the knitting buzz

some hard lessons

My Carly Linen Lace Wrap has been finished for a couple of weeks and I do love it.... EXCEPT.... I made a couple of grave errors.

First of all, I determined the knit finished length based on past lace wraps and didn't take into account that the linen doesn't stretch like wool blends.  Soooo.....its really shorter than I would like.

So for the past week and a half, I have had it draped over a door, perhaps hoping it would stretch..... to no luck, I might add.

Till today, when I made the decision to take out the bind off and add the additional length that I truly desire.  This felt liberating, I had plenty of lace linen yarn left over and soon I would have the lace wrap I wanted. Right?  WRONG.

Which leads me to my second error....

Of course, I had woven in that end so well that it was impossible to find. So I decided to cut it, I have plenty of linen, no problem....right?

I don't no how to describe, without using a plethora of curse words, just how difficult it is to take apart the bind-off edge.  The linen lace has no give and of course I didn't do a simple bind off...............This may take the better part of today or days to do it.

Kind of reminds me of my Dad's words of wisdom......MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE.

In the long run, I knoiw I will be super happy. Stay tuned for some updated Carly pics.....hopefully soon.

In the meatime, here is a totally random picture for your enjoyment.....

He looks like how I'm feeling ......

Happy Knitting!

 

 

unbelievable

I am sitting on my balcony........ in the middle of March...... in CHICAGO........ and enjoying 63 degree temps.  The sun is warm and there are just enough clouds to let me write this outside.  LOVE IT!!!!!

Hey, maybe I will even get a little color ..... less paste is always good.

I'm inspired by this super nice day to get serious about re-outfitting the balcony.  Currently it is simply furnished with a few chairs, some end tables and a handy storage bench.  Perfect for having  friends and family over for cocktails, and balancing fish plates on our laps. 

But my goal is to get even more use out it and create something like this.....

plus a real table, for some serious dinners.   My balcony is similarly sized, maybe even a bit bigger. The real difference it that I don't have trees growing beside my balcony.....too high up.....only high-rises. 

So, I have the space, the challenge is the selecting plants that can withstand the occasional steady winds.  Don't get me wrong, some times its calm and pleasant,.....but other times.......wow wee....hold on Dorothy......

So back to plants, I think I need some hardy plants, maybe even evergreens as a base for my city oasis. I love geraniums, alot.....but my neighbors had them on their balcony and they took a beating.  I would love to figure out how to make them work, perhaps stratigic placement would do the trick, but I know they can get messy.....because of the wind.

I would also love to grow some potted tomato plants, simply because nothing beats a homegrown tomato.  Of course, I have never had the potted variety, but I would like to believe they are just as good as what comes out of my Dad's garden.  However, my friend Meg told me that because of the wind (there it is again, its always the wind) that it toughens the skins and they are not as good.  I believe her, but I would still like to try it out for myself.

I definitely need to do more research and ask alot of questions at the nursery.  If anyone has some insight on the subject, please chime in.....I need all the help I can get.

Have a great Sunday.  And now back to some knitting..... SURPRISED????

christmas countdown

Its amazing how a cold snap, a little snow, out-of-town gifts have been delivered and all the knitted gifts completed, can get me right into the holiday spirit.  I feel jubilant!

I still have a couple of last minute gifts to get, once that is completed, every thing is done..... EXCEPT... the wrapping. 

Wrapping gifts is funny.  I love a well wrapped gift, including a hand-tied bow with pretty ribbon.  History has showed me that the first of the gifts that get wrapped look beautiful with hand-tied bows, .... but then,..... the task gets tiresome and burdensome and my efforts seem to wane.

So this year, I bought a lot of pretty decorated boxes (so I could eliminate most of the gift wrapping) and focus on the pretty bows.  Well its a plan...... Lets see how that goes.

Before the gift wrapping gets into full-throttle, I still need to photograph all the knitted gifts, so I can share them on Ravelry.  In years past, this has been one of my shortfalls,  good intentions that didn't play out.  One year, I realized I didn't take any pictures until they were all wrapped.  No problem, I will take pictures of them once opened...... well that didn't happen either.

I will try to keep the camera handy this year in my gift wrapping frenzy......

 

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas and the time to enjoy those closest to you.

nose to the grindstone

Why is it? The happy thoughts of Christmas, holiday parties, holiday treats, the gathering of friends and family can easily turn one from happy & loving......to grinch-ey ....but  luckily......can turn back to happy & loving again.

