Beach Knitting

A little sock knitting on the beach at my in-laws place. Making socks from the toe up using the pattern from More Last Minute Gifts. I'm hoping the heel shaping is eaSy enough to figure out. Boston and the snow are a million miles away! :)

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yarn bowl in action

I got a yarn bowl from my mom for Christmas and I love it. Right now it is holding Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran for my current baby sweater project.

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commuter sweater progress...

Have finished body of sweater and am moving on to sleeves. Hopefully this can be finished up this weekend.

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commuter time

Start of Margaret's baby sweater redo. Making it a little bigger and following instructions! Baby is already 6mos old.

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itty bitty hat....

Whipped up this little hat from itty bitt nursery for one of the new babies expected this time of year...not sure who will get it but it sure is small! I made it from Debbie Bliss Cathay yarn. It is very soft and silky but does split easily. I think I'll make it again but a tad bigger.

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mail! the best kind:

Fresco yarn from Classic Elite. I am starting a Beaumont Tam from Jared Flood for daughter Julia, to go with her new red pea coat.  The yarn is from FiberWild and I highly recommend them.  I ordered this Thurday night and got it today (Monday).  Think I can finish for Christmas????

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Welted fingerless mitts

Have been making Churchmouse welted fingerless mitts since before Thanksgiving. Three pairs in the sumptuous Man's del Uruguay silk blend. Loving them.

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Travels, mapped

visited 14 states (6.22%)
Create your own visited map of The World

I must widen my world scope...I've been to several of these countries more than once and only hit Belgium in the airport, so that might not really count!


visited 35 states (70%)
Create your own visited map of The United States
I really want to go to those northwest states.

Hallett's Ledge sleeve progress and a little side track

The sleeves are progressing, bit by bit.  I am trying to really pay attention to the increases and follow the directions correctly (unlike my usual sleeve attempts).  Maybe that is why they are going so slow.  I am a little bit nervous that they will be too tight and/or too long before I get to the last increase because I believe my row gauge is off by a row or two.

 

But, I have a slight detour at the moment:

Some mitts made out of Malabrigo silky merino in the color lettuce.  I can't tell you how soft this yarn is.  And I love the pattern.  It is from Churchmouse Yarns.  A pattern my friend, Penny found for me at her local yarn shop.  I like the pattern so much that I could not resist buying some more yarn for it while visiting my friend Judy's local yarn shop....

That is a skein of Manos del Uruguay silk blend in color 3120 (the multi) and also a skein of super-soft Cascade Eco Duo (baby alpaca and merino). Mmmmmm can't wait to knit with these.

They are tucked inside my favorite small project bag from Lantern Moon. Totally worth the price because I just love it, it's the perfect size.

Sleeves

Still working on the sleeves of Hallett.  I ripped back several inches of the cable pattern after discovering that the ribbed portion was probably too short for my forearms.  This seems to be the frog pond sweater.  At least I am still at it.

 Halloween was relatively quiet...for Salem.  I guess because it was Sunday and cold and windy.  But Kate and I walked over to River St. and saw the pumpkins.

Halletts Ledge

I am knitting Halletts Ledge right now.  I finished the body of the sweater and am working on the sleeves.  Unfortunately...or maybe fortunately, I found a mistake in the cable on the right front section. It was early on so I was not able to rip back.  I dropped the whole cable section down to the mistake and re-knit just that section.  But while I was doing that I re-worked the shoulder and discovered I had read the pattern wrong.  So both shoulders got reworked.  Needless to say, although I was humming along, this major snag has slowed me down a bit.  I want it to be done because I want to wear it, but also because I haven't finished a big project in a long time....have to get it on the to-done list!

Pattern details:

• yarn:  Rowan Lima
• skeins: 12
• color: blue/gray
• Halletts Ledge by Elinor Brown from Twist Collective

Oh...and see the pattern lying on the dock next to the body of the sweater in the picture...a few minutes later the pattern flew off the dock and disappeared in the water before I even realized it!  Thank goodness for having it saved on my computer.

Yarn, needles, plan...

The Knitting Olympics Athletes Pledge

I, a knitter of able hands and quick wits, to hereby swear that over the course of these Olympics I will uphold the highest standard of knitterly excellence.

