a little fuzzy

WIP Parade

amanda — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:22:41 +0000

With the turn of the year, I often find myself making plans or setting goals for the coming year (but never resolutions–I don’t do resolutions). This year, other than some concrete reading goals, I find myself floundering a little more than usual. Maybe it’s just that I don’t have anything “big” to reach for this year, as I did with the Architectural Registration Exam last year. Or maybe I just haven’t put enough thought into it. But as it comes to knitting, I’ve decided I really need to focus on what I already have. So here, to refresh my memory, and perhaps shame me into finishing some things this year, I present my WIP parade.

Monkey Bread Hat

Snap Dragon Flip Tops

The first two knits are the newest of the bunch, but also the most urgently needed. Yes, we’re in January and I still don’t have a hat or mittens to wear. Thankfully, I haven’t had to go out that often, it hasn’t been cold more that a couple days, and I’ve been able to make do with some fingerless mitts and a non-matching scarf. The hat is close–I just need to weave in ends and block it. I will also be knitting a Monkey Bread Scarf to match.

Rock Island

Started this summer, and stagnated as I moved on to more urgent projects. I was loving it though, so it will take priority after the winter knits are finished.

Aeolian

Revived this summer, it also was abandoned in favor of other projects. I only have the edging left, so it’s close.

Ondulé

Sunk by gauge issues, I think I’ve worked them out. Only…the needle I need is in Rock Island. I really love the yarn and pattern, though, so once Rock Island is finished…

Lerwick Lace Shawl

I don’t want to think about how long it’s been since I last worked on this. If I remember correctly, I was over 1/3 through the edging. I’ve just been too distracted by other projects.

If you look at my Ravelry page, there are a couple other UFOs, but most likely they are all headed for the frog pond, either because the yarn doesn’t work, or I want it for a different project.

And then there’s the yarn. I have a nicely sized stash. I haven’t added to it since May, excepting the yarn which went straight to projects, but I really shouldn’t have added to it then. (At least not based on my current knitting rate.) I’d like to get to some of the yarns though, they’re so lovely. I have several sweater’s worth of yarn–which has already been designated for projects–and quite a bit of laceweight. I also have a couple lace ideas percolating in my brain which I haven’t had a chance to get to yet.

Chances are, I won’t get to everything this year, but it looks like I have plenty of knitting ahead!

To Finish Off the Year

amanda — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:14:09 +0000

It’s been ages ago now (and perhaps seems even longer), but this summer I participated in the Summer ’11 edition of Seasons of Lace. It was fun to knit lace along with others, even if I still haven’t finished Rock Island from the KAL. (Soon, I hope!) But that was summer, and this is winter, so I was very surprised a couple weeks ago to receive an e-mail that I had won yarn in the Resurrection Lace Raffle! Just before Christmas I received this little beauty, a skein of Twisted Fiber Art yarn, Muse base (wool-silk), Warlock colorway, generously donated by Cathy Cate of Hither and Yarn.

Thank you Cathy! Now I just need to decide what to do with it…

In other knitting news, I successfully finished a pair of Hot Waffles Knits for my brother for Christmas. I didn’t get any pictures, but this:

is what they look like. Yes, they are exactly the same as my Dad’s Mitts. I think my brother likes them; I know he’s been wearing them already. So that was a success.

Not so successful:

Two of at least three short sections from the middle of my ball of Cascade 220 Superwash. They were only holding on by a single ply, which meant more ends to weave in. It looks like maybe the yarn snagged on a piece of equipment or something. I’ve never had this happen in commercial yarn before (although I have knit with yarn from mom & pop companies that’s been broken and knotted). I’m not overfond of weaving in ends, and in black it’s just torture. So I wasn’t too happy by that, but I bought the yarn so long ago, that there’s nothing I can do about it. (And none of the other balls I bought from the same dye lot had that problem. Weird.)

There is one thing I can do–I swear, no more knitting anything in black that requires seaming or weaving in of multiple ends. I mean it this time!

Merry Christmas!

amanda — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:00:54 +0000

I salute you! There is nothing I can give you which you have not; but there is much, that, while I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take Heaven.

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant. Take Peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet, within our reach, is joy. Take Joy.

And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

Attributed to Fra Giovanni
A.D. 1513

First Snow

amanda — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:24:13 +0000

You can probably tell I’m from the northern US if I say that it doesn’t feel like it can possibly be time for Christmas if we haven’t had any snow yet. Granted, we don’t usually have an actual “White Christmas,” but there’s usually been at least a little snowfall in the weeks leading up to December 25th.