It seems like every year, the thoughts of knitting gifts for my loved ones seems like an incredibly great idea..... BUT it never fails, once in the throws of my gift knitting I start feeling like my knitted gifts are more like chores (I don't really mean this, because I do love it). Adding pressure and tension by the looming deadline and sometimes even some resentment (I really don't mean this either, because I really do love it). That is, resenting that I'm not working on something lace or one of my own designs.

This year.  I have severely limited the amount of gifts I committed myself to knit.  Particially because I started much later than I would like to admit and secondly, I eliminated some projects/gifts that I had originally queued up, knowing that I just couldn't pull it off. 

But still like clockwork, I have gone through all of the positive as well, as negative emotions but am pleased to say, I am rounding the corner with and end in sight

12 Gifts completed.... 2 Gifts to finish knitting...... 2 Gifts to start knitting

 

KAL Stockholm Update

Completed Cowl using 2.3 hanks of Cascade 220.  I knit a 12" width verses 13" as written in the pattern.  It required little to no blocking......just a little misting to get all the stitches to "play nice".  It looks quite good and I think its recipient should love it.....

 

FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT, another random picture...... I don't know about you.....but I would love to find this under my Christmas Tree....... It's beautiful!

best friend lace scarf

Happy Thanksgiving

 I love Thanksgiving..... it's my favorite holiday.  I love that it is  a time to be deliberate about are gratitude.  I have so much to be grateful for that I could go on all day.

I am so grateful for my my readers who endure my unending prose on knitting or related topics and even sometimes unrelated topics. Thank you. I am grateful for my many friends and family who both share my passion of knitting. And for those who don't understand what all the fuss is about when it comes to my knitting, that they at least enjoy or perhapas tolerate receiving hand knit items.

To express my gratitude to my readers....... I would like to share the pattern for my Best Friend Lace Scarf.

This lace scarf came about because my very best friend, who NEVER wears much in the way of accessories, not to mention a lacey scarf......shared a story with me that she wore one of my "cast-off" (my words, not hers) lace scarves to a work and got raves and tons of compliments.  She even went so far to say, that she liked it too.

What knitter needs more encouragement than that. Right?  Well around the same time she saw me working with a self-striping yarn (a scarf for Xander) that she also commented that she liked.

Soooo..... I put two and two together and knew I had some Jojoland Melody (color MS18) in my stash and thought she might like it.......resulting in my Best Friend Lace Scarf.

This pattern can be done with ANY weight yarn, adjusting the needle sizes accordingly.

Materials:  I used a 440 yards of fingering weight on US #6 needle.

Finished Size: 7" x 86" (length is your preference of course or determined about the amout of yarn you have.) 

Abbreviations: pm = place marker, k = knit, p = purl, yo = yarnover, k2tog = knit two stitches together as one, k2togtbl = knit two stitches together as one thru the back loops, sk2p = slip 1 stitch knitwise to right-hand needle, k2tog, pass slip stitch over just knit stitch.

Best Friend Lace Scarf Pattern 

The pattern has a 3 stitch garter edge on each side of the knitted pattern.  These stitches are not included in the pattern, except to pm (place markers) on the Set Up row.

Cast on 37 stitches. Knit 6 rows (Garter stitch).

Set up row: k3, pm, purl to last 3 stitches, pm, k3

Row 1: k1, *yo, k2togtbl, k1, k2tog yo, k1....... rep from * to pm

Row 2 and all EVEN rows: Purl

Row 3:  k1, *yo, k1, sk2p, k1, yo, k1.....rep from * to pm

Row 5: k1, *k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2togtbl, k1......rep from * to pm

Row 7: k2tog, * k1, (yo, k1)2x, sk2p,......to last 5 stitches, k1, (yo, k1)2x, k2togtbl

Repeat rows 1 - 8 until desired length. Ending on Row 8. Knit 7 rows and bind off loosely as follows:

*p2tog, return this stitch from right hand needle to left hand needle ......repeat from * until all stitches have been bound off one at a time.

Weave in ends and block lightly.

 

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving......................and Thanks again!

 

31 Knitting Days till Christmas...........

Gifts Completed:  4

frugal

Feeling very frugal and I'm not sure why.

Frugal is not something I would say is my nature naturally, but definitely something that I grew up with...... (we re-used aluminum foil at my house).

In my search for a particular yarn in my stash, I came across many little bits of cotton yarn that was leftover from a multitude of face-cloth projects.  OK. True confessions, I do knit and/or crochet my own face-cloths because they are just sooo much nicer than anything store bought.  I know you are probably thinking I'm pulling your leg or just plain flipping out.... but its true.  I digress.