I will be deft of hand and sure of pattern, I will overcome troubles of yarn overs and misplaced decreases. I will use the gifts of intelligence and persistence (as well as caffeine and chocolate) and I will execute my art to the highest form, carrying with me the hope for excellence known to every knitter.

I strive to win. To do my best, and to approach the needles with my own best effort in mind, without comparing myself to my fellow knitters, for they have challenges unique to them.

While I engage in this pursuit of excellence and my own personal, individual best, I also swear that I will continue to engage with my family in conversation, care for my pets, speak kindly with those who would ask me to do something other than knit, and above all, above every stitch thrown or picked, above every cable, every heel stitch, every change of colour, I swear this:

That I will remember that this is not the real Olympics, that I'm supposed to be having fun and that my happiness and self-worth ride not on my success....
but on my trying.                                                                      (authored by Yarn Harlot)

All set to begin cast on tonight....except for one thing.... haven't figured out what design to do on the yoke.  Think I will be winging it as I go along.  Also, have switched to a new yarn for me... Leche.  It has milk protein in it.  I know, weird, but it is machine washable and came in the right color.  My usual go-to yarn (Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran) was not available in the cream today at Seed Stitch. I do have one skein of the Debbie Bliss Rialto to use in the colorwork however.  The best part was that I got 15% off today because it is the month of my birthday!   I'll be swatching and browsing through my copy of Traditional Fair Isle Knitting for a yoke pattern during the opening ceremonies.

Knitting Olympics

Signed up for the Knitting Olympics on Yarn Harlot's blog. Need a quick baby gift for my friend Steve's new baby.  I plan on doing my version of the Debbie Bliss Raglan Baby Sweater with a few extra details thrown in.  I'm planning on some yoke colorwork detail and I think the picot edge hem on the cuffs and bottom edge like I did for Diane's twins.  Of course to make it a real challenge....hat and booties will have to be included.  "Training" begins today...need to get the yarn and the design in place.

blue_sock

blue_sock
Originally uploaded by My Knitting Life.

Another blue mystery knit? Think not... maybe a cable pattern or something from my new Christmas present: Socks From the Toe Up.

wisteria_socks_closeup

wisteria_socks_closeup
Originally uploaded by My Knitting Life.

These were such a fun pattern (Mystery sock 09 knit along) that I made them twice in row. This sock yarn color is called wisteria... and that is just what it reminds me of.

Mystery Sock KAL 09

I actually participated in the Mystery Sock 09 knit along while it was going on, but didn't get the pictures uploaded until now. I've done two pairs. Great pattern that kept my interest, was easy to learn and pretty to look at.

bread

It was a snow day today so Julia and I made bread. Not the bread in the you-tube video above, but Challah bread. I've never made it before, but I was inspired by my friend Judy who makes it all the time. Hopefully it tastes as good as hers.

Next I want to try the artisan bread in the you-tube video. I just need to get the dutch oven. We have a cast iron frying pan with a cover, but I think that is too shallow for bread. Maybe I can find the pot that goes with the same cover.

I have knitted some more on the brown and white mittens. I just love the feel of that cormo wool. The noro scarf is done. And a pair of toast mitts. I want to use them to wear over my leather gloves on those really cold days when I need more warmth than gloves could ever provide. Need to block.

Colorwork

.


It is so cold that I am knitting up mittens and also a toast to wear over my leather gloves while I wait for the train in the morning. It is cold like it used to be around here when my kids were really small. You'll notice there are two different mittens started. That is because I started the red pair from some stash yarn and in the meantime ordered some wonderfully, squishy soft Cormo yarn from Martha's Vineyard Fiberfarm that I just had to start using. I dug up some brown sock yarn from my stash for the contrast color

On top of the mittens, I've been contemplating starting a fair-isle yoke sweater that has been on my to do list for a while. It is from Elizabeth Zimmermann and it entails alot of mindless stockinette in the round for the body of the sweater. Something good for the train.

I love this comment by the Yarn Harlot... I am soooo totally there!

My daughter's new, more sophisticated room for the new (almost)teenager!

This was a lot of work... endless trips to Ikea and Target, repurposing of lots of school-age books, toys, games and clothes and lots of paint. I think we need just a few more Jonas Brothers posters and it will be totally ready for a new teenager.





There has been knitting too, but have to get pictures in the daylight tomorrow.

