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!

Going Forward at Last!

Maelstrom Beaded Border
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Ahh, I am finally moving forward on the Maelstrom border. This weekend I got rid of the overly beaded border and got going on the simpler one that you see in the picture. Right now the green beads that border the main part look awfully close together, but when I stretch them out like they will be once blocked, I think they will look really good. And still the little beads in the center look great. There are now just three top beads per repeat, which will add just enough weight I hope.

I am liking doing the Super Floss method of bead application much better than the crochet hook method, but it is still rather slow and tedious. I have told myself that this is not a race, so as long as I keep going on it, I will be fine, so I am trying to do at least three repeats per day. That makes pretty slow going, though, because it takes 12 repeats to get through one section. I am thinking some days I will be up to more, so I will finish, eventually.

I am having a lot, and I mean a LOT of fun doing the Wrap Me Up shawl, though. It's one of those projects that really sucks you in. It has all the things I like: interesting patterns, lots of changes, and the intrigue of not knowing how the colors will come out. Heck, in the next section I even get to add some beads. Of course, these will not be very spectacular beads, since I don't have many larger ones. I found OK ones, though. See how cute it is? I love the ruffle right there in the middle, just ruffling. I am glad I have such a fun project.

I forgot to take a picture of my sock in progress, the Jawoll Aktion one. I am on the foot of the first sock already, so its first photo may be a nearly complete sock--I got a lot done on a long bus ride Saturday!

Speaking of socks, I put on the second pair I ever made today. I can tell I learned a lesson with it. I obviously cast on the first sock using the thumb loop method, because whoa, it is pretty tight at the calf. The second sock does not have that problem. I seem to have attempted a sewn bind-off on it. It isn't very pretty, but it certainly feels better. None of my other socks feel weird at the top, so I must have switched to one of the other MUCH preferable cast ons after this one. I am positive I knew the long-tail cast on when I made this pair of socks. I must have been feeling lazy or thinking that if I did it loosely enough it wouldn't matter. Well, it mattered. So, if you are a new sock knitter, please do yourself a favor and learn to use the long tail, knitted or other stretchy cast on. I tend to use the long tail, but the knitted cast on works fine for me, too, since I do it pretty loosely. And if you're doing toe-up--remember that I highly recommend the bind off used in Wendy Johnson's toe-up socks. It's perfect.

I am sure I forgot to write something...like how I met some of the ladies on the LoneStarState Knitters group who were yarn crawling while I was working at the LYS on Saturday. Or that I was happy to learn that my birthday twin and dear friend from so long ago has the same comfort knitting as me...we are still something alike. Or...can't remember. Tired. After writing and editing all day, I have lost my words...

Knitting Funk and Needing Feedback

Maelstrom Border with Beads
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Well, crap, nothing is going right, at least in my warped perception of my knitting progress these days. I feel like I wasted the weekend and am not happy with my progress on the Maelstrom border.

So, look at how it looked when I was finished with one repeat. I admit that it looks marginally better now that I have four, but I have stopped working on it. I am very worried that I have too many beads in there. I think I may decide to rip out what I have done and try again, omitting the second row of beads on the edge. I think they make the shawl too heavy and “crunchy.” I like the little clusters in the center and the row of beads along the edge of the main part. And I think the outer row MIGHT be better with just a bead at the top of every point. I would love some feedback on this. What do you think? I was really hoping I’d see Jody when she was here so I could ask her, too, but so far, that hasn’t happened (no doubt she is hanging with her family).

Besides not liking how it is coming out, I had trouble getting the beads where I wanted them in the first place, and had to start again a couple of times. And I would lose count in the border, because the rows are too short to use tape to mark them, and my really nice electronic row counter has broken. I guess I will look for my “kacha kacha” old one and that will relieve me of the frustration of using pencil marks. Wow, I sound crochety.

And furthermore, even easy things I am working on are bugging me. I am taking a break from Itchy Shalom because it itches and is hot. Soon as it cools off, I will get back to that one and the alpaca sweater from this spring (while it is not cool, at least it rained last night). I started the Wrap Me Up shawl that I am supposed to be doing a Knitalong of, only I started and didn’t tell anyone. I am doing it because I need something easy that isn’t as fussy as all the beads, to rest my hands and eyes. So, I manage to read the instructions wrong multiple times, and had the first squares backward, so I had to re-do them. Then I attached the second unit at the wrong place. Yadda yadda. At one point, I was doing linen stitch wrong. I mean, come on, I have made entire garments using that, and designed a scarf in that stitch! I must say, it’s pretty in its Noro glory. Photo next time!