ANYWAY..... for some crazy reason, I got the idea to make a face-cloth out of all of them combined together for a homespun-y thing.  Can't explain it.....really.  In fact, I'm shaking my head in my own disbelief while I write this post.

 

Crazy! Right?

Getting back to my yarn search and to make this crazy story go on and on......... the yarn I was looking for was Jojoland Melody, a self-stripeing fingering weight yarn. 

My dear friend recently told me about all the compliments she got at work when she was wearing a lace scarf I had knit her. And also recently, after showing her the scarf and mitts I made for Xander, she told me how much she loved the self-stripeing yarn.  So I got to thinking......always dangerous.....thought I could put them together for another scarf for her.

 

I promise to keep you entertained by showing you pictures of both of these projects as they near completion.  

Hope you had a good week and wishing you a relaxing weekend.

Happy Knitting!

 

7 weeks till christmas

7 weeks or 48 days till Christmas Day.....OH MY!

As much as I talked about and thought (or rather, told myself) I was getting a jump on my holiday knitting...... I haven't.  YIKES!

Yesterday I finished knitting mittens and a scarf for Xander.  Not really a fair measure of knocking out some knitwear, since he is two years old and his knitted apparel is wee.  But none the less one done....check!

I knitted Xander's scarf and mitts out of Lang Tosca Light, a self striping yarn with long color repeats in colorway 777-16.  Its a superwash wool and acrylic blend.

In the next 7 weeks, I am going to shoot for knitting  2 to 3 pairs of knitted socks, a knitted lacey infinity scarf/cowl, a  knit hat and another scarf. I also think I better add an icord to Xanders mittens, otherwise they may not make it to the New Year.  Plus I want to continue knitting and working on some of my own designs.  I think my knit list is fairly do-able BUT I must......focus, focus, focus.

Stay tuned.....news at 11.

Happy Knitting!

the 3 day mistake

It happened so quickly........everything "seemed" like it was going so well. 

Until I spotted it, two rows back, two side-by-side decresed done a stitch out of sequence. Within the intricacies of my knitted lace wrap, it all seemed so minimal and would not be noticed....right?  Besides to go back and fix them would have required me going back stitch by stitch or un-knitting. Every other stitch was a twisted (on purpose) stitch and the yarn seems to be-on-the-move when left unattended......therefore leaving me less confident to rip back.

So it was a judgement call..... right?  

So I proceeded to knit my heart out and two and a half repeats or 10 rows later came my "day of reckoning". My simple mistake looked HORRIBLE and stuck out like a "sore thumb".

How could I have made this blunder....... I totally know better.......OOFDAH!!!!!!

So instead of working unknitting stitch by stitch for 2 rows..... I now have a 10 ROW MISTAKE..... taking out each stitch one by one.

Oh....the shame.... OH THE PAIN....... and yes three days later, thats right, 3 days later, I fixed my mistake and am back to knitting...... more carefully, I might add.

Moral of this story...... 2 rows which seemed ever so painful at the moment, paled in comparison when it turned into 10. 

OR ....

A STICH IN TIME SAVES NINE!

 

Another random picture to share...... Enjoy!

 

Happy Knitting!

 

san francisco treats

On a recent trip to San Francisco, it proved to be just chock full of San Francisco treats..... and I'm not talking about Rice-a-Roni.  I enjoyed doing some of the tourist-y things.  Here are some pictures of a few of them,

 

 

I did get to ride the famous Trolley cars.....it was quite fun but those hills....so steep....wow wee.

 
 

Sourdough bread or sourdough anything?

 

Oops ..... sorry about the missing bite..... I just couldn't resist...... yum yum.

 

The fog.  It was very foggy and I took tons of pictures that are masked with the haze.

 

The flora.  I am a sucker for beautiful flowers and here are a few I just have to share.

 

 

 

 

The painted ladies.  They are beautiful.  However, I was surprised by this famous (Full House) landmark....they seemed like they could use a fresh coat of paint. 

  

The road to Twin Peaks........ curvey

 

Tartine's Morning Bun. INCREDIBLE! And highly recommended.  I was lucky enough that a customer recommended it to me, when she heard I was going to San Francisco and planning on visiting ImagiKnit (its just down the street).  I had the squash and sun-dried tomato quiche and of course, the famous Morning Bun.

