Red!

I never wear red. If you know me in person you probably see me in black, grey, brown and blue. I don't have a lot of color variation in my wardrobe. I don't really like to stand out and bright colors make me feel like I am trying to stand out. (perhaps I should see someone about that.)(hmm)

So, this sweater is a real switch for me. And, most shocking (to me): I really like the color now!



Pattern: I used my notes from modifications I made to Knitty's Mesilla and added long sleeves.
Yarn: Bernat Lana that I over dyed in order to make a Christmas present (which didn't work out and I was left with this RED yarn!) (Also, the yarn didn't all dye evenly, which I knew but didn't realize it was so noticeable until I was done the body.)

I love this sweater. I hope it's cold enough this week to wear it!

Seven (and a half)

I finished a pair of socks today. I now have made myself enough socks to go a full week. (there have been socks made and given away also)















Then there is this one lonely singleton sock. I'm not sure why I never made the 2nd. I had forgotten about this one until I found it in my sock yarn leftovers basket.


And, my next sock: (my own) handspun.


I think, from this photo line up, we can deduce the following:
1. I like me my socks.
2. I like me the self-patterning sock yarn.
3. with very few exceptions, I stick with a plain ribbed cuff sock.
4. I have more time on my hands (see: the photographing of my socks) than I should.

(is "photographing" a word?)

daydream knitting...

Three mornings a week I ride my stationary bike at 6 AM. (I know! how athletic am I?)(answer: not very) Anyway, the point here is this: My bike is in my bedroom and it faces my yarn shelf. I often find myself daydreaming about projects and the yarn I see there. This morning I planned out the colors to attempt a circular yoke fair-isle sweater, and a cardigan I'd like to try. It was while on my bike I thought of the project I am currently working on (the brown cabled cardigan is boring on a temporary hold).



I'm using my modifications to Knitty's Mesilla and will add long sleeves. I'm about 1" into the ribbing at the bottom of the body. The color is a big change for me. I don't normally wear red, but I kind of like this color. I had initially dyed this yarn to use for a Christmas gift, but that didn't work out, leaving me with RED yarn. I hope to finish this one in the next few days. We're about to get more snow, so I'll definately be glad for another sweater!!

I've been spinning, trying to acheive a slightly thicker yarn. I seem to have a tendency to spin fairly fine, and haven't had much luck in spinning a consistent thicker single. I finally managed to do 2 skeins of a worsted weight, each approximately 3 oz, navajo plied.



I dyed 1/2 pound of BFL roving on the weekend:

I'm really happy with how this turned out. I was a little worried that the colors would just end up muddy. I borrowed from directions I saw on someone's blog (i forgot to bookmark it. oops) and just kind of winged it. I sprinkled the dye powder on the roving rather than mix it up first, which I had never tried before. I really like how this turned out. The colors seem to have saturated well without becoming muddy.

I've started spinning some Fleece Artist Merino I got at Gina Brown's on the weekend. I'm attempting to spin sock yarn.


I am not very good at this whole naming-your-yarn thing. Anyone have any ideas on names for the yarns up there? I kind of like the idea of naming the colorways, but I seem kind of stuck on the ones I come up with.

brrrrrrr. and also: brr.

We've had snow. And cold. Not nearly as much snow as some areas of the continent, and not as bitterly cold as some areas, but still. Snow. And cold.

The view from my living room window

So, I'm glad that I have these to wear:

Pattern: Using the directions that I got from a friend (the same directions as the pair for my friend Cobi) and a chart I found online (can't remember where. Possibly here).
Yarn: Sirdar Country Style DK (45% Acrylic, 40% Nylon, 15% Wool)
They're a little bit big on me (skinny hands apparently). Ever since I finished them I've been thinking about another pair knit on smaller needles with the same yarn (or similar) to reduce the overall size and make them a little denser and more wind resistent. Still, I do love them. New mittens!

I'm working on a cabled cardigan based loosely on Knitty's Starsky. (different cable pattern and different yarn)

(the color seems difficult to capture. It's a rich brown with flecks of color)
I think I'll quite like this when it's completed. I've sort of stalled out after finishing the back. I need to get back into it. I'm about halfway done one sleeve at present.

