Lace Blocking

Mystic Waters was completed a week ago, and it's currently blocking. Hopefully, it will come out fine; I really have no idea what I'm doing! Pixisis (from Monday's SnB) offered a couple of really good tips: Mist the shawl (instead of soaking it), and pull it out gently at first; it can always be blocked more severly later. The blocking board that I used are the foam interlocking mats (intended as flooring), purchased from the home improvement store. As space is a premium, and there isn't a spare bed, the mats were a good choice. Almost ran out of pins though.

I had lunch with Mom yesterday for her birthday, and showed her the (unblocked) shawl. She liked the design and really liked the color.

Meanwhile, I've started a pair of charcoal gray wool/silk ribbed socks for Dave. The Christmas list (Socks for Everyone!) went well, but it was Socks for Many but not everyone. After the ribbed socks, it's more shawls: the Leaf Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark, and the two shawl KALs which start in January: Spring Shawl Surprise, and Secret of the Stole ii (both Yahoo & Ravelry groups). New yarn was purchased: Malabrigo Lace in Emerald and Misti Alpaca Lace in a sage green.

Mystic Waters......

More lace knitting, and for some reason, it's been my exclusive project for the past couple of weeks. All else has been ignored, even CHRISTMAS KNITTING! Actually, I've done much more knitting this Christmas than I've ever done. It's ok.....

So, Clue 3 is finished! Reading the chart has become easier, and the design is really starting to show, and make a bit more sense to me.



The variegated red has a tendency to hide the pretty design, however, it also will hide any mistakes! For the next project, though, I think that I'd match an intricate design with a solid color, and a repetitive design with either a variegated or a solid one. Yes, another (lace) lesson learned!

Mystic Waters

WHAT IS IT? IS IT A DOILY? LACE UNDERWEAR?

NO! It's Mystic Waters!

Lace knitting and wraps may be making a fashion comeback, however, there's clearly more work to be done!! Yes, three separate people asked the above questions. Hmm....who wears lace wool underwear?

Well, I'm proud to say that Clue #2 is done! The pattern is not a repeating one, and carefully reading the chart is really important. Knitting is going smoother now, with less frogging, as my chart reading has improved. In addition to the magnet under the current row, I'm also using a magnet to highlight the cell I'm on, and moving it along every series of stitches. Lace knitting....challenging.....and fun?

Lessons in Lace

Lace knitting really is different and a challenge. For one thing, "holes" in the knitting are part of the pattern, and not a mistake to be fixed. Some tips which have helped me in kniting lace and working from the chart:

1. Place a stitch marker just before the center stitch, and also where one chart ends. The Mystic Waters shawl is large enough that it spans three charts wide.

2. Use a metal cookie sheet and a long strip magnet to mark the current row. Place a check mark next to each completed row.

3. Count the stitches after each completed row (every 2 rows in Mystic Waters) to make sure that the stitch count is correct. If the count is off, there is a mistake somewhere. I also mark the stitch count on the side of each row on the chart. Mystic Waters is a triangular shawl which increases 1 stitch on each right hand side row.

Despite these tips gleaned from the KAL, I'm finding that this shawl has been slow going and there's been quite a bit of frogging. Still, I've finished Clue 1! Perhaps it would have been wiser to begin lace knitting with a smaller project...........

Mystic Waters

Mystic Waters, a lace shawl KAL, will be my first lace project. There has been much indecision and angst in choosing:

• yarn (color and weight)


• size of needle

After much frogging (much needed practice!) and trying out different needles and yarns, I finally settled on a red variegated laceweight yarn from handpaintedyarns.com, and a size 4 needle. Much of the indecision was due to not really understanding how the lace should look. For example, how open should the project be? Does it look better when it's tighter or more open? Here's the first 78 rows:

Finished Projects

I've been spending some time on ravelry, posting some previous and current projects, and also inputting some yarn, not to mention browsing to see what fellow knitters are working on. It will take some time to record the yarn that I currently have, but it will be worth it.

Christmas is fast approaching, and the list is getting a bit shorter as some of the socks are completed. Mark's brown (Sockamania Elegance) socks are finished, and Megan's snowflake socks are done. For some reason, I put this project aside for 1 1/2 months with one repeat of the pattern and the toe to go. At least it's finished now!

The MAN socks left will be a bit troublesome to complete, as all of the rest of the receipients like a SIMPLE pattern (knit and purl, nothing fancy), and I'd like to work some sort of pattern. Perhaps a compromise? Maybe something in Sensational Socks will work?