  

And of course ..... a yarn store..... ImagiKint

 

 

 

It  was a super great trip with lots of shopping, eating, sightseeing and exploring.

Lastly, one random picture to share.....

Happy Knitting! 

 

 

its not easy being green

I am not really a green (the color) person by nature, but for some reason I have been in pursuit of green.  It all started with the infamous green shoes.  I have never owned green shoes before (until now) and I can't really explain why I had to have them ...... but I did....

So....this led to the search for the perfect green yarn for the perfect accessory to my beautiful green shoes. I found Madelintosh Tosh Lace in Thyme which I was sure to satisfy my accessory notion.

 

And recently started a knit lace wrap that I think will be perfect accessory and works perfectly with the yarn construction. (The Tosh Lace is tightly plied and knits up differently than other laceweight yarns I have worked with previously).

Then......dun dun dun duuunnnn....... there was Stitches Midwest.  Where I found myself drawn to more green laceweight yarn.   

 
 This is Ivy Brambles Romantica (above) 100% merino laceweight yarn in colorway Pine Tree (1000 yards per hank). My photo really doesn't do the color justice.  Anyway,  it is a perfect match to my shoes.

 
Then...... there was Miss Babs Yasmin Lace (above) 80% merino wool 20% tussah silk, 1250 yards in colorway Nori.  Which looks forest green in my picture, but is really more like a dark olive color. It doesn't match the shoes but it blends beautifully with them.

 

Now I have enough yarn for three knitted lace wraps.... in green..... to go with ONE pair of green shoes.  Got to ask the obvious question.......

Will this ONE pair of green shoes survive the knitting and wearing of THREE knitted lace wraps ......

OR......

are there more green shoes in my future?  I guess I could have worse problems....blush.


Enough about green!

 

On a separate topic..... I have decided to include in each post in the forseeable future a random picture (and I do mean random) of something I have seen or found that may or most likely may not have anything to do with anything......

Are you ready?

 

Happy Knitting!

 

 

 

 

some random updates

My knitting time seems to have taken a big cut..... so any free time I do get, I try to knit. Sometimes in the most unusual places.  This past weekend, I felt like I was on the go a bit more than usual. I wanted to make Xander a pair of socks, which was the perfect knitting project to tuck into my handbag and have ready to go. 

Probably the most unusual place I have ever knit was at a casino.  I'm not a gambler at all. In fact I find, if or when I have tried my hand at it, I tend to look at the lost money as lost things;  like I just lost a new pair of shoes or worse yet....YARN.

But what I recently learned is that people who frequent casinos.... stay away, far away from pointy sticks. Its almost like my knitting was a counterculture.  So for me, I got hours of uninterrupted knitting time in, with an occassional free drink delivered to me.  What could be better......

Project Updates......

 
Xander's socks should be finished in time for his birthday party. I knitting these with Cascade Heritage Paints Sock Yarn.

 

The lace wrap/scarf I have been knitting with It's Native by Dream in Color has enough yarn for about 2 more repeats before its complete.  I am anxious to get it on the blocking board.  I have decided to call it Glen Coe because the pattern reminds me of the hilly terrain.

 
I am on the foot of sock #2 out of Malabrigo Sock on my Guilded Sock Pattern (not published yet).

Feeling very independent, I broke out some Wagtail mohair that has been sitting in my stash. Its better than dessert!  More later on that one.

I have a few other project in the wings, but realistically I won't be pulling those out till Fall.

one of those weeks

Happy Summer Soltice!

Ever have one of those days weeks where you feel like you are just off your game..... that was me this last week.

I can actually pin down the cause(s).  And you won't believe it.  I bought a new netbook (its so little, lightweight and cute) for traveling, so I didn't have to lug my 17" laptop (definitely more cumbersome). I was so excited to blog and share lots of news, trend, direction, new items and photos of the knitting famous (like Barbara Walker, Norah Gaughan, Ysolda Teague to name a few) from TNNA.  Then it happened....

The first day started with only about 4 hours sleep, early travel with crazy storms and lots of classes. I think the lack of sleep took its toll.....result no blogging....but not the cause.

Next day, started early, chalked full of classes and speakers (which were all great) that lasted all day.   Came back to the hotel, ready to write and load all the photos I took and that's when it happened......

I went to download the photos I took and my new netbook would not allow me to select the photos to download.  It would only give me the option to download ALL photos....which is like a gajillion and I knew that my cute little netbook had limited memory, which I was certain a gajillion would blow it up.  (Later I found out that my netbooks memory could have handled it.....argh).