I'm also working on a top down sweater based loosely on Knitty's Mesilla (using the mods I came up with in the summer for this sweater). I don't have a progress shot of it. Light is sometimes hard to come by right now...

I spun up the roving I got from Erynn at Twist of Fate

This monster skein is 190g and comes to approximately 1300 yards. (yikes). It's about a sock weight I think. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. Ideas? It has mohair so I don't think I want it to be socks. I was thinking a sweater knit on larger (well, a US 7 or 8) needles so that it would be loose and a bit drapey. Or lace possibly.

The forecast is calling for a chinook this week. At present the roads are terrible. The city doesn't plow any residential streets unless they're leading directly to a school, so the drive to/from work is, well, interesting. If the chinook hits it will be like driving through a city wide slurpee. Fun.

Thanks for all the nice comments on the Mystique sweater and the Endpaper mitts. I'm sorry I've been so lax in commenting at all of your blogs (I wonder how many times I've made this apology? hmm.). I need to get back into the regular blog habit.

Stay warm, wherever you may be.

New Sweater! FOR ME!!!

Ahh... This is nice. Knitting for me. ME ME ME ME ME. Ehem.



Pattern: Mystique by Zia at Per Amore. I first saw this sweater posted on Craftster and have been wanting to make it for a while now.
Yarn Sierra Aran (80% Wool/20% Alpaca; 83m/91 yards) from Elann.com in "Jasper", color 795 (the color I used seems to be gone from the page). I used just a smidgen over 10 balls, so approximately 910-920 yards for the sweater. The color of this yarn is almost impossible to pin down. It is green. But sort of teal. And sometimes it's got more of a bluish tinge. And sometimes it's really really dark green. And sometimes it's not that dark at all. I've given up trying to photograph the color accurately.
Modifications I used a heavier weight yarn than called for and went up a needle size to US7/4.5mm. I used a different lace panel for the center of the body, but for the life of me I don't remember why I did that. I like the original on the pattern, so I'm not sure why I changed it (I like what I ended up with, it's just different than the pattern). I also changed the lace on the cuffs to be a repeat of the lace panel on the sides. I didn't know how I would like having 3 distinct lace patterns on the one sweater. I do like it on the original, but decided to use the same for continuity.

I have a feeling this sweater will become a staple of my wardrobe. If it gets cold again. Ever. (Um, maybe I should take that back. I like the constant chinook weather. Honest. It's just a little strange to have all this wool and sweaters and hardly ever NEED them.)

I have a couple of other things going, but I've been good and only have 2 projects (and a sock)(socks don't count as a project)(right?) on the go right now. My camera batteries died so I don't have in progress pics for you but I do have this:



Ahh... Spinning. This is 190g of 85% Wool/15% Mohair dyed by Erynn at Twist of Fate Yarns in the "Grass is Greener" colorway. It is beautiful and so lovely to spin. The colors flow from a grassy green through a teal and a blue. Totally my colors.

Also pictured there is one of the boxes my friend Julie gave me for my birthday. (if my camera batteries weren't dead etc...) She painted them and decoupaged (sp?) beautiful leaves on them. There is a set of 3 in different sizes. Oddly enough (ha) one of them is a perfect size for "in progress" projects; one is perfect to hold the roving while I spin (so I don't have to keep picking up the pile of fiber to move it around in my cramped living room) and the smallest is ideal for odds and ends for knitting and spinning. So thoughtful! (I'll show you when I have batteries)

Endpaper Mitts

Completed just in time for too-cold Thursday (-25ish Celsius), my version of Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts. This picture shows the colors much more accurately. I love how they turned out! This is my first completed project (for me) from my handspun, and I am a little bit big-headed proud of them.

