereby removing another item from the WIP list. And it used up my Brindle Hill Leicester Longwool stash, too. The colors are beautiful, aren't they? They do sort of remind me of Red Hat Ladies, but those dears don't own the colors red and purple, do they? I'd be scary if I put on my red cowboy hat with this, though!

As you can see from the back view, I did not put any sleeves on it. I have a little yarn left, so I may tighten up the sleeves a bit. But, I ran out of yarn right where I'd hoped to end the body of the sweater. Nothing left for sleeves.

As you can see, I made it shorter than the original. It looks funny on the bottom because I haven't blocked it yet. That's next on the agenda.

I am waiting to get buttons for it, since week after next I am hoping to go to Old Oaks Ranch as part of a Hill Country Getaway with Lee. They say they have lots of buttons there, so I wan tto check that out. I am holding the sweater together with a hair clip.

Speaking of hair, yes, it is a different color. But at least you won't have to look at my gray patch for a while. I have job interviews coming up, so I want to look young-ish.

Now that I have made two of these sweaters, I will give them a rest. Everyone I know seems to have made one since my original last fall--the ones with sleeves have been very nice, so I am kind of tempted to get enough yarn to do that...at the same time there are so many other options for patterns that I hate to repeat the same one over and over!

I have started my next "new" project, the Flit 'n Float scarf that Birdy designed. I will share my progress on that one with you tomorrow. For my next "WIP" project, I will re-start Bridget with larger needles and more stitches. That's one I can work on without too much thought, so it will be a good carry-along project.

The sock is moving along a few rows per day. It'll move along faster next week when I have waiting to do and can't carry the big bag around.

I hope you had a good weekend!