I must just be in a knitting funk. Shoot, you know it’s bad when your favorite female political personage Schaeffer yarn is the one named for your least favorite candidate, like, ever, by golly. I am just not in the mood for bright, shiny colors at the moment.

I can’t even get happy about my darned socks (which, in fact, are not darned at all, since they aren’t done!). It has taken me way longer than I figured it would to get the toes done (thanks to not much out-of-the-house knitting time). I think, though, that I may finish during Beccano’s guitar lesson today. These socks seem to have taken forever, but I know it’s just because I have been focused on other projects all this time. I have purposely chosen a simple pattern in a very cheerful yarn for the next pair—it’s Lang Jawoll Aktion in a very happy self-striping color with a lot of blue in it. And it comes with reinforcing yarn for the heels and toes! I will make something more complex after that.

I hope tomorrow at the yarn shop I will get more inspired. I will have a shopping trip before that, so I should feel good.

Let me know if you think all the beads on the shawl look good, or if you think they are just too much. Yes, you, non-commenters. Please chime in if you can!

That Looks Delicious!

Maelstrom on Two Needles
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Hey, what's that photo? Is it a pizza? A dried dahlia flower? Some lovely coral? No, that delicious-looking item is Maelstrom, nearly finished with the main body. If you look at the original, you might even see the beads, which are on the edges, but I doubt it. They are subtle. I only got 2.5 rows finished yesterday, thanks to wedding stuff I had to do, but hey, those are 800 stitch rows by now, so that took some knitting! I think the green beads are going to look nice gracing the last half of the last repeat. And then the border will have more beads (but not too many; I am trying to be tasteful).

I still have no clue how big this thing's going to get. I am concerned it won't be a big enough shawl. On the other hand, I mostly drape my shawls along the stairwell, anyway, so it has a life as a decorative object ahead of it, if nothing else. I'd hoped it would be a lap afghan, but I don't think so...I just have to be patient, since it looks like it will be a while before I find out! Now that I am beading, I can't work on it in the car or outside of the house (I think I can work on it at Chicks with Sticks tomorrow, though).

That means, maybe the Striped Celebratory Chevron socks will get bigger today, due to a bunch of meetings tonight! Poor socks. At least I am past the heel on them, so the end is in sight.

Hey, and guess what came in the mail yesterday? Why, YARN! What a surprise! I had to order the "Wrap Me Up" shawl pattern from Jimmy Beans Wool, and well, you can't just order a pattern, for goodness sake! So, two of those limited edition Lorna's Laces colors showed up (Gone Fishin' and Amy's Vintage Office), plus one sock's worth of Kafe Fassett Regia. WHY did I forget I would need two? Duh. And a Colinette Jitterbug, just for fun, in a very pinky/purple Wine Coulis colorway (depicted). I have GOT to stop buying sock yarn. Especially if I am going to keep committing to making blankets.

Yes, I have the OpArt baby blanket and the Wrap Me Up shawl in line to make. Those are big items that will distract me from shawls. Plus, it is almost cool enough to finish the orange alpaca sweater!

I must go be a mom now, and take one son to guitar lessons and attend Senior Parent Night for the other.

Present and Accounted for

Interlacements Toasty Toes
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Yep, I'm alive and knitting. My extremely busy week has finally wound down a bit and I can blog.

The good news is that the week had plenty of knitting in it, thanks to working in a room where I couldn't get Internet reception for 5 straight days. My bosses told me to feel free to knit while they discussed the finer points of blade systems and storage area networks (huh?) while I waited for them to decide what I was to record in copious spreadsheets and technical documents. Plus, they took way longer breaks than I ever do during the day, which led to a lot of knitting and pleasant conversation.

So, even though my evenings were mostly filled with non-knitting activities (singing and a high school football game), plenty of work on Maelstrom got accomplished. I am two thirds of the way through the last repeat of the pattern! Of course, rows are at least 700 stitches at this point, maybe longer, so they take a while.

Today has been extra beneficial in the knitting department, because I got this lovely skein of yarn from Nancy the Knitting Student (who from now on will be "Nancy"). She had been to the Old Oaks Ranch, south of here, and got me a souvenir. Wow, did she get some pretty sock yarn there--must make trip, must make trip. The yarn is Interlacements Toasty Toes in a color called Turkish Carpet. I made socks out of their Tiny Toes yarn before, but I may do something else with this, since it's sport weight. I think it would be pretty as an edging to something black. Not sure why.