Details:
I used a regular (long-tailed) cast-on for both of them. I only did 2 repeats of the chart before beginning the thumb increases.
I learned to do a tubular/kitchener cast-off:


D'oh moment:
I decided that I didn't need the tubular bind off so I didn't do it for the second one. (I was lazy in a hurry) You can see the difference here:

(tubular/kitchener bind off is on the bottom)

I plan to go back and re-do the bind off (correctly) for the second one. Who am I to assume I know better than Eunny? Seriously. (haha)

I had resolved to knit from stash this year, and (you might want to sit down for this one) to complete one of the projects I have on the go before I'm allowing myself to start a new one! So, to that end, I'll show you some in-progress shots tomorrow. I only have 2 projects on the needles right now. I couldn't believe that one myself. But, it's true. There's nothing I've forgotten about. (I do have plans for the next 2 or 3 though.)(that doesn't count as starting)

My cold is still hanging on, so it's a really good thing knitting is such a stationary pursuit. (most of the time). I'm off to lie down and finish a sock. Or start a mitten.

Or, maybe I should spin...

ugh

Today is one of those days when I feel slightly smug, sitting in my apartment surrounded by the piles and piles and piles warm wool of my stash. If only I could knit faster.

Currently this is the situation:


(That's -4 F with a wind chill making it feel like -25 F)





Tonight/Tomorrow looks like this:



(-13F with windchill of -34 F for tonight. Whee)







(Note: we in Calgary got off easy as far as this storm is concerned, we just had wind and will have frigid temps for a day or so. Nothing like the piles of snow and white-out conditions in Central/Northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. So glad for that.)

I didn't get my new sweater done in time but I will be able to wear these in the office tomorrow:

Pattern: the ubiquitous Endpaper Mitts by the talented Eunny Jang.
Yarn: My OWN!! (eee) I'm using 2 of my first efforts from my wheel. I'm really happy with how they are turning out. The yarn is squooshy and soft and so far fairly even. I'm getting approximate gauge, but I'm not so concerned about that now.

So, now I must go and knit. And turn up my heat a little bit. And dig out some long underwear for tomorrow. Worse comes to worst? I'll stuff my winter jacket full of skeins of wool to keep warm.

Finally. Done. Christmas. Presents. Whew.

Yes, you read that correctly. I am finally done* Christmas 2006. Whew.

The last few projects (i.e. those I have not yet posted pics of) are as follows:

For my friend Julie. She hasn't received it yet so, you know, don't tell her. shh.

Pattern(s): Knitty's Danica (entrelac scarf) and a combination of several patterns for the flip top mittens
Yarn: Patons SWS in "Natural Earth" Somehow I managed to get the striping to match up (almost) perfectly on the mittens. Love it when that happens.
Entrelac in this particular colorway of SWS is so nice! I may just do one for myself. Eventually. Not for some time though. Entrelac was a lot simpler than it looks, but I don't think it will become a staple of my knitting repertoire. Also, I'm pretty much done with knitting flip top mittens (this was pair 4). At least until I decide to make myself a pair. Eventually.

For my friend Cobi. She also has not yet received this, so, again, don't tell.

Pattern: I got the chart and basic directions for the mittens from a friend. The directions were less "pattern" and more "here's the steps that you will need to do in order to get mittens". I kind of liked that (although it sort of freaked me out a bit when I first contemplated it) because I think I learned more about the process of knitting them and will be able to apply that to different gauges this way. The hat is just 4 repeats of the mitten chart. Whee.
Yarn: Sirdar Country Style DK (45% Acrylic, 40% Nylon, 15% Wool). I LOVE this yarn! It doesn't feel very "acrylic" but not scratchy either. It has enough "grab" for doing fair isle type work and the yardage was incredible: 348 yds/318m to 100g. I have enough left over to make at least a pair of fingerless mittens.
I really think there is something that happens when knitting this two-color stranded knitting that makes time slow down and your hands speed up. It seemed like I knit the mittens faster than any other mittens I've ever knit. How is that possible?

For my friend Cobi's son (one of the twins). Again, he hasn't received it yet.

(It seems wierd that I haven't seen my best friends to give them their gifts, doesn't it? Cobi and her family are moving (big sob.) and Julie was away. I'm not THAT much of a hermit.)(haha)


Pattern: Free downloadable pdf (link to pdf on this page) at Xtreme Knitting.
Yarn: Red Heart Cozy Wool from stash.
I made this guy with bulky/chunky yarn and US8/5mm rather than worsted and US6/4mm as called for in the pattern. He turned out quite a bit bigger than the one I had made previously, which is what I wanted. I kind of like him in the variegated yarn. I think a dinosaur should have mottled looking skin. For camoflage. You know.