Meanwhile, I'm a bit stalled on the Mystic Waters KAL. A choice of yarn has been made, and I'm waiting for some needles. If I spend too much time on the knit along, the remaining Christmas socks won't be done.

October Elegance Socks

Very easy pattern, and a quick knit! This pair is for Mark, for Christmas.

The Friday before Rhinebeck, I was invited to join Ravelry. Ravelry is very fun; it's not a blog, but more of a photo, project, yarn, sharing, chatting site. Basically for those who like to cruise the organizer aisle at their local store, can't get enough of HGTV, or just dream of being organized, it's complete nirvana. Even those who aren't interested in organizing will find themselves cataloging their projects, yarn, size needles, etc. It's like an online knitter's notebook. My name on ravelry is ladysslipper.

Also joined another KAL, Mystic Waters. It's a lace shawl, and clue #1 has been released. The yarn which I chose in Rhinebeck was lighter than the yarn recommended; the yardage was right, but it was 100 grams versus the 200 grams recommended. The swatch and the initial 28 rows seems rather small and lightweight. I'll have to decide whether to use this yarn- and have a lighter and smaller shawl- or shop again for a heavier laceweight yarn. The decision is tougher as this will be my first lace project. It's already freaking me out that there are HOLES in the knitting that are SUPPOSED TO BE THERE! :O

Rhinebeck

Traveled to Rhinebeck on Sunday along with a busload of crazy knitters. It started really early in the morning; rising at 5:30 to leave by 6 to drive 1/2 hour to get the chartered bus. The drive up was very scenic, with the autumn colors at their peak. The bus arrived at the New York Sheep and Wool early, and we were able to browse many of the shops before the crowds arrived. The products at the fair ranged from yarn, to spinning and weaving supplies, every type of knitting needle/yarn accessory, to rugs, hand made slippers and earmuffs. Although there were many choices of food, there were many lamb related choices, including the lamb chili, offered by the 4-H tent, which was (surprisingly) excellent. The sheep judging was quite interesting, and I enjoyed knitting while learning about the many types of sheep. There was also a canine frisbee show which was quite amazing.

As far as purchases, I was quite conservative. I bought some supplies for the Mystic Waters Knit a Long-1300 yds of lace-weight wool, circular needles, and a knitting guage to replace the one which was broken. There was a unique shop which sold leather handles for bags, and the bagaholic in me couldn't resist purchasing two handles for bags which I'll have to make to match the handles! Doesn't make a great deal of sense.........

When we all returned to the bus, it was apparent that some bought a few things and others went wild! After leaving Rhinebeck, we traveled to Morehouse Farm in Red Hook, New York. Very nice shop, with much too many choices of yarn! It's closing its store and staying open as an internet store. As a joke to my husband, I brought home a stuffed ram. I had joked that I was bringing home some sheep. Near the yarn shop was a very large fork (25-30 ft high) which bore a sign "fork in the road". No pictures of scenery, people, Rhinebeck or the unusual fork, as I left the camera at home.

The trip home was very fun as "Alpacca Annie" recounted a story about a casmere sweater which she had knit which had turned out too small. She frogged the sweater and set it aside, and lost track of it. When her bathroom was being renovated, her son found a mouse nest which was made of the casmere yarn. Many jokes arose from this story! Gotta give the mouse a lot of credit for its taste in picking out the softest, expensive yarn.

Very interesting fair, and a nice family destination, not just for crazy yarnies!

Just knitting along

Last week, I mailed two pairs of Men's leisure socks to Socks for Soldiers. This brings my contribution to date to 6 pairs. I'm definitely not a big supporter of the war in Iraq, however, my hope is that the handknit socks will bring some comfort to our soldiers, and remind them of home.

Knitting for Christmas is going pretty well. OTN is the Snowflake Sock design from Fall 2007 Interweave Knits. It's been a while since I've knit a two color design, and they were a bit tight at first. This actually will work out better, as they will fit my younger niece. Finished sock #1, and expect to finish the second sock later in the week. It was really tough going until I enlarged the pattern on the copier. In the magazine, the snowflake chart is 27 sts wide and 14 rows high, yet was only 1 x 2 inches.

I really love the new Interweave Magazine. Before receiving this issue, I was thinking about cancelling the magazine. The projects were a bit too trendy, and there were too many larger projects, and too few smaller projects in it. This month's was a good mix of trendy and traditional, small and large projects, and will better fit the wide range of family and friends I'm knitting for. The new editor really made an impact with her first issue.