Also, I lucked out, and when I went on an errand with Suzanne TCL that had nothing to do with knitting, we realized we were near the bead store. So I took advantage of that to get beads to put on Maelstrom's border. I ended up with two colors. One is a round semi-matte one in a rose that reflects a lot of the colors in the yarn, while the other is a green matte square that gives off purple, rose and a bit of blue. I would have just gotten the first one but they only had one tube. I actually think having the two colors will enhance the first one, which might have blended in a bit too much.

What I am doing is adding a few beads on these last few rows, then I will have more in the border. I hope it looks OK. I have a lot of the green ones, so I figure why not use them? Since they aren't overly shiny, I don't think they'll detract much. The yarn is so muted that a really shiny bead just wouldn't work.

I had a nice time at the yarn shop today, with two nice students and lots of friends to talk to. I'm getting a lot of wedding planning help from the people at the shop, so I am glad I have a group of women to run my ideas by!

It's been so long since I wrote that I have even MORE to mention. My order from KnitPicks came, and it contained black and white Swish DK to make the OpArt baby blanket from the current Knitty out of. I hope it makes the recipient one smart baby! The yarn feels really good and will not itch any baby. I also got 60" cables in anticipation of this project! And, heh heh, in a wry note, I also got my replacement gauge checker and needle measurer thing. Only to immediately find my lost one when I put it in my knitting bag. Oh! Poo! So, now I have one for each knitting bag, to put a positive spin on it.

That should be it. I am awaiting another yarn order for a fun project, which I'll tell you about when it gets here.

PS: I am still really tired, so if this makes no sense, I apologize!

Quick Greeting

I'm in meetings all day this week and have evening activities every day until Friday, so I won't be posting a lot. But here's a photo of that wool I talked about last time, the Leicester Longwool. It is from Brindle Hill, it says.

The only knitting news I have is good! I got through the second repeat of Chart B on Maelstrom, which means there is just one more repeat to go before the border, if I make it the size in the instructions. I still have a small amount of yarn left in the first ball, too. I am pretty sure that will give me enough for the last repeat and the border, at least I hope.

My only worry is that it seems pretty small. It may end up being a table cloth. Of course, I can't tell how it will block, so I will keep positive. Whatever size it is, it will be pretty. Have a good week, and if I get a chance on Thursday or Friday, I will write more.

Follow Me? And Maelstrom as Bag

Maelstrom as Bag
Originally uploaded by sunasak

First, see the new thing on the left margin? I got rid of my woefully outdated "work in progress" section (I kept forgetting it was there) and have added a "blog followers" link. This is where you can click that you are a follower of this blog. What happens is that you can then get blog updates on your Blogger dashboard (or ignore them completely, as I have done so far on the only blog I "follow"). It's a way to let ME know you are there, which would make me happy! You follow publicly or not, so you don't have to have your profile picture displayed. It does appear that you need a Blogger account to "follow". I know lots of my readers use other blog hosts, so that is fine and if you just comment occasionally or say hi in person/email, I will smile.

A Blog Reader who will remain anonymous asked me how to sign up for a Blogger account. So, what you do is go to Blogger.com and you will see a sign-up screen. If you have a Google account already, just type in your email address and password, and you will be on Blogger. You don't have to set up a blog if you don't want to (but honest, kids, it is so easy!). Then you can click the link and be a follower.

OK, end advertisement...I share here my photo of Maelstrom looking like a disembodied brain, a turd, or a basket for its yarn ball. Yesterday at Chicks with Sticks, more than one person vowed that the shawl IS pretty.It just grows slowly because it's on small needles and the yarn is fingering weight. Deana's version in worsted weight on what appear to be US 10.5 needles is way bigger, and she is still on the first chart! Just goes to show it is a versatile pattern!

Nancy the Quilter was making her own version of Shalom, too, in a very soft bulky yarn in purples and related colors. It was nice to see the pattern detail on it. She plans to add sleeves to hers. I enjoy seeing other people's versions of projects I have worked on.

It was a day for showing off pretty projects at the LYS yesterday. One regular who'd been absent on Wednesdays for a while brought in a couple of amazing felted bags, one of which had incredibly realistic felted gardenias. They looked like healthier versions of the ones on my porch, down to the mottled coral coloring. And she had made three cardigans! So, wow, that was a busy absent person. And two of our newer participants were each making an absolutely awe-inspiring
"wrap me up" shawl in Noro Silk Garden. They were using the same colorway, but of course each looks different. This appears to be a great project for learning a lot of knitting techniques, because it is like a sampler. I'd love to do a class in that one.