And, finally, a birthday gift for Cobi. I saw her on her birthday but it wasn't done yet. D'oh.

Pattern: Magknits' Sophie
Yarn: Patons SWS in "Natural Denim"
This turned out a lot smaller than I had hoped. In my defense, I was knitting it as my cold/flu was starting up and wasn't thinking so clearly. It's useable and doesn't completely look like a little kid's purse, but it's not what I was aiming for. oops.

So, that's it. From now on, I knit for ME. I'm working on a top-down sweater for myself (I'll show you a progress pic when it looks like something) and have plans for a pair of fingerless mittens for work using my handspun. (whee). I also plan to make myself a pair of Norwegian mittens from the pair that my "aunt" Evelyn lent me.

I'm also going to challenge myself to knit from stash this year. I've seen this talked about a few places and it falls in line with what I had already been thinking/planning. I have MORE than enough yarn currently on my shelves to knit all year. We'll see how long this lasts. (I like the exception that is made for spinning fiber!)

*I'm "done" but not completely done. I have 1 leg warmer and a teeny tiny tutu to make for my friend's little girl. The main gift was the tutu I showed a while ago, but after it was done I decided to do leg warmers too. Then, because Mr. Bunny needs whatever she gets, I'll work on a tutu for him from the scraps. THEN i'll be DONE done.

The Hermit Has Left The Building!

Yes, you heard that right. (or, I suppose "read that right"). I left my house this evening. To go out. To meet with people I don't know. Out of my house. Yes I did.

Heather, from Lectio suggested that I come out to Knit Club this evening and (drum roll please) I WENT!! And met people! And felt really at home and comfortable. I'm really glad I went. I met people (whose names I may or may not remember accurately): Anne, Erin (?) and, um, I wanna say Christine? (I'm so sorry. I really really wanted to remember your names.)

When I walked in, wearing I was immediately recognized because I was wearing my Clapotis and was welcomed to the table. Knitters are so nice in person! Really!

Heather is lovely and fun, and the other girls (whose names I have butchered here, sorry again) were fun and interesting.

And, I may have bought some beautiful fiber from Erin (?) (Okay, I just went to her website and realized that I had the sound of her name right but not the spelling. It's Erynn and you can see the beautiful yarns and fibre she has at her site, Twist of Fate.) (I totally bought some fibre from her. It's beautiful. I'll show you when I have some light.)

I think I'll go back. This venturing-outside-my-home thing was kind of fun. Who knew?

Goodbye 2006

I would love to show you new things I've been knitting for myself, but, um, I'm still working on Christmas presents. D'oh. I still have a mitten and a half to complete for one friend (she was away and I won't see her until after New Year's). And I still have part of another friend's gift to complete. And her birthday is in a couple of days. I predict I might be knitting for myself by March. d'oh.

In the meantime, here are a few presents that I completed that I don't think I've shown you yet:


Scarf for my mom.
Pattern: My own, using a "Vandyke" lace column found in a stitch dictionary.
Yarn: MY OWN!!! Ingeo I dyed and spun specifically to make something for my mom (she can't/won't wear wool).
(she loved it.)(yay!)


Remote Control Caddy for my sister & her family. She very subtly hinted that they needed one (her exact wording: "I told Eldon that my sister could make us one of those").
Pattern: Um. None. I just kind of winged it as I went.
Materials: I have some clothing that belonged to my dad that I have been cutting up and using to make things, (like the Christmas Stockings I've made for my nieces and nephews) and this material comes from a pair of his pants.