BUT that little setback of downloading photos is what I am blaming the cause of the tumble.  Going from "so excited" about sharing all the great new things at TNNA.... to nothing.  This translated to a week of no blogging and worse yet, no knitting.  I have not knit or had the desire to knit for more than a week.  TAKE MY TEMPERATURE, PLEASE!!!!!

I hope this post will snap me out of it..... on all fronts.

Hope you have a good rest of week and a lovely weekend.  By the way, Taste of Chicago starts this weekend..... always lots of fun!

 

some rambling

Some rambling and a quick update.

Recently, I had gotten some disheartening news that took its toll on me. I learned or rather was reminded that its so importnant to enjoy and appreciate those in your life right now. I also learned that instead of feeling hurt, that I'm grateful for the opportunities I have been blessed with.  I know this must sound mysterious, but those who know me best will understand.

My gift knitting or finishing large project knitting has taken over.  I truly enjoy knitting gifts for others BUT it has a way of turning into "duty" knitting, which is not so much fun.  I guess that's not entirely true.  I am so happy when each gift is completed and I am able to move on. The knitted gift list plan (I'm almost afraid to detail it because it may inset instant panic). One sweater, seven pairs of socks (this is not for one person, you know who you are), one scarf, four hats and two toys......and I have 11 weeks to go....YIKES!

The Great Blanket Race has taken a slight back seat. For a quick blanket update: My Reversible Eyelet Check Blanket (Teal Blue) is now 72% complete and the crochet retro ripple afghan has been set aside, but will pick it back up after the holidays.

I have a few knitting patterns that are in various stages from near publication (of which there is one), to on the needles (there are 2), to swatching (there are 3),  to just sketches (there are 2). Of course, these projects are mostly on hold while gift knitting takes center stage. All in the hope that this will make my life a little less crazy in December when the calendar races by and the clock is ticking and... and... and....  However, I do try to sneak some work on them now and then.....its hard to resist.

feeling blue

Believe me I have noticed.  It seems like most everything I am knitting is a beautiful teal turquoise sort of blue....not that there is anything wrong with that.  Clearly I love blue, but not just any blue, its the greek isles, caribbean watery blues that call my name these days. 

Is it a gravitational pull?  Magnets?  Is it seasonal?  Do I want to go on vacation? (the answer to that question is always, YES!)  Who knows what draws us to one color verses another?  Oooo....I wonder if anyone has ever done a study on that.... I'd love to know more.

To make matters more blue, I have a couple more projects in the wings that are that same flavor of blue. Please endure, as I look onto my stash of pretties there is a lot of purpley chocolate browns in my future.  I love richness of that color too.

much ado about nothing

While running errands yesterday opportunities presented itself all around me to wait.  And since I had the presence of mind to tuck in my music box inspired sock design in my bag, I was able to knock out a few rows here and there.......

So...... I got to thinking, knitting (or crocheting) is a no fuss, easy set up, sneak a few minutes in here of there hobby.  Lets say I have 15 minutes to kill or wait.... Scrapbooking? That won't work, to much set up time, lots of tabletop space required, lots of equipment and not to mention the time to pack it back up.  Painting? to bulky, to messy and lots of set up/take down time.......by the time you get everything set up, your 15 minutes have passed......the same is true with pottery, weaving, stamp collecting and many others.

Don't get me wrong.... I admire all creative hobbies and those who are skilled at them.  I'm just saying that knitting (or crocheting) is perfect for filling random minutes thru the day. Pick it up, do a half a row, set it down and easy to pick it right back up from where you left it. There is no mandatory minimum amount of time.

I will also remember that if I only knit 15 minutes a day, it may take me months to finish a pair of socks.

 

ramblings

Two weeks of family visits, Xanders's 1st birthday party and a holiday, call for a little  decompression time.....better know as a self-proclaimed knit break.

Some updates:

My latest lace shawl design is more than halfway completed, so onto the final stretch. Here are some unblocked pic. ( I kind of hate to share this, because once its blocked it will look dramatically different.

 

Aside from a rouge scissors mishap requiring some emergency "drop-everything-repair", everything is going very well and I'm extremely pleased with the outcome. Quite frankly, I can't wait to publish it.

My traveling sock has not really gotten out of its project bag, since most of my traveling has been tied up in errands and multiple trips to Target, Walgreen's and Whole Foods for party and everyday necessities.

Of course, I have to share at least one picturefrom Xanders 1st Birthday party