That was by no means complete list of cool projects (for example, I got to view more than one MS4 in progress), but that's all I have time to type out. I really get inspired by everyone's projects.

But mostly it tickles me when people line up to ask me questions like I am the Great Guru of Knitting Knowledge (of which I am certainly not the best, or only one there!). Or they are all asking at once, which happened a couple of times. Boy is it hard to parse two sets of knitting questions at the same time. I do love the challenge of figuring out someone's pattern issue, fixing a mistake, or (mmm I like this) giving color advice. Thank you, if you are one of the folks who patiently waited for me to finish answering one question before helping with theirs!

Also, thanks for asking, because it sure helps me improve my knitting to help someone else. Hint: if you want to learn more, help someone! I see that happening so much. One friend wrote a sock tutorial on her blog, and I am pretty sure that improved her own sock skills--it really works!

Feel free to ask me stuff in comments if you can't come in person or don't have my cell phone on your speed dial like Suzanne does. Chances are, if you have a question, someone else who is too shy to ask also has it (the thing I always said when I was teaching college classes!). There's lost of wonderful knitting assistance on the World Wide Web of course, but sometimes it helps to ask someone you know or who has seen your project.

So, go knit something. Or read another blog. I must go earn money to buy more yarn now!

Maelstrom as Beret and Good News

Maelstrom as Beret
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I was wrong when I said I could not find a way to photograph Maelstrom. Here is serves as a jaunty beret. Yes, I am wearing the same shirt as I had on in the previous post. Hey, it is what I wore for a couple of hours each day after I got home from all my "activities." When not serving as a beret, Maelstrom can also serve as a holder for its ball of yarn, too. Handy, very handy.

I have been working diligently, and am now over halfway through the second of three passes through Chart B. I will be interested to see how much yarn I have left at the end of this chart. If I still have some left, there is hope that I can do the border in the original yarn using the second skein. Of course, that last pass through Chart B will have lots of stitches on it, so it remains to be seen whether I will need to get Ray to make me some new border yarn or not. I am also curious as to what size this product will end up being. Will it be a table cloth? A shawl? A lap blanket? I have no clue, since it is really curling up.

I am just about to the heel on the socks, too, after plowing through a mistake made during the Debate Parent meeting (got all nerved out by another participant). We'll see how far I get this afternoon and evening at Chicks with Sticks and choir. I have been touched at how many people asked where I was last Wednesday--the Big Announcement that I was at the high school open house didn't get very far, apparently!

Well, this is all I have time for on break, so it's back to the Wonderful World of Technical Editing. Ooh, and in case you haven't heard, my fiance Lee got a job offer, finally. At a company that makes mostly white computers, trendy phones and things that play music. It's a contract, since they froze the position he has interviewed endlessly for, but there's hope it will turn into that position eventually! Now we can really get moving on that wedding planning!

Lots of Knitting, Not Much to Show

Encore Sock Scarf
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I knitted tons this weekend, but most of it was on the Maelstrom shawl, and well, it really doesn't look too different from before the weekend started. I know I made progress, though, because I finished the first repeat of the main pattern and got well into the second repeat. And of course, it was quite appropriate to be working on the hurricane-shaped shawl while waiting for the hurricane to come. Of course, I patiently waited in the LYS, while all we got was wind, while our friends and relations in Houston and parts south had a much worse experience (as well as our Ohio friends!). I have no photo of Maelstrom, because I can't really get an angle that looks like something nice. Sadly, it rather resembles a giant deposit of doggie doo doo, especially the wrong side. Nice image, I know, but it will be a lovely muted shawl when it's done!

I did start the thing you see illustrated, which I talked about in the last entry (so go take a nap if you find this repetitive--I want to say more about it). What is it? Well, certainly not something that takes all my knitterly intellectual powers, that's for sure. It's a K1P1 shawl of 40 stitches in width, made from the new-ish Plymouth Encore Sock yarn. It's DK weight, so not really my idea of fun sock material, but I was intrigued with the mottled effect and the self striping aspect. To be honest, what brought this on was that in the past couple of days I had recommended this kind of scarf to two knitters wanting to branch out from plain garter stitch scarves. In addition to the one I mentioned on Saturday, another one wanted to use self-striping sock yarn for a scarf, and I told her how a stockinette one would curl up. However, doing a K1P1 ribbing makes a fabric that quite resembles stockinette on both sides, resulting in a flat scarf that has no "wrong" side. This is just a simpler version of that Brooklyn Tweed scarf everyone was making last year.The nice thing about this DK weight yarn is you don't need as many stitches to get scarf width, and it will go faster. Still, such a thing in self-striping sock yarn sure would be pretty. I think you might need two skeins, though, and often you can't find two of the same 400-yard skeins.