Pictures of Field of Flowers Shawl

I finished the Field of Flowers shawl for my mom's birthday and sent it off to her for those air conditioned places in Florida. Here are the pictures:

Koolhaas hat

I've started the Koolhaas hat by Jared Flood. It is a really cool looking hat and after I saw my friend Jill's hat, I decided to forge ahead. It is really fun to make and looks awesome.

Rip

I found the mistake. I somehow added a few rows on the 3rd repeat.... so the whole side got ripped back. I decided I should use the full (last) ball of yarn so I hopefully won't need to start a new ball during the border. The first corner came out, but now on the second corner I am a row or two off. Can't find the same mistake again, but will have to look more closely. This is going to take a long time if I keep this pace up. I wish there was a way of checking as I go along.

Love the feel of this yarn and I really do like the pattern... enough that I want to do it again. Thinking I may do it in a DK weight so we can have a nice wool afghan for the winter. Someone on Ravelry had a beautiful one with a contrasting border.

Dana got his license this week and today was the first day driving on his own. I'm scared, but gotta let him go. Hopefully he has the skills to save himself and others from major injuries!

Field of Flowers Shawl

I'm coming near the end of the Field of Flowers shawl. I've gotten to the first corner of the the lace edging, but I'm stumped. The (very detailed) directions say I should be on row 18, but I'm on row 13. Ooops. Now what? Do I rip back or fudge it? I don't know what to do. The directions are so good, I don't know how I'm coming up so short. Where did those stitches go?

Love, love, love the yarn which is Alpaca from Knit Picks.

Knitting but no finishing

I've been knitting, but haven't finished anything. Currently working on a shawl. Pictures this weekend since it is raining right now.

knitting rut

I'm in a bit of a knitting rut! Have started and slowly worked on the button cuff gloves... my own version using the Handy Book of Patterns. I have a pinky and a ring finger so far. I'd like them done by the time I go to Paris at the end of January, but it's not looking good. I need to have a project going for the plane ride and it has to be sort of mindless so that I don't need to have a pattern on my lap or a lot of bulk with me, which means socks and that means I need these gloves done so I can use the needles! Plus I am late on TWO baby sweaters..... babies are born and growing fast....

The mittens are a Christmas present for my friend, Eamon. He's 6. They are Malabrigo. Gloves are Colinette Jitterbug, the picture does not do them justice because their color is really wonderful.

Christmas 2007

Christmas was very nice this year. Two new books: Selbuvotter Biography of Knitting Tradition and The Harmony Guides Lace & Eyelets . I plan on making some mittens in red and white with some Madeline Tosh yarn in a red/pink variegated skein and Bretton from Patternworks from my stash.

Sox , Sox, Socks!

So I finished the heel of the second sock while watching the SOX win the ALCS! I wanted to stop and just watch the game, but those Sox were making me too nervous with the potential tying run at home plate 3 times in a row. Thank goodness for J.P. I know I said I didn't think they'd get to the World Series this year, but look at that, I was wrong.

I am really liking the wool for this project. I picked it up at Patterworks in NH over Columbus Day weekend and had initially intended to make plain socks with red heels and toes, but it really lends itself better to cables. I still wanted a fairly simple, quick knit though, so I used just a simple twist stitch all around the cuff and then continued that down 2 sides of the sock. I like them although the cables sort of abruptly stop at the ankle. I think if I made them again I would make the cuff shorter, change to stocking stitch sooner with the 2 cables going down the sides. I have 2 more skeins and I'm thinking I'll be making some mittens or gloves or maybe these socks. Looks like I will have a whole lotta knitting time over the next 10 days....

Meanwhile, I have started some mitts for my son. I bought some Cascade baby alpaca on Saturday in sort of a green/blue colorway and started the Axel Mitts from Blue Garter. I had to adjust the pattern somewhat, because the way it is written makes the initial cables not really line up with the ribbing. Also my son wanted the palm side to be 3 x 1 ribbing. So I reworked the pattern to adjust it and now I am thinking I am not crazy about how the cable is worked. Once the second cross is started it looks a bit wonky. I am thinking that the second cross of the cable needs to start while the first is feathering out to the sides still. I'll have to play with it a bit to see how it looks. It is a quick knit though, so easy to rip back and re-do. Here is the progress so far:

This picture is closer to the true color which is much more suitable for a teenage boy:


More later. I have a Red Sox hangover which needs to be caught up on before Wednesday....