Tutu for my friend's daughter.
Pattern: um. none. I knit a tube of 2x2 ribbing for 5 inches. For some reason, I had the foresight to put in a 2 stitch buttonhole halfway up, which is good because it will need a drawstring afterall. After binding off, I used my sewing machine (i heard that gasp) to stitch in the netting. It turned out about like what I was expecting, so I'm pretty happy with it. We'll see how she likes it though... Ballerinas can be prima donnas after all. I mean, she's 4 but, you never know...
(I plan to make matching legwarmers for her and a teeny tutu for Mr. Bunny, the gender confused stuffed rabbit she's been carrying around for 3 1/2 years)(Mr. Bunny is a girl and wears a dress but he (yes he) is named Mr. Bunny).
Yarn: Bernat Satin

And, just because, an "action" shot of a completed project I showed you a while ago. (the action here is: sleeping)


New Niece Presslee rockin' the hand-knit hoodie. My sister was really happy with the knits I gave her (I just now realized I didn't get pictures of the hat and socks. d'oh).
(mostly I just wanted to show off the new niece. awww.)(although, she could have made an attempt at being alert for the photo shoot.)

If you are named Cobi and you know me, DO NOT LOOK! Skip down the page!

Over Christmas, at home, I knit mittens for my friend. I was amazed at how quickly they knit up, but maybe there's some sort of bending of the space-time continuum or something that makes fair isle/stranded knitting go quicker than plain stocking stitch? I don't know.

My mom was very impressed by them and insisted that I take them along when we went to the games night that we were going to. The Hostess for the evening is Norwegian/Canadian (i.e. she was born here but both of her parents come from Norway). She was very excited to see the mittens I had knit and ran to her coat closet to find mittens that had belonged to her father. She also had a pair that her mother knit years ago.


can you pick out the ones I made?

The ones on the right hand side were her father's. Evelyn told me that when her father planned to return to Norway for the first time since he had moved to Canada, his sister spun wool for these and knit them for him (knit in 1949!!). Evelyn insisted that I take them and the pair knit by her mother along with me when I said I would like to try to chart them.

(I was going to give you the whole relationship here because it cracked me up when I was thinking it out: The mittens were knit by my dad's cousin's wife's father's sister. hee hee)

I think that'll do for now. I need to get back into the habit of posting. Thank you all for joining me this year, I've enjoyed the comments and reading your blogs as well.

Have a Happy New Year all!

I'm here! Come back!

I really couldn't say why it's been so long since I've posted. No reason really. I kept thinking "POST!" but didn't.

To make up for the dearth of content, I present to you, COMPLETED CHRISTMAS PROJECTS!*


Flip Top Mittens Pair #1


Flip Top Mittens Pair #2


Flip Top Mittens Pair #3

(Pattern for ALL Flip Top Mittens: adapted Knitty's Cigar and various flip top patterns. Yarn for ALL Flip Top Mittens: Patons Decor)

(3 pairs of Flip Top Mittens in a row=exciting blog reading)


Felted Socks Pair #1


Felted Socks Pair #2

(Pattern for both pairs of Felted Socks: adapted Knitty's Fuzzy Feet to be knit with contrasting short-row toes and heels; Yarn for both pairs: stashed Rowan Classic DK from The Yarn Lady!)

And, now that you've been lulled into a state of complete boredom by the repetitive Christmas Projects, I present

Knitty's Danica knit in Patons SWS "Natural Earth" (now completed)

I've also been spinning, though not as much as I would like to. I attempted a thicker thick & thin single:

2oz of Fleece Artist Merino Sliver. Yummy. I wasn't completely successful in my attempt at a thicker single, but i'm getting there.

I spun the above as practice for this:

1/2 pound Blue Face Leicester I dyed and spun for my friend (it will be a gift for her MIL). I love this yarn and want to keep it for myself... sigh.

I have a ways to got to really be able to get a consistent thicker yarn, but I'm loving the practice.

Currently I have this on my bobbin:

Ingeo I dyed and plan to do a navajo ply with. I love the sheen of this fiber/yarn and I'm trying to think of things to make with it...

Next up (after Christmas Chaos is Completed)(sorry for the alliteration):

1 1/2 pounds of (FREE) alpaca fleece (FREE) from the owner of the alpaca who gave it to me (FREE) on Monday. (did I mention it was FREE?) It's dirty and full of straw but it was... yes, FREE.

FREE!!