But this year we’ve seen nothing. Further west, further north, further east (even further south) they’ve had snow, but not us. Not until today. Now it finally feels like the holiday season!

Of course, to be fair, I’m not really ready for cold snowy weather this year. So it’s been fortunate that there’s been a delay. My gloves finally wore out on me at the end of last season, and the coat I bought last year desperately needs a hat to go with it. I mentioned previously that I was going to knit up a complete winter set, but so far, this is all the further I’ve gotten:

I guess it’s good that it’s a cold snowy day—the perfect excuse to curl up in a comfy chair and knit!

Finished: Swan Lake

amanda — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:50:24 +0000

This is a project that seems plagued by languishing. Started in 2007, then left alone for two years before a frogging and restarting, making it further the second time before being left alone again. I finally picked it up again this summer and made great progress, finally finishing in early October. At which time it was forced to wait over a month before I was able to block it. Once blocked, I was thoroughly stumped by how to photograph it. Every stole I’ve knit before is symmetrical, which I find much easier to take pictures of: you only really need to worry about one half. This, not so much.

Of course, I finally worked out how to get some pictures and then I proceeded to let them sit on my camera for a week. It’s looking like my New Year’s resolution will need to be “get things finished in a timely manner”!

Pattern: Swan Lake by Melanie Gibbons
Yarn: The Alpaca Yarn Co. Suri Elegance
Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) for the body and US 0 (2 mm) for the “wing”
Modifications: none

This was my first (and only, so far) beaded knit. You can just make them out in the following picture. I’m still on the fence as to whether I like beads in my knitting, but I didn’t have any trouble adding them here. I have no idea what beads I used; they were some I picked up at the local craft store.

Overall, I’m very happy with this project. (And happy to have such a long-standing WIP finished!)

Finished Mitts!

amanda — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:48:10 +0000

I can’t believe we’re halfway through November already! This feeling is perhaps exaggerated by the unseasonably warm weather we’ve had so far this month–although that will be changing the next few days.

It’s a good thing, then, that I’ve finished these just in time for the weather change. My dad rides his bike to work up until the temperatures drop below 20 F, and he requested these to wear with his regular gloves. His actual concern is his wrists rather than his hands/fingers, and these certainly meet the trick!

Pattern: Hot Waffles (Anne Hanson)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash (black)
Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)

This was a very quick and easy knit, and could probably be completed in a couple afternoons (although it took me a bit longer). My only complaint–all those black ends to weave in–I had to sit directly under a light to see what I was doing!

Now, I really need to get moving on my own mitts/hat/scarf. It’s supposed to be in the 40s/30s (F) the rest of the week, so that should provide some solid motivation!

New Knits!

amanda — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:38:34 +0000

Despite my tendency towards bouts of project monogamy, I find I’ve suddenly succumbed to new projects. In a way, this is out of nowhere—I hadn’t been consciously planning on starting new projects—but really, this has been in the works for a while.

My dad has been hinting around since the tail-end of last winter that a pair of fingerless mitts would be really nice. With the arrival of chilly temps, now set in for good, I think, I’ve finally got around to doing something about it.

I had some leftover Cascade 220 Superwash in the stash in black, so earlier this week I cast on for a pair of Hot Waffles (Anne Hanson). I forget how fast DK weight knits up. Or anything with rows of fewer than 100 stitches! I’m almost finished with the first one, but I want to have my dad try it on before I get too much further. It seems a little small to me, but it might be OK. (I um, only sort of checked my gauge. I decided it was ‘close enough.’ And I didn’t have the next needle size up anyways. At least they’re fast if I have to start over!)

The next new project is actually still only in skein stage. I need mittens (or gloves). Soon. I managed to finish out the winter last year by repairing my old gloves but they’re not going to make it far this year. While I’m at it, I also need a hat to go with my relatively new winter coat (I made do last year with just a scarf). Seeing as this is all coming at once, and that it would be nice if the yarn matched, I started poking around for what might work. Anne’s Monkey Bread Hat & Scarf look so nice and cozy in the yarn she used, that I simply couldn’t resist, and better yet, there was a perfect red in stock:

As usual with reds, the color isn’t quite right; it’s actually a little darker. The yarn is Great Northern Yarns 70% Mink/30% Cashmere. Everything I’ve heard about it is positive: very warm, soft, lovely bloom, wears well. I ordered enough for a Monkey Bread Hat & Scarf, and for the mittens, I’ve decided to go with Ysolda’s Snapdragon flip-tops. Aniko on Ravelry knit hers in this yarn and they looked so nice and cozy. Plus I really like the idea of the combination of mittens (ease of knitting—all those fingers + ends is the number one reason I’m avoiding gloves) and ready access to fingers for anything fiddly.