Well, that's enough on a very simple thing. It just looked like it would make a nice gift. Especially with a matching hat!

And speaking of sock yarn, I did work on the Stripey Celebratory Chevron socks this weekend, too. Still loving the bamboo blend yarn and the pattern. I could make this pattern over and over, and am finally not putting errant YOs as much as I was.

On to the rest of the week. I hope all the weather is calm, wherever you are in this big ole world.

Knitting through Frustration

Shalom Cardigan
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I had a lot of frustrations over the weekend, so was glad to have my knitting. Had some difficulties on the band bus (I think my bus kids didn't do anything awful, but had to deal with a pissy bus driver), the power went off for hours on Saturday, the cable went off later so I ended up missing BOTH the Gators and the Longhorns play football, and on Sunday I scheduled a rehearsal for the wrong time, so I missed most of the Cowboy game! Gee. Not my weekend for football. I mainly love football because I get a lot of knitting done when it is on, you see!

And, as you can see, a lot of knitting was done on Shalom. It is somewhat more attractive than it appears to be in the photo. The super bulky yarn makes for a thick fabric, so I think it will be like one of those vests you can wear for warmth, not just decoration. Looking at how the arms are done (which is an interesting way, I think--creates cap sleeves), I am not sure if I will be able to add sleeves to it or not. My other alternative is to lengthen it. I see by the thousands of Lucky Magazines that have come to my house in the last few weeks (I got a free subscription when I bought some shoes online, and they sent the first three months one per week) , long sweater vests are in fashion. We'll see what I think when I finish knitting skein #3, which I am about to start on as soon as I am not working.

I had to go to the Big Fancy LYS south of the river to buy a new, longer size 8 needle for when I was working on the last part of the yoke. Actually, the main body section barely fits on those needles, and with such sturdy yarn, stitches do try to pop off. They don't squish up like a wool would. And, heh heh, since I was at a yarn shop with different stuff from the usual yarn shop, I had to get some sock yarn. I completed my "Panda" collection by getting two balls each of Panda Soy and Panda Wool. I mainly got the Panda Wool because Beccano loved the colors. He wants a hacky sack ball made from it. I don't know if I can part with it (and yes, the photo is blurry, oops).

I did a bit of work on the Maelstrom on Saturday, but when I was wandering around town doing fun stuff, I mostly worked on the Stripey Chevrons socks. It seems like I didn't spend all that much time on them, but I did make some progress. It's a simple pattern but I keep YO-in in the wrong places. Grr, I hate it when I do that!

Other than the usual fun with the usual folks at the usual yarn shop Saturday morning, there's not much other knitting news to report. I'll check in with you later in the week, I am sure.

A Simple Shalom, Y'all

Shalom
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I have been wanting to knit something with this particular yarn ever since it came in to the shop early in the spring. It is a very bulky, lumpy yarn in mottled grays that look a lot like the river rocks and the lovely smooth stones on the Irish coast where rivers join the sea. I just couldn't find anything that was right for it, pattern-wise. Plus the yarn is really expensive (even with discount). It's Farmhouse Yarns "I Am Allergic to Wool" and is mostly cotton, but a strand of shiny acrylic gives the yarn its texture and just a little (not too much) zing. I just fell for that yarn. Totally not my usual thing, but so what?

On Wednesday or Thursday I literally stumbled on the Shalom cardigan while staring at something. Maybe it was the Lime and Violet Daily Chum, which has lots of inspiring ideas in it. It is that shape I like so much and called for bulky yarn, so I figured I was all set. I bought 4 mega-costly skeins of this yarn and set out to make yet another overly expensive shrug-like item. I can't help it, I like them.

So far, my issues are:

• I have to use size 8 needles to get close to a right gauge, and this yarn would prefer a 10 in my usual gauge (calls for 11 on the label). So, wow, it takes some effort to make the stitches. I do think it will actually end up the right size, though.
• Also, the patterning on the yoke of the sweater will not show up in this lumpy yarn, which I could have guessed. That does save me hours of knitting and purling through the back loop with inflexible yarn, so yay to that "problem."
• It is my hope that the sweater doesn't end up too big. It is quite a flexible pattern, so I am not too worries. I am thinking it will go quickly, too. That will mean I can keep on with Maelstrom.