I started my new job on Dec. 4, so I've been busy, (Did I mention that I quit my job to go to a new, much better paying job? No? hmmm. I quit my job and started a new, much better paying job.) but I hope to start posting more regularly. I also hope to GET the CHRISTMAS KNITTING DONE before Christmas!

(Oh, and I switched to Blogger Beta. I hope that doesn't cause problems... )

Christmas Countdown Update

I know... I've been absent for a while. Sorry. There is some explanation here if you are interested. But, I have been busy. Job stuff. Personal stuff. Birthday stuff. (My birthday. I'm old now. Like over 35 old. Whee.)

But, I have finally found my Christmas project rhythm.

Completed:

1 pair of flip top mitten/gloves for one of my brothers.
Pattern: A combination of Knitty's Cigar with the fingers adapted and I adapted the flip-top instructions from Magknits' Urban Necessities
Yarn: Patons Decor

These were a relatively quick knit. Especially considering that I had one almost completed when I realized that I was using the wrong needle size and it had seriously affected the fabric and gauge. I started and completed one on Monday while on a day off, and the other was knit over a couple of evenings of TV watching. Yay! Quick Christmas knits!

I was thinking about making socks for my sister and sisters-in-law for Christmas and then I realized I'm insane. Then I realized that I could make them BIG socks

(haha)(obviously these are due to be felted)(and I have 2 of them now, just not at picture time)

Pattern: Knitty's Fuzzy Feet but with short-row heels and toes in contrasting color
Yarn: "Vintage" Rowan DK Wool from stash (from my aunt Pat's friend AKAThe Yarn Lady)

Another quick knit. I knit one Friday evening and the other took a few hours on Saturday. Yay!

Now to finish the other small items so I can tackle the bigger items. Oy. I have been spinning a little bit at a time, but I keep thinking "I should be knitting" so I haven't been doing as much spinning as I might like. I need to go knit now. Time's a wastin'.

Finished Objects!

I seem to have finally broken my not-finishing-anything cycle I was stuck in. Yay. But, um, before we get all excited about the Christmas present progress, let's take a look at the stats, shall we?

Finished Objects in the past 7 days: 7 (ee!)
Finished Objects started and completed today: 3 (EEE!)
Finished Objects that make the slightest dent whatsoever in my Christmas Present Project list: 0 (er. um. well.)
Christmas presents started that were not on the UFO list I posted last time: 1
Christmas present projects yet to be completed: Um... HEY LOOK! What's that? Something shiny!

In my defense, the projects this week were all baby/toddler projects for my (upcoming) niece and my twin nephews.

Here are Finished Objects numbers 2-7 (I counted the pairs of mittens as 1 item):

Pattern: The toques were a mix of a couple of different patterns. I took the short row earflaps from the Brioche Helmets in a past IWK. The shaping for the tops came from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
The scarves were made up as I went, knit lengthwise with a buttonhole type opening for the end to pass through.
The mittens were adapted from a free pattern on the Lion Brand site. (I would post a link but I can't be bothered to go through their stupid infuriating sign in process)
Yarn: stash acrylic. (acrylic stash reduction!!!!)

I'm going to see my brother, his wife and their twins tomorrow. On Wednesday I remembered this and that I had wanted to make the boys toques. So, I did one (with a couple of false starts while I figured out the short row earflaps) Wednesday evening and one Thursday (through ER and My Name Is Earl if we are looking for precise time measurements)(haha). Then, I started a Christmas Present Project that was not on my UFO list (flip top mittens for one of my brothers). Then Friday evening, I remembered that my sister-in-law was talking about scarves for the boys at one point and I had planned to make them some. So I made scarf #1 last night (during the Flames game if we are looking for exact times). Scarf #2 was made this morning. I had planned to go to visit them today but plans changed so I decided that a person can not possibly give toques and scarves without mittens to go with them, so 2 sets of teeny tiny mittens were knit today.

Ahhhhh... Finished Objects.

Also, how cute are toddler mittens? Seriously!!

(my mitten for perspective)

So, now that all these nephew/niece projects are out of my system, I can buckle down and get going on my list... Unless I get distracted by somethi.... NO! Focus Lori! Must focus on list!