I’m still working on Rock Island, but theses projects will probably be taking priority for the next little while. And there may be a good deal of skein petting involved. The mink/cashmere really IS soft!

Inching along

amanda — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:15:02 +0000

Swan Lake is complete:

Blocking later this week, I hope. As it turned out, I had plenty of yarn (nice change of pace from some recent projects!)

Rock Island is coming. The lace border has turned out to be a really easy pattern, essentially two rows, staggered. The yarn (Louet Mooi, although mine is branded Fibre-Isle Niji) is lovely to work with. I’m almost disappointed that it appears to no longer be availabe, if it weren’t for the price!

Of course, as soon as I took this picture, I dropped some yarn overs! The problem with knitting triangular shawls from the outside in with slipper yarn: it’s really rather easy to drop stitches right off the ends of the needles and watch them go running. Rest assured, everyone is back in their proper place and I didn’t mind in the least the chance for some extra time with this lovely yarn.

Welcome Fall!

amanda — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:13:53 +0000

Although I, like many, always associate the beginning of Fall with Labor Day, (and an associated drop in the temperatures), it officially arrived yesterday—a development I find very pleasing. I like summer in the theoretical sense: that is in January summer is very appealing, but the arrival in June of hot, humid temperatures always dampens my appreciation for the season. Surprisingly this summer, I managed to knit through quite a bit of the uncomfortable days. I discovered if I sat just so in relation to a ceiling fan, I could usually knit contentedly. I had hoped to have at least one new shawl finished fir the start of fall. Rock Island, at least. Instead I have three partially completed shawls. But since one is approaching the finish, one is to the last section, and one I just enjoy a bit too much to care, I’m not disappointed.

If you recall, Rock Island was being employed as an “incentive” knit. I hit my goals for the other two shawls, which should have allowed me to start the lacey mid-section of Rock Island, but I was sucked in by the new chart for Swan Lake. After completing the main section (my goal) for Swan Lake, I looked ahead and noticed that the “wing” is attached similarly to a knit-on edging, only instead of a short repeating pattern, it grows every other row in a triangular manner. It seemed that it would be quick enough to get through the first chart of this new section, so I started. Then decided that I might as well finish off the thing while it’s on the top of the work basket.

I’m approaching the end of this one (although it’s starting to drag as the rows get longish), so Rock Island waits. With the change in seasons, sweaters are beginning to call out my name (this usually starts in August, but I was determined to make progress on the lace this year), so I might turn that direction next, but I would like to get Rock Island finished as well. As for my third lace of the summer, Aeolian: it might just have to wait for a while. The rows are a bit too long right now to encourage me that direction.

So I guess my fall is looking a bit pre-planned: finish Swan Lake, finish Rock Island, finish Ondule (sweater). The real question: will any new project lure me in or am I destined for another round of finishitupitis? Only the knits will tell…

Edging Complete!

amanda — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:00:28 +0000

I’ve been very busy knitting lately–it seems that although I’ve felt a certain sluggish reluctance to do much productive or active this summer (perhaps symptomatic of the excess of study I’ve been doing, perhaps it’s a summer thing), I’ve managed to complete more knitting these last few months than I did in the colder winter weather more conducive to knitting. Lace, perhaps, should be blamed. Although it is more likely the fact that I finally made it to a new project, one that hadn’t been hanging over my head for years or that was in some sort of redo stage.

This would be that lace. The edging of Rock Island, 100% complete.

I believe I mentioned in my previous post that this has been serving as my incentive project. I decided to not allow myself to move past the edging until I had finished the Final Agave chart for Aeolian (check) and another 20 rows of Swan Lake (check). So earlier this week, I moved on to the next step of Rock Island.

This is the first pattern I’ve come across which utilizes YO loops to simplify the picking up of knit stitches. In the picture above, you can just see the YO loops on the side of the edging. The instructions next say to pick up and knit in those loops, giving specific guidance as to how many stitches to be created from each loop. I found this ridiculously easy, especially as compared to other “pick up and knit” patterns and especially after I threaded a spare circular through all the loops. Of course, the method only works when a line of yarn overs running through the knitting is acceptable!

A detail view of the picked up YOs:

After all the picking up, a stretch of garter stitch and decreasing to begin forming the triangle of the shawl and arrive at the right stitch count for the next lace chart. At this point it looks rather ruffly on the needle. I can’t wait to dive into the lace chart (I’m only a row or two away), but I think I’ll continue using this as an incentive and try to finish the current chart for Swan Lake first. I’m still hoping to have one or more new shawls for the fall–if I keep on track with this incentive program, maybe I can even have three!