I have a photo of my newest socks, too. Always have some socks going! This yarn is really nice, and is self striping, but randomly so. I have been going on about my love of bamboo for quite some time now, and Twisted Fiber Art Kabam! stuff does nothing to change my mind at all. Such lovely colors that blend in and out! And they don't hide the patterning, as far as I can tell (I only have one pattern repeat done, though, since I have been concentrating on the shawl mostly).

Maelstrom is going fine, but not fine enough to merit another photo. Maybe after the weekend, when I don't have too much planned other than knitting and watching football. Too bad this week it's the funny Manning brother on, not the extra cute Manning brother, who was on last night (I loves my Mannings, but that is not a knitting topic).

I look forward to tomorrow, since I know I have at least one student, and hope another one or two show up. There's one (hi to her if she is reading) who I have really been enjoying the progress of. Everything she has made has been so pretty--even her first scarf! She has such great taste in yarn that I know she will be scary in a few months when she has all her learning curve completed!

I'll probably be back on Monday, so until then, keep up the knitting, and say hi if you feel like it!

Minty Leaves and Maelstrom

Minty Leaves Socks
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Yay for the long weekend. It's enabled me to finish my Minty Leaves socks (they only took 9 days, so I was zooming on these, at least for me). I enjoyed these a lot, and am enjoying wearing them today! I had a lot of "business" at the yarn shop on Saturday, so I got a lot done in between people's questions and such, then yesterday I had a lot of time to knit while awaiting some out-of-town guests, and then while listening to conversations with them and their chatty (yet adorable in their own ways) daughters (7 and 10). I just had to knit 20 minutes this morning to finish.

So, I think I talked about the yarn already. I got a very tight gauge out of it, which makes me think I'd like to get some more yarn from this base to make socks that call for more stitches around--I like to make more intricate patterns, but with my loose gauge, I have trouble getting the socks to fit me. This Perfect Day Beat Sock yarn is something I'd definitely get more of. And I like the semi-solid effect, too.

The pattern was a lot of fun, and it looks better than I thought it was going to, other than the gusset pick-up on one side having a funny line--I guess I had never picked up on purl stitches before, and should have done a slightly different method. At least they match, since I did both socks at the same time! And it was fun to just knit nothing but the socks for a week. I was a monogamous knitter.

Well, I was actually a little unfaithful yesterday, because I was in spired to start a new project, the Maelstrom shawl (it is available on Ravelry, but only there as far as I know). It's a new pattern--mine was just its second project, but there was a LOT of interest in it at my LYS. I had seen it in the new patterns listing on Friday, and when I came to the shop on Saturday, Pat already had printed a copy and was waving it at me. Then another patron came in all excited about it (however, she is making so many other complex things right now, I doubt she'll get to this one). It's an easy knit, but I love the way it looks--like a hurricane from above.

I am not sure why I am making so many easy shawls these days, but I am fine with it. At least this one has more complexity than the Silky Kerchief. The pattern goes on and on--the author is very precise, and includes both written-out and charted instructions, so it would be a good project for a less experienced lace knitter.

I chose my brand new yarn that just came in the mail on Saturday. I have 1400 yards of fingering weight wool from Knitivity--Ray dyed the two hanks at the same time, so they match really well. The colors are very muted browns, blues and reds (the red is very muted). He called it "Mountain Cabin." I like how it blends with the decor of my media room, so I am hoping to use the shawl as a lap afghan. I'm not sure how big it will come out. The sample for the pattern was knitted, I think, with a slightly thinner yarn and on a smaller gauge, but I could be wrong. I'll just have to see! At any rate, I am enjoying how easy the yarn is to knit with, and the pattern, which has enough to it to keep me interested, but doesn't require constant attention to the chart, either.

Of course, I started a new pair of socks as soon as the Minty Leaves were finished. I just have to. I am making the pattern that came out for the Loopy Ewe's first anniversary, last year, but from a different yarn, a self-striping bamboo blend from Twisted Yarns, called Organic Stripe. The colorway is called "Batty," but it really doesn't look like a bat. It has gold, green and purple, but muted variations. I think the pattern will show up really well in this color. So far, this yarn really feels nice, too.

I hope to get more knitting done the rest of the day, though I have some work to do (I am a contractor, so no paid holidays for us!). Nor for the lawn maintenance dudes. I see a neighbor getting their lawn cut. Gee, those guys deserve a break, too, but I know they need the money.