Today began with a trip to the Coventry Farmer's Market. This Sunday, it was called "Fiber Twist". It was a small fairgrounds and there were lots of people! In addition to the fruit, vegetables, maple syrup and jams, there were goats, llama, sheep, and angora rabbits, and all types of fiber artists. The demonstration of yarn dyeing was interesting, and there were quite a few spinners. DH noticed that all of the spinners were pedaling wearing only socks; I wonder if this is very common? We picked up some jam (raspberry rhubarb), vegetables, and two skeins of yarn (great self-restraint!).

We ate lunch out, and had a nice walk along the beach. Back home, and time to catch up on housework, and later some cooking.

I like quiche, and I cook every day, but this is the first time that I've made quiche.

Finished Projects

The red white and blue socks for Socks for Soldiers are done, and I'm also on sock one of another pair. They are in a more subdued color, a grey multicolor.



Took a brief break from socks and knit this pink beanie. The pattern is "fuchsia", and from Emma King's "Fun and funky Knitting". I'm not even close to a hip and trendy knitter, but this book has some nice hats in it, perfect for gifts for younger relatives. I liked the end result so much, that I think that I'll make another one, maybe for another gift, or even for me.

The Christmas gift tally is looking better; slowly crossing off names from the list. Back to knitting.......

Vacation knitting

It's great being on vacation. We're missing the traditional family vacation this year as my husband started a new job, and is not able to get away. Instead, it's a few day trips, some knitting, walking by the beach, some Back to School shopping, and some shameless slacking on my part. I was able to join the weekly knitting group which meets early Monday afternoon. There were many new faces and a couple of familiar ones. Projects ranged from socks, "double knitting" a blanket in a pattern (would love to try it!) to a baby hat. The group met at a Starbucks next to our LYS.

It's the second month since I joined Sockamania, and I've managed to complete both months of socks (just) in time. August's pattern, Spiralling Socks, by Anni, was interesting, and easy to follow. This pair are a Christmas present for one of my nieces.



The current project is for Socks for Soldiers. Kim runs fun contests for the group, and the yarn was won in a Fourth of July contest. I'm a bit embarrassed that it's been sitting around since then, and I've started a pair of soldier leisure socks. The self striping yarn is kind of fun; very patriotic!

Socks

Beginning in July, I've started (sock) knitting for the family for Christmas. The tally is four completed, and two pairs on the needles. The last pair completed is the blue pair below, in Cherry Tree Hill yarn, using a Nancy Bush pattern, Conwy, from her book, "Knitting on the Road". The bright red socks are Sockamania's July Serpentine Socks.



The August pattern for Sockamania is a Spiralling pattern, which was started approximately a week ago. As a cable-lover, I enjoyed the Serpentine socks better, but the spiral pattern is interesting as well. Am still on sock #1 as knitting time was limited last week. After finishing this pattern, I'll take a break from the Christmas knitting, and knit a pair for Socks for Soldiers.

Progress so far on August Sockamania:
The yarn is Opal, and the colorway is "Frosch". Yep, the pictures on the labels always help, as the label is almost totally written in German. Learning Latin in high school has helped me greatly but doesn't help me in the least with deciphering German! There are pics of some other colorways on the label as well.

Opal's "Tiger" colorway looks like fun, and has the color of a Siberian Tiger, or perhaps, my marmalade tiger:

The Yarn Harlot

Last Friday, I listened to the Yarn Harlot speak at a local bookstore. It had been a tough day at work, and I almost missed it, thinking that it would be easier to go straight home rather than fight rush hour traffic to get there. In the end, I went, and was glad that I did. Stephanie was very funny, as she took her traditional sock/audience picture, and spoke about stash, yarn, and misconceptions people had about knitters. Although some of her talk included material from her books and her blog, her personality brought the material to life, making it much funnier! We weren't as wild a bunch as in Boston, where some wild knitters threw panties! She also spoke about the generosity of knitters, and collected hats for a local shelter.

July's Serpentine Socks finished

Here's the Sockamania Club Knitalong's July socks which I was able to finish on time despite the frogging. They are pictured with one of my grapevine baskets. Enjoyed the toe-up pattern, and the heel short row's technique, which resulted in a better finished appearance. It will be interesting to see what August's pattern is like. Thanks, Anni, for the Knitalong and the original pattern! In the meantime, I'm working on sock #2 of a Nancy Bush pattern and a pair of Men's ribbed socks at work. Both are Christmas presents, so no hurry.

