I finished a One Row Scarf – Classic Elite Renaissance, US size 8 needles.
I finished a nice hat – US size 8 circs and dpns, in Philosopher’s Wool, light purple heather. No particular pattern.
And I’ve started a sock. Toe up with a heel flap, for dasHusband. US size 1 needles, Lane Cervinia Forever sock yarn.
I finished Stephanie’s SnowDrop Shawl (pattern is a pdf) yesterday! I cast on in December ’06, so it only took me a year and a half.
This was knit in KnitPicks Bare merino laceweight, and used slightly less then one full skein on 4mm needles.
Note that the ends are not yet woven in. Note that they have been worn. She likes her socks. These are generic toe up socks, knit on two circs (US size 1), out of KnitPicks Essential, a 75% superwash wool/25% nylon blend. She calls them ‘watermelon socks’. Don’t ask me why.
Socks. Plain blue socks knit toe up on size one US needles. No real pattern – just a turkish cast on toe and short row heel. This is YarnArt Wool, a nice basic sock wool which I like because it is inexpensive and comes in solid colors. Am I the only person in the world who likes solid color yarns? It feels like it sometimes.
This is the mostly – it still needs blocking, and packing, and shipping. Charlene Schurch’s Norwegian Star Cap, from her book ‘Hats On’ , knit in Nature Spun worsted wool. Size six and four US needles.
I’ve finished my mittens! This is the basic mitten pattern from Ann Budd’s book “A Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns” knitted in Wisdom Yarn’s Poems, on size 3 dpns. They do not match – I did the gusset increases and mitten top decrease differently on the second mitten, to make it fit a little more closely. Another change to the pattern on each mitten – I picked up five stitches across the top of the gusset rather then just one – picking up just one left noticeable holes that then had to be woven over during finishing. Picking up five made a nicer thumb join, with minimal holes.
I am also plugging away at the sweater sampler I am working on (from Jacqueline Fee’s “The Sweater Workshop”). So far I have knit plackets and pockets and stripes and all kinds of ribbing and all kinds of increases and and and… It’s a fun project and I am learning a lot.
Liesel is coming along okay – the Lopi that I am using is a pretty scratchy yarn, so I’m not marathon knitting it – just a couple of pattern repeats a day. The lace pattern is really lovely, and it’s perfect in this color – all bronze and coppery, like autumn leaves. And once I block it and give a dip in some conditioner water it will be soft enough to wear – not soft soft, but soft enough. I experimented on the swatch, and it worked up fine.
Liesel (scroll down) is on size 8US needles, being knit in Lopi Lite, from Reynolds.
I also knit a hat today – dasHusband is off fishing with his dad, so the Bee and I have been watching LOTR, having a tea party (complete with the good china teacups!), and knitting. My MIL has asked if I could send some simple kids knits her way for her school – they try to keep a box of hats and stuff for kids that need them, so I’m making plain hats and ribbed scarves, and I’ll do up a few sets of mittens too.
Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick, on size 11 needles. Ann Budd’s basic hat pattern from her great book “A knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns”. I knit it flat and seamed it, since my supply of DPN’s in larger sizes is inadequate.
Here is the FO picture of the Reilly Irish Hiking Scarf — it never did make it to the family reunion, because it didn’t dry out in time. This yarn took up a ton of water, and stretched amazingly when I blocked it. Size 10.5US needles, Araucania Nature Wool chunky, the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern from Hello Yarn, slightly modified.
And this is the beginning of my AGG knitting! The sweater sampler from Jacqueline Fee’s book The Sweater Workshop. It is worked in the round (I’m using size 8 us 16″ needles) and takes you through all the various techniques you’ll need to knit a sweater in the round. I’m using a skein of Naturally Aran 10 Ply that a swap partner sent me! It’s perfect for this project.
There are lots of birds at the feeder this morning – we put it back up a couple of weeks ago, and it’s finally been re-discovered. Goldfinches, house finches, purple finches, some sparrows, a black-capped chickadee. And a mourning dove wandering around underneath. A squirrel runs up occasionally and startles them all away. The new feeder set up is thus far squirrel proof – one squirrel got onto it, and managed to catapult himself and the bird feeder off the balcony and into the yard. He hasn’t tried again.
I finished this little bag a couple of days ago – the yarn is Di.Ve’ Butterfly, 50% wool, 35% acrylic,15% alpaca. I think I used size 6US dpns. Could have been size 8. The pattern – none. I measured my cards, decided I wanted some ribbing and eyelets at the top, and cast on. It was a nice mindless knit to work on at the family get together on Sunday, and by the time we got home I was ready to start the decreases for the bottom. I had planned to do a banded bottom – like the toe of a sock, but I woke up a 2 am that morning with a brain storm about how to finish the bottom.
Here’s the bottom — what I did was knit stockinette to the length of my cards — then I re-arranged the stitches on the needles, so that I had five stitches across each short side and 10 across the long sides and it was nice and rectangular. Then I started knitting a flap along one long side — as I knit the flap I picked up a stitch from the short sides and decreased it together with the end stitches on the flap. This joined the bottom to the sides, and made it lie flat neatly. When I ran out of side stitches I turned the bag inside out, and joined the two sets of live stitches I had (one for each long side) with a three needle bind-off. I could have grafted it, but didn’t. It came out very neatly, and fits the cards perfectly.
This is Fana, finished. Size 6 needles, Paton’s Classic Merino and Cascade 220 worsted. The pattern is from Charlene Schurch’s book Hats On.
I have gotten the Swamp Witch completely bound off and just need to finish weaving the ends in. Once that is done I’ll have to decide if I am going to fringe it (probably) and block it (probably not).
And I will take a picture and show you as soon has I have the LR picked up! I set up this lovely photo op of the shawl hanging from the back of my rocking chair, and when I took the photo and looked at it I realized my living room is a disaster – so, no pics for you until I get it neatened up.
Demanding knitting, wanting to be shown off in a neat room.
Knit-Write 