Serpentine is Fine

Started the Sockamania pattern, Serpentine. The pattern is interesting, yet it's relatively easy to remember. The Nancy Bush pattern which I just completed was so complicated, that I had to enlarge the charted pattern and tally the rows. The serpentine pattern is toe-up, and is the second pair that I've done using the technique. The toe-up was fine, however, I'm having a problem with (ignoring) the gauge. The difference in gauge was 6 1/2 sts per inch (my sock) to 8 inches (pattern). Oh well, after all the knitting I've done, I should know better!



Time to begin again!

Joined Sockamania

Who can resist a sock knitalong with a new original pattern each month AND a prize drawing for those who complete the sock during the month? This one looks like fun! I'm going to set aside the current project (ok, projects!) and make July's sock! It's toe-up and called Serpentine! Many thanks to Anni for the knitalong, her patterns, and her hard work.

As I currently have too much yarn, I will try to:




See Wendy's rules for "Knitting from the stash"; especially the exceptions. :)

Sunday at Block Island

Spent a wonderful Sunday on Block Island. The temperature at home was forecast to be over 90 degrees, and a day trip to the shore was just the thing to do. The ferry ride seemed to go quickly, even for my landlubber DH. It had been years since I last visited, when the children were babies. The Island, in many instances was the same- the "downtown harbour area" had the same hotels and buildings, however, there was much that was different. There seemed to be a great deal more bicycle and moped rentals, and a few more storefronts.
When we originaly planned the trip, we thought that we might rent mopeds, but instead, decided to walk. I think that some of the things that we saw that day we would have missed on a moped. We walked a couple of nature conservacy trails, saw some interesting birds:














and an unexpected collection of animals which a hotel kept.

I'm not even sure what animal this was, way up in the pasture. It might be a Yak, or water buffalo, or something else? It was very shaggy. The only sign called this animal Mr. McGruff, and warned people to stay away from its horns.














We had lunch and a drink in a nice hotel restaurant which had a large covered porch.
By the end of the day, we were exhausted by all the walking: along the shore, nature trails, through town. Maybe next time we'll try the mopeds, and a swim.

Still knitting, but not blogging

Completed..........a Nancy Bush sock pattern, using a very soft, handpainted merino. The pattern was called "Canal Du Midi", from her Knitting on the Road book. It has an intricate pattern in the center of the sock. It may not show up very well in this picture:

Last Sunday afternoon, I went to a Stitch 'n Bitch meeting. It's a fun, chatty group, and it's always interesting to see what everyone is working on. The topic of yarn winders and swifts came up, and Karen mentioned that there were easy directions for a swift on www.craftster.org. Found the pattern last week, and put it together between Saturday and Sunday. The hardest part was finding the parts at the local home improvement store, especially the dowels. Although easy to put together, it took a bit longer than the 2-3 hour estimate. It works pretty well, and comes apart easy for storage.


Currently on the needles is the first sock of a pair of black socks (Cherry Tree Hill), which will most likely be a Christmas present.

It's been such beautiful weather, that I've been knitting outside on the deck, and even at the beach! The cats have been spending more time outdoors, hunting and lounging. Here's Mindy:

More Socks for Soldiers, Memorial Day

Last weekend, I completed the two pairs of (Woman's) leisure socks for Socks for Soldiers. The socks have been received by Kim, and will be packed up and mailed along with all of the other socks and supplies sent by members of the group. It's fitting that the many soldier packages will be mailed during the Memorial Day weekend. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill, and the color is Blueberry Hill.

Last Saturday was a serious sale at a LYS celebrating its 2 year anniversary (40% off before 9, and 35% off after 9). Bought a generous bagful of yarn, and a book (The Knitted Teddy Bear by Sandra Polley).

Current projects include an at-home project (pair of socks for me), and an at-work project (pair of socks for co-worker). Looking forward to some down-time this weekend to catch up on housework, hobbies, a very small amount of home improvement, and some serious relaxing.

Handpainted Merino socks for MK

I've been knitting but not posting this past month. My favorite project was knitting a pair of socks for a coworker, MK. The yarn was beautiful, and was handpainted merino. It was so smooth, and wonderful to work with. Sometimes it's tough to give away a pair of socks.



Usually I'm working on one pair at a time, but currently have more than one in the works. There is a pair of socks for another coworker, LK, and a pair for SFS (Socks for Soldiers). The yarn for SFS is Cherry Tree Hill, and is variegated with purples and greens, and called Blueberry Hill. I have two skeins, and will be completing two pairs. The yarn for LK's socks is Lana Grossa. After the handpainted merino, it's a bit of a disappointment, as it's more "wooly" and less smooth.

Gettin' It Done

I finished sewing up one of the blankets for the Grandmother Purl Project. At first, I was overwhelmed by the different colors, but remembered a color theory (quilting) class that I took, and was able to organize the squares into rows.

Here's the completed blanket. It took an entire day to put together. It's done and ready to be mailed.


Also completed this week is a second pair of "Big Black Socks" for Socks for Soldiers. It's a size 11/12 Men's pair. Also including some sock yarn for the donation basket. Ready to go! As Sarge (Kim) says, Get R Done!


It's time to have the morning coffee, clean the house, do laundry, and get ready for Easter! Happy Knitting!

Grandmother Purl Afghan

Over the weekend, I received a package of squares from Kristy of Grandmother Purl's Afghan. The first afghan was put together and given to Grandmother Purl, and the remaining squares are being assembled into two additional blankets for friends of Grandmother Purl by Cathy(me) and Ruth. Interested to see if your square was part of the package? See the flickr set on the sidebar for photographs of each of the squares.

The squares will be assembled 6 wide x 6 long, and there will be one square leftover. I've already laid out the squares and decided on a layout, but that will remain a mystery for now. Wish me luck, as the afghan that Kristy put together looks great!

Sleet, Snow, and Socks for Soldiers

Just when it seemed that spring was here, the Northeast - along with much of the northern half of the country - was hit by a storm which included snow, and sleet. It began as snow Friday morning, then switched to sleet around 4 pm, and ended early this morning. Traveling home from work yesterday was very slow and slippery, as I traveled 10-20 mph all the way over poorly plowed or unplowed roads. Today, it's sunny and starting to melt.

This morning, I spied the wild turkey in the woods. He likes to visit on an almost daily basis, and often likes to perch on the deck railing and is not perturbed by our two cats and a dog.


This week I've been working on the second pair of BBS (Big Black Socks) for Socks for Soldiers . Will finish up the first sock today, and start the second. The second pair is easier than the first. The long 12" of ribbing for the cuff is the hardest part.
Kim, aka Sarge, leads the SFS group, and often runs contests, and awards yarn to be used for BBS or for leisure socks for the troops. The grey and blue yarn was a prize, and will be the next sock project.

Blue Socks

Finished a pair of "Man's socks" using Regia Silk. Although the pattern was rather ordinary, the yarn is one of my favorites to knit with, to wear, and to give as a gift. The silk really blends well with the wool, adding a bit of luxury.


I've started another pair of Black Socks for Soldiers, and depending on my free time, they should be done in a week or so.

It was an extraordinarily sunny and mild day today, and I spent most of the day outside, cleaning the yard, and clearing the flower garden of stalks and leaves. Also swept and cleaned out the garage, and vacuumed the car. A bit of spring cleaning, perhaps?

Socks for Mom

Last weekend, I completed a pair of socks for Mom, and mailed them on Monday. Wrote a heartfelt thank you with the socks, for all the love and support that she's shown over the years. Felt really good. The sock pattern was "Roza's socks" by Grumperina, in Interweave Knits, Spring 2007, and is a brioche and rib pattern. The yarn was Lana Grossa, Mega Boots Stretch. The yarn was great, will definitely use it again. Here's the socks:
Warning: unnecessary Cat photo with knitted socks.

Am really looking forward to a package of squares from Kristy of Knit a Square for Grandmother Purl. The squares that were made for the project are so nice, and it will be fun to assemble the squares. Visit Knit a Square for Grandmother Purl for pictures of the squares, and the first completed blanket, to be posted soon.

Socks for Soldiers

Although I'm not a supporter of the war in Iraq, supporting our troops overseas is the reason why I joined the Socks for Soldiers group, and decided to knit at least one pair of socks. The specs for the socks are very specific, from the type of yarn (from the approved list of wool blends) to the color (has to be black) to the length of the cuff (12 inches!). The long cuff is needed so that the socks are above the boots. The toughest part for me was the length of the ribbing at the cuff, as I chose to make the entire 12 inches in 2x2 ribbing and to continue the ribbing down the top of the sock for a closer fit. This pair is going in the mail tomorrow:


Here is a closer picture, but the camera's flash caused the socks to appear gray.